June 11 - Nova Scotia

Before I forget... I edited yesterday's post about Smileys Provincial Park a bit. I was so tired last night I could barely keep my eyes open! Got a good night's sleep, and actually got downstairs in time for some of that free continental breakfast at the hotel. Coffee, juice, bowl of cereal.

I was undecided last night on today's destination; I did not get to the Bay of Fundy yesterday, and I had wanted to go to Halifax today. So I did it the scientific way: tossed a coin :) Actually I took my sister's advice and listened to my back (yeah I know you are all tired of hearing about it by now). Besides, today being Saturday I figured the traffic in Halifax would be pretty bad, and it is about 2 1/2 hours each way from New Glasgow.

The Bay of Fundy drive was only 1hour down and 1-1/2 hours back, and that is something I really, really did not want to miss having come all this way! I knew that I would miss the high tides; they come in at around 6 AM and 6 PM. The 6 AM was not happening, and 6 PM was too late for me!

Today dawned clear and warm (around 60), so it was a gorgeous day. Even at almost low tide, the Bay of Fundy is extremely impressive. I headed toward the Minas Basin area (that is where the highest tides occur). When I drove down the hill and stopped at the stop sign over the rise, my jaw literally dropped. There it was - right in front of me. I think I waved a bunch of cars by. There was no place I could stop and take a picture (houses, people, cars) right there, but I did get some good ones in other spots.

Minas Basin

Receding tide

There are a lot of houses that are right on the Bay, moreso than I expected. I found myself wondering if the people who lived there ever took the sight for granted? How could one!

Edge of Minas Basin, receding tide

Stopped for gas in a small town, and it was not self-serve! The fellows pumping gas had uniforms and everything. Most cool. Also the gas price was a little less than at some other stations. I start to get nervous when it gets down around 1/4 tank; going through some of these small towns as I have, I have found the gas stations to be few and far between. So I fill up when I can. (Mustang + back roads = lots'a fuel! Excellent highway mileage; back roads not so much!)

I followed the Glooscap Trail for a bit on the way back, which roughly runs along the western coast of Nova Scotia. Absolutely gorgeous! Stopped and took a few pictures of a tributary of the Bay as well.

Tributary, tide receeded

Tributary, tide receeded

 The reason the mud is red: The red mudflats of the upper Bay of Fundy are exposed with each low tide. The accumulated sediment supports an abundance of life, such as mudshrimp, which only thrive in this consistency of mud. It is these life forms which give the mud its rich red hue.

Your science lesson for the day!

Of course there were a lot of farms along the way. Here are a few pix of one I pulled over to the side of the road to snap.

Cows

More cows & farmland

 
I also took a random shot through the windshield as I was driving back, just to give an idea of the countryside here. (If you click on any of the pix in this blog, it will show you a larger version.)

Back in New Glasgow, I did a little exploring of the downtown area. There was not a lot to see, and not really any shops that caught my eye. There were a few pub type places, but they did not look like the sort where I would be comfortable solo.

I am also starting to rethink tomorrow's itinerary. Originally I was going to head up to Cape Breton Island and do the Cabot Trail Loop before heading over to Prince Edward Island. HOWEVER.... CBI is an hour from here, and the Cabot Trail Loop takes a good 4 hours. From there it is a 4 hour drive to PEI. Plus it is supposed to rain (and be cold) again tomorrow. Not so sure I am up for that. That will be a very, very long day.

Whereas if I just drive to PEI from here, it will take about 3, 3 1/2 hours. Hmmm.....  Plus I have to load my car myself. Despite my call to the hotel to confirm my reservation and ask if there would be someone to help with my bags (of course! I was assured), there is not. When I arrived I think the manager took pity on me and my bedraggled look (it was raining that day as well), and she helped with the heavier things. At least they have a cart trolley here, and an elevator. I have already taken what I absolutely do not need out to the car today.

Thus far it has truly been an adventure! I cannot believe 4 days have flown by so fast!

I do not regret missing out on Halifax; it was more of a curiosity factor than anything. I had just planned to wander about, see what was what, etc. Maybe take in some shopping. I am much happier having seen the Bay of Fundy, and the Minas Basin today :)

So tomorrow.... PeI here I come!

June 10, Part 2 - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Entrance sign at the Park

 Yes, yes I did visit Smileys Provincial Park today! The Canadian version of Mapquest said it would take about 1 1/2 hours; it was closer to 2 with patches of bad road and trucks. The road to get there is only 2 lanes, with limited passing.

Very scenic, however! Lots more farms. And I saw several goat farms. They were cute and I would have loved to have been able to stop, but the road I was on had no shoulder, and a sharp cut-down on the edge. And very winding; it was not safe to stop could I have.

