Twillingate & Gros Morne National Park

We drove from Gander to Twillingate on Tuesday September 8th. The day started with wind blowing the rain sideways, but thankfully stopped as we got closer to Twillingate. The narrow road started in dense forest and as we drove further north over bridges and causeways across the small islands we were treated to views of dramatic wind-swept coastlines and calm harbors. 

Twillingate is known for iceberg viewing earlier in the year, and also whale watching. We called a few boat tour companies and one captain said the whales had moved further north following the fish and he didn't feel right taking our money. Plan B was to call Brian following a tip we had received from a traveler at our first campground in Newfoundland. Brian is the only person in Twillingate who will drive people around and thankfully he was available that afternoon. It was windy and chilly but the sun finally showed up and we had an amazing afternoon!  Brian had lived in the area his whole life and took us to great locations for photography - a lighthouse, many small coves and a commercial harbor. We really enjoyed chatting to him about living in the area. 

At the harbor we asked the two people onboard a beautiful boat the  "Newfoundland Spirit", if we could take photos and they said yes as long as they were in the photo. Then they asked if we like a tour of the boat. Sara immediately said yes and was treated to a personal tour from Justin, who showed her the whole ship which was fascinating. Turns out the owner/captain Morris Anstey had been part of "Coldwater Cowboys" a Discovery channel show about the intense risks of fishing in the North Atlantic. It was an amazing experience, and Sara left with a gift of two packs of local smoked fish and much greater appreciation for how hard it is to fish commercially. Here's a link to a snippet from the show with Morris:  Coldwater Cowboys - Morris Anstey

The cats loved the campground fittingly called Peyton Woods. Our site backed onto some great woods which all three enjoyed exploring. For some strange reason they also enjoyed walking around the gravel overflow parking area, until something scared Rocket and he took off running back to the RV and disappeared into the woods. Good thing they all wear a tracker because that was needed to find him happily exploring on his own.

Thursday we stopped at "Annie's" restaurant on the way out of town and had some great seafood chowder. We were loving the chowder that is available in most restaurants and never missed a chance to sample a new recipe; we agreed Annie's was the best so far. We drove back to the Trans Canadian highway, enjoying the views of the coastline before we reentered the forest. We were headed back to the Gros Morne National Park on the west coast which was a two day drive so we stopped at a small campground just off the highway. It was just an overnight stop and we didn't expect to find such fabulous views of the ocean in front of us, and a pretty pond behind us. 

We had a leisurely start to the day on Friday September 11th, enjoying the dry sunny weather. We let the cats explore the cove, which they loved. It was quiet enough we could drop the leashes and just follow them as they wandered around; always interesting to see what fascinates a cat! By mid morning it had started to rain again, so we headed out to our next destination - the south east area of Gros Morne National park. We were camping on the shore of a dramatic saltwater fjord surrounded by trees in a remote national forest campground. It  continued to rain most of the afternoon and night, but in a short break Sara managed to explore the shoreline which was stunning. 

We woke to a chilly but dry morning! After the obligatory morning cat walk, we headed out for the day to explore. First stop was the Tablelands, a massive rust-colored geological formation where a chunk of the Earth's upper mantle has been pushed up to the surface. The rock contains high levels of heavy metals so is toxic to plant growth. The result is a fascinating Mars like landscape which Sara enjoyed during a sunny but windy hike. She thought she was seeing double when she returned since an RV of the exact model and color as ours had parked next to us. We had a delightful lunch in the small fishing village of Trout River with great views of the ocean and afterwards enjoyed a walk along the black beach of the pretty bay. it was a perfect day! 

Sunday September 13th was our last night in Gros Morne. The cats took full advantage of the forest and Zeke and Rocket caught a vole each, which we luckily managed to make them release. We had a ferry booking to return to Nova Scotia for the 19th, and had been trying to get an earlier sailing for several days. Finally when we stopped for lunch we successfully found space for Wednesday Sept 16th, it was time to head back to the mainland!

It was a windy day, but thankfully not raining. We drove around the deep fjord and went north to Green Point, a dramatic cliff and bay with layered limestone and shale cliffs that show over 500 million years of Earth history. It was really windy at the top of the cliffs and Sara had to hold onto John while he took photos to prevent both of us being blown into the sea below.

