Weir Fishing

Walking on the ocean floor

I usually write about my post retirement trips on this blog, and normally the trips are off in some far-off locations, but you know there are lots of interesting spots to visit and write about right here in my home province of Nova Scotia. This summer, I am not traveling far, and intend to make a few trips around the province. We are off on our first excursion early in June, picking up the trailer from dad in Elm River, visiting friends in Economy, and then going across to the Valley, and then around to tour the South Shore.

The Weir

Our first stop in Economy, gave us  a chance to go weir fishing. I’m not much of a fisherman, lacking the patience to stand around waiting for some fish stupid enough to get my fish hook stuck in its mouth. Weir fishing makes it easier. They go out onto the flats at low tide and set up poles and nets in a “V” so that the next time the tide goes out the fish are funneled into the “V” and into a large square net.

We walked out across the Bay of Fundy following the tide as it went out. The owner of the weir came out in an old truck (they only last so long driving through the salt water), and unloaded empty plastic fish boxes and lent us all rubber gloves.

The weir was full of fish, but four were large sturgeon that as a protected species had to be released. These things were big enough that they had to be pulled out to deeper water with a rope.

Letting the sturgeon go

We filled about eight tubs with flounder. You could stand inside the weir, and just bend down and pick the fish out of the water. The fish were four or five deep underfoot, and all you had to do was feel around in the water to find another fish to throw into the bins.

Although this is an easier way to fish than casting a baited line into the water hoping for a bite (we tried this the next day with NO success), after an hour of throwing flounders into boxes, I decided this wasn’t that “easy”. The couple who were actually catching these fish for a living were only starting - they still had to take the catch home and clean and process it for sale, over another three hours work.

Regis didn’t make it any easier, she was constantly telling us that “that little one wants to get away.” or “oh look at that cute one; you should let him go.”

Alternate Campsites

I think this will work . . . .

Camping in an RV, you are quite “self sufficient”. We carry a supply of water in a tank that can be used for drinking washing and flushing, we have two batteries that provide power for lights, heat and some accessories, there is a propane stove and fridge, and the trailer has a small but serviceable washroom.

Given a choice I prefer a nice “full service” site in a “Regis Approved” campground, but occasionally we end up parked someplace else.

You have probably read about our adventures in Walmart parking lots, and this is always an option if we cannot find a spot in a campground. They do not charge to stop overnight in their lots, but it is not “free”, at least for us. Perhaps some folks pull in and just go to sleep, but it seems that Sharon and Regis usually have a “shopping list” of things we need, and that 24/7 shopping is just to hard to ignore. One night we even found a free WiFi signal coming from a restaurant.

I stopped at my sister’s house and turned a section of her lawn into a temporary campsite rather than at a campground, because I wanted to be close and able to spend time visiting her rather than driving back and forth. Here I was able to run a power cable to her outside plug, and a water hose to their garden connection, so it worked well. We did the same thing at Regis’ uncle’s House in Watrous Saskatchewan, using his driveway to park.

At Dad’s friend in Canmore, we simply parked on the street in front of his house. The neighborhood is mostly seasonal people, and he assured us that no one would mind. It was hard to get the trailer level because the street was on a hill, but he gave us access to water and power, so it was actually a comfortable quiet spot to spend the night.

In Edmonton Alberta, we stopped so Sharon could visit her nephew. We asked him about possible campgrounds, but having just moved to the area he did not have any ideas, but suggested that we could park on an unused roadway just down from him. Although without power or water it was convenient for her to spend an evening with her nephew, and there was a Sobeys right behind his house - almost felt like we were back in Nova Scotia.

So, you see, we can always find a place to park the RV for the night.

"Camp"ing

The Comfort of "Camp"ing

While working in China, I shared an apartment with Gordon, another retired teacher from Alberta, and my Chinese adventure was made more enjoyable by the friendship we developed over the two months I was there. His experience in China made my adjustment easy, and my daily bike or foot explorations often discovered places or events that he then wanted to experience. He also was happy to discover that I was only too willing to experiment with cooking the interesting ingredients found in the markets, and volunteered to do all the cleanup.

Gordon married a Chinese girl he met during his time in the country, and since my return to Canada, brought her and her daughter back to a new life half way around the world. We had kept in regular contact through e-mail, but this trip provided an opportunity to see him again and meet his new family.

After e-mailing dates and times back and forth as our trip evolved, we discovered that it would probably work best if we visited him at his “camp” in BC rather than at home in Calgary, and he located a convenient campground close by, and sent me GPS coordinates for the “camp”.

My sister’s has a “chalet”, my family had a “cottage”, and in Cape Breton, our friends call their summer retreat a “bungalow”. Gordon made it very clear that his retreat in the BC mountains was a “camp”.

