Sunday, August 1
We bid farewell to Peggy's Cove and head west.
We stopped for the night at Sebasticook Lake Campground in Newport, ME. This is a pleasant campground whose host, whom we rousted from her dinner, was quite gracious.
Monday, August 2
We stopped at My Cousin's Place in Norridgewock, ME, for breakfast. This small cafe by the side of the highway served up a huge and tasty breakfast. From there we headed across New Hampshire and into Vermont.
Our route took us through Waterbury, VT. Since both Green Mountain Coffee and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream are located there, we stopped to have a look. Each was a bit of a disappointment. Green Mountain Coffee was really nothing more than a storefront - at least, that's what the public gets to see. Ben and Jerry's held more promise, but the crowds of people were off-putting. The factory tour would have been fun, but the hour-plus wait for a ticket was more than we were prepared to endure. Some of their famous ice cream would have been fun, but the half-hour long line to the serving window was, also, more that we wanted to take on. We did, however, enjoy the walk through the "Flavor Graveyard".
Bank on the road, we continued on US 2 north on Grand Isle in the middle of Lake Champlain. On Grand Isle we had to pull over and stop to wait out a ferocious rainstorm. It was a deluge, a downpour, a toad-strangler of the first order. We had to wait for a half-hour for the rain to let up so that the wipers could clear sufficient enough for us to see the road.
Our camp for the night was at Coles Creek State Park in New York on the St. Lawrence Seaway. This is a lovely campground. Nicely spaced sites and very, very clean facilities. Plus, if you're lucky - as we were, you can grab a site with a great view of the shipping traffic on the seaway. We recommend this state park.
Tuesday, August 3
We crossed the border at Ogdenberg, NY, into Ontario, Canada.
We stopped for the night at Chutes Provencial Park near Massey, Ontario. This is a nice park and has some trails that we would have liked to explore. But, it was just too danged HOT!
Wednesday, August 4
Finishing our trek across Ontario, we crossed back in to the US at Sault St. Marie. This time we spent only one hour and twenty minutes on the bridge from Canada to the US. This time we had the foresight to gas up and make a potty stop before getting on the bridge.
Our stop for this night was at Van Riper State Park in Michigan. This is another very nice park. The sites with hook-up were pretty full and we decided to park in the "rustic" area. A nice site and quiet. We'd like to stay at this park again and explore the part of the park to the north of the highway. There looks to be some scenic trails there.
Thursday, August 5
We return to our condo in Duluth. We collected seven thousand miles, hundreds of photos, and many, many memories of people and places.
That ends the tale of our trip to the East Coast.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
July 31, 2010 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Saturday, July 31, 2010
This time it's a day trip from our campsite to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
View Peggy's Cove to Halifax in a larger map
Saturday dawned with a mix of sun and clouds and very pleasant (read, cool) temps. This will be our last day on the south coast of Nova Scotia and we decided it would be wrong to leave the area without visiting Halifax, even 'though large cities are not our favorite places to be.
Pictures for this day are here.
Our first impressions on arriving at Halifax were that the city combines the best of Duluth's hillside location with Boston's chaotic street plan and Chicago's "there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-too-small-parking-spot" parking culture. But, the sun was shining and we soldiered on to find easy parking in the huge lot that services the docks for the cruise ships. The lot was empty as there were no ships due in port that day.
At the parking lot we met FRED. FRED is a shuttle bus service for the downtown Halifax area. FRED stands for Free Rides Everywhere Downtown. FRED is a very nice fellow to have around. Our visit to Halifax was much more pleasant having met FRED.
Our first stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This museum is worth the stop. We particularly enjoyed the Titanic exhibit. The museum exhibits include the CSS Acadia, the only ship still afloat that served the Royal Canadian Navy in both World Wars. I took several pictures of the harbor from the fantail of the Acadia.
We strolled the waterfront boardwalk with just a few thousand of our closest friends and stopped for a quick lunch of fish and chips. I had asked ticket-taker on the Acadia if the crowds were often this large. He said, "Nope. Actually this is a light day. When the cruise ships come in, then it gets crowded. Sometimes as many as five of them are in port at the same time. You should see this place then!" Thanks anyway. I think I'll pass.
Finished with the waterfront, we met up with FRED and he took us up the hill to the Citadel. The day was getting warm so Nancy stayed under shade while I explored the nooks and crannies of this large fort. Many college students were on duty portraying soldiers and other characters in period costume of the time of the Citadel's operation.
I was surprised when I came across a school room. The "teacher" told me that the school was for the enlisted men, not for children. The opportunity for an education was one of the draws for military service at the fort. According to the "teacher", many of the soldiers took advantage of the school to get an education.
Out on the parade ground, a squad of soldiers was practicing their drills. By this time, the day had turned hot and I felt sorry for the men in their woolen tunics marching in the blazing sun. Then they stopped and loaded their rifles. "This is going to be good!", I thought. I got myself to the front of the crowd in a place just ahead of the line of soldiers. "This'll be a great place for a picture!", I said to myself. It would have been, too, if I had used a tripod - and, maybe not even then. The blast of sound from the rifles was so strong that it shook everything in front of the line of rifles, even those of us off to the side.
As we waited at the entry to the Citadel for FRED to return, we got to witness the changing of the guard at the gate. This was one time on the trip that I wished I had a video camera.
FRED showed up and took us to the Public Gardens, where we relaxed for a while in th shade amidst the flowers. This gave me my final opportunity of the trip to take some flower pictures. After this respite, FRED took us back to our car and we bid "so long" to Halifax.
This was our last full day in Nova Scotia. On Sunday morning, the first of August, we broke camp and began our trek west, back to Minnesota.
This time it's a day trip from our campsite to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
View Peggy's Cove to Halifax in a larger map
Saturday dawned with a mix of sun and clouds and very pleasant (read, cool) temps. This will be our last day on the south coast of Nova Scotia and we decided it would be wrong to leave the area without visiting Halifax, even 'though large cities are not our favorite places to be.
Pictures for this day are here.
 |
| Halifax harbor |
Our first impressions on arriving at Halifax were that the city combines the best of Duluth's hillside location with Boston's chaotic street plan and Chicago's "there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-too-small-parking-spot" parking culture. But, the sun was shining and we soldiered on to find easy parking in the huge lot that services the docks for the cruise ships. The lot was empty as there were no ships due in port that day.
At the parking lot we met FRED. FRED is a shuttle bus service for the downtown Halifax area. FRED stands for Free Rides Everywhere Downtown. FRED is a very nice fellow to have around. Our visit to Halifax was much more pleasant having met FRED.
Our first stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This museum is worth the stop. We particularly enjoyed the Titanic exhibit. The museum exhibits include the CSS Acadia, the only ship still afloat that served the Royal Canadian Navy in both World Wars. I took several pictures of the harbor from the fantail of the Acadia.
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| On the waterfront, Halifax, NS |
Finished with the waterfront, we met up with FRED and he took us up the hill to the Citadel. The day was getting warm so Nancy stayed under shade while I explored the nooks and crannies of this large fort. Many college students were on duty portraying soldiers and other characters in period costume of the time of the Citadel's operation.
 |
| The Citadel |
I was surprised when I came across a school room. The "teacher" told me that the school was for the enlisted men, not for children. The opportunity for an education was one of the draws for military service at the fort. According to the "teacher", many of the soldiers took advantage of the school to get an education.
Out on the parade ground, a squad of soldiers was practicing their drills. By this time, the day had turned hot and I felt sorry for the men in their woolen tunics marching in the blazing sun. Then they stopped and loaded their rifles. "This is going to be good!", I thought. I got myself to the front of the crowd in a place just ahead of the line of soldiers. "This'll be a great place for a picture!", I said to myself. It would have been, too, if I had used a tripod - and, maybe not even then. The blast of sound from the rifles was so strong that it shook everything in front of the line of rifles, even those of us off to the side.
 |
| Meeting FRED |
As we waited at the entry to the Citadel for FRED to return, we got to witness the changing of the guard at the gate. This was one time on the trip that I wished I had a video camera.
FRED showed up and took us to the Public Gardens, where we relaxed for a while in th shade amidst the flowers. This gave me my final opportunity of the trip to take some flower pictures. After this respite, FRED took us back to our car and we bid "so long" to Halifax.
This was our last full day in Nova Scotia. On Sunday morning, the first of August, we broke camp and began our trek west, back to Minnesota.
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| Farewell to Peggy's Cove |
Monday, October 18, 2010
July 30, 2010 - Day Trip to Lunenburg
Friday, July 30, 2010
A day trip to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
View Peggy's Cove to Lunenburg in a larger map
Pictures from this day are here.
Before our day trip to Lunenburg we headed to Peggy's Cove to explore it a bit more before the tour buses started showing up. The granite ledge that holds the lighthouse as well as the large restaurant and huge parking lot is massive. Trying to show the scale of the rock in a photograph is an exercise in futility, but that didn't stop me from trying. The sun was shining weakly through high, thin clouds and from just the right angle it created a halo around the top of the lighthouse.
Just up the road from Peggy's Cove, we stopped at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial.
To get to Lunenburg, we took roads as close to the coastline as we could get. There are many, many quiet and picturesque bays and harbors and coves. Not the grand vistas of Cabot Trail around Cape Breton Island, instead we were treated to intimate postcard scenes around each bend in the road.
Lunenburg has many houses and other buildings from the 1700s and early 1800s that are still in use today. Most of them are brightly painted in color schemes that we just don't see in the upper midwest. Lunenburg is a great town to get out of the car and just wander around the streets. Check out this fun website to explore these colorful buildings on an interactive map.
We had a great time taking pictures of various houses and buildings. We got to only a small percentage of them.
Returning from Lunenburg, we stopped for dinner in the small community of Chester, Nova Scotia. On the recommendation of the proprietor of the Delish Deli and Cafe we dined at the Kiwi Cafe. Fred had to try the lobster spaghetti. He was glad he did.
We got back to Peggy's Cove in time to enjoy clear skies and a lovely sunset. A perfect end to the day.
A day trip to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
View Peggy's Cove to Lunenburg in a larger map
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| Early sun behind the light |
Before our day trip to Lunenburg we headed to Peggy's Cove to explore it a bit more before the tour buses started showing up. The granite ledge that holds the lighthouse as well as the large restaurant and huge parking lot is massive. Trying to show the scale of the rock in a photograph is an exercise in futility, but that didn't stop me from trying. The sun was shining weakly through high, thin clouds and from just the right angle it created a halo around the top of the lighthouse.
Just up the road from Peggy's Cove, we stopped at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial.
To get to Lunenburg, we took roads as close to the coastline as we could get. There are many, many quiet and picturesque bays and harbors and coves. Not the grand vistas of Cabot Trail around Cape Breton Island, instead we were treated to intimate postcard scenes around each bend in the road.
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| Lunenburg waterfront |
We had a great time taking pictures of various houses and buildings. We got to only a small percentage of them.
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| Sunset at Peggy's Cove |
Returning from Lunenburg, we stopped for dinner in the small community of Chester, Nova Scotia. On the recommendation of the proprietor of the Delish Deli and Cafe we dined at the Kiwi Cafe. Fred had to try the lobster spaghetti. He was glad he did.
We got back to Peggy's Cove in time to enjoy clear skies and a lovely sunset. A perfect end to the day.
July 29, 2010 - Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
Thursday, July 29, 2010 - Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
We made it! A major goal of the trip was to get to Peggy's Cove.
View Hilden to Peggy's Cove in a larger map
We drove south from the Scotia Pine Campground to the King Neptune Campground at Indian Harbor, set up the Scamp and headed Peggy's Cove.
The landscapes in this area are a mixture of huge granite boulders scattered among marshy wetlands and potholes, pink granite outcrops capped with stunted evergreens, and long shoreline vistas uninterrupted by the low-growing rushes and sedges. As we drove though them, the views reminded us of similar scenes from the Lofoten Islands in the north of Norway, and some of the rugged areas in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, and, surprisingly, Weathertop from Lord of the Rings.
It was a cloudy, foggy morning and it was perfect for our introduction to the cove. Of course, a bright and clear day would have been perfect as well.
Peggy's Cove is a jewel. A delight for an artist or a photographer or a casual tourist; actually, anyone lucky enough to have eyes that see. Pictures submitted as totally inadequate proof of that statement are presented here.
Working boats at docks nestled in a tiny harbor surrounded by weathered boat houses. Old dories and launches pulled up at the water's edge. Fishermen's houses scattered like toys across the granite shore. Peggy's Cove is one of those places that invite you to spend a day or a lifetime trying to capture its essence on canvas or film.
Peggy's Cove is not far from the big city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. As you might guess, it is a very popular tourist destination. Dozens of large tour buses descend daily on Peggy's Cove, disgorging hundreds of camera-wielding tourists. (I should talk, right?) Peggy's Cove is best experienced, in my opinion, early in the day before the buses arrive, or late in the day nearing sunset after the buses depart, or in inclement weather such as fog and rain which imparts a more intimate feel to the place.
Needing to restock our food and cash supplies, we headed up the road to the shopping center at Tantallon. On the return, we stopped at the White Sails Bakery on the shore of St. Margarets Bay where we bought our first bag of oat cakes and we found them to be a very tasty treat. The Delish Deli and Cafe is on the second floor of the building that houses the bakery.
For lunch at the deli, Nancy sampled the "genuine Cornish" pasty which was very good but we like the smoked brisket pasties from Turtle River Pasties more, and a sausage roll. Fred bravely ordered the steak and kidney pie which he enjoyed - more than he thought he might.
Rain began to fall as we returned to our campsite. We spent the remainder of the day in the Scamp, resting and reading.
We made it! A major goal of the trip was to get to Peggy's Cove.
View Hilden to Peggy's Cove in a larger map
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| Set up at King Neptune Campground |
The landscapes in this area are a mixture of huge granite boulders scattered among marshy wetlands and potholes, pink granite outcrops capped with stunted evergreens, and long shoreline vistas uninterrupted by the low-growing rushes and sedges. As we drove though them, the views reminded us of similar scenes from the Lofoten Islands in the north of Norway, and some of the rugged areas in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, and, surprisingly, Weathertop from Lord of the Rings.
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| Peggy's Cove |
Peggy's Cove is a jewel. A delight for an artist or a photographer or a casual tourist; actually, anyone lucky enough to have eyes that see. Pictures submitted as totally inadequate proof of that statement are presented here.
Working boats at docks nestled in a tiny harbor surrounded by weathered boat houses. Old dories and launches pulled up at the water's edge. Fishermen's houses scattered like toys across the granite shore. Peggy's Cove is one of those places that invite you to spend a day or a lifetime trying to capture its essence on canvas or film.
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| Docks at Peggy's Cove |
Needing to restock our food and cash supplies, we headed up the road to the shopping center at Tantallon. On the return, we stopped at the White Sails Bakery on the shore of St. Margarets Bay where we bought our first bag of oat cakes and we found them to be a very tasty treat. The Delish Deli and Cafe is on the second floor of the building that houses the bakery.
For lunch at the deli, Nancy sampled the "genuine Cornish" pasty which was very good but we like the smoked brisket pasties from Turtle River Pasties more, and a sausage roll. Fred bravely ordered the steak and kidney pie which he enjoyed - more than he thought he might.
Rain began to fall as we returned to our campsite. We spent the remainder of the day in the Scamp, resting and reading.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
July 28, 2010 - Leaving Cape Breton Island
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
We hooked up the Scamp and headed toward the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island. Although we didn't want to leave this scenic area, we did want to start making our way to Peggy's Cove.
View MacIntosh Brook to Hilden, Nove Scotia in a larger map
Moments after leaving the campground we came across a thatch-roofed stone hut at the side of the road. We pulled in to the parking area to explore. The stone hut is a replic of a Scottish Highlands crofter's shieling. A croft is an enclosed or fenced area of land, usually small, and a crofter is the person who has the right to use that area. The shieling served as a very rustic shelter for the crofter and the animals he was tending.
Photos of the shieling and other stops along the way are here.
As we head across the northern part of Cape Breton Island, the road angles northeast along a very straight and deep valley between North Mountain and South Mountain. As the road begins the steep descent to the mouth of the valley and the coast, there are several signs warning of steep inclines and to use lower gears and to check brakes. Advice one would do well to heed! Luckily, there are several turnouts and overlooks where we could pull over to rest both ourselves and the rig.
At one pullout, a mini-van was already there with smoke coming from underneath. Smoke and a very pungent smell. We went over to see if there was a problem (as if the smell of burning brakes didn't give it away) and if we could offer assistance. The older woman and her two daughters said that they were just letting their car cool down before continuing on. They said that they were surprised at how steep the road was and how they had to ride the brakes the whole time! I asked if they hadn't noticed the signs saying to shift to a lower gear. They said that, yes, they'd seen the signs but "That's just for the trucks, isn't it?" We suggested that, while they still had some brake lining left, to use their second gear and apply the brakes as needed to keep the engine from over-revving and then have the brakes checked at the first opportunity. They left the pullout before we did. We did not see them again. One hopes for the best.
At the coast, we stopped for a picture break at Neils Harbor. Piled along the breakwater were very large stone slabs clamped in stout wooden "holders" with ropes attached. The only explanation we could come up with is that they are weights for buoys or nets. They were surely meant to be semi-permanent as hauling them up once they were set would be a back-breaking task.
Another picture stop was Green Cove, a large projection of pink granite into the sea. The granite here was veined with a lighter, harder rock that made interesting patterns. Green Cove has the notation "My favorite!" in Nancy's log.
Along the way, we pulled into Broad Cove Campground to check it out. It is a very nice place, run by the Canadian park service, and would be a good place to set up for a few days while exploring the Cape Breton Highlands in more detail.
At Port Hastings, we once again crossed the Canso Causeway and bid farewell to Cape Breton Island. Now, we were headed to the "heart" of Nova Scotia on our way to the province's southern coast. It was too far to make in one day's drive. We stopped for the night at Scotia Pine Campground near the small town of Hilden just south of the city of Truro.
On the morrow, we head to Peggy's Cove. It's worth the drive!
We hooked up the Scamp and headed toward the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island. Although we didn't want to leave this scenic area, we did want to start making our way to Peggy's Cove.
View MacIntosh Brook to Hilden, Nove Scotia in a larger map
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| Lone Shieling |
Photos of the shieling and other stops along the way are here.
At one pullout, a mini-van was already there with smoke coming from underneath. Smoke and a very pungent smell. We went over to see if there was a problem (as if the smell of burning brakes didn't give it away) and if we could offer assistance. The older woman and her two daughters said that they were just letting their car cool down before continuing on. They said that they were surprised at how steep the road was and how they had to ride the brakes the whole time! I asked if they hadn't noticed the signs saying to shift to a lower gear. They said that, yes, they'd seen the signs but "That's just for the trucks, isn't it?" We suggested that, while they still had some brake lining left, to use their second gear and apply the brakes as needed to keep the engine from over-revving and then have the brakes checked at the first opportunity. They left the pullout before we did. We did not see them again. One hopes for the best.
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| Neils Harbor |
At the coast, we stopped for a picture break at Neils Harbor. Piled along the breakwater were very large stone slabs clamped in stout wooden "holders" with ropes attached. The only explanation we could come up with is that they are weights for buoys or nets. They were surely meant to be semi-permanent as hauling them up once they were set would be a back-breaking task.
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| Buoy weights? |
Another picture stop was Green Cove, a large projection of pink granite into the sea. The granite here was veined with a lighter, harder rock that made interesting patterns. Green Cove has the notation "My favorite!" in Nancy's log.
Along the way, we pulled into Broad Cove Campground to check it out. It is a very nice place, run by the Canadian park service, and would be a good place to set up for a few days while exploring the Cape Breton Highlands in more detail.
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| Green Cove Rocks |
At Port Hastings, we once again crossed the Canso Causeway and bid farewell to Cape Breton Island. Now, we were headed to the "heart" of Nova Scotia on our way to the province's southern coast. It was too far to make in one day's drive. We stopped for the night at Scotia Pine Campground near the small town of Hilden just south of the city of Truro.
On the morrow, we head to Peggy's Cove. It's worth the drive!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
July 27 - Havre Boucher to MacIntosh Brook Campground, Cape Breton
July 27, 2010
Today we started our tour of Cape Breton Island. We followed the Cabot Trail from the Canso Causeway, which links Cape Breton Island to the rest of Nova Scotia.
View Havre Boucher to Cape Breton in a larger map
Photos are here.
As we drove the beginning of the Cabot Trail, we enjoyed the road signs which were in English and Gaelic. In the rest of Canada, the road signs are in English and French, at least in the parts where we had traveled. When the signs use Gaelic, larger signs are needed to contain all the letters in the Gaelic words. They have an amazing number of consonants!
We stopped at the Glenora Distillery, North America's only single malt whiskey producer, which sits in a picturesque valley along the Cabot Trail. We considered taking the distillery tour, but it was a bit too pricey and didn't even include free samples.
Just up the road from the distillery, we stopped to take some pictures of the coastal towns of Margaree Harbour and Belle Cote. The road hugs the coast and provides magnificent views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This is, really, a gorgeous drive. Each overlook, and there are many, is worth a stop.
We stopped for lunch at the Acadian Restaurant in Cheticamp. Nancy had the chicken fricot and I had the meat pie. The fricot was tasty, but much different than our first fricot at Cap-Pele. It did confirm, however, that we are going to try to make our own fricot when we get home. The meat pie was good, too, with seasonings that are different than we find in the midwest.
Back on the road, we stopped at a nature walk through a slope fen. We would call it a bog, but it is on a slight slope and it is a fen, so "slope fen" it is. This gave me a chance to take a few flower pictures, and none too soon as "flower-picture-withdrawal" was starting to set in and that isn't pretty.
Our campsite for the night was a very small campground at MacIntosh Brook in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Today we started our tour of Cape Breton Island. We followed the Cabot Trail from the Canso Causeway, which links Cape Breton Island to the rest of Nova Scotia.
View Havre Boucher to Cape Breton in a larger map
Photos are here.
As we drove the beginning of the Cabot Trail, we enjoyed the road signs which were in English and Gaelic. In the rest of Canada, the road signs are in English and French, at least in the parts where we had traveled. When the signs use Gaelic, larger signs are needed to contain all the letters in the Gaelic words. They have an amazing number of consonants!
We stopped at the Glenora Distillery, North America's only single malt whiskey producer, which sits in a picturesque valley along the Cabot Trail. We considered taking the distillery tour, but it was a bit too pricey and didn't even include free samples.
Just up the road from the distillery, we stopped to take some pictures of the coastal towns of Margaree Harbour and Belle Cote. The road hugs the coast and provides magnificent views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This is, really, a gorgeous drive. Each overlook, and there are many, is worth a stop.
We stopped for lunch at the Acadian Restaurant in Cheticamp. Nancy had the chicken fricot and I had the meat pie. The fricot was tasty, but much different than our first fricot at Cap-Pele. It did confirm, however, that we are going to try to make our own fricot when we get home. The meat pie was good, too, with seasonings that are different than we find in the midwest.
Back on the road, we stopped at a nature walk through a slope fen. We would call it a bog, but it is on a slight slope and it is a fen, so "slope fen" it is. This gave me a chance to take a few flower pictures, and none too soon as "flower-picture-withdrawal" was starting to set in and that isn't pretty.
Our campsite for the night was a very small campground at MacIntosh Brook in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
July 26 - Murray Beach to Nova Scotia
Monday, July 26, 2010
We leave the provincial park and follow the shore of the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia.
No map this time. Google Maps refuses to let me get a map completed. Maybe next time...
Just before leaving New Brunswick soil, on a small rural backroad, we came upon the Winegarden Estate winery. Winegarden Estate was the first fruit wine-distillery in Atlantic Canada. They make a wide variety of products, ranging from fruit and grape wines to brandies and liqueurs and eau-de-vie. We enjoyed browsing all the different offerings and sampling a couple of them. Now, I wish I'd had the courage to buy a bottle of their apple liqueur or blueberry liqueur. Maybe next time...
We continued on the small coastal roads into Nova Scotia. Passing through New Glasgow and Antigonish we made it as far as Harve Boucher before deciding to call it a night. We found a campsite at the Hyclass Ocean Campground on the shore of St. Georges Bay.
No pictures for this day.
We leave the provincial park and follow the shore of the Northumberland Strait to Nova Scotia.
No map this time. Google Maps refuses to let me get a map completed. Maybe next time...
Just before leaving New Brunswick soil, on a small rural backroad, we came upon the Winegarden Estate winery. Winegarden Estate was the first fruit wine-distillery in Atlantic Canada. They make a wide variety of products, ranging from fruit and grape wines to brandies and liqueurs and eau-de-vie. We enjoyed browsing all the different offerings and sampling a couple of them. Now, I wish I'd had the courage to buy a bottle of their apple liqueur or blueberry liqueur. Maybe next time...
We continued on the small coastal roads into Nova Scotia. Passing through New Glasgow and Antigonish we made it as far as Harve Boucher before deciding to call it a night. We found a campsite at the Hyclass Ocean Campground on the shore of St. Georges Bay.
No pictures for this day.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
July 22 - Fundy to Murray Beach
July 22, 2010 through July 25, 2010
This blog entry gets you a 4-fer. One blog entry for four days of the trip.
View Fundy to Murray Beach in a larger map
On Thursday the 22nd, we left the Bay of Fundy and headed for the Murray Beach Provincial Park on the Northumberland Strait. We were headed to a gathering of small fiberglass trailers at the provincial park. We were going to "crash" a gathering of Boler trailers from the Atlantic Provinces.
The Boler trailers are "vintage" fiberglass trailers. The last one came off the line in 1988.
On the way to Murray Beach, we passed through the small coastal town of Cap-Pele (they pronounce it cap a-lay). At a bakery in Cap-Pele, we found fricot and poutine a Troue. Fricot is a chicken soup/stew that is simple, rustic and really good. Most things called "poutine" in eastern Canada are French fries covered with a brown gravy and cheese curds and topped, sometimes, with bacon. The poutine a Troue, however, are a wonderful fruit filled ball of dough - apples, raisins, cranberries, walnuts - yum!
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| Sunset at Murray Beach Provincial Park |
At Murry Beach, we set up the Scamp and settled in for four days of meeting and visiting with a whole bunch of Canadians from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (plus one adventurous couple from Alberta.). The ocean water at Murray Beach is very shallow for a long way out into the Northumberland Strait. Consequently, the water is warm and very comfortable for a leisurely wade.
I've posted photos here.
At Murray Beach I found, to my surprise, that the location completely and totally threw my internal GPS into a tail-spin. There I was, on the east coast of the continent, looking west watching a beautiful sunset. That felt - well - wrong. In my mind, I could of course puzzle it out. For everything other than the mind, however, it just wasn't right.
(Edited October 13, 2010 to add the following.)
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| Cape Jourimain Light and Confederation Bridge |
We also went a little further down the road to Cape Tormentine, a tiny village on the coast, where we could get another view of the bridge.
Back at Cape Jourimain, we explored the nature center and had a pleasant lunch in their Iceboat Landing Restaurant. After lunch, we climbed the observation tower for good views of the bridge and of the Cape Jourimain Light.
Monday, October 4, 2010
July 21 - Hopewell Rocks
This day we made a day trip to Hopewell Rocks.
View Hopewell Rocks in a larger map
Located at the northern end of the Bay of Fundy, this area sees the highest tides in the world. At Hopewell Rocks, these tides and the geology of the area combined to create fantastic formations. At low tide, it is possible to walk among the formations. At high tide, one can canoe or kayak among them.
We got there at low tide so that we could "walk on the ocean floor". That seems to be a big deal in the Bay of Fundy area - walking on the ocean floor. Big deal or not, "walking on the ocean floor" among the Hopewell Rocks is very cool.
But first, we had to get there from Fundy National Park. On the way, we stopped at Waterside Farms Cottage Winery. We sampled a variety of fruit-based wines; blueberry and rhubarb and others. Pretty good stuff. We left with a couple bottles.
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| Cape Enrage |
The next stop was Cape Enrage, a picturesque lighthouse on the Fundy coast.
For lunch, we stopped at Broadleaf Ranch. We both opted for the turkey dinner and it was - well - wonderful. A great turkey dinner at a dude ranch in rural New Brunswick. Totally unexpected.
At Hopewell Rocks, we chose to walk from the contact center to the rocks. It was a pleasant walk, if a bit warm. Down several flights of stairs to the walk among the rocks.
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| Hopewell Rocks |
Pictures from this day are here.
A note: I gave up trying to pick "the best of the best" pictures of Hopewell Rocks. So, the on-line album has almost all of them. Only the out-of-focus ones were deleted.
What was it like to experience Hopewell Rocks? Pick your favorite superlative. It will likely be exactly right. We found it to be unique, fantastic, awe-inspiring, pretty damn cool, and neat.
Do you see, in that little image above, where the rock has been eroded away in those dark rounded areas? That shows how high the water rises when the tide comes in.
After wandering in and under, around and through, these formations for a couple hours we climbed back up all those stairs. Once at the top we decided it would be a good idea to take advantage of the shuttle back to the contact station.
We returned to Alma in time to watch the lobster boats return to port. While watched the lobstermen unload the catch, we also got a kick out of watching the children interact with the lobsters.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
July 20 St. Andrews to Alma
Shortly after leaving the St. Andrews, we were treated to dozens of vintage cars and trucks with vintage trailers in tow headed the other way. They were a group who were traveling from Labrador to British Columbia. There were so many that we simply pulled off to the side to watch them go by. Pictures of these vintage rigs? Yep, should have taken some. I plead an extended "Senior Moment".
View St. Andrews to Alma in a larger map
Our destination this day was Fundy National Park. Once we set up camp, we set off to explore. First, we headed into the small town of Alma, just outside the campground. The tide was out and that left the fleet of lobster boats sitting on the bottom of the bay. That was a sight that we just don't get to see in the marinas of the Duluth/Superior harbor!
Photos for this day are here.
Back in the park, we stopped to take the trail to Dickson Falls. The many staircases on the trail lead you to a pretty series of waterfalls reminiscent of waterfalls on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The rocks and trees along the trail were covered in lush blankets of mosses and lichens.
Pointe Wolf, at the end of the road, presented us with another long series of staircases. These stairs lead down to the beach at the head of a small cove. Nancy decided to let Fred take the stairs and bring back a picture or two.
The tide was coming in by the time we returned to Alma. That allowed the boats that had been out on the bay working to come back to the dock to unload their catch. We spent an educational few hours talking with the lobstermen and eating fried clams from the restaurant next to the dock.
Once the boats off-loaded the catch, the men began to load new bait for their traps. The bait they use is mackerel. Some of the mackerel came frozen into large cubes of fish. Some came frozen as individual frozen fish. It turned out that the individual frozen fish were food-grade mackerel that can't find a market in the restaurants and stores.
We noticed a glaring absence of gulls around the docks. That seemed odd, since there was a lot of food around. The gulls in Duluth would be swarming to fight over the pieces of fish that end up on the dock and in the water. We asked the lobstermen how they managed to keep the gulls away. Did they have a particularly effective "gull abatement/eradication" program? "Nope", they said, "The gulls get so much to eat from the tide flats at low tide that they can hardly fly. They're too full to bother coming to the docks."
View St. Andrews to Alma in a larger map
Photos for this day are here.
Pointe Wolf, at the end of the road, presented us with another long series of staircases. These stairs lead down to the beach at the head of a small cove. Nancy decided to let Fred take the stairs and bring back a picture or two.
Once the boats off-loaded the catch, the men began to load new bait for their traps. The bait they use is mackerel. Some of the mackerel came frozen into large cubes of fish. Some came frozen as individual frozen fish. It turned out that the individual frozen fish were food-grade mackerel that can't find a market in the restaurants and stores.
We noticed a glaring absence of gulls around the docks. That seemed odd, since there was a lot of food around. The gulls in Duluth would be swarming to fight over the pieces of fish that end up on the dock and in the water. We asked the lobstermen how they managed to keep the gulls away. Did they have a particularly effective "gull abatement/eradication" program? "Nope", they said, "The gulls get so much to eat from the tide flats at low tide that they can hardly fly. They're too full to bother coming to the docks."
Friday, September 24, 2010
July 19 - Eastport to St. Andrews, NB
Eastport, Maine, to St. Andrews, New Brunswick
View Eastport to St. Andrews in a larger map
This was a day of unexpected surprises. Is "unexpected surprises" redundant? I don't think so - but that's a discussion for another time and place.
Photos from this day are here.
We left our campsite at Easport and headed for the border crossing at Calais, Maine.
Surprise #1: the folks in Calais pronounce the name of their town "Cal-iss", not "Cal-ay". Hmmm, who knew?
Surprise #2: there are two border crossings between Calais and St. Stephen. Or, to be accurate, the main crossing point between Calais and St. Stephen, and another one between Calais and a tiny suburb named Milltown. Because we took a wrong turn out of the Walmart parking lot in Calais, we missed the main crossing point and found the other one, instead. The Canadian border guard was apparently more used to seeing local folks traveling back and forth to work than folks from Minnesota pulling a small camping trailer. After wishing us a good morning and asking for our passports his first question was "Are you folks lost?" We admitted to the wrong turn at Walmart and he, very graciously, gave us directions to where we wanted to be.
We stopped at the tourist information office in St. Stephen to load up on New Brunswick maps and information. A public library was just across the parking lot from the tourist office. We took our computers there to catch up on e-mail and to download necessary stuff for the new Sony laptop. We followed the library stop with a short stroll around downtown St. Stephen.
Surprise #3: St. Stephen is the home of the Ganong Chocolate factory. While their current factory is located in a new facility on the edge of town, the old factory is a museum. A chocolate museum! The very nominal admission fee includes a walking tour of the factory with displays about its history and the making of fine chocolates and all the chocolate you can eat!! Yes. As you walk through the displays you pass plates and baskets of various and sundry Ganong chocolates set out for your grazing pleasure. The Ganong Chocolate Factory Museum is a dangerous, dangerous place. Beware.
With great effort, we tore ourselves away from the chocolate museum and got back on the road.
We arrived in St. Andrews in the middle of the afternoon and the skies were threatening rain. Rather than taking a chance of needing to set up the Scamp in rain further down the road, we asked if there was an available spot at the Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping campground. There was, so we stayed. After setting the Scamp, we set out to explore St. Stephen.
Our first stop was Kingsbrae Garden. This gave Fred a much needed opportunity to take a few more flower pictures.
In town, we stopped in many of the shops and galleries. It's too bad that picture-taking in an art gallery is bad form. There were several items that we'd like to have images of since we couldn't afford them. Oh well.
More exploration of the St. Andrews waterfront preceded a fine pizza dinner at restaurant overlooking the harbor. After that, we headed back to the campground where we found...
Surprise #4: the restroom! On our many travels with the Scamp, we have come across a wide variety of restrooms in the parks and campgrounds - from a not usable men's restroom at Mill Creek Campground in Redwoods National Park to spotless restrooms and showers at Searsport Oceanfront Camping. But nothing prepared us for this. The men's restrooms and showers at Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping are tiled in marble. The counter-tops are granite. The showers are granite. The wash basins are glass and stone vessels that sit atop the granite counters. Everything was spotlessly clean. I walked in and just stood there with my jaw dropped. So awestruck, I forgot to take photos!! Nearly forgot what I went in there for, in the first place.
I went to get Nancy to ask her to check out the women's restroom and showers. She did and said "OK, so...what?" "What?", I said, "You're not impressed by all the marble and granite?"
Surprise #5: Turns out, the women's side had tile floors and Formica counter-tops with ordinary sinks and ordinary showers. Clean, to be sure, but not the luxurious appointments the men got. The women did, however, get one more sink than the men. Fair's fair...
View Eastport to St. Andrews in a larger map
This was a day of unexpected surprises. Is "unexpected surprises" redundant? I don't think so - but that's a discussion for another time and place.
Photos from this day are here.
We left our campsite at Easport and headed for the border crossing at Calais, Maine.
Surprise #1: the folks in Calais pronounce the name of their town "Cal-iss", not "Cal-ay". Hmmm, who knew?
Surprise #2: there are two border crossings between Calais and St. Stephen. Or, to be accurate, the main crossing point between Calais and St. Stephen, and another one between Calais and a tiny suburb named Milltown. Because we took a wrong turn out of the Walmart parking lot in Calais, we missed the main crossing point and found the other one, instead. The Canadian border guard was apparently more used to seeing local folks traveling back and forth to work than folks from Minnesota pulling a small camping trailer. After wishing us a good morning and asking for our passports his first question was "Are you folks lost?" We admitted to the wrong turn at Walmart and he, very graciously, gave us directions to where we wanted to be.
We stopped at the tourist information office in St. Stephen to load up on New Brunswick maps and information. A public library was just across the parking lot from the tourist office. We took our computers there to catch up on e-mail and to download necessary stuff for the new Sony laptop. We followed the library stop with a short stroll around downtown St. Stephen.
Surprise #3: St. Stephen is the home of the Ganong Chocolate factory. While their current factory is located in a new facility on the edge of town, the old factory is a museum. A chocolate museum! The very nominal admission fee includes a walking tour of the factory with displays about its history and the making of fine chocolates and all the chocolate you can eat!! Yes. As you walk through the displays you pass plates and baskets of various and sundry Ganong chocolates set out for your grazing pleasure. The Ganong Chocolate Factory Museum is a dangerous, dangerous place. Beware.
With great effort, we tore ourselves away from the chocolate museum and got back on the road.
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| Low tide at St. Stephen on the Bay of Fundy |
In town, we stopped in many of the shops and galleries. It's too bad that picture-taking in an art gallery is bad form. There were several items that we'd like to have images of since we couldn't afford them. Oh well.
More exploration of the St. Andrews waterfront preceded a fine pizza dinner at restaurant overlooking the harbor. After that, we headed back to the campground where we found...
Surprise #4: the restroom! On our many travels with the Scamp, we have come across a wide variety of restrooms in the parks and campgrounds - from a not usable men's restroom at Mill Creek Campground in Redwoods National Park to spotless restrooms and showers at Searsport Oceanfront Camping. But nothing prepared us for this. The men's restrooms and showers at Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping are tiled in marble. The counter-tops are granite. The showers are granite. The wash basins are glass and stone vessels that sit atop the granite counters. Everything was spotlessly clean. I walked in and just stood there with my jaw dropped. So awestruck, I forgot to take photos!! Nearly forgot what I went in there for, in the first place.
I went to get Nancy to ask her to check out the women's restroom and showers. She did and said "OK, so...what?" "What?", I said, "You're not impressed by all the marble and granite?"
Surprise #5: Turns out, the women's side had tile floors and Formica counter-tops with ordinary sinks and ordinary showers. Clean, to be sure, but not the luxurious appointments the men got. The women did, however, get one more sink than the men. Fair's fair...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
july 18 - Seawall to Eastport
After three nights at Acadia National Park, we hitch up the Scamp and head farther east.
View Seawall to Eastport, ME in a larger map
We made it as far as Eastport, Maine.
Photos from this day's travels are here.
Along the way, we crested a hill to find a quiet cove dotted with lobster boats and sailing craft, a small town tucked into the side of the cove, and an island at the mouth of this tranquil piece of water. Unable to help ourselves, we had to stop and take a bunch of pictures. The town is Cutler, Maine.It is quite picturesque. The photos we took do not do the place justice. You should go see it for yourself. Really.
A little farther along, we stopped at the eastern-most lighthouse in the country - West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. The first lighthouse here was built in 1808. The one standing there now was built in 1858. With bold read and white stripes on the lighthouse tower and the red-roofed white keepers cottage, it is easy to understand why this lighthouse shows up in so many pictures of the Maine coast.
Just down the road from the lighthouse is Lubec, Maine. We stopped for a bit to explore the waterfront and the shops. We seem to be seeing more lobster boats the further east we go.
We stopped for the night at Seaview Campgrounds just outside of Eastport, Maine. Once we got registered and set up (more on this in a moment) we took advantage of the availability of showers and laundry. That was a very good thing!
Getting registered was a tougher process than we had anticipated. It all started when I plunked down my credit card. The gal swiped the card and got the message "Contact Central" instead of the authorization confirmation. Contact central? Central what? Central who? She didn't know. I didn't know. Maybe my card was damaged, so we tried Nancy's. Same thing.
Not knowing what else to do, we thought we should call the credit care customer support line. Guess what? We're so far east that cell phone calls are handled by Canadian cell towers. Our TracFones only work with U.S. towers (and, even then, sometimes not). Our "Where's the nearest landline phone?" query resulted in "Well, there's one pay phone down by the dock in town..." Luckily, we had enough cash to pay for the campsite.
At that pay phone down by the dock, we called the credit card support number. The machine that answered the phone told us that our card was held pending resolution of a large charge made recently. We were asked to verify that the recent charge was legitimate. What recent large charge?...Our laptop purchase the day before. We verified the charge and our credit card was once again un-held. Whew!
For dinner at the cafe at the campground Nancy had the turkey dinner and Fred had the ...wait for it...Lobster Streudel!
On the morrow we head for New Brunswick!!
View Seawall to Eastport, ME in a larger map
We made it as far as Eastport, Maine.
Photos from this day's travels are here.
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| Cutler, Maine |
A little farther along, we stopped at the eastern-most lighthouse in the country - West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. The first lighthouse here was built in 1808. The one standing there now was built in 1858. With bold read and white stripes on the lighthouse tower and the red-roofed white keepers cottage, it is easy to understand why this lighthouse shows up in so many pictures of the Maine coast.
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| Lubec, Maine |
We stopped for the night at Seaview Campgrounds just outside of Eastport, Maine. Once we got registered and set up (more on this in a moment) we took advantage of the availability of showers and laundry. That was a very good thing!
Getting registered was a tougher process than we had anticipated. It all started when I plunked down my credit card. The gal swiped the card and got the message "Contact Central" instead of the authorization confirmation. Contact central? Central what? Central who? She didn't know. I didn't know. Maybe my card was damaged, so we tried Nancy's. Same thing.
Not knowing what else to do, we thought we should call the credit care customer support line. Guess what? We're so far east that cell phone calls are handled by Canadian cell towers. Our TracFones only work with U.S. towers (and, even then, sometimes not). Our "Where's the nearest landline phone?" query resulted in "Well, there's one pay phone down by the dock in town..." Luckily, we had enough cash to pay for the campsite.
At that pay phone down by the dock, we called the credit card support number. The machine that answered the phone told us that our card was held pending resolution of a large charge made recently. We were asked to verify that the recent charge was legitimate. What recent large charge?...Our laptop purchase the day before. We verified the charge and our credit card was once again un-held. Whew!
For dinner at the cafe at the campground Nancy had the turkey dinner and Fred had the ...wait for it...Lobster Streudel!
On the morrow we head for New Brunswick!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
July 17 - Schoodic Point
Saturday, July 17 - More Acadia National Park
A section of Acadia National Park lies remote across Frenchman Bay from the main part of the park on Mount Desert Island. It is on the Schoodic peninsula. We left the Seawall campground in the morning to go explore Schoodic Point. While the point is only a few miles away by water, to get to it by car one must return to the Maine mainland and that makes getting there a day trip.
Along the way, we stopped at the Walmart in Ellsworth, ME, to buy a new laptop computer. The trusty old Toshiba laptop that has traveled with us on many long road trips was overheating so badly that it could not even complete a boot-up procedure before automatically shutting down because it was too hot. With Todd's excellent help via cell phone, we opted to buy a Sony Vaio laptop. Whew - I once again had a working computer and I could off-load pictures from the cameras! I mean, life does have its priorities.
View Schoodic Point in a larger map
We loved the Schoodic Point shore. This was the rock-bound coast of Maine that we had been hoping to see. Huge slabs and boulders of that pink granite. Some of the granite blocks had intrusions of black basalt that created striking patterns. Another plus, this part of the park is not so crowded.
Click on the above slideshow for a larger view.
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| Schoodic Point |
Along the way, we stopped at the Walmart in Ellsworth, ME, to buy a new laptop computer. The trusty old Toshiba laptop that has traveled with us on many long road trips was overheating so badly that it could not even complete a boot-up procedure before automatically shutting down because it was too hot. With Todd's excellent help via cell phone, we opted to buy a Sony Vaio laptop. Whew - I once again had a working computer and I could off-load pictures from the cameras! I mean, life does have its priorities.
View Schoodic Point in a larger map
We loved the Schoodic Point shore. This was the rock-bound coast of Maine that we had been hoping to see. Huge slabs and boulders of that pink granite. Some of the granite blocks had intrusions of black basalt that created striking patterns. Another plus, this part of the park is not so crowded.
Click on the above slideshow for a larger view.
Monday, September 20, 2010
July 15 - 16, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, and environs
(Pictures for this day are here.)
Early Thursday morning we packed a picnic breakfast of cereal and milk and parked outside the Seawall Campground contact station. We wanted to be first in line to nab a campsite as soon as one opened up. It took just a couple hours and we got campsite B15 - a prime site. Lucky us!
View Acadia National Park in a larger map
After getting the Scamp set up, we headed out to explore Acadia National Park. We headed north and landed in Bar Harbor just about lunch time. We picked Testa's Restaurant and got a table on the second floor next to a window overlooking the harbor. After lunch, we explored the harbor-front and took a short stroll on the Harbor Path. The food was good. The harbor is picturesque. The town and shops of Bar Harbor, however, are a bit too "touristy" for our tastes. Off to Cadillac Mountain...
Coming down off the mountain, we continued along the Loop Road, which is a one-way road that runs clockwise around the eastern part of the park on Mount Desert Island. On the way, we stopped at the Wild Gardens of Acadia, the Nature Center, the Abbe Museum at Sieur de Monts Spring, and several scenic spots along the shore.
If we ever get back to Acadia National Park, I'd like to either get a bicycle or take a horse drawn carriage on the carriage roads. They are closed to car traffic and there are miles and miles of them through the middle of the park. That means that there is an awful lot that we didn't get to see on this trip.
Friday, July 16
(Pictures for this day are here.)
We browsed through many of the galleries and shops. We explored the little farmer's market and had an excellent lunch at a small cafe on a quiet side street.
While driving around the back-roads we came upon the trail-head for the Flying Mountain trail. Wanting to work off some of the lunch and needing to do a bit of walking after so many days on the road, Fred took the walk up Flying Mountain. OK, it's only 284 feet high - but it IS called Flying MOUNTAIN! While at the top, I was enjoyed very nice views across Somes Sound and the town of Northeast Harbor. As an added bonus, a sailboat race was under way on the Sound.
We returned to the campground in the late afternoon. Nancy wanted some quiet, reading time and Fred wanted to walk a bit more. He took a short (one mile) trail near the campground leads to Ship Harbor. Just a quiet little walk with more of the pink Maine granite. A really good way to wind down at the end of the day.
July 13 - 14 - Searsport to Bass Harbor, Maine
Tuesday, July 13, was a day to attend to a few chores.
First up was a trip back to Belfast to get the Odyssey washed and its oil changed. While there, we explored the shops in Belfast and had a spot of lunch at the Dockside Cafe. Nancy ordered a chowder (probably clam), the first of many on this trip. I opted for my first ever Maine lobster roll! The chowder could have used a bit more seasoning. The lobster roll was delicious.
Our chores and explorations in Belfast completed, we headed back to the Searsport Shores campground to attend to some chores there; namely, laundry. While the laundry was being taken care of, we wandered about the campground, checked e-mail using the campground's free WiFi, walked the beach, and relaxed. Nancy bought a Tilley hat at the camp store. It is one fine hat. It will show up in a photo or two.
View Searsport, ME to Bass Harbor, ME in a larger map
Wednesday morning, we hooked up and headed for the Acadian Peninsula and the Acadia National Park. Our intention was to secure a spot at the Seawall Campground. Seawall was filled, so we had to look elsewhere. Bass Harbor Campground had room and we set up for the night there.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the shore. Pictures from the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and other typical Maine coast scenes are here. One building in Bernard, ME, displayed a collection of lobster trap floats that was particularly impressive. I think that image would make a fine jigsaw puzzle.
Pictures for this blog entry are here.
(Edited 9/23/2010 to add link to photos.)
Our chores and explorations in Belfast completed, we headed back to the Searsport Shores campground to attend to some chores there; namely, laundry. While the laundry was being taken care of, we wandered about the campground, checked e-mail using the campground's free WiFi, walked the beach, and relaxed. Nancy bought a Tilley hat at the camp store. It is one fine hat. It will show up in a photo or two.
View Searsport, ME to Bass Harbor, ME in a larger map
Wednesday morning, we hooked up and headed for the Acadian Peninsula and the Acadia National Park. Our intention was to secure a spot at the Seawall Campground. Seawall was filled, so we had to look elsewhere. Bass Harbor Campground had room and we set up for the night there.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the shore. Pictures from the Bass Harbor Lighthouse and other typical Maine coast scenes are here. One building in Bernard, ME, displayed a collection of lobster trap floats that was particularly impressive. I think that image would make a fine jigsaw puzzle.
Pictures for this blog entry are here.
(Edited 9/23/2010 to add link to photos.)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
July 12, 2010 - Umbagog to Searsport
Maine, at last! Maine, at last! It was a long, long road but Maine, at last!
View Umbagog to Searsport in a larger map
Our campsite at Umbagog Lake State Park was just a stone's throw from Maine. Literally! We could have walked to Maine from there.
Maine greeted us with a couple very nice stops in Grafton Notch State Park on Highway 26. One was Moose Cave Trail, where we walked the short trail and learned how that moose most likely got into that cave. The other was Screw Auger Falls, a quite scenic spot. Pictures of these places, as well as those from the rest of this day are here.
We enjoyed these stops for their scenery and natural history, to be sure. But, we also enjoyed the rest they provided from the rough Highway 26 along this western edge of Maine.
We stopped for lunch in Bethel, ME. We picked up a couple sandwiches at The Good Food Store. At this store, I bought my first ever bottle of ginger beer. Wow! That stuff will grow hair on your socks!!
Our first sight of the storied Maine coast was as we entered the town of Belfast. We passed through Belfast toward Searsport. We found a spot for the night at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground. After setting up the Scamp, we headed out to Bucksport, ME, to see a famous bridge.
The bridge over the Penobscot Narrows has the tallest bridge observatory in the world. An elevator to the top delivers you to three stories of glassed-in observation platform. The view is phenomenal and a long, long way down. One gutsy young woman came up on the elevator to see the sights with her boyfriend. She was terrified the whole time - would not leave the security of the cement wall by the elevator.
At the same location as the bridge, we toured the first Fort Knox. The fort is constructed of massive blocks of granite. The history of the fort is interesting, but too long to relate here. For the story, go to the Fort Knox website. If you ever visit this fort, be sure to take a flashlight. The passageways inside the walls of the fort are narrow and very dark and fun to explore.
View Umbagog to Searsport in a larger map
Our campsite at Umbagog Lake State Park was just a stone's throw from Maine. Literally! We could have walked to Maine from there.
Maine greeted us with a couple very nice stops in Grafton Notch State Park on Highway 26. One was Moose Cave Trail, where we walked the short trail and learned how that moose most likely got into that cave. The other was Screw Auger Falls, a quite scenic spot. Pictures of these places, as well as those from the rest of this day are here.
We enjoyed these stops for their scenery and natural history, to be sure. But, we also enjoyed the rest they provided from the rough Highway 26 along this western edge of Maine.
We stopped for lunch in Bethel, ME. We picked up a couple sandwiches at The Good Food Store. At this store, I bought my first ever bottle of ginger beer. Wow! That stuff will grow hair on your socks!!
Our first sight of the storied Maine coast was as we entered the town of Belfast. We passed through Belfast toward Searsport. We found a spot for the night at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground. After setting up the Scamp, we headed out to Bucksport, ME, to see a famous bridge.
The bridge over the Penobscot Narrows has the tallest bridge observatory in the world. An elevator to the top delivers you to three stories of glassed-in observation platform. The view is phenomenal and a long, long way down. One gutsy young woman came up on the elevator to see the sights with her boyfriend. She was terrified the whole time - would not leave the security of the cement wall by the elevator.
At the same location as the bridge, we toured the first Fort Knox. The fort is constructed of massive blocks of granite. The history of the fort is interesting, but too long to relate here. For the story, go to the Fort Knox website. If you ever visit this fort, be sure to take a flashlight. The passageways inside the walls of the fort are narrow and very dark and fun to explore.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
July 11 - Alburgh, VT to Umbagog Lake State Park, NH
Today we finally stopped to smell a rose or two. Those roses looked an awfully lot like covered bridges and water falls. They didn't smell all that fine, but they were nice to look at.Leaving the Alburgh RV Resort, we headed east still trying to state as far north as we could and still stay in the US. We did decide to keep to roads that were likely to be paved. We found the roads in Vermont to be well maintained.
The landscape was flatter than we had expected. We had thought that the mountains of southern Vermont would, of course, just continue straight up to the Canadian border. The Green Mountains bend to the east in the northern part of the range. The land between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains is fairly flat and pastoral. The towns are small and quaint in that typical New England way.
At Enosburg Falls, we stopped at the Bridge of Flowers and Light over the Missisquoi River. The bridge is an abandoned highway bridge that has been restored and re-purposed as a pedestrian bridge and viewing platform for the river and a waterfalls. The falls are unique. They are formed by two cement walls set at a sharp angle to each other. The reason for the walls is to deliver water in the river to a penstock for a small hydro-electric plant.
Pictures of the falls and other stops along this day's drive are here.
View Alburgh to Umbagog in a larger map
The first surprise of the day was covered bridges. The first one we stumbled upon was the Longely Bridge, built in 1863. Not far down the road was the Comstock Bridge built in 1883. Finding covered bridges is fun and dragging the Scamp through one is even more fun.
At the Jay Peak Ski Resort, we stopped for a couple hours so that I could ride the tram to the top of the peak. The peak is tall enough that, had it been a clearer day, we would have been able to see Quebec City. We were now in the Green Mountains and all the roads all the way to the coast are twisty and curvy. Fun for the driver, if tiring; perhaps, not so much fun, at times, for a passenger.
Rounding a huge curve to the right on a steep downhill just after cresting Dixville Notch in New Hampshire, I happened to glance to the left and saw a castle. It sure looked like a Bavarian castle. Turns out, it was a resort - a pretty fancy resort called The Balsams. Unfortunately, I didn't stop and turn around for a closer, better look. Next time we passing by this way, we're stopping. No question.
We set up camp at Umbagog Lake State Park in eastern New Hampshire, just a stone's throw from the Maine border. The lake was quiet and scenic. The campground was kind of rustic. It had the usual amenities but whole place felt like it was stuck in the 1950's.
This night, Nancy did NOT beat Fred at the 3-13 card game. Instead, she demonstrated her superior card skills by beating Fred at the game "Hand and Foot".
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