Showing posts with label New Brunswick. Show all posts

Day 44:  Fredericton, NB to Presque Isle, ME
To get from Fredericton to Quebec City, we opted to go through northern Maine.  The adjacent areas of New Brunswick and Quebec are mostly small towns and rural areas, so when we found a hotel we liked in Presque Isle, Maine, we decided to stay there overnight.

On the way, we stopped in Hartland, New Brunswick, to see what is called the "World's Longest Covered Bridge." At 1,282 ft long, the bridge was built in 1901 by citizens frustrated by the long wait for the government to decide whether a bridge was needed over the St. John River in Hartland. Construction costs were funded by tolls until the structure was purchased by the province in 1906.
To control traffic across the single-lane bridge, each end is equipped with a stop sign. After stopping, one looks to determine whether a vehicle is coming through the bridge before proceeding.  A simple but very effective system.

The gnats were heartless in Hartland, the worst we've seen on this trip.  Swarms of them accosted us the moment we opened the vehicle door and stepped out.  They were relentless in their efforts to get close to you.  We searched unsuccessfully for a letterbox commemorating the longest covered bridge. Whether we might have found it had we not had so much "assistance" from our persistent companions is anyone's guess.

When we stopped at the border crossing into the U.S. at Houlton, Maine, we were questioned briefly by an immigration officer, as we expected-- where were we from, where born, what were we bringing in from Canada.
What we didn't expect was that while we were being interrogated, another officer opened the tailgate of our van without notice and began searching through our belongings, including opening a cooler in which we had some food.  Since no one ever told us why this was done, we could only surmise that the officer conducted the search as a matter of habit.  We're guessing his last assignment was at the Mexican border and he was checking to see whether we were trying to sneak some Canadians over the border illegally.

As we wound our way up U.S. Highway 1 in Maine, we were treated to another superlative sight, the largest complete three-dimensional scale model of the solar system in the world.  Built by the people of Aroostook County, the model is 40 miles long and has a scale of 1:93,000,000 miles. The model extends along Route 1 between the campus of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where the 49' 6" sun is located, to the Houlton Information Center at the end of I-95, where little 1" Pluto is on exhibit.  (The model was completed in 2003 before Pluto lost its planetary status.)

After checking in at the hotel in Presque Isle, we got our laundry done and, thumbing our nose at the rain, we headed up to Caribou to search for a series of eight letterboxes created to commemorate the once thriving community of Grimes Mill.  The stamps, depicting various buildings which had been in the town, were carved and planted by the great great granddaughter of one of the founding fathers of Grimes Mill.  She brought to life a community we would have never heard of had we not been letterboxing.

Another place we visited today seeking a letterbox was the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum, where we spent about half an hour musing over their collection of farm equipment on exhibit.  Taking a lead from Woodie, we're offering a contest here.  Wonderful prizes await the person who can identify this piece of farm equipment.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 186
Planets visited:  7
Gnats removed from mouth, eyes, nose and ears:  17
Red barns:  131
Letterboxes:  9
Rainbows:  1
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Day 43: Stellarton, NS to Fredericton, NB
A day of mostly driving as we left Nova Scotia and headed back across New Brunswick. Our goal today was to get closer to Quebec City, QC, which is our next destination. Along the way we found a couple of letterboxes and as we drove, we took time to reflect what we've learned in Canada so far. A sampling follows.
You have to hit the small potholes to avoid the big ones.

Sometimes one language isn't enough.

A toonie is always worth more than a loonie.

Even numbers may need to be translated.

Some of our favorite town names:
Tatamagouche
Pugwash
Whycocomagh
Sissiboo Falls
Washabuck
Capstick
Musquodoboit
Crows Nest
Ecum Secum
Mushaboom
Old Barns
Shubenacadie

Beaver town names we've seen:
Beaver Dam
Beaver Harbour
Beaver Bank
Beaver Brook
Beaver Cove
Beaver River

The beaver is Canada's official national animal.  In Canada's early history, fur trading was its major industry, and beaver pelts were Canada's primary export to the world. Today the beaver is widely used as the symbol of Canada. It appears on the Canadian nickel, Canadian stamps, and as the symbol for Canada's national parks. Editorial cartoonists commonly use the beaver to personify the entire Canadian nation, as Uncle Sam is used to represent the U.S.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 282
Letterboxes: 2
Crows scavenging by the roadside: 42
Bugs sacrificed on car hood & grill: 971
Gas: $3.558/gallon
High temp: 75° F (a heat wave!)
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Cavendish, PE and Summerside, PE
Today we ventured into the heart of "Anne Country." As a child, author Lucy Maud Montgomery often  visited her grandparents in the village of Cavendish (pop. 272), and later found work in the community as its postmaster.  Montgomery drew on her impressions and memories of Cavendish in writing her classic book Anne of Green Gables (and several sequels).  This novel, originally published in 1908, has sold more than 50 million copies, building a legion of fans worldwide.