He and two friends have had this place for many years, and spend most of every summer there. It sits right on a large mountain lake, with a huge mountain across the lake and mountains receding into the distance. They lease the land from the municipality, and so none of the “camps” are really permanent, as they could be asked to leave at any time. Gordon’s “camp” started life as a construction trailer, and has evolved over the years with pieces being added as needed. It has a septic system, but water is pumped from the lake for washing so drinking water has to be carried in, and he was proud to explain that they have upgraded the solar powered black painted water tank on the roof to a second hand RV hot water heater.

Art, Regis, Gem & Gordon - "Camp"ing

The “camp” he explained was the last stop for things before they were declared completely worn out. All the furniture is cast-offs, and the kitchen cupboards came when a friend renovated their kitchen, fitting into the “camp” wherever they would fit, including one sideways over a Window. Above the deck an old awning from an old travel trailer provided shade, and pulled up onto the beach was a canoe that someone else no longer wanted.

When we arrived, we found everyone relaxing on the deck overlooking the lake in an eclectic mix of lawn chairs and old living room furniture. This really sums up the “camp”ing life. This is not a place to come and spend hours painting trim, cutting grass or tending gardens. It is a place to relax, drink a cold beer, and watch the sun go down behind the mountain, as the fire in the circle of rocks beside the lake sends smoke and the sweet smell of burning cedar into the darkening sky.

We only had an afternoon and evening at Gordon’s “camp”, but in that short time, I can see how he loves to spend his summers here.

A Bit Rustic . . .

A "Rustic Park"

Ok now, you already read my rant about the different campgrounds we have run into, but tonight's campground is worth a few words.

A year or so ago, we discovered Passport America, a discount RV service that gives you 50% off the regular rate on campgrounds. Of course not all campgrounds are on their list. It is mostly campgrounds a little off the beaten track, or newly opened ones wanting to increase their clientele. If you can find one on your route, it is definitely worth while.

When we left San Francisco, we had no set destination in mind, because we did not know how long it would take me to install the two new springs, and we had no clear idea how far we would get. Once we were on the road and the trailer seemed to be bouncing along just fine, we started figuring out where we could get, and where we might stop for the night. It looked like Redding California was a workable destination.

I decided to give the “Travel Planner” a break, and since dad was driving and Regis was navigating, I took the campground directories, and tried to find a campground for the night. The Passport America directory listed a campground just past Redding. It was called “Trail In” and it listed lots of sites, full service and was only a mile off the I-5 Interstate which we were following. I looked in Woodall's and found a number of other places, but nothing that was that much better than this one. Now as we drove by Redding we did see a place called “Durango Resort” with fountains, paved sites and lots of BIG expensive rigs, but we decided it was probably in the $75.00 range so we ignored it and kept going.

Yum, fresh blackberries

The instruction in the directory, agreed with the GPS, and when we were told to “Enter on the Right”, the sign and entry were actually on the right. The hand lettered signs directed us to the office, and we parked and Regis and I went it. Two young men sitting on the front deck said “hello” and tipped a beer to me as I walked in. Behind the counter was another young man with a pony-tail who said “You planning to stay with us tonight?”.

I told him we would like to stay, and he said it was $25.00. Regis pulled out her Passport America Card and I plunked a couple of locally brewed beer I found in the cooler on the counter, and he changed the price to $20.00 all in.

Normally when you enter a campground you get a map, code for the washrooms & laundry, location of the various amenities, and “Rules”. Here he said if you want a pull-through, just drive around the office, follow the road and pick a site you like the looks of. No rules, no instructions, no nothing. Regis reluctantly asked about WiFi Internet, not expecting much. He looked at her and replied “Oh, you want internet, no problem, I'll watch where you park and I'll point the router in your direction so you get a good signal. Enjoy your stay!”

Now it's no KOA, but we have 30 amp, Cable TV, and full hookup. Dad reports that the washrooms and showers are the “Shower-Shoes” variety, but not really that bad. It is a nice quiet campground right in the mountains, and just fine for the night. I even found a patch of California blackberries down the drive that were just ripening – just perfect to add to Sharon's fruit salad she was preparing for dessert.

Off The Beaten Path

We were late getting on the road for day three of our cross country adventure, so we did not have any clear idea of how far we would get, and did not have a campground in mind. On the last trip we found that the State Welcome Centres were usually a good source of information, and one was announced as we crossed the border into Pennsylvania. A study of the state campground directory gave us many options, but we were tired so chose a couple of close ones.

Pennsylvania Rural Road

The instructions all indicated they were close to route 611, so we headed in that direction. Route 611 turned out to be a rather minor state road – certainly not a “highway”. It was narrow and very twisty. In the first couple of miles we twisted back over and under the Interstate we came in on three times, and the road wound in and around many picturesque Pennsylvanian communities with beautiful country homes. The road was narrow enough that I asked everyone else to be on the look-out for the campgrounds so I could concentrate on keeping the trailer between the yellow rumble strips in the centre of the road and the stone walls or mountain sides on the other. The constant “No Passing” signs gave a clear indication of the condition of the road. I pulled over at one point to allow traffic to pass me, although the 35 MPH speed limit was not hard to maintain.

Campground Road

Just when I was starting to enjoy this scenic route the GPS announced I had to “Turn in 800 meters” onto “Sleepy Hollow Rd” or something similar, and the road narrowed. It was now “two lane blacktop” with no lines, no ditches and no extra room. I slowed and pulled over so the tree branches were brushing the trailer on the side when the pickup truck came towards me, and I did the same when a few other local cars wanted to share the road with me. I was a bit taken back however when the 18 wheeler tractor trailer suddenly appeared bearing down on me, but we both slowed and pushed onto the sides which allowed us to pass, A quick look in the mirror showed the road littered with leaves and small tree branches ripped from local vegetation as we passed.

The “Detour” was unexpected, but the “Bridge Out” sign showed it was necessary, and the road narrowed again, and we added another four minutes to our expected arrival time as calculated by the GPS. The two narrow bridges we crossed on the detour gave some indication why the other bridge was out, being rebuilt.

Beaver Valley Campground

Finally back on the “main road” we were asked to turn twice more onto even narrower roads. On one of the narrowest, a little one lane road with pavement crumbling away into the lush vegetation on either side, the sign announcing a “One Lane Bridge” was a shock. Did someone actually consider this a “two lane” road, and if it was, how narrow was the bridge going to be? Fortunately we made it across the bridge, and the road led to a much better road and on into a very pleasant campground, The Beaver Valley Family Campground, where we spent a relaxing night.

When the girl at the check in office asked how we got to the campground, and was told that our GPS got us here, she handed us a nice little printout showing us how to get easily back on the main roads, “Here, use this when you leave,” she announced with a smile, “No GPS can find the best way around rural Pennsylvania, you need local advice.”

Campground Contrasts

      We know where we are going, but we do not have any hard and fast plans about how we are getting there. On Thursday we arrived in Mystic Connecticut without any plans about where to stay. We had read some reviews about some of the local campgrounds and were a bit concerned about what we would find. Quotes like “Mudhole”, “Filthy”, “Worst place I've ever stayed!” and “We packed up and left after an hour !” made one a little leery. Instead we decided to find a Tourist Information Centre and ask there.

Aces High

       The historic town of Mystic Connecticut with its tourist attraction the “Mystic Seaport” was a logical place to find information. We found the Information centre easily and discovered that the first weekend in the summer is not the best time to get “Information”. Many of the “Local Experts” behind the counters of the “Information Centres”, and nice young students earning money for school next year. They might learn something about their communities by the end of summer, but now they are pleasant and cheerful but pretty well useless. She didn't know of any campgrounds except the flyers on the shelves, and she did indicate that she thought she had heard some good things about one called “Aces High”. The pictures looked good on the flyer, and “Heard some good things” was better than “Mudhole” or “Worst place I've ever stayed.”, so we had her call for a reservation. We should have realized that “It's not necessary; there's lots of spaces.” speaks volumes.

Aces High

      The campground was easy to find, and was very nice looking as we drove in. There was a pond with a beautiful fountain, and we could see work being done on a new swimming pool. The place had lots of big rigs parked on big clean sites, and we could see lots of available sites.

      We checked in and the attendant started adding up the charges, $50.00 basic fee, $10.00 for each additional person, $2.00 for the dog, and somehow $3.00 more was added for some services for a total of $75.00 ! Wow, the most we've ever paid to “Camp”. At least the Wi-Fi was free, but we discovered you had to pay for the showers.

Once we got settled in we discovered that it was a nice spot. The spaces were nice and big, and everything was clean and well maintained. There was a walking path around the pond, and the campers sitting out in front of their big rigs were friendly as we walked around. It was very nice, but Wow; $75.00 a night!

Beaver Valley

      The next day we did not leave Connecticut until 2:00 PM so we did not know how far we could go in the remaining hours of the day. We had to get past New York City, and today was the first day heading West rather than South. As it worked out, we made it into Pennsylvania, and the Welcome Centre provided a book with lots of campground choices. We set one, called Beaver Valley Family Campground, into the GPS, and made our way there, pulling in in time to get set up before the sun went down.

      This campground cost about $40.00, and we did have to pay for additional people, but the dog was free, and the showers were clean and free.

Beaver Valley

Both these campgrounds were nice clean places to set up the trailer, but they couldn't be more different. Aces High had all big expensive class A motorhomes, and people who could obviously afford the $75.00 a night fee. Beaver Valley was off the beaten track (Another Blog to come about that), and it served a completely different clientele. Here there were bigger trailers, but the little boy who stared at us pulling in and said to his mom “Wow, look at that HUGE trailer!” gave some indication. We were small at Aces High and HUGE at Beaver Valley. The campground was built into a wooded hillside and most of the sites were smaller and tucked into the woods. We saw lots of tent trailers, and families camping in tents or older trailers and campers.

      We haven't booked campsites in advance, so we will be running into lots of different places. I'm hoping to find more places like Beaver Valley that provide good clean stays at reasonable prices and hope to avoid the highly priced luxury spots.