The Eastern and Northumberland Shores, Nova Scotia

Hyclass Ocean Campground, Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia

We woke to blue, blue skies and much appreciated relief from the overcast and drizzly days we've been having. It was still a bit cold, but I will take the sunshine anyway I can get it.

Our route this morning took us to the Eastern Shores of Nova Scotia. I believe it's the most remote and least populated of the Nova Scotia shores, at least it seemed that way to us. We got a kick out of all the strange sounding "towns" (just houses) that we drove through such as Head of Chezzetcook, Mushaboom, and Ecum Secum. This area is heavily wooded and has few services of any kind on the main road. The houses we did glimpse were rather modest or trailer homes, no longer "salt box" design or period pieces. Given the lobster traps we saw in front of the houses we did glimpse, we assumed the main industry in this end of the island was fishing. It's currently lobster season, so we weren't surprised by all the lobster traps. We stopped by a small smoked fish operation to pick up some smoked salmon. Yes, it was nice to take a break from lobster and the ubiquitous potatoes that accompany everything. Unlike the Lighthouse Route, there really aren't many fishing villages, coves or inlets. The two big "cities" are Sheet Harbor and our destination, Sherbrooke.

In my opinion, Sherbrooke is a real national treasure. It was an actual town first established in 1840 and was thriving until 1916. The majority of the residences were Scottish. The courthouse in town was functional until the year 2000! Sherbrooke Village is a period living re-enactment place, one that cost an admission, but what makes this so different from others is that almost everything is original and still functional. We spent over 3 hours here visiting all the shops such as the blacksmith, pottery, boat making, tailors, and private residences. My favorite was visiting the "gaol". The original jail was in someone's home!! There were two iron gate doors placed on bedrooms and the family was compensated for taking care of the prisoners. It was so interesting to see the parlour, kitchen, bedrooms and 4 jail rooms. I can't imagine raising a family as I housed prisoners. Each place we visited had a person, in period costume, explaining the customs or trade of their situation. The woman who housed the prisoners was making rhubarb tarts in the wood burning oven and offered us some. Yes, every home is still functional and most had fireplaces and ovens going and the water pumps in the houses still worked. The tailors shop and pharmacy still had all the original equipment or tinctures and ointments in them! Amazing.

By far, what I loved the most was the telephone exchange! Alexander Bell was a resident of Nova Scotia (Cape Breton) and invented the phone in 1875. This town installed the phone soon after, in 1877. Because there were several mines in the area it was important to the owners to have a quick system of communication. At the turn of the century a telephone exchange was installed in this town and is still working today - yes the original exchange. You can call 9 people in town. A gentlemen was sitting at the switchboard and showed us how the electric current generated from cranking the phone flipped a little metal flap on his switchboard. He could then see who was calling and connect them to another person in town. He demonstrated the receiving and outgoing wires and how they worked. I asked him if I could give it a try and he said "Go for it!" I initiated a call to Joann, the woman who was baking the rhubarb tarts in the jail home. When she picked up the phone I thanked her for them, much to her surprise. Glen, the phone operator, could hear the whole transaction. What a riot. How many towns in this world still have the original phone exchange between the houses?!

This town is situated right on the St. Mary's river, so one could see how the local provisioners or grocery store received a shipment from the dock off the river right into their store. I LOVED seeing a real butter churn with a treadmill attached. A dog would run on the treadmill to churn the butter. Too funny.

Ned enjoyed the working water sawmill. We got to see how a water wheel ran a series of pulleys that in turn ran an up-and-down saw that cut through logs. We took a nature trail through the woods and were able to see the logging camp, how the loggers lived and floated the logs down river to the mill. There was also a gold mine and stamp mill. That we know enough about, so we weren't so blown away by that.

From Sherbrooke we headed due north for the Northumberland Shore. As we drove through very fertile farmland it came as no surprise that this was the area inhabited by the English and Scots. One of the largest towns in Northumberland is Antigonish, a charming town that hosts St. Francis Xavier University and is known for it's Scottish culture. It's very modern and upscale and could pass for any tourist town except for all the Scottish Gaelic on the signs. We thought about camping here, but just weren't into the whole shopping, golf scene experience so we continued to the tip of Northumberland just across the way from the Island of Cape Breton. We're looking forward to exploring the Cape tomorrow and hope the weather holds.

The Lighthouse Route

Porter's Lake Provincial Park, Nova Scotia

We left the Western shore of Acadian Coast behind us and crossed over onto the Southern area known as the Lighthouse Route early this morning. Unlike the Acadian coast which was sparse and sprinkled with saltbox houses here and there overlooking wide vistas of Fundy Bay, this stretch of Nova Scotia was heavily wooded and had many more villages, coves and peninsulas. Our goal over the next week is to drive the circumference of Nova Scotia. Considering that its coastline is 4625 miles, we definitely have to pick and chose which peninsulas to explore. No easy feat considering each cove, bay and tiny fishing town seems to have an interesting story. We even saw a boat that had run aground attesting to the difficulty of trying to navigate these treacherous waters, especially with their crazy tides.

