From Florida to Quebec Part 1

5,123 miles and 15 days of driving

Mom and daughter adventure

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Day 1:

We did over 500 miles of driving and over 8 hrs. Traffic hasn't been too bad nor has the weather. We were afraid (when I say we I mean I) that we were going to hit some flood zones and not have a way to our destinations, but everything worked out!

We made it to Holden beach. There were plenty of shark teeth and we found 2 whole sea biscuits! We stopped to eat at mom's favorite food...mini jalapeños (Mexican). She said the food was actually good. A seafood burrito (my first for that), shrimp ceviche, and chips and salsa. So full.

Camped out in the truck in a Holiday Inn parking lot. Not a bad setup in the back.

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Day 2:

We made our way to Alligator River National Refuge. It ended up being a wash. It wasn't labeled correctly and from the reviews I thought I would be able to ask someone where the wildlife are hiding. Nope... on our way out, this happened...

Me: how do you dry fruit?

Mom: oh you just have to do it.

Some of the things she says lol. I think we're both heavily sleep deprived.

We drove A LOT today.

We went all through Roanoke Island, Nags Head, all the way up north.

The way they build their homes, scary! They're on stilts made of random things: pallets, 2x4, and even cinder blocks.

We drove for over 12 hours today, listened to an informative podcast, and ate at the only food joint in a town full of mechanics. We had a very uneventful day, but we made it to Delaware. Over 1200 miles, 600 just from today!

We were collecting acorns in a field where we stopped to stretch our legs...

Me: why are these acorns so small

Mom: oh well people are small

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Day 3:

We left early and made our way to the liberty bell.

We were early so we went to the Italian market. Filled with a lot of fruit and vegetables. We got cherries and mangos. Super cheap and beautiful looking!

Liberty State Park was our next destination. There we got to see the skyline of New York and the back side of the statue. We were able to snag some ice cream along the way too.

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Day 4:

Day 4 was a very special day to us. We met with my dad's college friend, Ruth. She is someone who radiates kindness and has such genuine care for those she holds near.

She shared many stories about my dad including:

Dad had done a story for a journal on a bridge that was said to not be stable. No one who was involved at the job site at the bridge would admit that the bridge was unstable. So, he had gotten to know the crew by bringing them donuts and spending time with them. Once he gotten to know them he asked if the bridge really was unstable. He had promised he wouldn't reveal his sources. They shared with him that cars shouldn't be driving on it. He had brought this back to the news station that he was working at and they wanted to know who his sources were. He wouldn't say. But they did publish the article in the paper, saving lives.

He also talked to his plants while gardening.

Great at singing.

Very positive.

Referred to Anne (another college friend) and Ruth as "gals".

His previous house was in Clinton, Connecticut. By the beach. 1.5 hours east of Ruth. He loved the beach because as a kid he'd have to drive 1.5 hours just to get there. He kept it spotless. 

She spoke about Jana (daughter from a previous marriage) and Dayna. How awful they were to dad. Always begging for more than his pocket allowed and they would whine when they couldn't get what they wanted, despite how hard he worked. Brainwashed by Pat, they never saw dad as a hard worker but as an absent parent.

Mom spoke about how they met in great detail and how she thought that he wasn't serious about marriage or even showing up to the Philippines. The story shows that when you know, you know. And they knew they were for each other. That's gut intuition.

He was very much loved by her, Pete, and Anne. She has such a wonderful soul. She's so caring, so empathetic, and she deeply listens to what you have to say. I have never met anyone like that in my life. She gave me a book, one that has saved her many times in her life. It brought me to tears. The book is titled: Big Magic: Creative Living Without Fear.

Day 5:

We drove over 400 miles today. 

Maple trees make acorns? 

We started the day with a Wienermobile picture. My brother says that there is only ONE left in the entire US. I guess we found it! 

We drove to Acadia. The first hike (Precipice loop) we did was so strenuous! There was rock scramble after rock scramble! It was ridiculous! Mom powered through. We did 2.80 miles in 2 hours! Exhausted! There were ladders throughout and some were high up there. I couldn't look down. There were several times we were so close to the edge that we really needed those handrails. 

We had lobster and clams for dinner at a place downtown called Bar Harbor Lobster Company. Excellent! I haven't had lobster in so long! 

Now, we have to figure out where the fuck we're going to stay for sleep lol. We're thinking of several different places, but I am scared of getting in trouble! 

We decided to park the truck at the base of our hike that we plan to do in the morning (Cadillac Mountain). A park patrol car drove by as we appeared to be loading the truck up and leaving. He slowed down…unsure if we're gonna be able to make it through without him coming back and telling us to leave. 

Mom insists on the golf place nearby, but I feel that's more in the open. I guess we'll see how it all plays out. 

Also, I lost my keys….I was going crazy just trying to find them. They were placed at the back end of my truck under the tailgate. 