Smileys Park is actually quite large; much larger than I had imagined it would be. Most of it is dedicated to RVs and camping, and there were even a few people tenting! In today's weather.... (cold and drizzly). Although by the time I arrived the sun had broken through it was still quite chilly.

Right now I am beat. I am exhausted and in much need some zzzzs. I leave you with these pix of Smileys Park; most of it is similar. It is very beautiful, and appears to be very well kept. There are quite a few RV stations in addition to a few areas that look to be dedicated for tents.

This tree.... just because it's so cool!

 

I had intended to drive back via the Glooscap Trail, which roughly follows the west coast of Nova Scotia (and thus the Bay of Fundy). It would have added another 4 or so hours to the drive (as opposed to the 1 1/2 to get back to the hotel), and my back was protesting. I was chilly and damp - actually had to put the heat on in the car! In June. So I opted for the shorter route back today, and will rethink the plan of attack for tomorrow!

June 10, Part 1 - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Ladies and gentlemen, today you get a bonus (depending on how you view it!) - two posts. One now and one a bit later.

Got back a bit earlier than originally anticipated. My back just could not take an additional 4 hours of driving, on top of what I already did today. I am becoming one with my car, physically and literally! Much as I love her, she was definitely not built for comfort :)

So I will share some of my observations about what little I have seen in the Provinces so far. The people I have met and interacted with have been unfailingly courteous and polite, and many have gone out of their way to help me out. Even when it was not necessary (and I did not ask). That seems to be just the way they are here. So refreshing!

The scenery is absolutely amazing. I mentioned in yesterday's post it seems greener here than even New England, and I reassert that observation after today's journey. It is stunning. Unfortunately there are no places along the highways to stop and take pictures, and it is difficult while traveling solo. I will try to get some tomorrow, but I know they will not do it justice.

They do have a lot of hefty taxes here; pretty much everything I have purchased so far has come with a tax. They seem to be very, very big on recycling, which warms my heart! In my current hotel room I have 3 trash buckets - one for trash, one for recyclables, and one for compost materials. The US could take a lesson from that!

Gas is expensive. Thus far it has been $1.05 CAD-$1.08 CAD per liter. There are 3.78 liters in a gallon (round it to 4). So that works out to (about) $4.20 CAD per gallon. Converted into USD, it is about $3.29 a gallon.

Thus far the highways here are great; well maintained. Some of the smaller by-ways not so much :) The roads are all well-marked, however. I have not gotten lost yet!

I do not think GPS would have helped me out much in some of the places I am visiting; phone coverage is spotty at best.

A second post, with pictures, will follow in a few hours. I need a shower. The weather has been unseasonably chilly here, and it showered off and on today until early afternoon. Although I did pack a rain jacket and a couple long sleeve shirts and a small sweatshirt, I froze today! I think it was like 50 some odd degrees. Did not know I needed gloves in June! I got wet, and very wind blown. So I want a hot shower.

June 9 - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

Checked out of the hotel in Saint John, and headed directly toward what is called The Marketplace. Quaint little area with a few buildings, parking garage, etc. Had to park in the garage, but I am (so far) lucking out on parking spots everywhere. Got one close to the New Brunswick Museum, and honed in like a missile!

The Museum was not at all like I expected, nor one would. It was inside a building that housed many shops and an upscale food court.

UNFORTUNATELY.... the girl at the front desk of the museum informed me (quite cheerily) the mammoth bones were not there. They have temporary exhibition galleries, and it was there but had moved on. I wanted to cry. Then she informed me they did have several excellent (permanent) exhibits of prehistoric fossils, and a mastodon fossil.

I figured, I was there, I got a AAA discount on my ticket, and hey, why not? Besides, she was really cheerful.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The Museum was 3 floors. The first is dedicated to New Brunswick's history - logging, ship building, etc. There were a lot of excellent dioramas that must have been painstaking to create. Several live guides on each floor in addition to the recorded information available on many exhibits. I spoke with one of the guides at length about the logging industry in the 1800s, and she was very knowledgeable. I learned a lot!

The second floor houses the fossils, the bones, and a lot of it is dedicated to whaling and shipping, which were booming industries. In addition to the mastodon, they have several whale fossils, and a room dedicated to fossils of smaller creatures and plants. According to the info, a mastadon weighed about 3-4 times as much as a modern day elephant. I could not get the whole skeleton in one photo!

