Morning loops around the campground to get the steps done.
Our drive today took us through the city of Fredericton. This is the capital of New Brunswick. It is a beautiful city. We had a little trouble finding a place to park the RV and tow vehicle but Tim was persistent. We took the bikes off and cycled on the paved bike path along the Saint John River.
I loved these fanciful flower sculptures!
We rode across the Bill Thorpe Pedestrian Bridge and made a huge loop taking another bridge back across the river.
We rode through downtown.
A short stop at a construction site.
A sculpture depicting flood levels.
City Hall.
We reloaded the bikes and traveled onward to McAdam. Our campground sits on Wauklehegan Lake.
We rode back in to McAdam to explore. This is a very small village. There is though, this lovingly restored train station. Unfortunately, it was closed. We did peek through the windows.
A lunch counter.
A dining room.
When we returned to the RV, I blogged and cooked…multitasking!
After dinner walk by the lake.
Tonight’s quote comes from Leanne…thanks for sharing…it’s a good one!!!
The morning came and with it, blue skies and sunshine! I was able to walk in the campground and the surrounding neighborhood.
Today we left the coast behind turning inland and traveling along the Miramichi River on a scenic highway.
When we arrived at the campground, we asked what we should be sure to see. We were directed to the Woodsman Museum in the nearby Boiestown. There was also a waterfall we should see and the map to the falls is at the museum. Just before we got to the town, Tim spotted a young moose by the road. I was driving and had traffic behind me…so no pictures…but what a magnificent animal. Every time we are lucky enough to see one, I am amazed by their power and grace.
Well, the Woodsman Museum is closed on Monday. No map to the falls. We went across the street to the community park. Here there was a woman watching her children play. She gave us directions to the falls and we were on our way!
We must have misremembered the instructions. There were many turns and no road names mentioned. Tim realized that we were going the wrong way. We were about to give up when we saw a man in a motorized wheelchair running along the road. He gave us clear directions and this time; we found our way.
It was a nice short hike to get there. Fall Brook Falls is 30 meters high. They are the tallest continuously running falls in New Brunswick.
This cool bug is a stonefly naiad or nymph. If stoneflies are present, it is an indicator that the water is very clean. Fly fishermen get excited when they see stoneflies because it usually means that trout are present.
By the time we got back, it was dinnertime. Tuna steaks on the grill with a blackberry salad.
The quote tonight is from “Time of Wonder” by Robert McCloskey. “Take a farewell look at the waves and sky. Take a farewell sniff of the salty sea. A little bit sad about the place you are leaving, a little bit glad about the place you are going.”
It began to rain during the night and it rained all day. We drove the short distance to the town of Tracadie. It was too wet to do anything outside. We got a few groceries and I took clothes to the laundromat. It was the first washout day of our summer trip.
Finally, after dinner, the rain stopped. We took the Jeep to Tracadie Beach. We walked a couple of miles as the sky grew increasingly ominous. Just as we got back to the RV, the rain began again.
I took a walk this morning in Grande-Anse but the highlights of my walk were a phone conversation with mom and a FaceTime call with David and his boys.
Just a couple of pictures this morning.
The visitor center has a picnic area deisigned as a lobster trap. Lobster is really a big deal here!
We traveled today another 60 miles east to Miscou Island. It was a pretty drive through forest, along the coast, and through small villages. We stopped to walk at a park in Shappagan.
These boats are in drydock. The lobster and crab seasons are finished for this year.
Once we had set up camp, we took the Jeep and went for a ride to see Miscou Island. We walked the boardwalk through the peat bog. This was really interesting to me. I first of all did not know that peat is harvested. It is used primarily for potting soils but also as a fuel for cooking and heating. This bog is protected. Bogs occur in depressions in the surface of the earth. They fill with rainwater. They are particularly acidic and only certain plants will thrive here.
Because carnivorous plants get most of their nutrition from insects, they have adapted to live in bogs where the nutrients are otherwise very poor. These pitcher plants are currently in bloom…so very cool!