The population of Cavendish swells to 7,500 in the summer as tourists flock to see for themselves the beautiful landscapes and charming village that inspired this beloved work.  A popular theme park with replicas of quaint buildings and guides dressed in period costumes invites visitors to experience places mentioned in the novels.
Even beyond the village, the province promotes its connection to Anne. In the capital of Charlottetown one can shop for the perfect Anne memorabilia (look for the official AOGG licensing seal), enjoy treats from the Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Shop, and enjoy the annual summertime production of the Anne of Green Gables musical.

While in the Cavendish area, we went in search of a few letterboxes, one of which was located on a trail near Cavendish Beach. Road construction kept us from the beach and the box, but we did see a fox. It was like being in the middle of Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.  "We did not get to the beach for a box, but on the way we found a fox."
The highway worker told us that foxes are not an unusual sight on the island.  Others repeated this when we mentioned seeing the foxes.  Tourists feed the foxes, making them willing to approach any humans.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fox farming-- breeding the animals in captivity for their fur-- became widespread on PEI.  Fox pelts were very fashionable among women during this period.   By 1923, there were 448 fox farms on the island.  At the time, the price of a scarf made of a single pelt ranged from $350 to $1000.  By the late 1930s, changing fashion and the Great Depression caused a rapid decline in the industry.  Yet this history may account for the island's unusually large fox population.

Across the western part of Prince Edward Island, potato fields are freshly plowed and planted.  The red soil of this region seems to be particularly conducive to potatoes, the island's primary cash crop.
Though small in area (about 75% the size of Rhode Island), PEI produces about a third of Canada's annual potato crop.  And you can't forget it while you're here.  There's SPUD radio, the popular "Bud the Spud" song, and even a potato ambassador, Spudley.  Tonight, Dianne found a spudburger (PEI's version of the veggie burger) on the menu of a local pub. 

The red fields contrasting with lush green meadows produce a beautiful landscape.  Tomorrow we will leave this scenic island as we board the ferry to Nova Scotia, where more adventures await.
Daily Stats
Miles driven: 118
Letterboxes:  4
Raindrops:  32,891,456
High temp:  50 ° F
Foxes:  4
Potato fields:  756
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Moncton, NB to Charlottetown, PE
Leaving New Brunswick this morning, we finally spotted a female moose.  As the sign indicated, moose were in the area.  Near Port Elgin, a female moose came loping up to the roadside and paused.
We slowed down to avoid hitting her should she continue across the highway, but the tractor-trailer driver behind us did not.  As we pulled over to the shoulder to try to get a photo of the moose, the truck driver blew past us, honking his horn, and the moose scampered back into the woods.

The Confederation Bridge joins New Brunswick and mainland Canada with Prince Edward Island across the Northumberland Strait.  The eight-mile curved bridge, the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water, was an object of much debate before its construction in the 1990s.
Before the bridge was built, access to PEI was by ferry most of the year and iceboat in the winter.  Farmers, fishermen, tourism operators and residents of Prince Edward Island had sharply contrasting opinions about how year-round access to the mainland would affect their way of life and livelihood.  The question was eventually put to a vote by islanders, and 60 percent wanted the bridge.

At a cost of one billion dollars, Confederation Bridge was built to last for 100 years withstanding the driving winds and crushing ice of the strait and even impacts with passing ships.  Wind barriers were required in the bridge's design because the strait is often buffeted by high winds (including today), sometimes gusting so high that bridge traffic is disrupted.  The toll for the bridge is C$42.50, but you are not required to pay until you leave the island.
On PEI, we had no difficulty tracking down a few lighthouses. This interesting example is Blockhouse Point near the village of Rocky Point.

Walking along the waterfront in Charlottetown this evening, we saw a baker's dozen sailboats engaged in what we can only describe as synchronized sailing.  No doubt, this is not what this activity is called.  However, they were all close together performing the same maneuvers at the same time.
It was fascinating to watch and we're hoping before we leave town we'll be able to find someone who can enlighten us about what was going on.

Today's Stats:
Miles driven:  153
High temp:  54° F
Letterboxes:  0 (1 unsuccessful attempt)
Moose:  1
Foxes seen on a walk:  5
Sailboats:  13
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Moncton, NB
We had a delicious lunch today at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse on Main Street in Moncton.  The creation of three Irishmen, the pub offers tasty food, including some traditional Irish fare, a variety of brews, and a friendly atmosphere for reasonable prices.  Our server was prompt, attentive, and educational.  At the end of the meal, when we paid in cash, she asked whether we needed change.  Ken handed her some cash including a C$5.00 bill and asked for four ones in change.
The server looked puzzled for a moment, then asked where we were from.  After we replied, she informed us that we gave ourselves away as foreigners when we asked for ones rather than Loonies.  Unlike our repeated failed efforts to make one dollar coins circulate in the U.S., the Canadians succeeded in their transition to dollar coins by simply ceasing production and circulation of one dollar banknotes. 

People accepted the coins so well they began affectionately calling the one dollar coins Loonies because the back side of the coin features an image of a loon.  When two dollar coins went into circulation later, it logically followed that they were Toonies.  Our server, in her early twenties, admitted that she had never heard the coin called a "one" before.

Because the whole of southeast New Brunswick is a letterboxing desert, void of a single box, we decided to make a contribution by planting two boxes in Moncton today.  An obvious location was the city's premier tourist attraction, Magnetic Hill. 
As one might suspect just from the name, Magnetic Hill is magnetic only in the figurative sense. The hill is an optical illusion, appearing to slope down when it's really going up. Gullible tourists get to pay C$5.00 to drive to the "bottom" of the hill, shift into neutral, and coast backward "up" the hill. A perfect place for a letterbox. We hid it in the woods beside the road where visitors start their "uphill" climb.

The other letterbox was planted in Moncton's Centennial Park. When we hiked in this 270-acre urban park today, we discovered lots of people playing in the trees. A company called Treego has built an elaborate aerial adventure course to allow anyone to discover his inner monkey.
We could only wish we were a bit younger (and in Dianne's case, a little less clumsy) so we could have been participants rather than just spectators. We did plant our letterbox near the course so we can bring the activity to the attention of letterboxers in the clue.

Two surprising sights today:

1.  The first Canada Geese we've seen since arriving in Canada

2. A different kind of lighthouse
(Click on the photo for the rest of the story)

Today's Stats
Miles driven: 28
Miles walked: 4.8
Letterboxes planted: 2
Human monkeys: 46
Loonies:  6
Toonies:  1
High temp:  65° F
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Moncton, NB
Where's that giant stick of butter when you need it?  Shediac,NB, is renown for its lobster. The Shediac Rotary Club decided that they should pay tribute to this crustacean, the mainstay of the town's economy for many years, by erecting a monument to the Town's mascot and logo, as well as a means of promoting the tourism industry.  According to the plaque, this is the world's largest lobster at 35 feet long and 16 feet in height.
Locals claim that New Brunswick has the best lobster in the world, hands down. In fact, we were told that Maine imports lobster from NB and calls it "Maine lobster" because even they know it's the best.

After getting our fill of lobster, we drove down to Parlee Beach Provincial Park.  Locals were taking advantage of the mild weather to get to the beach.
The temperature reached 72° F today, torrid in an area where the average temperature in January is 17°.  The beach had been freshly graded for the opening of the summer season.

We have discovered that many attractions in this area and northward don't open until mid-June and remain open until September or October, so we're still traveling in the off-season for the most part.  Even though we may miss a few activities, it's well worth it to us to avoid the crowds that full-blown summer brings.
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Saint John, NB to Moncton NB
We took the scenic route today from Saint John, following the coast along the Bay of Fundy east toward Moncton.  Although the weather was sometimes overcast, the scenery was beautiful.
Fundy National Park along our route features the unique landscapes of the Maritime Acadian Highlands.  Rising from the bay, this rolling plateau is covered with lush forest and cut by streams flowing through its valleys.
With many visitors to the park annually, some of Fundy's wildlife has become desensitized to humans.  This chipmunk entered the trail as we were approaching.  We stopped and watched as he examined various items he found on the trail.  
We took a few photos, thinking he would skitter away when we came toward him.  As we waited, another pair of hikers approached from the opposite direction.  The chipmunk remained until someone waved a hand toward him, at which time he strolled just a few feet off trail.

As much as we read in the travel literature about moose and seals and other wildlife in the area and in Maine, this chipmunk is all we have personally viewed, except for the thousands of mosquitoes, black flies, and gnats, of course.  We don't even need to search for them; they find us.

At Hopewell Cape, we visited another natural phenomenon caused by the extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy.  Hopewell Rocks are rock formations caused by tidal erosion.  Because of the large volume of water that flows in and out of the bay each day, some parts of the adjacent sandstone cliffs have been separated from the rest of the cliff face.
The waves that come in with the advancing and receding tides have eroded the base of these formations at a faster rate than the top, resulting in the unusual formations.  Just by chance, our visit to these "flower pot rocks" (as they are called locally) occurred at low tide, so that we were able to walk down to them-- "walking on the ocean floor," as the tourist brochures promote.

Since we didn't spend six hours at the site, we borrowed this image from www.new7wonders.com to demonstrate how the rocks look at high tide.
On the floor of the bay, near some of the underwater caves which had been revealed by the low tide were some unlikely stacks of rocks.
We marvelled at the ingenuity and engineering prowess of whoever left these litle studies in balance for the rest of us to enjoy until the tide came back in and destroyed all their work.

Early in our journey this morning, we were lured by a sign indicating that a covered bridge was 4 km off the main road.  The next six or eight times we saw the sign, we kept driving.  New Brunswick, which is about the size of South Carolina,  has a total of 62 covered bridges, the newest of which was built in 1992  in Fundy National Park.
Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when wooden bridges began to be built in the area, bridge builders had to find a way to deal with the extremes of climate, especially rot-causing rain and snow.  A wooden bridge left uncovered would last only about 10 years, while a covered wooden bridge could be expected to last 80 years or more.

Daily Stats:
Miles driven:  203
Letterboxes:  0
Covered bridges:  10
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Saint John, NB

With a population of almost 70,000 Saint John (not St. John, so it won't be confused with St. John's in Newfoundland) is the largest city in New Brunswick and the oldest incorporated city in Canada, dating back to 1604.
Situated on the coast of the Bay of Fundy, the city is split in half by the Saint John River, which flows into the bay...most of the time.  Twice each day, the strong tides from the bay reverse the river flow for several miles.
A series of underwater ledges combine with the action of the tide to create rapids.  When the big push is on, vortexes form as the river and bay engage in their struggle.  Ultimately the bay always wins, but only until the tide goes back out, leaving the river at peace once again.

The Bay of Fundy is known for its high tidal range.  In some places along the bay, the difference between high tide and low tide can be as much as 56 feet in depth. 
At low tide, massive fields of seaweed become visible and one can walk on the floor of the bay.  Just be sure you're safely back on shore before the tide rises again.

An image for those who may think the U.S. has too much influence on Canadian culture.  This is obviously a Canadian company.  See the maple leaf?


Daily Stats:
Miles driven:  35
Letterboxes:  2 (of 13 total in all of New Brunswick)
Tons of seawater flowing in and out of Bay of Fundy in one tide cycle:  100 billion

More Photos from Today
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Calais, ME to Saint John, NB
When we last visited Canada, about 12 years ago, we had a bit of difficulty at customs because we had not thought to bring our passports.  We drove in from Detroit, thinking all we needed were our U.S. driver's licenses.  Today's entry was much easier, but still we were asked more questions than in some other countries we have visited.

Because Canada is such a close neighbor, we discovered that we had allowed ourselves to falsely assume it's just like the U.S.  English is our common language, right?  It wasn't long at all before we determined that we needed some translation!
This sight took a bit of mental adjustment.  Speed limit 110?  (It's equivalent to 68 miles per hour.)  Much to our surprise, we discovered after entering Canada today that the speedometer in our van has only miles, not kilometers. 
Every other vehicle we've owned had both, and we never noticed in the four and a half years we've owned our Honda that the speedometer displays only miles.  Thus the need for the conversion chart posted on the dashboard.

At dinner tonight in a Saint John restaurant, Dianne asked the server if the chef would prepare a "vegetable plate" for her.  It wasn't on the menu, but this is something we've done many times and have never had any problem.  What usually happens is the server indicates what is available that might not be listed as side dishes on the menu, and a beautiful plate of cooked vegetables arrives at the table. 

When tonight's server asked whether she wanted some ranch dressing to dip the veggies in, Dianne realized that she and this nice gentleman had a failure to communicate.  Apologizing for her erroneous assumption, she explained to the server that she is American.  "This is an entirely different country," he replied cheerfully. 

So Dianne ordered a vegetable tart from the menu.  The menu indicated that the tart came with a roquette salad.  Roquette?  Reluctant to further demonstrate her ignorance of all things Canadian, she bit her tongue and didn't even ask, hoping it would be something she could eat.  Was it ever!  Roquette is the French word for what we Yanks call arugula, Dianne's favorite salad green.

Back in the hotel room, we found one more need for translation.  The room was a bit chilly, so we checked the thermostat setting--20 degrees!  Our conversion chart told us that the setting was what we would call 68.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for a high of 17 and a low of 6.  Brrrrr!   And we didn't even bring our down coats!

Now, where did we put that Canadian-American dictionary??
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