Fall Stuff

We're back in Virginia and chilling for a few weeks and doing some local stuff.  One item which has been on our list for a very long time is a hike up Old Rag Mountain.  Now, the National Parks Services has categorized Old Rag as a "strenuous" hike but since we haven't paid much attention to the National Parks Services rankings before, what does "strenuous" actually mean to a couple of OLDs?  Since we like to share good times, we enlisted a friend of ours, Bernie, to join us on the hike.  We started out just fine with a nice change of elevation, nothing too strenuous.  After taking a break, we approached the Rock Scramble with enthusiasm...  Well, the Rock Scramble isn't a short scramble over a couple of serious rocks, it's a serious scramble, push, pull and roll over many serious rocks and, most definitely, ranks in the "strenuous" category for young and OLD.  The following are from the summit where we stopped for lunch.  Overall, the entire loop was approximately 9 miles and we accomplished it in 6 1/2 hours, including lunch.  Yes, very proud of our day on Old Rag Mountain.

Approaching the summit

Great weather for the hike and the views from the summit, outstanding



We made it!!!

Come September/October, we head to the Chesapeake Bay for an overnight with a couple of old friends from Manassas, Dan & Judy.  The following is the view from their front yard as the sun rises over the Bay.  Always fun catching up and enjoying the beauty of fall in Virginia.

A "Royal Halloween" was this years theme at Bill & Eileen's. 

Duke & Duchess

Queen Bee and ???

The Naked Prince and a Passed Princess

What was once a shade yard...

As a result of the June 29th storm which blew through Northern Virginia, we sustained major tree damage.  As a result of the damage, we have now removed four beautiful shade trees.  (Actually, they were beautiful but not the right tree for the environment, too fast growing and not strong enough for the environment.)   So, what was once a sun yard, then a shade yard is once again a sun yard...

Sad to see so many missing branches. You can see some of the roof/gutter damage. 



When the girls were little, they saved "seed pods/helicopters", planted them, watered them all summer and had the Dad dig a couple of holes in which to plant each of their baby trees.  Lauren's tree (behind the car) with a large chunk missing.

 

This back yard tree provided many summers of great shade for our back deck.  Will miss this one the most.

This one's for Lauren.  We just had to have a final picture of you standing next to your tree..

On the left, Courtney's tree and on the right, Lauren's tree. 

With all the little stuff gone, now the challenge of the big pieces

Buzzing up this trunk was a real challenge

There is actually a guy in this tree, hanging with a rope and a chainsaw tied to his waist.

All the guys in the neighborhood wanted one "big Tonka toy"

Now the fun begins with getting the yard and landscaping under control

Quebec City

It's about time we finish posting stuff from our summer adventure.  Our final stop before returning to Vermont..  beautiful Quebec City..

Where Canada's old world meets the new world, Quebec City is as beautiful as everyone says it is.  We arrived with plenty of time to find a hotel in the old city and do some evening site seeing. 

Our hotel located inside the old city walls

Our first stop was located across the street from our hotel.  The tour began with the standard stuff within the church itself.

Difficult to capture the true beautiful of this church

Dan noticed a small 6 x 6 inch sign which advised tours of the crypts were available for $5.00 per person.  Well, it didn't take long and we were on a private tour exploring the foundation and other old stuff under the cathedral.  Both Dan and our young guide were enthusiasts so it didn't take long for them to "jump the rail" and head into the various small rooms...  $10.00 well spent dollars.

Dan and our tour guide

Cut away provides a view of the content

Two guys on an adventure

Low ceiling, watch your head..

 The old city of Quebec is like many other citys with lots of traffic and people.  But, at 6:00 pm, the busy streets close to cars leaving an open air restaurant and shopping region where you can stroll and enjoy the charm of the city without the danger of being run over by an auto..  Nice touch.

Near our hotel

 Following dinner, we found numerous street entertainers.  The weather was perfect...

Enjoying a street musician

 Being on an adventure hasn't changed our basic habits, we still rise rather early.  As such, we were able to explore the city in the early morning hours while most people were still sleeping.  From the Plains of Abraham, we located a set of stairs which take you from the upper city to the lower city (near the river).  I'm not sure the exact number of steps but it's really a lot... 