After pouring over guidebooks and talking with locals we finally decided which nooks and crannies to see. The first little town we explored was Birchtown. After the American Revolution over 3500 free African-Americans, loyal to the Crown, moved to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Birchtown was the largest of the settlements. Their population eventually declined due to how poorly they were treated and in 1792 many of them emigrated to Sierra Leone, West Africa. The land they were given by the British was really poor rocky soil, much like the inferior land the Acadians were given.

Continuing to hug the coastline, we moved onto Shelburne. During the American Revolution many pro-British refugees gathered in New York. The wealthier class went to England, but most of the less affluent sought refuge in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Their population mushroomed from 400 to 10,000 in one year! By the year 1800 only 300 families were left, many families resettling elsewhere. Okay, what struck me the most about this was I never thought about the Americans who remained loyal to the British. I just assumed that everyone wanted to be free of British rule or at least wanted to stay a part of the colonies. Guess I missed that one in school. We were really looking forward to seeing this town, partly because its waterfront had some of the original structures and partly because it was the Lobster Festival this weekend. The architecture and waterfront did not disappoint! I loved the old dory building and other colorful buildings. However, the Lobster Festival was a disappointment. The huge town-wide flea market seemed to get a bigger draw. Just as well, how much lobster can one really eat anyway?

True to its name, the Lighthouse Route, this stretch of Nova Scotia had a plethora of lighthouses. We visited many other fishing villages and coves, but of course had to visit the most famous of them all, Peggy's Cove, which is touted as being the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. It's a very tiny village, only 35 residents live here year round, but thousands come to take pictures of the lighthouse. It really is breathtaking to see this lighthouse atop the rocks, with the waves crashing below. The village is very quaint and frankly, it's just hard to take a bad picture here. As if on cue, our overcast skies cleared up, the sun broke out and we were treated to a spectacularly beautiful day. This part of the coast definitely reminded us of Mendocino.

We finally made it into the big city, Halifax. Our plan was to unload the bikes and tour the waterfront, but it was really windy and cold. Instead we decided to tour the oldest brewery in North America, Alexander Keith Brewery. (Pretty good backup plan, I'd say.) It wasn't so much a tour as a show. We really did think we were going to see and learn about their brewery process. Instead we got period actors, dressed up in costume, doing a song and dance show. It was very entertaining and we got to drink a bunch of beer so I'm not complaining. Ned said it reminded him of the Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Everyone thinks they are watching chocolate being made, but in reality it's just a show.

Halifax is a very fun city. I love the mix of really old buildings right next to high rises situated on the waterfront. It reminds me a little of Boston with the hills of San Francisco. What's so interesting about Halifax is that there really doesn't seem to be any suburbia or sprawl. Twenty kilometers away and you are once again in the depths of a heavily wooded, very sparsely populated area. We are camped at Porter's Lake Provincial Park, only 22 kilometers from Halifax and it feels like I'm in upper Minnesota with the lakes and trees. Of course, our camping neighbors, a country Nova Scotian group are blasting out their favorite old timey country songs so there is that. Yes, country music seems to be big around these here parts.

Acadian Coast

Thurston Campground, Upper Clyde River, Nova Scotia

We had quite the leisure morning since our ferry from St. John's New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia didn't leave until noon. It was quite the swanky ferry too! Complete with wifi, movies, lounges and a Starbuck's cafe. What I liked best is that it was more of a floating museum with all kinds of interesting exhibits about Nova Scotia. There was a concierge on board who had more knowledge of Nova Scotia than I thought was humanly possible to retain. She loaded us up with maps, books, information on all the coves and nooks and crannies of Nova Scotia.

We crossed the Bay of Fundy which is famous for their incredible tides. It has the highest tide in the world, reaching over 50 feet! Every 6.5 hours or so the tide shifts.
Try navigating those waters! Also about 4 different species of whales live in this area. In fact, if you sign up for a whale tour you are guaranteed a whale sighting. As one person told us, "they love to show off, you will definitely see them."

By the time we disembarked in Digby it was close to 3 pm. We decided to drive route 3 which is the slowpoke drive down the Acadian coast through all the "towns." In reality the towns on the map were just groupings of houses clustered together near the sea. This area is beautifully stark and the houses in this area all have the same utilitarian hard scrabble look. Many homes were also proudly flying the Acadian flag.
There are no or very, very few shops, restaurants or services along this stretch.