Mastodon's head

Back end of the mastodon

Skeleton of whale jaws

The 4th pic is a skeleton of a whale's head I must share! I did speak with another guide on the 2nd floor, but I think she was new as she was not quite up on all the exhibits and information. (She was, however, quite cheerful! A plethora of cheerful people today!)

A lot of pre-historic whales were covered with long hair; not the smooth "skin" we recognize them in today. The Museum had several excellent exhibits of these. Some of the hides are taller than I! I wish I had got pix, but my camera chose an unfortunate time to deplete its batteries.
 
They also had some excellent dioramas of the sailing ships on that floor; anyone who knows me knows I also have a thing about ships. These were totally cool. The rigging is SOOO intricate on them.

Even though I enjoy painting them, just looking at the rigging close up gave  me palpitations! It would give
anyone on the receiving end of my
ship paintings pause... (and you know who you are!)

The third floor is more of an "artist's gallery", if you will. Beautiful examples of Canadian artwork throughout history. They had some international pieces as well, that relate to New Brunswick's history.

So much to take in! It was time truly well spent. While I am disappointed about the mammoth bones, I am very, very glad I went to the museum. It was quite an education and I totally loved it! The dioramas, especially, really impressed me. They were good size (guessing 3-4 ft. long X 2+ ft. high and deep), so a lot of care and thought has gone into those. And I did get to see mastodon bones!! NB Museum has the most complete (permanent!) exhibit of mastodon bones in the world.

I lingered there much longer than I had thought I would. Oh well! It was so well worth it. I would not have missed that experience :)

Then headed out for the next leg of my journey, and drove to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

It is so beautiful up here. Even in the sporadic rain of today (it was about 55 degrees I think), it was gorgeous. The farms spread out far and wide on either side of the road, so green and full of (mostly) cows. It is just different than New England. If possible, I think it may be greener.

Everyone I have met and spoken with has been so friendly and gone out of their way to help me out where they can. It is so nice to be able to speak with people so easily who do not look at you like you have two heads or cut you off in traffic. Everyone up here uses turn signals, and DO actually "stay right unless passing". What a concept!

And after today's adventures, and 3+ hour drive, I am tired. My back hurts badly, and the free breakfast here starts at the ungodly hour of 6. I am going to order some delivery, and catch some zzz's.

Tomorrow new adventures await!

June 8 - Saint John, New Brunswick

I am here! Arrived safe and sound, no issues at all. Sorry no pix again today; it was basically a travel day and of course the camera was tucked away in the back seat. Tomorrow.

The drive was long, and I think that was about the edge of my comfort limit. Even though I set myself up with a small cooler full of cold waters, some danish, and watermelon. I made excellent time, though; and did not speed (well, much). Had a few stops to make before I started - gas, my sister's. Kid at the gas station was slow as molasses, and the traffic on the local highway horrendous. Thought I had timed it to miss the commuter traffic, but it was still awful.

Once I got up around Haverhill, though, things were much easier. Stopped for lunch at the rest area in Gardiner, Maine, and got off the Maine Tpk. in Bangor. There is a whole lot of NOTHING between Bangor and the Canadian border, let me tell you!

Border crossing was easy as pie, and a short drive to Saint John from there. The awesome hotel manager recommended a local place to grab a quick bite to eat and something to wet my whistle. She did not steer me wrong! AJ's Restaurant was close by, quick, and I even met a few local people in the short time I was there :) Kim, the bartender, was Johnny on the spot with a beer and a menu, and we chatted a bit.

Another local fellow sitting a few seats over filled me in on some information on the area which I was not aware of. Saint John was the first officially incorporated city in Canada. He also told me there is a beach on the Bay of Fundy here (on the New Brunswick side) that actually has black sand.... one of the few in the world. And other very interesting facts about the area.

Enough for tonight! I am very tired, and tomorrow is.... mammoth bones! Then on to Nova Scotia. Pix, promise.

Tuesday, June 7

I leave in the morning :) It would be cool to say "at the crack of dawn", but that is definitely not happening! I need coffee, shower, feed the cats - the basics. I am so excited! Car is packed (thank you brother!!), and a few last minute details to attend to.

8:00-ish is good enough, and early enough for me :)

The cats, of course, have picked up on the fact that I am leaving them for awhile. They hate when I go on vacation, especially Phoebe. Which is why I did not pack until last night. I do not like leaving them, especially for this long, but I have planned this trip for so long, and am SO looking forward to it.

My next adventure.

It is going to be a long drive tomorrow. I know exactly what to expect until I get to the border. Then it truly becomes a journey, and I know it will be very interesting :)

How to Post Comments

Very briefly -- several people have had some issues trying to post comments to my blog. Here is the basic rundown on how to do that.

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