When I looked into my blog today, I had to laugh. During the month of September I just managed to put one post into the blog. And all-of-a-sudden it is October. Holy moly!
September was a great month though, We enjoyed summer-warm days, spending lots of time outside taking great hikes with Dixie and even more tourists came to see the island. Mind you not too many Americans showed up. There were just too many hoops to pass through for day-visitors. The vaccination wasn't the main obstacle, (of course we have to ask for that at the border) but obtaining the negative Covid test within 72hrs of crossing into Canada turned out to be the bigger problem. The labs got overwhelmed and results could not be delivered within the set time frame.
Let's hope that this recent Covid disaster with the Delta variant is gonna be the last one of this pandemic. Everybody wants to return to their normal life.
Speaking of normal, we sure hope that the US government will finally open the border for Canadians. Because I have gotten the hitch-itch. I have even had one night in the trailer already - if so for a special reason. One day I had a sore throat followed by a developing cough and slight headaches. Needless to say, I got worried. Did I got a break-through Covid infection? Should I get tested?
I decided that a Covid test would be good, so I called the medical center in Lubec and got in the same day. A PCR-test might not be the experience you want to have, as they stick that pin into the upper portion of your nose, but it was over within seconds.
About 35hrs later I got a call. The result of the test was negative. Thank God it was negative. I had gotten a regular old-fashioned cold, which I actually haven't had for years. Another couple of days later I was my usual self again.
But having spent a night in the trailer, I got really hitch-itchy. And I pulled out the big McNally map book to ponder over a route to the south-west. I would like to avoid Texas as the state recently has lost all of my goodwill. So we will see what route we will be ending up with.
Of course, we are wondering who of our old RV-friends will be going south this winter and who we will meet. We already know that many have given up traveling south, and the reasons can be many, from health concerns to financial worries. We will not be using regular RV-Parks but generally try to stay far away from the crowds. And we hope that the current Covid wave will subside towards the winter, but the most important thing is that the border will open up to Canadian snowbirds. It has never made any sense that we could fly to the US but not drive. This senseless rule has made people to invent some strange ways of traveling.
As I am the harbour master here on Campobello I recently met a fellow from Nova Scotia who wanted to dock his boat in my harbour only to get it transported over to Eastport/Maine. He himself was headed to the next airport in St.John to catch a flight to Montreal, from where he would continue to Chicago, from where he would fly to Bangor, Maine. From there he would travel by rental car to Bangor,ME to get back on his boat which he had plans to sail down the US coast. Eastport,ME is exactly 1(one)mile from Campobello Island. But he was not allowed to enter the US in Eastport, so he had to fly all around to the US to continue his journey. While he wouldn't have gotten into contact with any people. had he been able to stay on his sailboat, he now has met hundreds of people during his various flights and by crossing through busy airports. I would just love to hear a reasonable explanation of this truly crazy US border crossing restriction. When Canada closed its borders, it was for land crossings and shortly after for air passengers as well, while the US kept borders open for airtravel during the entire pandemic.
Well, let's not end this on a bad note. I have some pretty nice photo shots from around Campobello, which I have added below.
Thanks for stopping by again and there will be more shortly.
Glad your test results were negative. Hope the border opens soon and you snow birds are set free.
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