Road Trip to the East of Canada

After several days of contemplation, I finally decided to opt out going with the tour to the East, instead, driving my mother to the East. It shouldn't be a difficult decision. Yet it is as I'm going with my 64 year old mother who is always keen on tour.
It's a 9 days road trip. The route I planned and ended up taking is like this: Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec-Fredericton-Saint John-Moncton-Charlottetown (PEI)-Cavendish (PEI)-Halifax-Gaspe Peninsula-back to Ottawa.
Montreal and Quebec city aren't new for me. I stopped at Montreal first night and Quebec city second night for mom as she is a big fan of "big city". Maybe because this is my second visit, somehow both cities don't seem as impressive to me as the first time. My favorite " Petite Champlain" in Quebec city indeed seems a lot more petite on this visit.
The Maritimes- New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI are very different than other parts of Canada. There are definitely Irish/Scottish feel, rugged shorelines and plenty small fisherman towns. It's real, calm and intriguing.
Several attractions introduced by local tour authorities along the way are of an exaggeration. The grand fall, the longest covered bridge, potato factory, reversing falls, sea cove and Hopewell Rocks are fun to check out, yet anything but spectacular. Fredericton and Saint John get their own charms thanks to those plain looking yet meaningful historical sites. Saint John is chill, so is the owner of the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed. He eagerly recommended a beach town named St. Martin. We went and had a casual yet delicious lobster lunch by the sea caves. That's my mother's first steamed lobster and she seemed to enjoy it more than anything else. The self claimed " Flower Pot Rocks" at the Hopewell Rocks can be barely recognized with the shape of flower pots. It's a little stretch.
I truly enjoyed PEI. The landscape is absolutely spectacular. From low key and historical Charlottetown, to red-sandstone bluffs and sandy beaches and to lovely Anne's green house, I loved everything about the island. At Charlottetown, we had second lobster feast. Anne's green house at Green Gables was closed by the time we arrived. Mom bought a freckled Anne doll.
The visit to Halifax was a little rough. We paid a visit to the Peggy's Cove in the morning when rain was on the way. Peggy's Cove is a fisherman town with craggy shoreline and rugged waves from the majestic Atlantic ocean. When we returned to Halifax, it started pouring. We stayed briefly for the naval fortress and a lobster lunch. My attempt to make my way to Cape Breton Highlands National park (located at the most north east tip of the Nova Scotia ) failed due to the weather.
Gaspe peninsular is on my maybe list. My decision to eventually visit the peninsular was not made till the last minute. When we arrived at the other side of the bridge that connects the peninsular and the mainland, the weather was gorgeous and the peninsular seems to be sitting in a picture like setting. I was so tempted that I drove cross the bridge and got on the peninsular. It took me good 10 hours to drive around the peninsular. Most of driving was done in a drizzling, foggy and rainy condition. The majestic landscape made it worthwhile, especially the aloof Perce Rock, which I visited in the early morning in the rain. The long drive along Gaspe was completely against my mother's will. The weather didn't do me a favor either. Yet, I was so glad that my mother eventually compromised and I got to make the drive happy and see and smell the Atlantic ocean by its shores along my way. The drive indeed became one of the most precious moments on my journey.
A horrifying car accident happened on my way back to Ottawa. My mom and I were too lucky to get hurt. The accident adds some reflections on the road trip, previous trips and life. Blessings have been along the way. I felt humbled and grateful.