We spent our final few days in Newfoundland back at Grand Codroy campground, where we had started the trip. We were treated to some lovely sunny weather and warmer temperatures and spent Tuesday afternoon exploring the valley which had a beautiful sandy beach and a large estuary surrounded by farming land. John flew his drone and got some great aerial photos. It is always fun to fly the drone when we're in a location that allows them, although it is always a bit nerve-wracking when the drone gets so far out it is hard to see. Thankfully the "Return to Home" feature has always worked to bring it back to the take off location!

Wednesday September 16th it was time to drive to the ferry terminal and say good by to Newfoundland. We had an awesome time exploring and left with many special memories!

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St John's and the Avalon Peninsula

We left Clarenville on Tuesday September 1st and drove to Pippy Park campground on the outskirts of  St John's. It's the largest city in Newfoundland, located on the coast of the Avalon peninsula on the southeast corner of the province  We don't normally like to spend time in cities, but had received a number of tips from locals while in Elliston and after some research decided to visit. 

The next morning we decided a car would be the best way to explore the local area and booked our first rental from Turo, a site where people rent their personal cars. Sara used Uber to get to the person's house about 10 miles away, and picked up a small Mazda which was perfect for the small roads around town. Traveling sure was harder before all this technology to help!  After finding a barber shop for John we started exploring; stopping first at Jelly Bean row, an area of colorful historic houses in the downtown area.

We spent the rest of the afternoon north of the city starting with Signal Hill and Cabot Tower, a historic military defense post. It was crucial to defending the harbor of St. John's from the 17th Century through WW II. We also learned this is where Guglielmo Marconi received the first-ever transatlantic wireless Morse code signal from Cornwall, England on December 12, 1901. 

There was a fascinating museum with the details of Marconi's struggles to prove transatlantic wireless communication was possible. After this momentous achievement Marconi was threatened with legal action by Anglo-American Telegraph Company who had a monopoly on telegraphic communications in Newfoundland. At this time Newfoundland was part of the United Kingdom, only joining Canada in 1949. Marconi hurriedly returned to Nova Scotia and was met off the boat by Canadian politicians who recognized the economic possibilities and pledged financial aid if Marconi setup his wireless array on Canadian soil, which he did! 

It was pretty windy and chilly on the hill, so after a short visit we drove 10 minutes to Quidi Vidi, a very pretty harbor and cove. it was early evening and the light was beautiful, reflecting off the water on the colorful boats. There was an outdoor food market right on the water and we enjoyed an evening meal before heading back to the RV.

The next day we decided to take Zeke to a vet since he had been throwing up a lot more than usual and not eating much. Since we had the car and were in a big city it seemed an ideal time to get some answers. After calling three vets we were able to get him an appointment, and after a few hours, an exam and blood work the diagnosis was likely parasites, probably from some poor animal he ate in Texas. So good news, nothing major! After the vet patiently got Zeke to swallow the nasty liquid medicine we were sent on our way. Glad I didn't try that myself in the RV; would have been a disaster! Zeke was much better in a few days, so we are glad we found a vet for him.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the coastline south of the city. First visiting Cape Spear lighthouse which is the eastern most point of North America and Canada's oldest lighthouse. The lighthouse was on high cliffs and there were some impressive waves crashing on the shoreline. It was a lovely sunny evening and we stopped for ice cream at Petty harbor another quaint cove and working fishing harbor.

Friday September 4th was John's birthday so we celebrated with lunch at a nice restaurant and then explored a few more coves and beaches south of the city. We enjoyed our time in St John's and the cats enjoyed Pippy Park since there was a lovely wooded area right behind our site. Rocket was fascinated by a small stream behind us, and went to check it out every day, closely followed by Zeke and Flash. Good thing they are all on a leash otherwise no telling how far they would go.