Stairs between the lover and upper city.  They go on forever..

Much of the old city has seen many renovations.  We found this little street which was very "artsie" and full of little shops.  Remember, it's early in the day so the only people moving about are service/delivery people..

Randum murial on the side of a building

Love this store front

Street view

 Bishop Francois de Laval was the Roman Catholic bishop of Canada.  As such, Quebec City continues to honor his legacy.

Francois de Laval was a friend to Native Americans

My own little Native American

 Flowers, flowers, everywhere flowers..

Art in the streets

The Citadel

Wall of the old city

Since Lake Champlain seperates Vermont and New York, many Vermonters believe we own all rights to the legacy of Samual de Champlain.  As a student of history, you will quickly learn that Sam was a great explorer and also explored lots of eastern Canada. 

Samual de Champlain

Hope you've all enjoyed the postings from our summer trip.  Stay connected as they're always more to come..  Wishing all of you happiness and good health..

Kouchibaque, New Brunswick & Gaspe, Quebec

We challenge everyone to say "Kouchibaque"...  Believe you can sign up for a private lesson to learn how to say it cause even having someone repeat it multiple times, it's still a challenge. 

We're back on the eastern coast of New Brunswick and our good fortune, the weather, has turned and we're now practicing the art of "tarpology".  The first thing you should do when you go to set up a tarp is to be sure you have Chris with you...  Oh well, next time.

Wait, was Chris actually there??

Don't let the sun/shade fool you..

We enjoyed wonderful lobster and seafood while in Canada but the best was when we purchased directly from the lobster man at the pier..  $4.00 per pound and worth every penny.

Purchasing lobsters from the boat

From New Brunswick, we crossed into Quebec and headed for Gaspe.  Upon arriving in Quebec, we stopped for breakfast and were very pleased to find tourtiere (meat pie) on the menu.  Not sure about all you people from the south but tourtiere is a traditional french food.  Even though we'd been in Canada for nearly a month, we only came upon tourtier when we entered 'french' Canada.  And yes, the language of Quebec is French...  Some people got a real chuckle from my 'not so good' french but appreciated my efforts often giving me an encouraging smile which was frequently followed with a little laughter.

Little known fact, one of the best fossil sites/museum in the world is located on the south coast of Gaspe.  Amazing fossils and an excellent presentation for even the less than enthusiastic anthropologist (me).  As for Dan (and I know Lauren), loved the museum.

The best fossil museum in North America

Many of you know, both Dan and I are morning people and enjoy the quiet moments an early morning has to offer.  The Gaspe coast did not disappoint us as we enjoyed morning walks near the campground.

Early morning walk near the campground

The following series of pictures were taken from an observation tower from which you could see New Brunswick, the Gaspe peninsula, way out into the Bay of St Lawrence and on a clear day, all the way to Newfoundland.

Gaspe observation tower

Gaspe observation tower

Gaspe, observation tower

It's difficult to capture but the water is so very clean, you can see the birds as they dive for fish.

Chris, think you can make this shot?

Early morning walk.

Only if desperate..

A curious site, birds all marching into the ocean.  This march went on and on..

Note the birds marching into the ocean

Larger view of the birds marching into the water

Each day was a different hike, some long and some short.  Waterfalls were not as common as you might think but we did get to see a number of beautiful falls.

Another beautiful waterfall

The coast of Gaspe is as beautiful as that of Newfoundland.  While there, we hiked to the very tip of the peninsula on the International Appalachian Trail (IAT).  The IAT begins in Maine where the Appalachian Trail ends and continues through Eastern Canada and the tip of Gaspe.

Hike along the Gaspe coast

Hike along the Gaspe coast

On the IAT return, we knew we were in bear country as there were signs everywhere.  It was good that we were keeping a watchful eye as this little guy came through the fence just ahead of us.  We weren't interested in locating his mother for him so we quickly retraced our steps and found an alternate return path..  Very exciting to actually see a bear cub in the wild..

Bear Cub

From Gaspe, it's off to Quebec City.