The Maritime Provinces of Canada - Part 2

This blog has given me more than a few moments of pulling out my hair. Seems to have a mind of its own at times, so please bear with it and me. (Whadda ya expect for free?!) Check back if the pix or posts do not seem to run correctly; I am getting there!

Back to the trip. Just a basic outline, which is what I have (my sister will be horrified - she plans everything down to the half hour!). Plant myself in Nova Scotia for 3 days, then head to over to Cape Breton and drive the Cabot Trail Loop. My AAA guidebook tells me this will take about 4 hours.

Then another 3 1/2 hour drive to Charlottown, Prince Edward Island, for a few days. Figure a nice soak in the tub and a good glass of wine will work out the kinks from the drive :)

I am well aware this is the obvious tourist trip geographically for the Maritimes. However, I have studied the maps and guidebooks (thank you AAA!) for some time, and determined this is what I want (not really interested in Newfoundland; too remote and no time).

So much to see and do, so little time! My extravagant funds allow me to stay in upscale hotels (which I booked last December!). Comfort Inn, Super 8, etc. Hey - they are places to sleep, and I will be busy during the day :)

Besides the Bay of Fundy, and spending almost a good part of the day in Halifax in Nova Scotia (of course!), there is one obscure place on my "must see" list: Smileys Provincial Park, which is smack dab in the middle of Nova Scotia. Conveniently halfway between my hotel and Halifax.

Many years ago some of my ancestors sailed across the ocean from Ireland, their destination being Vancouver, Canada. What were they thinking?? Perhaps geography lessons were not a big part of the curriculum at that time. They ended up shipwrecked in Nova Scotia. Found their way inland and settled; thus the park is still to this day named after them. I am charged with visiting it and taking pictures for my siblings and cousins. Curious myself.... it even has a website: http://www.novascotia.com/places-to-stay/campgrounds/smileys-provincial-park/147

True story.

I am not relying on GPS (do not own one). I have maps (thank you again, AAA!!), some printed notes, and an excellent magnetic sense of direction. Which some of my ancestors obviously did not posess! And one of my siblings also does not :) No worries here. Besides, if one is listening to a GPS barking out directions and being otherwise annoying/distracting, how can one enjoy the journey and the scenery?

No pix this time. Next week. Enjoy the holiday!

The Maritime Provinces of Canada - Part 1

     This is where I am going; what they are called. I never realized I really wanted to visit them so badly until about a year ago. I started making a "bucket list" -- or "wish list" for those of you who do not want to hear it (you know who you are!) :) Shortened it to manageable must-sees.
     I was attracted by the sheer beauty and history of the Maritimes. It is driveable distance. So it is first on my list. Here is a quick map of the area where I will be traveling.

     Canada’s Maritime Provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island – are dominated by the sea, with a long, jagged coastline punctured by picturesque bays, sandy beaches and towering cliffs. The ocean was crucial to the development of the Maritimes, bringing in waves of settlers and  accounting for its greatest industries: ship-building and fishing. Forestry became important in the 19th century, and even today a large part of it remains intractable wilderness.
     After Saint John (mammoth bones!!), I head to Nova Scotia for 3 days. Likely explore the west coast first, and the Bay of Fundy. I have printed the tidal charts. It is home to the world's highest tides -- as high as 11 feet, tides in the Minas Basin can reach 43 feet!! The tides are so strong they actually reverse the flow of several local rivers.
     The Bay of Fundy was formed due to continental drift millions of years ago. They estimate 100 billion TONS of water flow through the bay every tidal shift.
     That is some awesome powerful force of Mother Nature.

      Of course I will be doing some touristy things along the way, and there are things I do want to see and do. But I have also left a good portion of my trip open for random and unexpected experiences.
     After all, is that not what the journey is about?