For our next location we had planned a night at Cape St Mary's on the very southern tip of the peninsula. There was a bird refuge that John was interested in photographing and a large parking lot we could use for the overnight stop. We changed our plans after checking the forecast which was cold with extensive rain and worse 40+ mph wind gusts. The storm was bad enough a number of ferry sailings to Nova Scotia were canceled. We decided being inland would be much better, so on Saturday the 5th we drove 160 miles to Terra Nova National park. Our campground was on the sheltered tidal inlet of Newman Sound. Like most of Newfoundland the area was heavily forested, with trees down to the coastline; plenty of wilderness for the many animals and migratory birds who call the place home.

Our campsite was quite private and after a short walk through the bushes had access to a hiking path along the top of the cliff. Rocket took Sara on a long hike along the cliff top, up and down stairs with stunning views of Newman Sound through openings in the trees. It was a lovely evening, even more enjoyable because the next day was miserably cold and wet with rain all day and into the night. Everyone got a little stir crazy in the RV, you really don't want to have three cats and two humans inside for too long. While working on the blog a full cup of tea was spilled, thankfully missing the laptop. Later Rocket got a cord wrapped around his leg and completely panicked; John was washing dishes and standing on the other end of the cord, trying to respond to yells of "lift your foot, no the other foot" - total chaos! Zeke insisted on going outside and hunched miserable under the RV looking at the rain while Sara stood under the awning trying to stay warm. John, Flash and Rocket wisely stayed inside.

By Monday Sept 7th it was time to move on. The storm that hit Newfoundland was still causing cold rainy weather, but would hopefully clear in a few days. We were heading back north west and needed to be at the ferry terminal for Sept 19th, so had plenty of time. We were about 400 miles from our departure point, but planned to go north to Twillingate, and then west to visit Gros Morne national park again. Newfoundland is a big island about the size of Virginia or Ohio with one major west-east highway running through the middle. To visit other locations you have to take side roads to go north or south and drive along the coves and fiords.

We stopped for the night at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander after a drive with some stretches of horrific zero visibility weather. We wanted to tour the museum which was highly recommended by several people, and it was also possible to spend the night in the parking lot. We had a break in the rain and walked the cats around the outside plane exhibits which was very enjoyable.

The next morning we spent several hours in the museum and learned Gander earned its title of "Crossroads of the World" due to its strategic geographic position during the early days of aviation. At one point the airport was one of the world largest military bases and served as a vital transatlantic military refueling hub during World War II. Later it became a glamorous stopover for early commercial aviation.

The town is also known for its deep human compassion during the 9/11 attacks when American airspace was closed and hundreds of airplanes had to be diverted. One of the Canadian airports that stepped up was Gander, accepting 42 diverted aircraft. The people of Gander (population 9,651) opened their arms and took in 6,700 passengers and crew, working tirelessly to take care of all the people for almost a week. We were close to the somber anniversary of 9/11 and it was moving to read about the impressive support America has received from our Canadian neighbors over many decades.

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Puffins and the Bonavista Peninsula

When we left Gros Morne NP on the west side of Newfoundland we drove east to a small town called Elliston, arriving late afternoon Thursday August 27th. It was a long two days of driving across the middle of Newfoundland, but we wanted to get there quickly before the puffins potentially left. Elliston is a prime location to see puffins as there is a colony on an small island just off the coast. We were staying in the small municipal campground with great views of the bay and just a mile from the puffin viewing area. After checking in, we headed to the puffin viewing area. On the way out we saw a young man walking back from the beach and asked if he owned the red Toyota parked in our campsite. Yes that was his and sorry he would sort it out with the office. Over the next few days we bumped into him several times and got some great tips for visiting St Johns. Funnily,  when we got back later someone else had put a large trash bin in the middle of the site with a notice saying reserved. Since we had paid for the site for three nights we knew it was ours so just settled in. This guy wasn't quite as happy when he showed up a little later. Site 8 sure was popular!

It's late in the season for puffins and we weren't sure they would still be there. That afternoon there weren't many puffins and John was really disappointed we had missed them. We spent several hours watching and taking photos and then returned to the campground for the night. We walked to a little cafe on the beach for dinner and a local person said the puffins were probably out at sea because it was such a hot day and they hadn't left yet. So the next morning we drove back and made the 20 minute hike along the cliffs to the viewpoint and there were hundreds of puffins!  We spent three hours taking photos and watching the puffins. At one point Sara saw some dirt flying, and using the binoculars saw a plump puffin bottom sticking up in the air with little orange legs scoping up dirt - a little burrow maintenance was in progress!

That afternoon because the weather was so lovely we went to the beach for a swim. The beach was beautiful sand all the way out, and even John took a dip in the ocean. After drying off and warming up in the sun (the water was a bit cold) we visited the little cafe again for ice cream. What a magical day!

Saturday August 29th was another lovely sunny day. We hiked back to the cliff top and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the birds and the ocean. One small downside were the biting black flies which we found out you don't feel when they bite you, but you do suffer the next day with large itchy bumps, normally on the neck. Surprisingly they don't bite John much but certainly do feast on Sara. It is normally the reverse at home with mosquitoes. A hoody sunshield worked well to keep the pesky things away! 

We enjoyed the morning with the puffins again. It was lovely just to sit and watch them busily feeding their pufflings as the young are adorably called. At one point hundreds suddenly took flight, flew out to sea, around the island and then back again. We imagined they got back to the island and one puffin sheepishly said "My bad, I thought I heard something threatening!". Getting flight shots can be a real challenge because the puffins fly fast like little bullets, so it was well worth spending the time to get the photos John wanted. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and planning our next few weeks. We finally booked the return ferry for September 19th. We don't like to commit too far ahead, but so many people had a sharp intake of breath when we said we didn't have a return booking we decided it was important. Good thing the 19th was about when we wanted to leave because the prior six days didn't have any availability at the times we wanted.

Sunday we sadly left Elliston, it was definitely a highlight of the trip so far, as well as perfect weather. We drove ten minutes to the small town of Bonavista for lunch and then further north on Cape Shore drive along side the coastline. There was a lighthouse and another puffin colony at the tip, and we planned to find a place to wild camp for the night. It was a beautiful sunny day, and very busy so we stopped in a small parking lot to replan the afternoon and evening. A local bike gang pulled in behind us, so we decided to wait for them to leave instead of asking the scary bikers to move! Turns out they were very friendly (of course) and we took a group picture for them.

We used iOverlander and identified some possible locations off the northern road of the peninsula. This would be our first time wild camping which is quite common in Newfoundland. We were hoping for a quiet location with a nice view of the ocean. After driving about 30 minutes we saw a pull-off with a large gravel area for parking, and a lovely view of Monks Cove. We were the only ones parked there, and the house about a hundred yards away looked uninhabited. We were treated to a beautiful sunset and enjoyed sitting together and enjoying the evening. The cats loved the area since it was so quiet, and had a wonderful time running up and down the shore area. 

After dark we were just settling inside for the evening when we heard a car come by, and someone saying "hello, hello". We immediately thought "oh no, we're in trouble now", expecting maybe an irate landowner who wanted us off his property. Turns out it was Gary who lived across the road on a hill and had noticed John with his tripod and camera earlier. An excellent full moon was coming up and he just wanted us to know it looked good in case John wanted to do some photography. What a pleasant unexpected surprise!

The next morning Gary brought us some cranberries and partridgeberries previously picked from our location, and invited us up for coffee.  He and his wife were so delightful and friendly and confirmed what we have experienced with all the Canadians we have met, they are lovely friendly people. 

After sawing goodbye to Gary and Eileen we drove to the tiny village of Trinity for lunch and an explore. Trinity is a picturesque fishing village with many colorful houses and a cove with a rugged rocky shore. We were still lucky to be enjoying sunny weather, and enjoyed wandering around the streets. There weren't any camping locations in Trinity so we drove to Clarenville, a town of 6,700 people, close to the Trans Canadian Highway. The Newfoundland coastline is full of rocky inlets from the ocean, often over 20 miles long. They are also called sounds, and are geographically fjords - deep valleys carved by glaciers and flooded by the Atlantic ocean. We found a great gravel pull off on one of these inlets with amazing views of the ocean. There was a small municipal park with a history of the area. Clarenville was the historic western terminal for the world's first submerged transatlantic telephone cable system, enabling the first instant voice calls across the ocean. 

