Back to the USA for a Brief Interlude

July 21, 2024

Our time in Nova Scotia was winding down, and we started making our way back to the States. We had one final stop in the town of Antigonish for a couple of days before heading into Maine.

It was fortunate that Antigonish was a decent-sized town, because we suddenly found ourselves in need of a welder. As we were doing our final checklist before driving away from Broad Cove Campground, Rick noticed a crack in a hitch component.

Nice crack, eh?

After concluding that this particular component wasn't strictly necessary to keeping the trailer attached to the truck, we departed with the plan to deal with this at our next location. (FYI: This component keeps the trailer from swaying. Without it, the trailer can meander side to side uncomfortably, and the tongue of the trailer can shift left and right a couple of inches during braking--also a little unsettling.)

One last view of the striking coast of Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Some amount of time down the road, we pulled over at a gas station to get a visual on the hitch situation (trailer was swaying and new movement was felt during braking). Lo and behold, the crack was gone... the hitch component was now completely severed.

This piece used to be attached...

...to this piece

To keep the severed piece from flopping around and causing more havoc, we at first decided to tie it up.

We ultimately decided to remove the component altogether. In the process, we discovered that it had even more cracks in it.

Back on our merry way through scenic Nova Scotia

The friendly people at Whidden Campground in Antigonish found us a welder who picked up the broken pieces that afternoon and promised to deliver the fixed part the next day. This was very fortunate because we were planning on leaving the morning after that. With this crisis averted, we proceeded to enjoy our short stay in Antigonish.

The RV park was pleasant enough, with decent spacing between sites

We even had a little creek behind us

The pool (in the fenced area) that we indulged in, as it was quite hot during our stay

The cute town of Antigonish, just steps away from the RV Park

We took a walk to the campus of St. Francis Xavier University

St. Ninian Cathedral

Apparently, St. Ninian's Isle in Scotland has an overabundance of rabbits.

Inside St. Ninian Cathedral

The windows were quite unique. Each one had a different tartan on its sill, reflecting the Scottish heritage of the town.

True to his word, the welder did return with the welded and reinforced hitch component, although he arrived after the sun went down, causing us just a little bit of panic. But, all was well, and we spent the next half hour or so putting the hitch back together by headlamp. Our activity attracted the attention of a couple of concerned neighbors who checked on us to see if we needed any help. We ended up chatting with them for quite a while.

The next day, we said a bittersweet goodbye to Nova Scotia (and New Brunswick) and crossed our fingers that the US border agent would let us come back into the country.

We had a scenic drive along the Northumberland Strait

The lavender farm smelled nice! Alas, Julie wasn't able to get a good picture of it.

Just passing through New Brunswick this time around

There were some really big bird nests on several overhead power lines

Will they let us back in?

Once again, there was no one else in line when we approached customs. Our agent was not particularly gruff, but it didn't appear that his face had fashioned anything resembling a smile in quite some time. He asked us fewer questions than his Canadian counterpart had several weeks ago, and we dutifully answered as briefly and confidently as possible. Just when we thought we were cleared to move on, he said he needed to inspect the camper. For some reason, Julie had difficulty with the entry code getting into the front door, but on the fourth try the door unlocked (whew!). The agent went straight for the bathroom and rummaged around for a few minutes. We have no idea what he was looking for, but presumably he didn't find whatever it was, and we were allowed to proceed.

Lodging that night consisted of a Walmart parking lot in the border town of Calais, Maine. As far as Walmart parking lots go, this one probably rates in at least the "top 3" we've stayed at. It was quiet and it bordered a treed area, almost giving it a RV-park vibe. Almost. Rick never sleeps well in Walmart parking lots, and this one was no exception. We mostly avoid staying at Walmarts, but sometimes they are a convenience (and price) that can't be refused.

"Camp Walmart" in Calais, ME

We had a couple of errands to take care of in Bangor on our way to our next destination in the middle of Maine. Julie had a blood test that needed to be done in July, and Bangor, Maine had the only Quest Diagnostics on our route for the month. We also had an Amazon order to pick up, conveniently only a few miles away from the Quest Diagnostics. We accomplished both tasks without a hitch (Actually the hitch still worked fine😎 - Rick), and continued onward to Cathedral Pines Campground in Eustis, Maine.

Our journey began that morning with light rain

Bangor, Maine

Somewhere in the middle of Maine

The Western Maine Mountains

Cathedral Pines Campground is located on Flagstaff Lake in a forest of Red Pine. Our site backed on to the lake, and although it was close to the main road and next to some random building, it provided a pleasant stay.

Skippy's been following us 😉

We though for sure Skippy was going to pounce on us from this tree by our deck. (He didn't)

Flagstaff Lake

Some rust was appearing on our newly-welded hitch piece, so Rick took some time to spray paint it. The welder didn't have time to do this, as he still works a full time job and does welding as a side business, not to mention the fact that we required a rush job. During the painting process, Rick inspected the repaired piece more closely. It looked quite good with nice clean welds, several new reinforcement plates, and most importantly--no new cracks!

Almost looks new!

We took it pretty easy at this location, mostly hanging out at the camper and walking down to the beach. We also took a bike ride in the area along some snowmobile trails.

If you can't read the sign, it says "CAUTION: BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS IN THE AREA"

After seeing many berry bushes in bloom during our travels, we finally got to partake in the fruit!

A cute little trailer in the campground

The view off one of the prime tent campsites in the campground

The campground beach with nice diving dock

We had beautiful sunrises every morning

And that's all for the United States for the time being. Next stop--Montreal!

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