When we started on this adventure, we had no idea what to expect other than having a pretty awesome time together as a family and seeing the country. We’ve met some great people along the way, from the service techs who helped Juju Jr, to the workers in various shops and the new friends like Loretta and Dan, and Ian and Judy, to name a few.
The overall experience has been a rich one for Ethan. As Judy mentioned yesterday, Ethan’s old enough to remember the trip and young enough to have fun with us on this epic journey. The experience, the sights, the people…these are all things we wanted for Ethan to witness on this roadschooling adventure.
Video to come.
Morning
This morning was definitely a #vanlife moment, as we woke up at the beach watching the sun come up. We dreamed of moments like these when we got the Westfalia, so this was living that dream.
Ethan immediately pulled out his camera and started snapping away. I’ll be posting his photos once he’s chosen the ones he’d like to share.
After breakfast, we took a stroll to Freshwater Lake, which was right next to where we had parked. Ethan immediately wanted to practise skipping rocks when he saw the calm water.
But Ethan decided it would be more fun to build a path along the water using rocks. He saw one larger rock jutting out of the water and set that as our goal.
This turned out to be a lot fun, as we all got involved. At some point, Dong Eun suggested tossing the rocks into the water, instead of just carrying them one at a time. This worked great, too. After setting a base, we added more rocks by hand. Eventually, we had built a quite a long path out into the lake. Part of the reason was to save a spider that we thought was stranded on a rock. But the spider later disappeared, so perhaps it actually lived on the water.
With bridge building done, it was time for some peanut butter and bumble berry jam sandwiches before more time on the beach.
The sand here was a powdery brown, almost like soft brown sugar when you stepped on it. It was perfect for some sand sculptures and designs.
Ethan is always looking for anything heart shaped to give to Dong Eun as a gift. This morning, it was a rock.
Afternoon
We needed to go to the local public library so I could get some work done. Roadschooling is challenging for Ethan, but it’s also not always easy being a digital nomad. However, I’m grateful for the free wifi at libraries and the fact that I can work from the road.
At the library, which was tiny and very cute, Ethan completed the math section of the online assessment, then got to work on his latest video.
We set time limits on how long he uses the computer, but we mostly leave it up to him to be disciplined enough to stop using the computer on his own. And at the libraries, we ask him to spend an equal amount of time reading, which he’s happy to do.
He then went out to the van for lunch and to practise some math with Dong Eun. She has a way of making these activities fun for Ethan, so I’m always impressed by how she finds a fun way to work with him.
We said a final goodbye to the Cabot Trail and started making our way to North Sydney to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. Cape Breton was spectacular and we highly recommend a visit. At this time of year, there are almost no tourists, yet the scenery is not to be missed.
Evening
We arrived in North Sydney and needed to have dinner before boarding the ferry. The ride over to Newfoundland would be over 7 hours and didn’t depart until 11:45pm. With an overnight ferry ride looming, Dong Eun made a fantastic chicken stew for dinner. The remarkable thing about her cooking is that it’s delicious and it’s all been done within the confines of a ’94 VW Westfalia.
I called the ferry company to check if we needed reservations because we just wanted to roll over there about an hour before departure. Lucky I called because you need a reservation, and you need to be at the terminal for check in about 2 hours before departure.
The interior of the ferry was part airplane, part cruise ship. The seats were big and plush, as well as reclining. There was an on board coffee shop and restaurant, too. Once he got settled in, Ethan read some more of his math textbook.
If you like, there’s also cabins to sleep in, but they were about the same price as the ferry tickets so we decided to sleep in the chairs, instead. And just like an airplane, it’s hard to get comfortable to sleep. However, we did manage to find positions that worked for us, somewhat.
Next stop: Newfoundland!
If you’re just reading this blog for the first time, we are a family of three traveling across Canada (and likely beyond) in a 1994 VW Westfalia camper van called Juju Jr. Our son Ethan, age 9, is unschooling and so we want him to learn from being on the road and traveling. So he’s also now a roadschooler and we are documenting the trip and his learning on this blog.
Recent Comments