We had a very peaceful night listening the ocean waves, and were treated to a lovely sunrise in the morning. We stayed until early afternoon since with wild camping there is no checkout time, perfect for us! The cats surprisingly enjoyed the area, even though it was close to the road, and Flash adventured down to the ocean edge and drank some water!

What a great time we had on the Bonavista Peninsula!  

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Newfoundland Fjords

Thursday August 20th it was time to head north for our ferry booking on the 22nd. We said goodbye to John and Shamus; what a great visit we had with them. We had one overnight stop before arriving early afternoon at the Arm of Gold campground in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, just 10 minutes from the ferry terminal. While at the lake we had a suspicion there was an issue with the solar not charging the batteries, and after the drive north also didn't charge we knew for sure something wasn't working. Quite a problem since we would have locations in Newfoundland without power. So it was time to move into fix it mode.

A few weeks ago we had identified the fuse holder that leads to the battery was suspect, but had held off replacing it since everything was working. After taking a look we determined yep that melted piece of equipment needs replacing! After a few hours of tricky work in a small area the new holder was replaced and working, hopefully that is the last fix needed.  

Saturday we had a easy 10am check-in for the ferry and were soon onboard. What a difference to the barge, just a simple drive on and into the hold. We had to leave the cats in the RV on the locked car deck for the seven hour ride to Port aux Basques in south western Newfoundland. Somewhat anxiously we settled them in and headed to the passenger deck. It was a smooth easy ride, except for being so freezing cold we had to buy expensive blankets from the gift shop. We will be better prepared for the return ride! The cats did just fine with the ferry ride, and we suspect slept the whole way, at least they were warm in the RV!

It was a beautiful evening and after a stop at the visitor center for maps and advice we had  just a short drive to our campground. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset; what a great start to Newfoundland.

Sunday August 22nd we both woke up with a sore throat and to a rainy day. We checked the forecast which predicted several days of rain, so changed our plans and spent a second night at Grand Codroy campground. It was a lovely location, had great facilities, including a good laundry room which is always convenient when traveling. It rained most of the afternoon, but we were comfortable in the RV, and John watched the Cowboys pre-season game. Finally at dusk it started to clear and we took the cats out before they went completely stir crazy. They had a great time running around and climbing up trees, thankfully burning off some energy.

The next morning it was warm and dry and we all enjoyed exploring the lake area of the campground. Rocket (yellow) and Zeke(red) particularly enjoyed gazing at the lake. Flash (purple) was more interested in the trees, probably trying to keep away from Zeke who has a tendency to stand on Flash's leash so he can't move!

We arrived at Gros Morne national Park late afternoon after a spectacular 200 mile drive. The scenery along the Trans Canadian Highway (TCH) reminds us of Alaska, big, beautiful and wild. We started in a lush farmland valley area and drove past mountains and dense boreal forests of small fir trees which can survive the cold winters and short summers. We left the TCH and headed into the national park on the northern peninsula, along a rugged coastline with 2,000ft mountains on the inland side. We were pretty tired by the time we arrived at our overnight location, but Sara went for a quick hike and found views of a lovely mountain lake.

We woke to heavy rain on Tuesday, Aug 25th. Really glad we only had one night at that site, since it had no electricity and was completely covered by tree branches. Very jungle like and close to other sites, even the cats were reluctant to stay outside long. The rain mostly stopped by late morning and we starting driving north, stopping at one of the many interesting lighthouses on the coastline. 

Everybody we talked to recommended taking the boat tour of Western Brook Pond, and we had a booking for 3pm. The weather was less than ideal with heavy fog and clouds, and when we checked in there was doubt the tour would go. However the weather started to improve  and we enjoyed a fun and interesting two hour tour. Western Brook Pond is a massive land locked fresh water fjord, with a long narrow passage, steep cliffs and numerous waterfalls. Some of the rock formations were millions of years old. The tour commentator was excellent and very humorous and we learned that in Newfoundland a pond and a brook can be any size. This one was ten miles long and over 500 feet deep. 

After a quick stop for some delicious seafood chowder we spent the night at a different campground which was much more enjoyable. It was walking distance to a beautiful sandy beach. It was quite warm and we both considered swimming, but it was almost sunset and we didn't want to walk back along the trail in the dark; maybe in the morning. 

The next day was chilly, and even Sara decided it was too cold to swim. We will need to stop here on the way back! We had decided to cut short our time in Gros Morne so we could drive 400 miles to Elliston on the east coast of Newfoundland. John really wanted to photograph puffins, who only come ashore for a few months to raise their young. We were right at the end of the season before they head back to sea and were hoping to catch them before they left, that will be the next post. For now enjoy these photos!

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Nova Scotia Bays

Saturday August 15th it was time to head to Nova Scotia. Our first night was on the opposite side of the Bay of Fundy, in a location called the Five Islands. It was just 40 miles as the crow flies from our starting point, but the drive itself was 110 miles. First we had to go inland 30 miles to cross the tip of the Bay of Fundy, before we could drive south. We learned again not to fully trust Google maps after it sent us down a 20 mile gravel road; yes it was the most direct; no it wasn't pleasant!

Diamond Shores campground was mostly seasonal campers who all know each other and were amazingly welcoming. We were invited to home made pizza night, followed by a great selection of home made desserts. We really enjoyed chatting to everyone and had a great evening. What a lovely experience. 

The next morning we watched the “Not since Moses” race across the mud flats at low tide. This race can only safely happen a few days a year during extremely low tides in the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy. The tides in the basin drop 50-52 feet, and the race course is across the seabed with a challenging terrain of thick mud, wet sand, slippery seaweed, tidal pools, and exposed rocks. Because the tides return rapidly and aggressively participants have a 90-minute cutoff time to complete the course of 10K or 5K, before the water rushes back. We had front seats to the event, and it was quite a fun morning. We had never heard of the race, so it was quite a surprise fun experience.

After the race we said goodbye to everyone, and drove to the south shore of Nova Scotia just past Halifax to King Neptune campground. The small campground had amazing views of the ocean and was just 2 miles from Peggy's Cove which has a well known light house and quaint fishing village. It was on John's list to photograph and we spent several hours before sunset walking around the village and taking photos. 

Monday Aug 16th we took it easy and enjoyed the nice weather and views at the campground. John worked on processing photos and Sara wrote the blog entry for Chebeague Island. Both take quite a bit of time and we are always on the go enjoying the trip so get behind on updates! The campground had a tiny little beach and Sara enjoyed an afternoon swim. The water is on the chilly side, but not too bad once you are in and keep moving!

The next day we woke to a wet rainy day; note to self put the outside rug up at night if there is a hint of rain otherwise you have a wet soggy mess!  We drove 60 miles further south to the town of Lunenburg and met up with John's eldest son John who was visiting his good friend Shamus in Nova Scotia. Very sadly sons John and Chris had just lost their mother Margaret, (John's ex-wife). John is proud of both his sons for the care and devotion they took looking after Margaret the last few years. Even though we were all very sad we did enjoy seeing each other and it was great we were able to connect so far from home. 

Shamus drove us around to see the beautiful Lunenburg area, a port town founded in 1753 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoyed a great lunch of fish and chips and then headed to his off grid lake front property. It was a lovely location and blissfully quiet. Although it was still raining a bit, or drizzling as the English say, we enjoyed sitting under a tent canopy watching the fire that son John somehow managed to get alight!

We spent the next morning planning our first few campgrounds in Newfoundland. We had booked the ferry a few days previously which was a relief. In peak summer season the ferry has to be be booked months in advance, and most people had a grimace when we said we hadn't yet booked. Since we couldn't get the exact day we were planning we decided to drive the Cabot Trail when we returned, so as usual it worked out. 

The weather cleared to a beautiful sunny afternoon and Shamus kindly drove us around exploring Lunenburg, a tiny fishing village called Blue Rocks and Mahone Bay. We spent at an evening under the stars by the fire pit - what a great few days!

