Summer 2010 Northeast Trip – Third Issue

We had no problem entering Canada a second time with the coach. Rain greeted us at the border and stayed with us through most of our visit to New Brunswick. Our campground (Hartt Island) on the St. John River in Fredericton, literally looked like an island after the downpours. Photos of this area were not in the cards, as most of the government buildings in the historic Garrison District were undergoing renovations and the rain stifled the usual pageantry. One thing cool about Fredericton is the free city-wide broadband high speed wi-fi. It soon was time to leave New Brunswick, but we will return to visit the province’s eastern shore on our southern trek from Nova Scotia.

As we prepared to move northeast to Prince Edward Island (PEI), so did the rain. The rain cleared soon after we arrived in PEI and we were able to enjoy touring the island. Anna, my bird-loving navigator, enjoyed our camping location (in photo at left) since a bald eagle made his hunting zone at the inlet in front of our coach. She could watch him stalk his prey out our window. We stopped at Covehead lighthouse while exploring the PEI National Park, toured Anne of Green Gables home in Cavendish, and drove through many of the fishing villages along the north shore on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

A memorable moment of the trip came as we were seated for a lobstersupper in St. Ann’s church near the center of the province. We were approached by a young lady who we thought was a waitress. She identified herself as the bartender and asked if we wanted to place our drink order from the bar. In a church? We couldn’t help but laugh!!! It was a first for both of us. The meal (main course in photo) was way beyond good. The rain returned for our last full day on PEI. We decided to make the best of it by cruising the shops near the harbour in Charlottetown. We left PEI at the crack of dawn the next morning for Nova Scotia by ferry. It was the first time we loaded the coach and the tow car on a ferry. It turned out to be an enjoyable experience for us. Leaving the ferry, we headed to Cape Breton and Baddeck.

Our stay in Baddeck was great. We visited the Alexander Graham Bell museum which was both impressive and educational. The next day we motored the Cabot Trail along the Atlantic coast, the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We met several great couples, enjoyed great seafood by the bay, and saw our first moose of the trip. We rode with Donelda’s Puffin Tours into the Atlantic Ocean north of Cape Breton to the Bird Islands. We saw numerous gray seals, puffins, and bald eagles, including the one pictured here as it fished next to our boat. No whales yet!

Next we were off to the Halifax area and Peggy’s Cove on the eastern shore. Beautiful scenery was everywhere. We took a private tour of the coast near Peggy’s Cove with Peggy’s Cove Boat Tours. In addition to the breathtaking views from the ocean, we observed lobster’s along the shore after we dropped a tethered underwater camera to the ocean floor. We saw one of the lobsters grab the camera cable with his pincher claw. Pretty cool. We also went sightseeing in Halifax where we visited the wharf and the Halifax Citadel. Before leaving the eastern shore we took the opportunity to visit the small village of Fisherman’s Cove in Eastern Passage, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. We made this destination a must after friends told us that the Wharf Wrap Restaurant in the cove had the best fish and chips you ever put in your mouth. They were right. Delicious and non-greasy… how did they do that?

Our last stop in Nova Scotia was the quaint town of Annapolis Royal, near Digby on the Bay of Fundy. We arrived and set up the coach just in time to drive the car south to Brier Island in the Bay of Fundy. Timing was critical in order to board the two ferries necessary to connect to Long Island and then Brier Island for a semi-private whale watching cruise with Brier Island Whale Cruises. We were joined by a couple from the Netherlands. What a blast! We traveled several miles west into the bay in a 24’ Zodiac inflatable boat when we encountered three humpback whales, each about 40-45 feet in length. We traveled with the whales (in photo) for approximately one and one-half hours coming within a few feet of the whales on several occasions.

Prior to leaving the Annapolis area we visited the bastion Fort Anne, and the early 1605 French compound of Port Royal Habitation. This is our turning point as we begin our journey south. Our last stop on our venture to Canada was The Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. We arrived just before low tide so we were able to walk on the ocean floor and take some great photos before sunset and the return of the highest tides in the world. We will soon be USA bound.

We will keep you posted with updates and photos as we continue our travels down the highway. Wish you could be here with us.

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As always, we hope to see you down the road…