June 10, Part 1 - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Ladies and gentlemen, today you get a bonus (depending on how you view it!) - two posts. One now and one a bit later.

Got back a bit earlier than originally anticipated. My back just could not take an additional 4 hours of driving, on top of what I already did today. I am becoming one with my car, physically and literally! Much as I love her, she was definitely not built for comfort :)

So I will share some of my observations about what little I have seen in the Provinces so far. The people I have met and interacted with have been unfailingly courteous and polite, and many have gone out of their way to help me out. Even when it was not necessary (and I did not ask). That seems to be just the way they are here. So refreshing!

The scenery is absolutely amazing. I mentioned in yesterday's post it seems greener here than even New England, and I reassert that observation after today's journey. It is stunning. Unfortunately there are no places along the highways to stop and take pictures, and it is difficult while traveling solo. I will try to get some tomorrow, but I know they will not do it justice.

They do have a lot of hefty taxes here; pretty much everything I have purchased so far has come with a tax. They seem to be very, very big on recycling, which warms my heart! In my current hotel room I have 3 trash buckets - one for trash, one for recyclables, and one for compost materials. The US could take a lesson from that!

Gas is expensive. Thus far it has been $1.05 CAD-$1.08 CAD per liter. There are 3.78 liters in a gallon (round it to 4). So that works out to (about) $4.20 CAD per gallon. Converted into USD, it is about $3.29 a gallon.

Thus far the highways here are great; well maintained. Some of the smaller by-ways not so much :) The roads are all well-marked, however. I have not gotten lost yet!

I do not think GPS would have helped me out much in some of the places I am visiting; phone coverage is spotty at best.

A second post, with pictures, will follow in a few hours. I need a shower. The weather has been unseasonably chilly here, and it showered off and on today until early afternoon. Although I did pack a rain jacket and a couple long sleeve shirts and a small sweatshirt, I froze today! I think it was like 50 some odd degrees. Did not know I needed gloves in June! I got wet, and very wind blown. So I want a hot shower.