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Massive Tides in Fundy Bay, New Brunswick

We got off the barge in Portland, Maine without incident and after stopping for a propane fill, drove to Freeport to visit the LL Bean flagship store. After a great time browsing, we left quite a bit poorer and drove to stay the night (Friday August 7th) with Peem, John’s niece and Laura’s sister. Peem was recovering from knee surgery so hadn’t been able to come to the family gathering on the island. We were happy to see her and spend time catching up. Very sadly we received the news Al, her dad passed away that afternoon. John shared some great stories of Al and John’s sister Caroline from when they first met. They both created a loving family of four children, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild, what an amazing legacy!  

Saturday August 8th, we drove to Bass Harbor, on the Acadia peninsula for two nights. We enjoyed a late afternoon walk to Bass Harbor lighthouse and waited until past sunset to get photos of the lighthouse. It was a magical walk in the dark back to the campground listening to the crickets.  

We were ready to head to Canada! After an overnight stop half-way we arrived in Calais, Maine the afternoon of Tuesday August 11th. Right on the Canadian border it was perfect to pick up an antibiotic for John due to a suspected tick bite. Thanks Dr Deb for calling in the prescription as a Lyme disease precaution! 

Our first stop was New River Beach Provincial Park in New Brunswick. It was a wonderful massive sandy beach and a sunny afternoon, so we headed to the beach so Sara could swim. To celebrate our first night in Canada we had fish and chips at the Gull and Herring right next to the beach. What a great first day!

We were slowly driving along the Bay of Fundy, an area known for rugged coastlines, massive tides and the Acadian Forest, a highly diverse, critically endangered mixed-wood ecosystem in Canada's Maritime provinces. At most of our campgrounds we saw northern conifers like red spruce blending with southern hardwoods like sugar maple and yellow birch. We planned to spend four days working our way up the coastline, ending at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park to see the massive rocks which can be explored at low tide. 

Since we follow the “no plan plan” and only book sites a few days ahead, we have to take what is available. Most of the time it works out great, and our next stop was one of those gems. We were staying in a new Fundy National Park campground called Lakeview. It was small, the sites were large and private, and Wolfe Lake was stunning. Sara enjoyed an afternoon swim and paddle board and we both enjoyed views of the lake and the amazing reflections in the water. 

Thursday August 13th we woke to another beautiful day and Sara paddle boarded round the lake, which was smooth as glass early in the morning. The cats enjoyed exploring the trees and grasses around the campground and we finally left for our next stop early afternoon. Most campgrounds have a checkout of 11am which we are really bad about missing, thankfully so far we haven’t been scolded!  

We explored a little on the way to the next campground, only 25 miles away, and deeply regretted taking a narrow twisty road. It’s hard to drive the van on these roads and Zeke and Flash have a tendency to get car sick if there is too much bouncing around.

Friday was our day to visit Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park where you can see massive rocks in the ocean at high tide and also walk around them on the ocean floor at low tide. That day high tide was around 2pm and low tide around 8pm. We arrived in the afternoon and took a golf cart to the viewing area; best use of $4 per person ever vs the 45 minute walk each way carrying cameras! The Bay of Fundy has one of the highest tides in the world, with 160 billion tons of water moving in and out of the bay every 25 hours. This is about one year and nine months of water from Niagara Falls! The tide changes by about 46 feet vertically and two football fields horizontally and due to the massive drop the ocean floor is exposed at low tide. 

After exploring the views at high tide we returned to the RV for the rainy afternoon. Luckily by 6pm the rain stopped and we could return to the viewing area and walk down to explore the ocean floor! It was a lovely evening, and we enjoyed walking around the base of the rocks and the views from the ocean floor. The park guides were very friendly and informative, and we learned the high tides are caused by the shape of the bay, which is deep and wide at one end and narrow and shallow at the other end. It was a memorable day and we were glad we had seen both high and low tides.

Our campsite that night was at a horse ranch which had a small campground and excellent facilities. Sara found this location via iOverlander, a site that is very useful for finding free boondocking locations and more unusual camping sites. It was a wonderful location, close to Hopewell rocks, peaceful and even better had horses! In the morning Sara walked to the stables area and was early enough to see the 20+ horses being brought in from the field. She enjoyed chatting to the owner, whose family had owned the ranch since the 1950’s and eventually turned it into a riding and lodging facility. It all started because one of the son’s had polio and started riding as therapy to recover. 

