Autumn cruise to Canadian maritimes

Planning a quick trip to the Canadian maritimes, we wanted to visit Quebec City and Newfoundland again, but making that drive in ten days would leave little time to see the land again. So, we cruised-- in the rain. Only Quebec City could be this beautiful in gray.

To be sure, I'm not a cruise-type. I want to explore forests, look for wild creatures, and wear jeans. But, look at cruising like having dinner. If you want an appetizer or a little taste of everything on the menu, that's a cruise. Bus excursions don't stop when you see a wonderful photograph, and often have entirely different sites on their menu that don't interest you. But you get a look at new lands, which is infinitely better than staying at home watching TV, painting the house or cutting grass.

Leaving New York under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

If you want the entire buffet, three plates of steak or pieces of Boston creme pie, take the car.  You stop when and as often as you want. It's not a vacation chosen by someone else and you can fish for a week if you find the Perfect Spot, hike to the mountain peak on the horizon or jam to music on the car radio and drive your own tour.

Now, I'm almost a rookie at cruising but enjoy listening to other people who notch their suitcase handles with the number of cruises they've taken and the differences between the cruise lines. My bucket list can be stashed in a soup can now, and trips to Farawayville and Palm Tree City I can hear about and be satisfied. Kind of.

This year's cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line was just a quick hop to Canada and places we've been before. But gasoline there is $5.50 a gallon, so just the drive would quickly jack up the cost. The ferry trip to Newfoundland for two passengers and the van is about $360. Add food, occasional hotels (sleep in the van as much as possible), and the cost quickly becomes more than the cruise.

Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and our ship, the Norwegian Gem.

 Traveling by car, you can enjoy these small towns as they really are, and not how they are when the ships dump off thousands of tourists.  Corner Brook, Newfoundland, is a town about the size of Hanover, and its makeup changes dramatically when a ship, with its 2,400 passengers, anchors at the dock. Some shops and attractions are open only when ships come to town. That's not how the city is, but instead is performing for its tourists.

There is plenty to like about cruises, despite the skimpy scenic highlights. On the cruises I've taken, we hit the free onboard restaurants, where unlimited steak, lamb, frog legs, sweet potato rice cakes and lobster is available. If you don't like it, take it back and they'll bring something else. You can pay more for specialty restaurants, but why?

Another cruise ship backing into Halifax, Nova Scotia. Four ships in dock.

We enjoy meeting new friends, and share tables whenever possible. We get caught up in their energy and still feel their smiles today.  It's interesting that some other passengers disliked that arrangement so much they'll never do 'freestyle' cruising again. They want to dine at the same restaurant, table, waiter, time, and the same people every night. And am I dressing up? Not a chance.

Nightly entertainment (comedians, dancers, magicians, singers) is excellent and when at sea, there's always plenty to do, even if it's the constant trivia games, Sudoku, climbing walls or just sitting in the lounge and reading something you've picked up at the library. For a real challenge, try ping pong on a windy ship deck or shuffleboard on a wet deck. Hot tubs, pools and slides make you forget that it's raining.

On our trips, the vast majority of passengers are senior citizens, although different cruise lines cater to different age groups.  Our group was old.  Retired.  There were more walkers, canes and wheelchairs on board than in the local senior citizen high-rise. It's doubtful I could have handled another heading-stuffing whiff of old ladies' perfume.

Then I looked in mirror and saw an old guy staring back at me. It's one of those 'slap my face' realities.  I'm one of  'Them'.  Still, there's something comforting about 1,000 old people -- like me-- clapping in time and singing the lyrics to "Margaritaville", "Piano Man" and  "American Pie".

Spent an hour in Peggy's Cove. Could have spent a week.

 Better yet, the frail older ladies who leave their walkers behind to dance rather vigorously  to "YMCA"-- even as the boat rocks. Even us old guys  get up and try to dance, thoroughly embarrassing ourselves, since we'll probably never again see anyone on the ship again. Still, a guy is a guy, and 95 percent of us still look like a frog in a blender.  Awful. Or comical.

On future visits to the maritimes, we'll probably drive.  Many trips are graded by the photos brought home, and while these pictures will remind me of my love of Canada, they were nothing special. It rained nearly every day in port and most at sea. In a car, you can drive out of the rain or make alternate plans. During a cruise, if it rains, there's not much to do about it. Well...

Excuse me, waiter, please bring me another steak!

Wander through ghostly Quebec City

There's plenty to do in Quebec City, this lovely city of 765,000 (making it larger than Boston, Baltimore, or Washington D.C.).  Perched on a hill overlooking the St. Lawrence River, Quebec is France without the attitude.

 During our recent cruise ship stop, we wandered through the town (in constant rain) with performer/tour guide Danya Schroeder from Ghost Tours of Quebec.

Since the language, signs (and menus) are in French, it can make visiting a challenge, but an interesting and not intimidating one. Nearly everyone speaks English, at least as a second language.  Danya's English was excellent; she might have been from Chicago or Cincinnati.

Quebec is the only city in North America with fortified walls.Why the walls? The Canadians were getting tired fighting off the United States, for one.

We visited Quebec in mid-October, and there was already snow on Mount Saint Anne, the nearby ski resort. Four gigantic cruise ships, including our Norwegian Gem, were docked there and emptied thousands of tourists into town. I much prefer Quebec in winter, when cruise ships have gone south and tourists are at a minimum.Whatever time you visit Quebec, I can't help but think you'll enjoy the trip.

Even more interesting up close?

 This week might be a small bug's last hurrah of the season, seeing as the how the weather is going to turn cold soon. So, take a few minutes along the Susquehanna River north of Wrightsville, spend some time looking closely at the weeds along River Road. Are these tiny insects are even prettier and more fascinating up close? The fact that these little things look furry...

Relax, Max

Good friends Lee and Megan have a new baby, a little cutie named Max. Love the name. Being a non-parent and therefore having no experience whatsoever with little people, I've never been very good at photographing babies.

A friend of Megan's, Valerie Smith, does baby pictures for a living and sat down later with Max.  Wonderful pictures.  For more of her work, check her blog.

A lot of babies are photographed with all the cliches--  Mom and Dad holding the baby's hand, rings around toes, laying on blankets, etc. And I struggle mightily with those pictures. Yes, it's just another type of photography, but it's different than my day-to-day stuff -- shoot what's there, it's usually moving, don't pose anything.  We don't use props like bows, rubber ducks, knit hats, onesies, binkies (binkies, really?).

It's like driving. Most of us can drive a car, but driving a Big Truck poses entirely different problems. We can change a light switch, but working on power lines with enough power to cook the sun is another story.

So, when little Max became available for pictures, I jumped at the chance to improve my baby picture abilities. After a short break-- it was the first time I've ever had to look away so I wouldn't lose lunch.  Poop.  Not pretty.  In brilliant technicolor, yet.

Still, Lee and Megan made taking pictures easy.  Lee switches from class clown to attentive and doting father in an instant. Megan talks about babies like she's had a dozen-- with a grin and a light, matter-of-fact tone.

Then, there's Cali. A beautiful boxer who has apparently decided it's her job to protect the newest member of the family. As Max lay on the stack of colorful blankets (cliche?), Cali wandered over and just stood there with a watchful eye on the guy with the camera.  "Take just one step closer..."

All in all, a good day. A very short day because Max became cranky over his time in front of the camera. Relax, Max. Sleeping babies, I've learned quickly, are always easier to photograph.

Next is a photograph of Max and his cousin while playing together.  Now, THAT I can do. But that's a while down the road.

Ricketts Glen waterfalls ablaze

  

While it's not an endurance hike, the Falls Trail to the bottom of Ricketts Glen makes you wish you hadn't eaten that last doughnut for breakfast. Four miles of this rocky, slippery and steep trail will make you wonder why you chose to climb the glen. Then you see the first waterfalls, and remember.

Ricketts Glen State Park is about a pleasant three hour drive north of York. The park is the second most visited park in the state, says a ranger there, and autumn weekend crowds are ridiculous. Can't keep something like this a secret, so pick a weekday is possible.

While the park offers the usual park niceties, like a lake, woodland hiking, camping, picnicking, its jewel is the falls trail. Before you hit the trail, be aware that it's not the usual walk in the park. From the top of the glen or canyon to the bottom, it's a 1,000 foot drop.

That's good for making remarkable waterfalls, but tough on the legs and lungs. The rock steps can be extremely slick, and the rock paths are uneven and rough. Such is what you have to suffer through to see visions like this. The trail is in great shape for the shape it is. It's steep, on cliffs, through mud, over creeks.

On the way, you'll see waterfalls that range in size from ripples to a 90-foot tower of water. Twenty two of them are big enough to warrant a name, and many others are equally impressive, but just not as tall. Autumn color over the weekend wasn't spectacular-- mostly yellow, or shades of green-- but there were pockets of red maples. Check the woods opposite the creek for birds, mushrooms and mosses.

Once at the bottom, look forward to the return uphill. Actually, climbing isn't as tough because stopping for pictures or stopping to exclaim "Beautiful!" every three minutes will give you the break you need. Many of the hikers were using hiking poles and good shoes. Photographers were using monopods for walking sticks, helping navigate the path in soaked sneakers.

Of course, there was also a soon-to-be-mother slipping her way downhill in flipflops, and a father who was perturbed because he couldn't take the stroller. Apparently, the obvious warning signs explaining the dangers weren't enough. Or the newspaper articles at the head of the trail showing a recent rescue.

Waiting for dinner

Both a young calf and a kitten await the Springfield Township farmer who is coming with a bowl of milk.