Leaving Canada .... for now

My last day, I drove into Alma for lunch and then a stop at the ranger station for the internet.  Ironically, I didn't have Canadian cash for the Farmers' Market, but while I was at the ranger station today I needed water and all I had was a US $20 - so now I have $24.00 in Canadian money to take back to the US with me.  Best laid plans and all ....

I went back to the site to prep for leaving in the morning.  I hate to disturb my neighbors by leaving so early, but I have two long days of driving to get to New Jersey.

I was on the road by 7:30am, tanks empty.  What I hadn't counted on was the fog; I had to take the Fundy Coastal Drive Hwy 114, up the mountain to Hwy 1 to cross the border at St. Stephens, so there was some delay.  I just hoped I didn't encounter any critters trying to cross the road.  I had fog again from St. John to St. Stephens and again across Maine, with rain.

I woke up with a stuffy nose and sore throat (I had been sneezing the last couple of days) and then it goes into my lungs and I get a bad cough.  I never know if it's allergy or a cold, but I get this from time to time.  Sometimes it means a trip to the doctor, so it's good I'm going where there is one I can see.

There was no line at the border, which was good .... except it gave the border patrol time to check out my refrigerator, etc.  No problems and the officer was nice.

As I drove down, I noticed it starting just the barest change in the leaf color.  I hope I get to see the full effect while I'm here.  There were also moose warning signs, but they must have regular moose here as the signs were the regular warning signs.  Ha.

As soon as I passed into New Hampshire, there was a sign over the toll road announcing there was liquor and lottery half mile ahead and there was was a liquor/lottery outlet there like a rest stop with nothing else.  I'm not currently abreast on the liquor laws of each state, but apparently you can't get those items in Maine and have to cross over into New Hampshire for your fix. LOL  It's even open on Sunday.

And then you blink and you're in Massachusetts.

And I'm back in the land of road tolls ....  They were worth it, as I found a rest stop for the night that allows camping.  Although I was parked in the truck lane and unable to open my slide, the attendant said I could have pulled into the camper side .... I didn't know and never go to that "side" as I'm so long. Oh well, I did get some sleep and then back on the road. 

I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the I-95 for about two hours; sort of reminded me of "home."

The Garden State Parkway is a really nice road and the cheapest toll of them all.
 

It was a long drive.

It is hot (90s) and very humid; quite a change from Canada.  The roads here are crazy ....you come to an intersection and there are three choices of where to go with no indication of which is which; you can't make a left turn ... you have to turn right and then left/left.  My GPS is even confused!  It may just be the area I'm in, so we'll see.

I drove to the post office to mail some packages and to pick up my mail.  This is the local post office building ...

They didn't even have a flag out front.  The post office is the door on the right .... a small room with a window/counter and a postal worker that looked "unsavory" with tats and holes in his ears. It's not Laguna Beach folks.  Ha.


I did come back with 2 bottles of DEF from my trip around Gaspe Peninsula.  Better safe than sorry, so I'm glad I had it.