Once we reached Yarmouth, the terrain definitely changed. Now, instead of a relatively straight coastline with the road hugging the sea, there were tons of long craggy inlets, much like the coast of Maine. We choose one finger to go down and it seemed very remote. The city of Yarmouth was pretty small, seeming like just a couple of blocks long. Again, it had a fishing, utilitarian look, nothing of the quaint look about it.

I planned on us staying at The Islands Provincial Park near Shelbourne. In reading some of the literature that the ferry concierge gave us I noticed that it didn't open until June 13th. oops. Time to try and find a campground after 7 pm. We have no cell and no internet, just the maps and literature to rely on. Reminds me of the days when we first started roadtripping. I located a private campground on the Upper Clyde River, "where the river meets the sea." Ned and I got kind of a kick out of this since every mile or so has a river that meets the sea. We pulled into the campground and as expected it's pretty much a dirt parking lot next to the river. It has showers, a flush toilet and good enough to call home for the night.

We were starving and the owner, Tanya, recommended a restaurant called "Anchors Away" that was just a few kilometers down the road. It also happens to be their opening night. Okay, we'll bite. (p.s. they have wifi which is allowing me to quickly write this blog and post it before heading back to the campsite). The restaurant is so local and very Acadian authentic. Our waitress, who is a delightful Acadian woman, was so patient with us explaining some of the local dishes. Ned had the Rappie pie with molasses, butter and brown bed and I had haddock fish cakes with chow-chow.
The rappie pie is basically a potato starch (grated potatoes that have the liquid squeezed out), layered with chicken then baked for 2.5 hours. Ned said it tasted like chicken pot pie, I thought it just tasted like potatoes. My fish cakes tasted like potato pancakes, (not a big fan) but I loved the chow-chow, which is pickled onion relish.
Everyone in this restaurant are locals and they are all greeted by name as they enter.
Some of the locals asked me where we were from, they said with my tan I didn't look like I was from around here. Haha. The folks here are just so friendly. One couple just invited us to come by their house and see the boat they were building, with their grandsons. "We're just ten minutes down the road." I've included a picture of Ned with our Acadian waitress, Nancy. Adorable.

The Magic of Acadia

New River Beach Provincial Park, New Brunswick, Canada

The last time we visited Acadia National Park was in the fall of 2009. We've always said it was our favorite park and five year later I still agree. What makes this park so cool are the 45 miles of carriage roads. So many National Parks aren't incredibly welcoming to bike riders and this park caters to them. The carriage roads were built by the wealthy elite of New York at the turn of the last century. As they "summered" on this island, the carriage roads were for their viewing pleasure. Every bend has a view of the ocean or is situated next to a pond. The roads meander up and down hills, over bridges, along waterfalls and through the woods. It's simply breathtaking.

We got an early start this morning, partly wanting to take advantage of the break in the weather and partly due to the journey we had planned into Canada. For the next several hours we rode or just stopped to take photos and soak in the early morning quiet and beauty. We ended up riding a good 12 miles. The entire time we never saw one other bike rider.

It's hard to put into words the complete beauty and peace one experiences riding these carriage roads. It's completely quiet, the woods filled with heavy duff and the mist hanging over the ponds. I'm sure optimal conditions would have been to experience this ride in warmer weather and clear blue skies, but it was incredibly surreal to ride in the fog. At one point we came upon a young buck, his antlers just starting to sprout, munching his way through breakfast. Love, love, love this park. I hope we don't wait 5 years to come visit again.

After this work-out we were in desperate need of showers. Fortunately, there is a pay shower station not too far from the park. Just as we entered the building the heavens opened up and boy did it pour! All day long...We couldn't believe our luck in hitting that small window to ride.

We continued to head northeast until we finally came upon the town of Lubec, also known as the most Eastern place in the continental U.S. (So far, Ned and I have visited the most Southern - Key West, the most Western - Fort Stevens, and now the most Eastern. I should look up which one is the most Northern!) The reason for traveling thru Lubec was to reach Campobello, an island off the coast which is part of New Brunswick, Canada.

This was Franklin D. Roosevelt's beloved summer "cottage" where he vacationed as a child and where he took his own family, until he became President. If you've ever seen any movies about FDR, swimming, sailing, etc. most likely it was at Campobello. What I found interesting is that despite this being probably his most sentimental place to stay, he only visited 3 times during the 12 years he was president. Most likely because of his disability due to polio. In 1962 a bridge was finally built connecting the island to the mainland. Before then it was quite an ordeal to get here! "They took a day train from NY to Boston, then boarded an overnight sleeper from Boston to Ayers Junction, ME. The next morning, they, their servants and the luggage (some 40 trunks) took a 15 mile ride on a 1-car train to Eastport, where a boat waited for them for the final leg of their trip to the island."

