crashing waves

edge of the road

No Bathing? Is a sign really needed?

“Dangerous For Bathing Beyond This Point.” Is a sign really needed?

Go figure. Landlubber Cúpla Sisters were raised in the middle of corn fields but have an affinity for open water. The bigger and the noisier the better, we think. This winter has been a brute and no open water is to be found in this part of the country. Even the Mighty Miss is frozen solid, or so the ice fishing people hope. According to the DNR, Mississippi River Pool 10 is frozen 12 inches thick.

So, what are we to do to avoid the Grumpy Old (Wo)Men with cabin fever syndrome? I’ve fallen into the habit of scrolling waterfront property listings around the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain and Maine. If the realtors could embed the sound and smell of the ocean, I would put the adverts on an endless loop. My sister soothes her water restlessness with internet hunts for the perfect vintage houseboat.

food bus in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where we might have eaten if the wind had not been strong enough to blow the soup out of the bowls

food bus in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where we might have ordered seafood chowder had the wind not been strong enough to blow soup out of the bowls

Our love of open water has made changes to many a travel plan. For instance, our plan to hike Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, was scuttled when we walked to a good vantage point on Esplanade Road, Sydney, NS. Watching ships depart North Sydney was the undoing of our carefully made plans. Newfoundland ‘The Rock’ was our new destination, and the MV Caribou would carry us across the Cabot Strait in eight hours of heavy seas to Port aux Basques.

MV Caribou II Ferry docked at Port aux Basques

Port aux Basques Newfoundland