We awoke early, ready to return to the USA and home. We repacked our bags for the flight home, and twiddled our thumbs for a couple of hours until near time to leave.  Our bags were hauled to the rental car, and apparently John and Sandy were in the same frame of mind as they, too, were ready to go.

Unsure of the time to return the rental car, check in, and go through US Customs, we made the 35-minute drive to the airport without a hitch, arriving about 10 AM.  I dropped Kay, Sandy, John, and the luggage off at the US terminal, and drove to the rental car return.  So far, so good. The US has a Customs operation in the Halifax airport, and once you’ve made it through there, you are treated as a domestic passenger for the remainder of your trip; this proved to be very convenient.  We checked our bags at the Delta counter, made it through Canada customs, and through US Customs.  The only problem we had was with some apples we tried taking through.  Without a sticker of origin, they got trashed, but at least the agent was friendly; he almost talked our ear off.

We finally boarded the really small aircraft, making it to New York on time.  From there, we caught a flight to Atlanta, and barely had time to make the flight from Atlanta to Little Rock.  The planes on all three legs of the trip were full to capacity.

Arriving in Little Rock just before 8 PM, we grabbed our baggage, caught the shuttle to the Holiday Inn, loaded the old Explorer, and drove home, getting here about 11 PM. 

This was a great trip, and traveling with John and Sandy was a joy.  We have many things in common, yet enjoy enough differences to make things interesting. 

The Maritimes were populated with wonderful, friendly people.  The countryside is neat and clean, and there is little “junk” on the property.  Most of the area, about 75 percent, is forested.  There is far more agricultural land and farms than we would have ever dreamed.  And there are lots of old, old churches, almost all of them painted white, with tall bell towers.  Residents should be proud of their respective provinces.

For Kay and me, we’re glad we did this trip, but it will likely be our one and only trip to the Maritime Provinces—too many things to do and see, but too little time. 

Another life list item to check off.