Today we moved West to the town of Maitland Nova Scotia. Stopped at a visitors center and got information on what there is to see in the area. We drove the Northern part of the Minas Basin along the coast to the Five Islands area. Beautiful coastline. There is such beauty here in the Maritime Provinces that it is hard to describe. Stopped at a large market that sold everything. They had food, clothing, ice cream cones, gift shop and even a liquor store. Lots of local produce at a cheap price. Since it was close to Canada's Thanksgiving holiday, the place was packed.
Oct. 10
It is sunny and nice out but a cold wind is blowing. We drove down to the Halifax area to explore. Went down to the harbor area and didn't find much open. Took the coast drive to Peggys Cove. Again beautiful scenery with the road going right along the shore. Lots of beach house to look at. Peggys Cove is covered with large slab of rock. There is a lighthouse out on the rocks. Don't know if it was a working lighthouse or not. Decided to have lunch in the restaurant there. Had good fish and chips again. On the way back to the motor home we again stopped at the visitors center to find out about the tides in the Bay of Fundy and when the tidal bore can be seen.
 |
| Lighthouse at Peggys Cove Nova Scotia |
Oct. 11
Today is Thanksgiving holiday in Canada. They always celebrate on a Monday even though the date is Oct. 12th, the same date as our Columbus Day. Our plan for today is to see the low tide and the tidal bore and then the high tide. To start we drove to Burncoat Head at 10 A.M. to see low tide. This area really shows the differences in the tides. The Bay of Fundy is known for its extremely high tides, the highest in the world and for its tidal bores. Burncoat Head is home to the highest tidal shift ever recorded on the planet at 17 meters which is over 55 feet. The day we were there the low tide was 1.6 feet and the high was 47.9 feet. The water was drained out and you could walk on the ocean floor. Our next stop was the town of Walton where there is a lighthouse that was built in 1873 and used until the 1970's. The lighthouses along the Minas Basin would signal a set number of flashes of their light. That would tell the sailors which lighthouse they were by. We climbed to the top. The lighthouses are not very tall like they are on the coasts of the US. Our next stop was the town of Summerville to a little Inn we had heard about. The lady who runs the Inn and restaurant is know for home cooking. We had a delicious turkey dinner and the best fish chowder. We next drove back to Maitland to see the tidal bore. A tidal bore is a natural phenomenon which is seen in very few parts of the world. As the tide rises, the water literally piles up as it moves up the bay and enters the broad end of V shaped bays and inlets. It creates a wave that advances up the inlet and up the river which empties into the bay. Thus the phenomenon of a river changing its flow is created by the tidal wave, or bore, flowing in over the outgoing river water. The water is a red color from the soil surrounding the bay. Our day was not over yet. We again drove back to Burncoat Head to see the high tide. Couldn't believe the change. The water was lapping the boardwalk to the edge of the bay. We had a busy day but well worth the drives back and forth to the different places.
 |
| Low tide at Burncoat Head |
 |
| High tide at Burncoat Head |
 |
| Dick and I in front of Walton Lighthouse |
Oct. 12
Today we go back into the United States. We have been in Canada since Oct. 1st. and enjoyed our time in the Maritime Provinces. The scenery is spectacular and the people very nice. When we finally enter the US we needed fuel for the motor home. Diesel was so expensive in Canada we didn't want to buy any more until we got back to the US. We also stopped at a store and bought beer and wine. That was also very expensive in Canada so we did without. We stayed in the town of Robbinston Maine for one night.
Oct. 13
The next stop is Holden Maine just south of Bangor. After getting settled in the campground we drove to Acadia National Park. This is one of the most beautiful National Parks we have been to. Stopped at a visitors center to get maps and plan our route. Part of the road goes only one way and follows the coastline. We drove up Cadillac Mountain where you could see all directions. The town of Bar Harbor could be seen from up there. That was our next stop. We planed on having dinner in Bar Harbor. Lots of people in the town and lots of shops to go into. We looked around a little and then walked to the harbor for dinner. Found a little restaurant that looked good and had lobster dinners. The waitress showed us how to clean the lobster meat out of the whole lobster. My eyes popped when I saw our dinners come.
 |
| Cruse ship in Bar Harbor taken from Acadis NP |
 |
| Rocky shore and beautiful colored trees in Acadia NP |
Oct. 14
Today we drove into Bangor and did some shopping. Found a Mall where I found a new purse. Ate lunch in town before going back to the motor home where we did some laundry.
Oct. 15
Moved down the Maine Coast to Moody Beach. We are in the middle of a Nor-easter. The rain and wind came in the night. It is raining and blowing pretty hard so we left at 7 in the morning. We are on the interstate and toll road so it's a 4 lane divided highway. Wanted to get down the state as soon as possible and get off the road and in a campground. In the afternoon we drove into Portsmouth New Hampshire just across the border from where we are staying. I called Margie at US Bank in Colfax to tell her we are in New Hampshire. She grew up in Portsmouth and was surprised to hear from us. We drove along the ocean and saw enormous homes. We ended up in Hampton Beach area which is quite the summer vacation spot. Many hotels and cottages along with large year around homes.
Oct. 16
The weather is improved today with sunshine. We did a little drive into New Hampshire and saw good size homes where the large rocks from the land had been stacked around the edge of the property to form short rock fences. New Hampshire looks like I imagined New England to look like. Quaint villages with narrow tree lined roads. We ended up back in Portsmouth for lunch down by the harbor area. We headed back to Maine and stopped at the Kittery Outlets.
It's an area of about a mile of outlet malls in clusters of buildings every block. Heading back to the motor home we drove north to Kennebunkport. That is where former President Bush has a home. The homes were really enormous along the shore. We don't know if we saw his home but there was one that sat on a point with several buildings and a guard like structure at the road. It was a fun day. Definitely Happy Travels, Barb
Our next stop is Vermont for 2 days and then down to Massachusetts for 3 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment