Fantastic Fundy

After the Halifax area and Peggy's Cove we began our journey to the south and thought we would like to see more of the tidal effects around the Bay of Fundy.

 

But first a bit of a recap. After leaving Barrie we had traveled 1700 miles to get to Halifax. We got about 9.2 MPG on the bus and at an average of $3.00 per gallon it is still a good deal. The parks have averaged about $40 CDN per night, again not bad ... and the weather still absolutely perfect ... 68 for the high and not a cloud.

 

On Monday the 28th we motored from the park in Upper Sackville, whizzed by Halifax again, and then north on the 104 to Moncton, NB. In Moncton we caught the two lane 114 to the south and ended up at Ponderosa Pines Campground in Hopewell Cape, NB. The picture below was taken as we arrived in our 100 foot gravel lot with only a couple of other busses nearby. I was standing in front of the Flying Scotsman and this was also our view from the front window for the evening ... wow!

 

In the distance the difference in the water color of the Bay is red for red bottom soil and the blue-gray is water ... low tide was about two hours later.

 

 

So we took off and went about 10 minutes to the Hopewell Rocks National Park to watch the Fundy tide at its most spectacular.

At this point the tide moves up about 30 feet on the rocks and almost covers the bear-like rock on the right. We were walking literally on the ocean or bay floor ... so neat.

This rock below looked like an Indian head with feather and again the water a couple of hours ago was up to his chin.

And a couple of huge "giant" feet on the ocean floor.

While difficult to grasp the huge areas involved the tide has receded from right to left below with the dark line being the left over sea as it moves out at 20 MPH.

To watch this whole act of nature in action every six hours is breathtaking and especially to be so close in the park we chose was really a special treat.

As we departed the next morning just a parting shot of another one of the many coves and inlets with the massive tides out and stranding the fishing boats ... a permanent way of life is this unique place.

 

Peggy's Cove

 

 

Just to the south of Halifax along a winding coastal road is Peggy's Cove. There are many coves and small bays here but this is the iconic lobster and fisherman place for hundreds of years. The tide was way out so the boats here were at a pretty low level.

 



You can talk all you want but no words can describe the simple perfect beautiful simplicity of this really stark and remote peninsula.

While this is a tourist place these guys in the photo below are just lobstermen and fishermen and have been for many generations.

The lighthouse on the barren rock was really neat and we walked out to it and watched the boats go by.

And finally I caught the strains of a bagpipe and listened to this gentleman who was really great. This area is heavy with the Scottish influence from its honored military presence to the first explorers ... rough, hardy, self-sufficient folks who really created a new and permanent lifestyle on this new continent.

Halifax

 

Saturday afternoon, the 26th, we arrived at the Upper Sackville KOA which is about 15 miles inland from Halifax and really convenient. The pull-thrus are level gravel and we faced the woods. You are about a half mile from the freeway so there is some road noise but otherwise pretty quiet. Weather is still 68 for a high and you can see the absolute clear blue sky.

 



Sunday morning our first agenda item was to hit the Citadel above the city. This structure, like others in North America, is a massive and brilliantly engineered military structure. In the picture below the internal courtyard and parade field is several acres and surrounded by the walls which support dozens of large guns to support and defend the city below.  When you walked along the upper wall you look down upon the Halifax harbor. On the second floor of the main barrack building below is probably the best museum dedicated to the Canadian forces throughout their history that we have ever seen.

We were fortunate to arrive just in time to see a live fire demonstration by one of the Scottish Highlander interpreters. She fired off three rounds in the requisite one minute which was that required by the troops with this firearm in the late 1700's to early 1800's.

After the Citadel which is a must see in Halifax we ventured another two blocks down to the wharf area. Parking is easy and the boardwalk area is really well done. Below is the view of the skyline and just behind those buildings is the Citadel we were just at.

The Acadia is a historic scientific mapping ship you can tour as it contributed much to the accurate description of a lot of the coast of North America.

Needing a break from the history and uniqueness of this place we stopped on the boardwalk for a bit of nourishment.

Toward the end of the wharf area was a place called Stayner's Pub and Grill ... our kind of place. We first got two Stella Artois and above is the toast of the day, on a perfect day, with the harbor in the distance. On the menu was a dish with two "lightly fried" eggs over shaved grilled maple ham on a bed of small home fried potatoes, all covered in hollandaise sauce ... eggs benny but much better ... my choice. Jo-Anne had their chicken cordon bleu wrap which was also excellent with perfectly done chicken .... not too dry and creamy cheese and ham ... oh yes.

And after that you would think the old guys would go home for the nap ... nah ... off to Peggy's Cove.

Anne of Green Gables

 

On the 24th we motored another 200 miles down the road to the east and landed on Prince Edward Island. We crossed the Confederation Bridge which was opened in 1997 connecting this remote island to the rest of Canada. The 8 mile bridge is awesome and quite high to allow ship traffic below down the St. Lawrence Seaway. The picture below is distorted a bit but in the Flying Scotsman the 35 MPH winds were a challenge. This is an amazing structure and how it was built is another interesting story.

 



 

We picked the Cavendish KOA on the north shore of the island as it was convenient to most of the picturesque sites we wanted to visit. The site was a pull-thru but mostly grass and not very level and had 50 amp service. For about $20 US per night it was still a really good deal.

The whole area around the little town of Cavendish is devoted to the life and writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables and many more novels.

Her birth home, above, is a little to the west of Cavendish and is a small home where the author was born in the room below in 1874.

The actual farm she wrote about in her book was this one belonging to a cousin and is now a museum and national historic site. (This is a commercial pic from the PEI website as I couldn't get a good shot of the place)

As we went from the Cavendish area we drove along the northeast coast of PEI and the coastline is rugged and beautiful.

From the north coast we headed south to the capitol of Charlottetown which is a good example of the 1700-1800 French and British style ... really cool.

Above with the olive green sign is a restaurant and olive oil enterprise called the Bistro Marche where we had lunch.

This was an extremely French experience with the menus chalked on the walls, super service and perfect food. Jo-Anne had their grilled cheese du jour with several cheeses and a salad, and I had the mushroom toast with several types of mushers on toast and gorgonzola ... wonderful.

As you leave the island on the bridge you get hit with the toll ... didn't have one on the way over ... for $60 ... but the experience was wonderful and the island is really worth going to.

Atlantic Provinces

 

 

After Quebec we turned southeast and into New Brunswick. We picked a place about 200 miles down the Trans Canada Highway or #2. After a few miles of moose warnings on the freeway (I think the translation is, "If you whack one of these, stay calm?") we decided to do the route less traveled.

 

We split off onto the two lane which most of the time is our preferred route ... well. Highway 105 which parallels #2 was a bit small ... wow. When there is no center line you know you are in trouble. We went about 20 miles on the east side of the Saint John River ... really beautiful but pounded us to pieces.

We've now started to count the screws that are falling out of the bus, but the only real loss on this adventure was a hubcap. We landed for lunch, thankfully, in the little town of Perth-Andover which was very picture perfect ... still 68 degrees and low humidity.

In little towns like this patience is the word as commerce tries to move on ... in this example the truck taking 10 minutes to make this very tight turn off the bridge and toward us ... about one foot from the building on the left. We had to make the same turn over the bridge and went far into the left lane to make the turn.

Then coming to rest for the evening in Fredericton, NB, at a place called Hartt Island RV Resort right on the Saint John River. Nice park with many level gravel pull-thrus and all the amenities.

In the evening, walking along the river, it was pretty awesome with the calm river and beautiful night sky.

The next stop will be Prince Edward Island.

Gaspe Adventure

 

 

After we left the KOA in Quebec City we decided to take the less traveled route to the east and pulled off on highway number 132 as the two lane is always more rewarding than the four. With a fill up of diesel at an Ultramar gas station in town, we headed off along the south side of the St. Lawrence and it was was unique.

 

The Seaway is a massive waterway and right now sort of muddy and was pretty calm. Again our weather was about 70 for the high and no wind at all ... smooth Rv-ing. Below was a small rest stop along the waterfront and really pretty.

 

 



The Gaspe Peninsula was named after the famous writer Albert Gaspe who wrote a chronicle concerning the first settlers here .... tough and determined folks in a pretty harsh land. We also stopped by a small cemetery near here where 1300 settlers are buried in unmarked and unnamed grave sites ... what a rough place.

We stopped for lunch at another wide place in the road and it happened to be the place Gaspe wrote his famous book (Les Anciens Canadiens) about the settlers who made this stark land home.

Every little town along this coast is dominated by a huge cathedral ... for a town of 500 this is awesome. And one we passed which looked like the one below, was built in 1768!

On the lighter side, below, next to the church above is this restaurant called, "Café Bon Dieu," and even in my poor French it translates to The Good God Café ... not sure if that is a reference to the quality of the food or its after effects or just the godly presence nearby.

Another one on the humor side ... blogster must have been looking for funny stuff on this run along the Seaway, eh. You have to make this one bigger below, but that truck can hold at least a couple of cases for each member of the congregation ... I know, way too much religion for this website ... sorry.

We took a right after about 200 miles and then we ended up in St. Antonin, Quebec, on highway 85 south at the Lido 2002 RV park on the 22nd.

Friendly hosts and a basic level gravel spot with 50 amp service. The manager said, "Well, we are almost closed but we'll put you in a spot." Actually we were the only transient customers at this late of date in September.

Up the St. Lawrence Seaway

 

On Sunday afternoon, the 20th, we left the Niagara region, went again through Toronto, and headed east toward the Atlantic Provinces.

 

After 300 miles during a beautiful 68 degree day we landed in a little town called Johnstown on the north shore of the St. Lawrence and a stopping place called Grenville RV park. We picked the RV park mostly due to the location and timing of the afternoon. We forgot to ask about power, sewer, and water.

 

Oops. While it was a really pretty setting, there were no sewer hook-ups and the power was only 30 amps, a bit of a surprise. Because of the lower temperature the amperage was not a problem and the dump station was really convenient. The site was grass, nestled in the trees, looking at a small canal that fed into the Seaway a few feet away.



 

As we walked around the park we took a shot of the bridge crossing the Seaway and going over to New York ... what a pretty evening and view.

Monday morning we packed up again and headed down the 401 toward Quebec City. First we had to navigate Montreal, where I sort of didn't listen to the GPS or didn't believe it and we were dumped into a factory parking lot ... jeez.

Recovering with the use of the trusty old paper map we again regained the 401 and uneventfully ended up in Quebec city; again about a 300 mile day ... tired. The neat part was that the next two rigs next to us at the KOA were ex US military folks touring this region and who had just ended up visiting the places we planned to go next. Over a couple of drinks I learned a lot about the Atlantic Provinces and the places they thought were worthwhile and those not so .... ummm, thinking.

Finally here is the tour planner and navigator with her Good Sam bible pouring over the many options that we might have after learning some of the new info from the neighbors.

The KOA in Quebec City is first class with long level pull-thrus, 50 amps, and easy access in and out. The super managers here had dealt with Tony and Amy Riposo, our hosts at the Barrie KOA, and apparently they come here regularly. It's great to travel such a long way and yet meet park owners that are friends and acquaintances of the ones we know 700 miles away. Also meeting the neighbors in the next RVs with similar backgrounds really makes this experience so valuable and fun!

Niagara Region

 

 

We arrived in the Niagara area about noon on the 17th and checked into the NET RV Resort. The lot is about 80 feet of gravel and pretty level and not too close to the neighbors. As soon as we got the bus hooked up and grabbed a bite we got in the car and went over to NY to get the last allergy shot. The appointment was for 3:15 but we managed to hit the Walmart before and get the shot done by about 3pm and run back across the border to the park by 4 ... long day.

 

 



Friday evening we decided to celebrate our 43rd anniversary as we hadn't had time to do so before. We chose the Lake House Mediterranean Restaurant right on Lake Ontario for the event. We had gone by the place many times on the QEW and said it might be nice.

Yep. Here's a shot of the back of the place right on the lake. Our table was right in the closest corner of the inside porch seating, looking out at the lake. The night was to be stormy and was about 75 degrees so we elected to stay inside although the outside looked inviting.

From our table I shot this hazy view of the Toronto skyline in the waning light. The CN tower is about 30 miles away and it was fascinating to watch the sailboats in the calm water before the impending storm. In about a half hour both the sailboats and the skyline vanished in the goo.

We both had their prix fixe menu and started with the baked brie which was great. My 43 year table-mate had the Mediterranean chicken and I went with the pecan salmon of course ... both excellent and the service fast and professional. Accompanied by a Chilean and Italian red wine, a really relaxing evening. Behind the wine glass is a unique oil and balsamic for bread dipping dispenser we hadn't seen before so bought a couple later.

Then dessert came in four glasses of different mixes of sweets ... accompanied by two glasses of amaretto ... wonderful! This place was really great and the food and staff at the top and we were lucky to celebrate our 43rd here, and at about $100 US total, was a real treat.

Finally below, before we depart to the east tomorrow, I had to share another food item from the RV park here.

Hopefully you didn't stagger over to the snack machine in the late of the night and got the culinary surprise of your life ... or maybe didn't even notice.

More from down the road on the 20th.

Cleanin' n Packin'

 

For the longer stays we make our patio as comfortable as we can but then it involves more creative stuffing to stow it all in the bus for the next adventure. This year the bench in the background will stay as well as the KOA picnic table, but the rest must be cleaned and fitted into the basement.

 



Then the weary blogster gets a break from his more mundane duties.

In the final stages, the flamingoes get ceremonially wrapped and then stuffed ...

and the flag below finds its new travel home. The blue hose above is the one from the air compressor as I was making sure the tires were also ready for the next 5,000 miles.

Then one last shot of our empty lot, Cedarwood #13, until next May ...

and with one last lap around the place saying goodbye, we hit the road for Niagara on the 17th.