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NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA CRUISE-2016

Created on: 11/10/16 04:01 PM Views: 1509 Replies: 2
NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA CRUISE-2016
Posted Thursday, November 10, 2016 04:01 PM




 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 WE LEAVE FOR BALTIMORE, MD FOR RC CRUISE UP THE EAST COAST AND INTO CANADA.  WE ALWAYS GO THE DAY BEFORE THE CRUISE SHIP LEAVES. WE DO THIS FOR TWO REASONS, ONE BEING POSSIBLE DELAYS IN TRAVELING TO THE PORT CITY. THE OTHER BEING, THERE ARE THINGS IN THE PORT CITY WE MIGHT WANT TO SEE. WE OFTEN STAY OVER A DAY OR TWO ON OUR RETURN TO MAKE MORE EXCURSIONS. MORE ABOUT THIS LATER.

BALTIMORE IS A VERY NICE, CLEAN DOWNTOWN. I SAY DOWNTOWN ONLY BECAUSE THAT WAS ALL WE SAW. OUR OWN TOUR OF DOWNTOWN, WE SAW THE CASINO, CAMDEN YARDS, AND RAVEN STADIUM. IN THE BAY WE SAW THE USS CONSTELLATION, A WWII SUBMARINE, A LIGHT SHIP AND A COAST GUARD CUTTER. WE ALSO VISITED THE BARNS AND NOBLE BOOK STORE. BIG DEAL; YES, IT WAS IN A 100+ YEAR OLD POWER PLANT.  THE WALLS AND THE 4 SMOKE STACKS REMAIN. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS REMOVED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE HUGE BOOK STORE. IT WAS RAINING.

THE NEXT STOP WAS HISTORIC. WE VISITED FORT MCHENRY. BIG DEAL; IT WAS!  FRANCIS SCOTT KEY WROTE THE STAR-SPANGLE BANNER DURING THE BATTLE AT FORT MCHENRY AGAINST THE BRITISH. HOWEVER, MR KEY WAS NOT AT FORT MCHENRY; HE WAS NEGOTIATING THE RELEASE OF A PRISONER BEING HELD BY THE BRITISH AT A NEAR BY LOCATION.  HE WATCHED THE BATTLE. IN ANY CASE, IT WAS A HISTORIC SITE AND STORY. THE CANONS, BUILDINGS AND THE VISITOR CENTER WERE WELL WORTH THE TIME, COST AND MOST INFORMATIVE.

THURSDAY WE HAD TRANSPORTATION TO THE SHIP. WITH THE PROPER DOCUMENTS, WE CLEARED CUSTOMS EASILY AND BOARDED THE SHIP AND WENT TO OUR CABIN.  STRAIGHT TO THE BUFFET. I FOUND THE BUFFET AND DINING ROOM SO OFTEN THAT I GAINED 12 POUNDS DURING THE TRIP. IT HAS TAKEN A MONTH TO LOSE THE 12 POUNDS, BUT I DID. MY DOCTOR SAYS MY GOAL WAS TO GAIN NET 0 POUNDS. I JUST TOOK A LITTLE LONGER. NEXT STOP, BOSTON.

I MUST APOLOGIZE HERE; IT SPRINKLED ALL DAY IN BALTIMORE, IT RAINED ALL DAY IN BOSTON. HOWEVER, MARGIE AND I WALKED THE FREEDOM TRAIL FROM START TO FINISH, IN THE RAIN. WE DID NOT MISS ANYTHING. WE VISITED THE OLD NORTH CHURCH, CEMETERIES, PAUL REVERE HOME, ETC, ETC, ETC. WE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE MISSED THE RAIN. BACK TO THE SHIP; MORE FINE FOOD. GOING TO PORTLAND, ME.  AS THE NEXT PORT.

WE VISITED PORTLAND, KENNEBUNK AND KENNEBUNKPORT. WHO WOULD THINK SEEING A LIGHT HOUSE WOULD BE SO NEAT. GOING THROUGH KENNEBUNKPORT WE SAW THAT PRESIDENT BUSH SENIOR WAS AT HOME. HIS FLAG WAS FLYING. I HOPED WE COULD STOP FOR TEA BUT IT DID NOT HAPPEN. I AM NOT EVEN SURE HE KNEW THAT MARGIE AND I WERE IN TOWN. OH WELL, MAYBE ANOTHER DAY. ON TO BAA HAA BAA.

ARRIVING IN BAR HARBOR, WE HAD TO TENDER INTO TOWN. FOR THOSE NOT SAVVY LIKE ME, ( I WAS A SAILOR FOR THREE YEARS) THAT MEANS YOU MOVE FROM SHIP TO SHORE IN A BOAT. WE TOOK A TOUR OF ACADIA NATIONAL PARK TO THE TOP OF CADILLAC MOUNTAIN. THE VIEW WAS GREAT.  THE LEAVES WERE CHANGING. BY THE WAY, THE LEAVES’ COLOR IS DEPENDENT UPON SEVERAL FACTORS. IT MUST GET COLD BY OCTOBER, AND NO HARD RAINS. NOW WE ARE OFF TO CA NA DA.

SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA WAS OUR NEXT STOP. WE SAW MORE LIGHTHOUSES AND THE REVERSING RAPIDS. THIS WAS WORTH THE TRIP. THE TIDE CHANGED 30+ FEET DAILY. WE SAW BOATS TIED UP TO A PIER IN 30 FEET OF WATER AND CAME BY LATER THAT SAME DAY TO SEE THE SAME BOAT LAYING IN THE MUD. THE FOOD WAS GREAT DURING THE EXCURSION.  I LEARNED SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT COVERED BRIDGES. TIME TO GO FURTHER NORTH, TO HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA.

HALIFAX IS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT FOR THIS TRIP. OUR EXCURSION STARTED AFTER LUNCH SO WE VISITED THE DOWNTOWN BAY FRONT. IT WAS LAID OUT FOR WALKING TRAFFIC.  THIS AFTERNOON WE VISIT PEGGY’S COVE AND THE CEMETERY WHERE 121 TITANIC PASSENGERS ARE BURIED.  I AM ALWAYS INTERESTED IN ANYTHING RELATED TO THE TITANIC TRAGEDY. I HAVE BEEN TO COBH, CO. CORK, IRELAND, THE LAST PORT OF CALL FOR THE TITANIC. I HAVE SEEN ALL OF THE TITANIC MOVIES AND BEEN TO SEVERAL MUSEUMS. HOWEVER, I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO VISIT THE HALIFAX MUSEUM. PEGGY’S COVE IS A SIGHT TO SEE. THE BUS WAS TRAVELING THRU THE FOREST OF THE RURAL NOVA SCOTIA AND THEN YOU COME TO PEGGY’S COVE. IT WAS A DRASTIC CHANGE IN SCENERY.  THERE WERE NO TREES, ONLY HUGE, HUGE ROCKS AND A LIGHTHOUSE. TONIGHT WE LEAVE AND HEAD SOUTH TO BALTIMORE AND THE HURRICANE COMING NORTH UP THE ATLANTIC COAST.

THE CAPTAIN KEPT THE PASSENGERS INFORMED ABOUT THE HURRICANE. HEADING SOUTH AT 22+ KNOTS (ANOTHER NAVY TERM I KNOW). THE IDEA WAS TO REACH THE MOUTH OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE CAPTAIN WANTED OPTIONS. ONE WAS TO GET TO BALTIMORE BEFORE THE STORM. THEREBY, CUTTING OUR TRIP SHORT BUT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE OUR TRAVEL CONNECTIONS. SECOND WAS TO CRUISE THE ATLANTIC AND WAIT TILL THE STORM WAS OVER AND WE WOULD BE LATE FOR OUR CONNECTIONS. THIRD WAS FOR THE STORM TO MISS BALTIMORE AND WE COULD GO IN TO BALTIMORE ON TIME. WE ENTERED BALTIMORE ON TIME.

NOW, OUR POST- TRIP SITUATION DID NOT WORK OUT TOO WELL. MARGIE AND I PLANNED TO LEAVE THE SHIP EARLY UPON ARRIVAL AND TAKE A CAB TO THE BALTIMORE AIRPORT (BWI) (I LIKE TO TALK TECHNICAL). WE HAD A RENTAL CAR RESERVATION AT BWI AND PLAN TO LEAVE FOR THE US NAVAL ACADEMY AND SPEND THE DAY BEFORE OUR LATE PLANE RIDE HOME. WELL, A FEW WEEKS BEFORE LEAVING, aa (HOPE YOU CATCH MY JOKE) CANCELED THE LATE FLIGHT. OUR NEW, CHEAPER, FLIGHT WAS SIX HOURS EARLIER THAN PLANNED. WE DO NOT GET THE DIFFERENCE IN TICKET PRICE BACK. WE COULD STAY OVER NIGHT AT OUR EXPENSE AND ALSO BE CHARGED A $200 PER TICKET CHANGE FEE  AND STILL GO TO THE USNA.  WE JUST DECIDED TO COME HOME EARLIER AND MISS THE USNA. O WELL, SO MUCH FOR A PERFECT TRIP.

 
Edited 11/12/16 02:18 PM
RE: NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA CRUISE-2016
Posted Thursday, November 10, 2016 04:42 PM

You and Bill Hyams do an outstanding job of writing up your travels.  Thanks for the post!  We have been to Baa Haa Baa and to Cadillac Mountain, wanted to see the sunrise from Cadillac but fog was all the way down half way of the mountain, it was early November and COLD.

We had to cut our trip, about a month ago, to Yellowstone short due to fire closing the road so headed on down to Colorado, Lake City area, and as luck would have it we hit it at peak color on the Aspens.  I had made two motorcycle trips up there and Polly and the kids had been with me on a couple of others but never just right.  This time was absolutely beautiful, whole mountains covered in yellow  and a sort of burn orange interspersed.

 

 
RE: NEW ENGLAND AND CANADA CRUISE-2016
Posted Friday, November 11, 2016 12:18 PM

Johnny and Margie-

Thanks for the write-up.  Enjoyed reading it.  Now headed for the profile pictures.