Today Campobello is a joint International Park between Canada and the U.S. It's jointly staffed and equally funded by both countries. We were able to tour the "cottage": all 14 bedrooms, kitchen, laundry, dining room, game room, porch, etc. My favorite room was the dining room off the porch. In the picture posted below look at that huge megaphone on the left side. It's about 4 feet tall, made of parchment paper so it only weighs 2 lbs., and is therefore light enough for Eleanor to call in the kids for dinner. Ha!

We had to go through a border crossing station to get to Campobello, then cross back into the U.S. We drove due north for another hour, then had to cross again at St. Stephens to get into mainland Canada. While driving up to St. Stephens we passed a marker along the road which indicated that we were crossing the 45th parallel, which is exactly half way between the Equator and the North Pole. (Pretty cool since we were at the Equator a month ago).

We are in a nicely wooded beach campground not too far from St. John. I understand it has a great beach and boardwalk, but between the steady rain and time change it's too dark and wet to really explore. Okay, I'm going to cop to ignorance here. I had no idea that there was an Atlantic time zone in our continent. I assumed all the Maritime Provinces were in the Eastern time zone. It was bizarre to go to Campobello, lose an hour of time, cross over the bridge back into the US and gain it back, drive for an hour, cross the bridge into Canada and lose it again. So, we are now officially 4 hours ahead of California. We no longer have any cell connection so we'll be relying on finding wi-fi when we can. Could take us a bit longer to post updates for the next several weeks. Stay tuned...(The last two photos I couldn't resist. Lobsters and more lobsters!)

On the Road Again

Acadia National Park, Maine (that's the goal)

We had a lovely evening at Chez VW Dealer last night despite one startling event. At about 10:30 pm, we had a tap on our window and a bright spotlight shined on me when I opened the door. Ned had just climbed on to the upper bunk and was getting settled in for the night. A policeman was inquiring as to our squatter situation. When we gave him our pitiful story and told him we had permission from the dealer, he was quite nice. He introduced himself and said he'd be coming through our area several times that night to keep a watch on things. Yep, all night he drove through, my last count was 3 am. When Coltan inquired as to how our comfort and stay was we told him about the police visit. His response, "We call that housekeeping." Funny guy.

Again we were given a loaner car for the day. (It's the Dealer shuttle van, the driver is off on Wed). Kinda fun to drive all these swanky new model cars. We went out for breakfast at a local's breakfast place, called "Lucky Logger's Landing", again recommended by Coltan. (I wish I could type out Coltan's great clipped New England accent as he talks with us. "Take the cah"). It's rainy and drizzly today so unfortunately not great biking weather. The loaner was much appreciated. Today was Coltan's day off, but he swapped days so he could continue to help us out. Guess who's getting a Bach Cello Sweet sent to him when we get home? Love the pictures we took with him.

This restaurant was great. So uniquely New England. On the menu were such things as mac-n-cheese and "American Chop Suey", a dish specific to Maine. I assumed it was some version of the Chinese chop suey we ate as a kid. Nope, it's basically ground beef, elbow macaroni and some sort of tomato sauce. I stuck with eggs.

We were finally on the road by 12:30. Unbelievable! In 26hrs. an auto part from LA was flown out and installed. I'm so grateful this happened while still in Maine and not in the backroads of French speaking Canada somewhere.

The upside of hanging out with locals for awhile is getting tips on things to see and do. Just a ways up the road we stopped at Len Libby's and saw the world's largest chocolate moose, which was indeed a life size sculpted moose, surrounded by some chocolate bears. Pretty funny actually. I seriously doubt that chocolate tasted very good tho.

A little farther north and the next stop was Cold River Vodka Distillery. They use Maine potatoes to make vodka, blueberry vodka and gin. I think they are the only potato distillery in the U.S. It's a really small operation and we got a personal tour from one of the distillers. The best part of the tour was tasting all the vodka and gin afterwards. My fave was the blueberry vodka - delish! (Yes, Ned drove).

Voted #1 lobster roll in Maine by just about everyone is a place called Red's Eats. It's a small little lobster shack in the town of Wiscasset situated on one of Maine's thousands of inlets. What makes this lobster roll so unique is that it is filled with one glorious pound of lobster meat on a roll. No fillers, no celery, no lettuce, no anything. Just lobster. You can get it with either a side of mayo or butter. We opted for the butter and watched the woman behind the counter pour the butter from the kettle heating on the stove into little cups for us. At the height of tourist season the wait can be well over an hour and the line can go around the block for these lobster rolls. The bright side of it being a rainy day today is that there was only a very short wait and that was at 3:30 in the afternoon! We took our rolls back to the van and had an indoor picnic in the rain stuffing ourselves with lobster.

The rest of the day was spent driving up the coast mostly through drizzle and rain. Not the best picture taking day, but we were glad to be on the road again! We are headed to Acadia National Park anticipating a late arrival. Sure hope the weather clears up a bit so we can bike the carriage roads (and take cool photos) first thing in the morning.