American Pickers – Antique Archaeology – LeClaire, Iowa
After watching “American Pickers” on the History Channel for years it was easy to make the decision to visit their home base, the Antique Archaeology Shop, at LeClaire Iowa on our way to visiting family and friends in other portions of Iowa.
The size of the shop and the condition of the items came as a big surprise. Not sure what I was expecting but it was much more than what we found. We got there 5 minutes before opening and there was a large crowd waiting outside. Seems we were not the only ones making the pilgrimage. I was thinking that maybe the items that I see them picking on the show would be restored to their original state but they prefer to keep everything as is … rust and all. Nothing wrong with that. Here’s a link to the photo album of our visit to the American Pickers Antique Archaeology Shop. I was also shocked at how small the shop is. It looks a lot bigger on TV.
Danielle Colby Cushman, the pin-up punk-a-billy filly office manager, is adding to her extensive (and robustly hip) resume that includes starting a roller derby squad, making her own clothes, founding and starring in a burlesque troupe, and oh yeah, keeping Antique Archaeology in business by opening her own shop called 4 Miles 2 Memphis!
Breughel Micro-Brewery – Quebec Canada
While traveling the Quebec countryside paralleling the St. Lawrence River we came upon a sign for the Micro-Brasserie Breughel. Even though I’m not fluent in French I was able to ascertain that it was probably a Micro-Brewery! It said that there was RV parking so we pulled the “Winnie” in for a pit stop. Glad we did cause it turned out to be a charming Micro-Brewery with traditional Belgium brews. We were greeted by the owner/brew master himself and it was one of the highlights of our visit to the Canadian Province of Quebec. The atmosphere at this establishment in Saint Germain de Kamouraska, Quebec was an experience that we look forward to duplicating during our next visit of the Atlantic Provinces.
As you view the photo album of our brewery visit note the history in the furniture dating back to the 17th Century and the peacefulness that exudes from the environment. Can’t wait to wet my whistle again …
Hopewell Rocks – New Brunswick, Canada
St Martins Covered Bridges, NB, Canada
The town of St. Martins, a charming little village on the Bay of Fundy coast boasts 2 covered bridges. The town was settled in 1783 and it originally was the site of ship building and shipping. Today it’s become a sightseers delight. Karen and I enjoyed walking and driving across one of the covered bridges. The photo on the left was taken from the harbor sea bed at low tide. The tides here will rise 35 to 50 ft in some spots.
Check out the photo album of the bridges. Since our RV is 12′ 1″ tall I did my math and make sure that I have at least 4 meters of clearance.
St Martins Harbor, New Brunswick, Canada
We took a nice long walk along the St Martins New Brunswick shoreline to the Harbor at Low tide. We walked on the Ocean floor into the Harbor between the 2 jetties. Here you can see why the Bay of Fundy is one of the seven natural wonders of Canada. Twice a day 100 Billion Tons of water fills the Bay of Fundy. Yes, 100 Billion tons … The Bay of Fundy is where the highest tides in the world sweep in and out. It allowed us to walk the Harbor floor for a once in a lifetime experience.
Check out this fabulous photo album of our trek to the Harbor. As you look at the photos make sure you check out the high tide mark on the beach, jetty, rocks, and the harbor piers.
To think that the entire Bay of Fundy raises 40 to 50 feet is just awesome! It truly is a wonder … It’s not just the tide that comes in but the entire bay raises … That equals to 23,965,000,000,000 or 23.965 Trillion gallons of water moving twice a day!! Each tide equals to the daily discharge of all the world’s fresh water rivers.
Here’s what St Martins Harbor looks like at high tide.