"What I did this summer"

I overheard the First Mate say to the Skipper while they were organizing his bedding and “stuff” in the overhead bunk: “Boy, do I have a lot of things to show for show and tell when we get back to school in September.”

Whhooooo boyyyy… He is not wrong. A nine-year-old returning to school after three months on the road is going to need a flatbed trailer just for the physical evidence. Thank goodness for digital photos.

As an experienced mature motorhome, I do know a thing or two about payloads. When we left British Columbia back in June, my leaf springs were carrying a couple of excited GrandRaisers, an active eight-year-old boy, extra propane, and maps. So many maps. Now, almost three months and over 14,000 kilometres later, that boy has turned nine, and my storage bays are overflowing.

I have carried this crew over winding asphalt, washboard gravel, potholes, straight prairie highways and foggy coastal turnouts. I feel every bump. But I also keep track of everything that gets loaded back into me after those bumps are over. I am the keeper of the memories.

Front-Row Whale Views and Heavy Cargo from Newfoundland to BC

Some of his show and tell memories I witnessed directly. Here a list of just some of the cross Canada adventures our little one experienced over the summer:

Wild Animals & Marine Encounters

Iceberg Sighting: Spotted a real floating iceberg off the coast near Botwood, Newfoundland.
Whale Watching from a Boat: Took a boat tour off St. Andrews, New Brunswick, watching a humpback whale breach six or seven times alongside smaller whales and seals.
Whale Watching from the RV Window: Peered through binoculars right out of his bunk inside Harvey to watch whales playing in the ocean across the street in Elliston, Newfoundland.
Bison Farm Mud Ride: Rode on a wagon out into the pastures surrounded by North America’s largest land mammals at Big D’s Bison Farm, getting sprayed with prairie “mud” when a sudden hail storm hit.
Face-to-Face with Thousands of Puffins: Stood quietly on the cliffside in Elliston as thousands of curious puffins walked right up to him.
Campsite Tree Frog: Made friends with a wild tree frog at Jonathon’s Pond campground in Gander.

Underground & Geological Explorations

Spelunking on his 9th Birthday: Explored 500-million-year-old limestone cave systems and fossils at Bonnechere Caves in Eganville, Ontario, to celebrate turning nine.
Underground Coal Mine Tour: Went deep underground into a real coal mine at the Cape Breton Miners Museum in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
Subterranean Bootlegging Tunnels: Explored the historic underground tunnels of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, learning about Al Capone’s operations and early Chinese immigrant history.
Underground Archaeological Ruins: Went under the streets of Québec City to explore the 1600s archaeological site of the Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux.
Walking on the Earth’s Mantle: Trekked across the exposed Earth’s mantle in Gros Morne National Park.
Rock Hounding: Built an extensive rock collection hunting for unique specimens along the Canadian Shield in Kenora, Ontario.

Hands-On Science, History & Culture

On-Stage Scientist Assistant: Took the stage as the scientist’s assistant during a live demonstration at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.
1815 Fur Trade Living History: Spent hours immersed in life at an 1815 trading post at Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay.
Shot a Musket and climbed countless canons.
1860s Colonial Village & Horse Barge: Visited Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario, touring working flour and lumber mills, a blacksmith shop, and riding a horse-powered tow barge.
Historic Cannons & Fortresses: Explored 17th-century smoothbore cannons at Castle Hill in Placentia, Newfoundland , and heard the noon gun fire at the star-shaped Citadel in Halifax.
Inside a Working Lighthouse: Toured the interior of the historic Bonavista Lighthouse in Newfoundland.
Aviation & 9/11 History: Explored military aircraft and learned about Gander’s role during WWII, the Cold War, and 9/11 at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum.
Explored the Titanic exhibits at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, video calling his mom, the Titanic expert, to share the displays.

Unique Travel Rituals & Milestones

Ocean Floor Drive: Drove across the ocean floor at low tide to reach Minister’s Island in New Brunswick.
Merging Ocean Waters: Poured Pacific Ocean water (carried from BC since the start of the trip) into the Atlantic Ocean at Bay Roberts, and collected Atlantic seawater to bring back home.
Merging Beach Sands: Mixed BC sand collected from Kitsilano Beach into the Atlantic white sand at Martinique Provincial Park in Nova Scotia.
Easternmost Point of Canada: Stood at Cape Spear, Newfoundland, the most easterly point in North America.
Longest Bridges: Walked across the Hartland Covered Bridge (the world’s longest covered bridge) and the Souris Swinging Bridge , and crossed the 13 km Confederation Bridge into PEI.
Gravity Trick: Experienced the gravity illusion at Magnetic Hill in New Brunswick.

On-the-Water & Unique Outdoor Fun

Amphibious Bus/Boat Tour: Sat in the front row for maximum splash on the Harbour Hopper amphibious tour in Halifax.
Barefoot Soccer on a Floating Dock: Joined a local pickup soccer game right on the floating dock at Charlottetown harbour.
Boulder Jumping & Waterfall Swimming: Jumped off huge boulders into the river below rapids and waterfalls at Chutes Provincial Park in Massey, Ontario.
Overnight Ocean & Gorge Camping: Slept to the sound of roaring water overlooking the Saint John River gorge and boondocked right on the beach listening to ocean waves.
Overnight Ferry Cruise: Sailed on a 17-hour overnight ferry ride to Nova Scotia aboard the Ala’suinu, watching sports on TV in the cabin berth and listening to live foot-stomping Maritime music in the lounge.
Paddling & Fishing: Caught fish, built sandcastles, and kayaked with local kids on a white sand beach in Salvage, Newfoundland.
Fish, Fish and more Fish: Starting with a tour of the Clearwater Trout Fish Hatchery early in the journey, he fished off docks in Manitoba and Muskoka, from boat decks in Nova Scotia and from many many a grassy shoreline.

Special Moments

3D Dolby Atmos Movie Night: Watched Wall-E in a professional music studio equipped with 3D Dolby Atmos sound in Mahone Bay.
Bread on a Stick over Fire: Learned how to cook bread on a stick over the campfire (Bannock-style) from a 7-year-old German boy who spoke no English at Wells Gray Provincial Park.
Tree Climbing in Québec: Climbed a large elm tree in a Québec City park singing “Alouette, gentille alouette” from the branches.
Tornado Refuge in a Pub: Took shelter inside an Ottawa pub with his family during an active tornado warning while out for dinner.
Barefoot Lawn Dancing & Concert: Danced barefoot in the grass at an outdoor Dave Gunning concert on Minister’s Island while eating lobster rolls.
Anne of Green Gables Musical: Attended a live performance of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.
Local Delicacies: Sampled famous local foods across the provinces, including BeaverTails, Sturgeon Falls poutine and Pogos, donairs from world-famous Donair King in Halifax, and Newfoundland Cod au Gratin and fried cod tongue.