It was a wonderful end to our time in New Brunswick. Time to move to Nova Scotia and connect with John’s eldest son John who was visiting a friend.

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Magical Chebeague Island

We arrived on Chebeague Island on Wednesday July 29th for a magical week exploring the island and hanging with family. Chebeague Island is the largest island in Casco Bay, Maine. About a 15-minute ferry ride from Yarmouth, Maine, or an hour from Portland, Maine, the island is about 5 miles long by 1.5 miles wide, forested in the middle and with sandy beaches and rocky coves. It has around 360 year-round residents, and a summer population of about 2,000 people.   

John’s niece Laura and her husband Geoff live on the island year-round. John’s other niece Tina and her husband (John Jorden) spend the summer on the island with their daughters Catarina, Lucia and Ana who were enjoying a break from college/school. Their sons John and David are working and visit when they can, along with many other family members who pop in to join the fun. This year our great-niece’s Julianna Stanford and Cici Stanford were staying with Tina for a few months. 

In the 19th-century "stone sloopers” were sailors and shipwrights who used custom built sailing ships to move massive granite blocks quarried in the Maine area down the coast for major US landmarks like the Washington Monument. The "Sloopers" built what are now historic homes on Chebeague island and John Jorden’s parents had one of these homes where he spent his summers. Tina and John now use this house during the summer, and it has a large barn attached to the house where everyone meets in the evenings for dinner. 

We setup at Laura & Geoff’s house which was perfect, a outside patio, fire pit, plenty of shade and a delightful outside shower. The cats loved the area, very quiet and lots of areas to explore. We settled into what became a pattern for the week. Exploring during the day, followed by a wonderful family dinner prepared by Tina every night. We spent the next five days cycling round the island, swimming and relaxing. We have always heard Tina talk about the island being a summer paradise and it was wonderful to really experience it ourselves. 

Sunday August 2nd was a big party day to celebrate both Laura’s birthday and her daughter Caroline’s birthday. Laura’s son John and Caroline and niece Caroline Fernandes came over from the mainland for the celebration. We spent a delightful afternoon in the barn eating great food & birthday cake and chatting with everyone. John Jorden’s mother Shelia lives on the island full time, and we really enjoyed getting to know her. Connie who is Tina's aunt was visiting for a few days with her granddaughter Riley, so it was quite the family gathering.

Laura and Geoff had to leave on Tuesday to travel to Madeira island, Portugal as Laura's father was very sadly close to passing. We drove them to the ferry and sadly waved goodbye after a wonderful week together. 

We really made the most of our last two days before our barge pickup on Friday August 7th. Both days we got up early and Sara went paddle boarding. First up was Hamilton beach a lovely sandy beach cove close to Tina's house. There were many terns diving for fish and it was delightful to sit on the board and listen to their calls as they flew around before diving into the water. That evening we were treated to a magnificent lobster dinner at Tina's. John Jorden and his son (John) are both lobster fisherman, and the lobsters were caught and delivered by son John that morning!

Thursday was all about the sea. We started with a paddle board from the boat yard, driving there with the board sticking out the back of Laura's "island car". Sara paddled out to Crow island and explored the pools visible as the tide went out. That afternoon son John treated us to a personal tour in his lobster boat. We went out to where John Jorden was working pulling lobster traps. We saw the whole process of hauling the lobster traps, removing the lobsters, throwing back the small ones and then re-baiting the trap and putting them back in the sea. Not an easy profession!  We met John's girlfriend Whitney who had been out the day before as the stern person helping her grandfather pull traps. Maine folks are very tough! We finished off with lunch at Erica's Seafood a fabulous classic waterfront seafood shack located just across the water in Harpswell, Maine. What an amazing day!

Friday was departure day, and we drove to Bennett's cove for our 7:30am barge pickup. Tina, Lucia and Julianna came to wave us off and it was quite tearful to leave after such a wonderful visit. We were nervous again because the beach looked pretty rutted, but Brian got us loaded no trouble and we were back off to the mainland. 

Family Gatherings - Click here for the photos

Around Chebeague Island - Click here for the photos and videos