Earlier in the day we were talking about the park pass and I made a comment about how the cool kids all have the mirror holder display. 

Mom: and cool moms. Where do you think You get it from?

Day 6:

Cadillac mountain for sunrise! 

Let me tell you…this was the scariest hike I've ever been on. We got up at 3:30 AM and left around 4:30 AM because we were too scared to get out there in the dark! Mom urged me that we'd be okay. But what about animals!? Mom said…oh we're bigger than them! But then she asked if we were going to make our way through the woods. I said, of course! She thought we were just walking alongside the road. This quickly changed her mind about the safety of our journey which prompted our hesitancy. We finally decide to be brave and start the trail. I couldn't take my eyes off the surroundings. I used a headlamp, which was on a swivel until the sun started poking through the clouds. About halfway, maybe more, I finally didn't feel AS scared. We took the hike slow because mom had trouble with the elevation and there were some tough parts during the rock scrambles. I honestly didn't have faith that we were going to make it in time for sunrise. But we did! It was beautiful. 

Mom chose to go down the trail on the opposite side, so we wouldn't have such a hard time going down the rock scramble. It took us a while, but it was less strain on the body. We saw blue Jay's in the trees and little squirrels that looked like chipmunks. 

That trail, after yesterday's hike, wore us both out. I can't lie, my legs were sore. 

We opted to do something easy and just drive around the park. We found some cool sights, a botanical garden, a few beaches/harbors, and carriage road. Mom also spotted apple trees! They were way too sour for my liking. But she grabbed 4! We walked about an hour of carriage road and we decided to eat. The original place we picked was in downtown, and too far into downtown there was no parking. I was HANGRY. I circled the block only to come up empty handed. I decided to park further away and pick the next restaurant that peaked our interest. The food wasn't all that great, but we ate all of our food. 

Afterwards, we walked around the town in hopes of finding something cool (particularly art pieces). Nothing that really caught my eye as original. And the one that did was $60! We found a few OKAY items but nothing great. Oh, we also got ice cream and sat on a grass field to watch the harbor as we ate. 

Once we were done, we drove to the far south west side of the park. It was mainly houses and not really any trails that I saw. We finally decided to go to our Airbnb. Thank God it was a cute place. 

Earlier that day...

Me talking about people across the way on a different trail…

Me: how did they get over there?

Mom: there's a path 

I posed a hypothetical situation of us not having a car…

Mom: oh well, we'd have to get bikes

Me: hmm..I don't think I'd do it

Mom: you'd have to have me on your back because I can't ride a bike 😂

I stopped on the side of the road at a pond. 

Me: oh your friends are here

Mom: oh, look, chipmunks!

Me: they're ducks…

Me: a beaver dam!

Mom: how do you know? 

Me: it's right there…

Mom: oh. You're right. 

We're sitting on the front porch… 

Me: You make me look bad in every picture. 

Mom: Oh maybe it is. 

Me: Are you calling me ugly

Mom: No because you came from me.

Day 7:

We started the day with a warm shower and Salami sandwiches. We made our way to an easy hike called wonderland trail. We stumbled upon a lot of deer! Some even were males, ones with antlers I haven't seen very many of. 

It was fairly easy and didn't take us very long. We found a bunch of 🐚 and a few bits of sea glass. Mom felt okay with the hike that she said OKAY to the next one. Which…was a bit more difficult. It was called beech mountain. Beautiful hike. A few spots where the elevation was heavy, but NOTHING like our last two hikes. Mom did pretty good on it. We weren't in any rush, so we were a bit on The slower side. 

Once we finished that up we said goodbye to Acadia ): and made our way into Canada. It didn't dawn upon me that everything would be in French! We're outsiders for sure! Once we hit Canada, our phones didn't want to work! Which…I forgot to anticipate. GPS was acting strange as well, couldn't find any gas stations. Which…we were just over half a tank so it wasn't PRESSING. It was just nerve-wracking because we didn't know when we'd be able to find one. Of course we did and we stopped. I guess we don't fill up ourselves here. They do it for us. I pulled up and a guy asked if I wanted it full. I replied with yes and right away handed my card to him. All of a sudden he was gone and I freaked out. I just handed a stranger my card and now I don't know where he went! Stupid! He eventually came back lol. And I didn't realize he was charging for it inside 😅 I walked in and he had me insert the card myself. Silly me! 

After that, Mom had the idea of just sleeping at Walmart. I was fine with it. Maps wouldn't let me fully navigate there, only give me a blue line. Which is far better than nothing. We made it there, peed, and then went across the street for food. 

We had no idea what we were getting at that restaurant. But we went for it. Luckily, it was cheap, it was good, and they spoke English. It's embarrassing going to another country and not knowing their language. We expect others to know ours, but we don't bother learning theirs. 

Anyway, now we are parked and ready for sleep in the Walmart parking lot. Hopefully for a good night's rest tonight.