The World’s Largest Axe
There it is… it’s big.
Zesty and the axe
Maya and the axe
The Nicest Brewery on Our Journey
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A Life Less Ordinary
Category: Sightseeing (page 14 of 20)
Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional.
This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Mary Aalgaard, Madeline Mora-Summonte, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.
The question for this month’s blog hop is long: “It’s been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don’t enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?
My answer
I believe that reading benefits people, whether they are writers or not. The advantage of being a writer who reads is that you always learn, consciously or not, and this improves your craft. The disadvantage of reading for me is that, 1) I compare myself to other writers, leading to two trains of thought, either “I’ll never be able to write this well and become successful” or “I can and do write like that, so why am I not becoming successful?” And, 2) I get annoyed by typos, feel like I have to proofread and correct the copy, and try to retain wisdom. As a result, reading often feels like work instead of enjoyment. In general, reading does make me a better writer.
However, I don’t agree that not reading means that you don’t enjoy reading, as suggested in this question. I rarely read because of time constraints, not because I don’t enjoy it. Also, writers might purposefully NOT read much (in certain genres) to develop original ideas and unique voices. Nothing wrong with that.
The world’s largest axe in New Brunswick
The world’s longest covered bridge in New Brunswick
Definitely the most impressive covered bridge we’ve seen and walked/drove through
Mark, Maya, and I had five weeks to explore the Canadian Maritimes, before my parents would arrive from Belgium. Time flies! Especially when all hiking and sightseeing is postponed on rainy days. We knew we couldn’t circumnavigate Nova Scotia in its entirety, due to long distances, expensive fuel, and time constraints.
Crossing New Brunswick took about a week, then we spent another one in the Halifax area, where we had to choose: travel about the southwest corner of the province or the northeastern part. We picked the latter and headed to Cape Breton Island, many hours and kilometers away.
We hit the Cabot Trail – a famous scenic drive – on the first day of September. Another traveler had recommended we’d drive counter clockwise to take in the dramatic vistas from the best angle, so we did. While pretty, it wasn’t as spectacular as we anticipated; the nicer parts reminded us somewhat of the Acadia National Park shoreline in Maine.
Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is part of the Canadian Maritimes. This is the first of two posts I will publish about our time there, the end of August and the beginning of September 2019. Before that, we explored the southern part of New Brunswick.
Economy
Our intended camping experience near and hike to Economy Falls failed, due to the road’s horrible condition. Mark and I could have biked to the trailhead, but not with Maya. Ten miles of running beside bicycles on top of a five-mile romp in the woods would be too much. So, we opted for free camping option two: Thomas Cove Coastal Reserve. There, we found a peaceful spot to park along the Bay of Fundy, at the beginning of multiple flat but fun hiking trails. (Click on photos to enlarge and read captions.)
Not a bad spot for a couple of nights
Almost low tide in the Bay of Fundy
Look at all that cushy moss – Maya loved jumping around in it!
Nobody else was around during this fun walk in the woods
Exposed rock during low tide
Hiking in the woods
Low tide
After running around for miles, Maya’s tongue was hanging pretty low!
Giving Maya a bath – finally the outdoor shower comes in handy!
After spending a few days at our friends Mark and Jen’s cabin in Maine – the perfect place to hang out, write an article, and arrange part of my parents’ upcoming visit – Mark, Maya, and I hit the road again. Our (late) summer destination: the Canadian Maritimes.
Three people (Jen, Mark, and Mark) and three Dogs (Moose, Stubby, and Maya) in the kitchen
Maya is pretty mellow.
Small falls on a lovely hike
Mark, Mark, and Maya pose in front of the main falls
Maya likes to be on a “perch”
And, she still loves the water
But first, we had to endure an evening of buzzing and feasting mosquitoes in a free beautiful, forested, riverside campsite. We had “planned” a two-night stay, but left first thing in the morning and crossed the border; an uneventful affair.
Welcome to New Brunswick, Canada
You can read part one (about sights and boondocking in Colorado) here and part two (about the Midwest and meeting a TV celebrity in Iowa) here. The last stretch of our trip east from Kanab, Utah to Newburyport, Massachusetts started in Ontario, Canada.
Niagara Falls
Lake Erie, Ontario
Part of choosing this route, was to check out some of the Great Lakes, which I’d never been to. We found a nice-sounding boondocking spot along Lake Erie, before our real city tripping started. If it wasn’t for the hordes of biting flies chomping on our flesh, we would have stayed an extra day to relax. (Click on or hover over photos to enlarge and read the captions.)
