Kitty Kitty BB Winters in the Maritimes

Now that we’re getting ready to come out of our winter hibernation, I figured it was time to recap the last four months. We left Ottawa in October, after a 6-week stay (which entailed finally finishing our shower build) and made the final push towards our PEI winter destination. We drove all the way to Levis QC, which sits across the St Lawrence Seaway from Quebec City. We were able to gaze at the old city wall and the Fairmont le Chateau Frontenac from our parking spot in Parc l’Anse-Tibbits. The foliage and scenery were absolutely stunning.

The next day’s drive through the easternmost part of Quebec was quiet and scenic, with farms and fall foliage giving way to evergreens. We stopped just short of the Quebec-New Brunswick border, since covid restrictions forced us to wait until the date on our entry acceptance letter to travel further. So we parked Kitty Kitty Bang Bang at a truck stop behind the Irving gas station and spent the night.

The next morning, we got an early start and crossed through the border checkpoint. It was pretty smooth sailing from there on in, the highway being virtually empty for most of our drive. We stopped for gas just a couple of times, and otherwise took in the scenery. New Brunswick is trees and more trees, all the way to the horizon. We waved hello to neighboring Maine, which felt close enough to touch at one point. NB has its own Kings Landing. And is the French fry capital, apparently. You know you're in NB when their highway billboards boast “hotel stufft potato bar and poutinerie".

And then just like that, we were crossing the Confederation Bridge into Prince Edward Island, with one final checkpoint before the hour further to the property where we’d be staying. Arriving safely, after running out of gas (again! Feeling most thankful at this point for jerry cans) and catching fire, lol. 3552 miles and 4 hours ahead of where we started back in May 2020.

PEI was the end of the road for a while. We're those crazies who crossed Canada from literal sea to sea, in our metal box and with a cat, amidst a pandemic. And I'm so glad that we did. We not only saw so much of the physical beauty of this country, we also witnessed a lot of the beauty of people throughout our journey. Which was a real gift (and yes, privilege) during some very trying times for humans. While we were always respectful of the pandemic situation, we did wonder how we'd be received during these strange days. We were happy to see that we were met with more love and friendly curiosity than fear or mistrust.

Frequent changes in scenery made us more fluid. Reacquainting and attuning ourselves to nature reminded us of a world much bigger than ourselves. Obstacles and glitches (and there were more than a few) along the way kept us on our toes. Helping strangers out whenever we could (and in turn being lent a kind, helping hand when needed) served as a reminder that none of us can/should do it all alone. And that there is still kindness out there. We've also scaled back our cost of living and haven't gotten sick of each other, so that's good!

And then we began embracing island life. (For the two of us, whose charts are water-dominant, it could be no other way - being surrounded by water suits and soothes us.) The Maritimes formed an Atlantic bubble during covid, so we had to quarantine for the first two weeks in exchange for our entry (hence the rush to get that shower done). But in a place like this, and with plenty of work and projects to finally catch up on (like finishing our winterizing of Kitty Kitty Bang Bang), it was for a while honestly more of a treat than a chore.

We also had a chance to tend to some overdue repairs. For one, we hit a snag when we realized that all of that rain that poured down on us the day we left Ottawa leaked in and caused a mold invasion around our bed.

So we replaced the wood walls by our bed, along with the platform underneath. We bought and cut new plywood, painted the wood panels with Tung oil to make them more water-resistant, reinsulated, then treated the area with antifungal spray. We also left openings under the bed for computer fans that we'll be using to ventilate the space beneath our mattress. And we came up with a future prevention plan (which will involve more vigilance and monitoring). Live and learn.

After a two week setback, we were back in business. Luckily, none of this broke the bank. And we saw an opportunity with the mattress out of the way to finally paint our walls, which has perked up our place that much more.

Time to celebrate by the bonfire:

And then we got out and got our first taste of island life. First, we followed the white rabbit:

We also met the neighbor and visited his farm, which is also home to a colony of stray cats:

We took in some of the sites in Charlottetown, and sampled some of the incredible seafood:

And we walked along the incredible shore:

And visited some of the nearby towns and coast:

Copper Bottom Brewery

As winter started to set in, we installed our heating system, which runs on our hot water and continuously on a loop.

We used the hydraulic legs to detach Kitty Kitty from the Bang Bang, so that the truck would be free for getting around while our box was stationed:

And then winter did come:

And we decorated for Xmas:

Whipped us up some coq au vin in the Instant Pot:

And rang in 2021:

Vanlife Catlife: