Well friends, it is with considerable ambivalence I am writing the last blog of our Great Adventure. We have just arrived home today, a lovely sunny afternoon in Vancouver, fit to welcome home weary travellers, but we are both feeling quite dislocated. It will take a few days to get our land legs under us I think, and to clear away the debris of travel.
Norbert, Buddy and I have travelled 22,650 km. in 132 days, living in an 8 foot camper. That included 10 provinces, 12 National Parks, 25 Provincial Parks, 20 ferry trips, 8 nights in hotels, 8 nights camped on city streets (Halifax, Winnipeg, Montreal), 7 hot springs, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 7 cousins, a few old friends, and some lovely new ones too. We've spent a bit more money than we expected, but not a lot. We've eaten incredibly well, exercised not enough, and seen some amazing sights.
Not as much wildlife as we expected: 2 bears, 9 moose, 12 pronghorn antelope, lots of elk, bison, deer, 1 fox, 1 beaver, several muskrat, and some wonderful birds - puffins, sandhill cranes, tundra swans, snow geese, hawks and eagles.
Our summary, including several ties where we couldn't agree on a clear winner:
Best campsite - Green Point in Gros Morne National Park, Nfld.
Best hike - The Lookout Trail, Gros Morne and 70 Mile Butte, Grasslands National Park, Sask.
Best bike trip - along the Assiniboine River into Winnipeg
Best paddling - Fairy Lake into Huntsville Ontario, past my grandparents' house on the Muskoka River.
Best swimming - Canoe Lake, Algonquin Park and Katherine Cove, Lake Superior
Best history - Port Royal, NS and Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alta.
Best geology - Tablelands, Gros Morne and Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alta.
Best day trip - iceberg viewing, St. Anthony, Nfld.
Best entertainment - an evening of Norse Sagas in the recreated sod hut at L'anse aux Meadows, Nfld.
Best meal - lobster and champagne in a storm in Cape Breton National Park
Best campfire - Canada Day in Pine Falls, Man. with my cousins and their kids
Best wine tasting - L'Acadie Blanc, Jost vineyard in NS
Things we didn't need to bring - the bloody canoe lifter!
Things we wished we'd brought - an electric heater!
Regrets - not enough time for everything
Challenges - finding campsites in October
Best surprise - the honeymoon isn't over yet!
It's been a most remarkable and exciting trip, and neither of us is completely ready to settle down again. We haven't looked beyond the next few kilometers for months now, so we haven't made any plans for life at home yet. Both of us are feeling the need to find meaning and relevance in our lives after retirement, and that's a step that will take time to work itself out. There's no rush - Christmas in on the horizon, we need to reconnect with family and friends, and spend some time getting used to our home again.
It's been a wonderful journey. Thanks so much for coming along with us.