Entering Ontario and Canada
Comfy Maya in the car
Stroll along Lake Erie
Trouble! Maya finds food everywhere…
Scenic spot, but biting insect-ridden
Mark and Maya in the golden light
This is blog two of a three-part series about the road trip in our camper van Mark, Maya, and I took from Kanab, Utah to Newburyport, Massachusetts the last few weeks. You can read part one about our sightseeing and camping experiences in Colorado here.
Drive-through States
Have you ever heard the term “fly-over states”? It’s the large, middle chunk of the United States that most people never get to see or visit, because they fly from one side of the country to the other – the areas with the biggest population and the most liberal views are located on both coasts. For this trip, we have dubbed those states (also called the Midwest) the “drive-through states”.
It was time to cover some distance, after our dilly-dallying in Colorado. We decided to “avoid highways” and follow secondary roads northeast, passing through villages, intersections, lights, and stop signs. (Click on or hover over photos to enlarge and read captions.)
All kinds of vehicles reduced our progress.
Another obstacle slowing us down. Why didn’t we take highways?
Why East?
After almost three years of house sitting and van living “out West”, it is time to leave our most favorite area of the United States and spend the summer and fall “back East”. We both have doctors’ appointments, my citizenship interview happens in August, and Mark’s aging parents can use help. Also, our van has never been to its place of registration and family and friends can’t wait to meet our newest crew member, Maya. From our home base in Massachusetts, we hope to explore the Maritimes in Canada as well.
(Hover over the photos below or click on them to read the captions.)
The Art of Boondocking
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know Mark and I rarely pay for camping, which is reflected in our monthly expense reports. This means we practice the art of boondocking, also called dry camping, wild camping, and sometimes urban camping (in cities), without a fee involved: we park our camper van for one night or more on BLM land, National Forest land, or areas where this is allowed.
Our favorite boondocking site in Kanab, Utah
This is my last blog in the Best Friends series, but I’ll add a little twist in my next post. To read more about the sanctuary itself and our two-week volunteering experience (with heaps of photos of cuteness), particularly in Dogtown, click here. You can find out more about “our” sleepover dogs here.
In my previous blog post, I showed some of the beauty Angel Canyon, where Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located, comprises. My favorite view is still the one from the Angel Village Café. And, the one through the windows of one of the founders’ home isn’t too shabby either!
View over Angel Canyon from Angel Village Cafe
Wonderful view into Angel Canyon from Jana’s house
The Plan
Things don’t always go as planned. Not that we plan often. But after our exhausting house sit in Albuquerque, the idea was to spend a couple of days at a quiet, free campground in El Malpais National Monument, drive to Canyon de Chelly to spend a day hiking and sightseeing, move to the Hopi Reservation in Navajo Nation for an affordable tour and a free night at the Cultural Center, and visit the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. That park opens on May 15th every year and—reputedly—has smaller crowds than the well-trotted South Rim. Our temporary end destination would be Kanab, Utah to volunteer at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for two weeks. (Click on or hover over the photos to read the captions.)
Panorama from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Albuquerque, NM
But… two important packages—to fix an engine problem in Zesty—refused to arrive as scheduled, before our departure from Albuquerque. Mark did all he could to reroute them to Kanab. Everything seemed in order; we left for some rest in El Malpais, an hour and a half west of the city. Luckily, we picked up a cell signal with AT&T there (we never did with our previous carrier T-Mobile). After a cold yet peaceful night, both packages were to be delivered at our pet sitting address, that Saturday. In awful weather, we returned to the house. The USPS parcel had arrived by 11am, but we waited for the UPS package until 4:30pm; it was the last stop on his route! We drove until 7:30pm to make a little bit of headway in the right direction and “urban camped” in Gallup, NM. Detour: three hours.
Campsite El Malpais NM
Stormy weather
Free night in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel in Gallup, NM – not the quietest place
Lessons learned: Don’t believe everything is in order, until it actually is! And, don’t venture too far away if packages are “in transit”.
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon de Shay), AZ
One of the most rewarding experiences of having no expectations is arriving at a new destination and being awed. We rekindled with that feeling we discovered in Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks last year, in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Navajo Nation, Arizona. This park is free! Staring into the canyon the first time, we found vertical walls, branched off side canyons, a meandering river, and a lush valley.
Canyon de Chelly NM
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