We drove further to the end of pavement. Here we saw the lighthouse.
We walked a mile on the beach and then sat for a while on a log before heading back. There were very few other people and most of the time, we had the beach to ourselves.
This evening, we went to dinner at Resto la Terrasse a Steve. We shared stuffed oysters and steamed mussels and lobster casserole.
I walked to the beach. I had read that the Acadian Isles have the warmest salt water north of Virginia…I had to try…the water was COLD!!
Another good day of exploring and learning and seeing new things!
Another glorious morning for a walk along the Esplanade.
We traveled about 100 miles east along the Restigouche River all the way to the Chaleur Bay. Grande-Anse is the gateway to the Acadian Coast. This area is rich with Acadian history. In the 1600’s, peasants were recruited from the west central part of France to colonize Canada. The people settled in the Canadian Maritime provinces. In 1745, the British threatened to expel the Acadians unless they swore allegiance to England. The Acadians fought to keep their land and their ancestors live here in this region today. These people are related to the Cajun people in Louisiana. This culture has a distinct dialect and Acadians are very proud of their heritage. August 15th is National Acadian Day. Houses are decorated with red, white, and blue flags with yellow stars. Some houses have lots and lots of decorations!!
Our campsite is right on the bay.
We rode our bikes into the small town this afternoon; past the church and to the harbor.
Lots of local art!
The visitor center had maps and other information about activities along the coast.
This evening we went back to the harbor and tried the local flavors. We ate lobster rolls at the Cantine dus Quai. Several local people were playing guitars and singing by the restaurant. Everyone was happy and having fun.
This little boy found a mud puddle.
We drove aimlessly for awhile after dinner. We found a nice park and got out to walk.
What a lovely walk along the Esplanade this morning!
The skies were grey and the forecast was for rain all day. We did some errands and chores…waiting for the rain. We went to the first Walmart we have seen in a couple of weeks and stocked up on all the important stuff.
Tim did some cycling this afternoon while I cleaned.
At dinnertime, it still had not rained. We decided to take our meal and find a spot by the water to eat. With the first bite of food came the thunder. We could see lightning over the Appalachian Mountains. We ate quickly and packed up. Just as we arrived back at the RV, big splats began to fall!
The skies cleared and this was as much sunshine as we saw all day!
A short and easy walk around the campground to begin the day and then we traveled along the coast. As we finish our tour of the Gaspesie, we marvel at all we have seen and learned.
The history of the area…the Vikings were here!
The culture and the art of the people
Communicating in a language very foreign to us…we now know all kinds of bits and pieces of French
The beauty and diversity of the coast, the forest, the mountains, the rivers, the waterfalls, the meadows
The museums and the lighthouses
Fishing villages and provincial towns tucked into coves
The kindness and graciousness of people who always say Bonjour and always stop to chat and ask where you are from
The moose and the seals and the eagles and the gannets
New foods and local flavors…so much seafood!
Gorgeous blue skies and pleasant temperatures
As we cross the bridge over the Chaleur Bay, we don’t yet know which way to go…east or west or south…so many choices and opportunities to visit places that we have never been before. So very fortunate and grateful for the freedom to choose.
We are staying at the loveliest campground of our trip. We settled and then took our bikes on the Esplanade from the park into the town of Campbellton.
Very cool educational and historical exhibits in the community building at the campground.
This evening we returned to town and went to the Night Market. There were all kinds of vendors. There was one stand cooking chicken and burgers. They were asking for donations to feed the hungry.
Balloon rides…2 feet off the ground and back down again!
We went then to the restaurant at the campground, Krave Kitchen. We had burgers and salads that were surprisingly delicious!
The morning was overcast, cold, and rainy. It cleared enough that I took a short walk. I walked the path from the RV to the lighthouse.
I walked to the overlook and took one last picture of the rock.
I knew there was a 100% chance of rain and so I did a couple of loops around the campground and then quit. After walking more than 25,000 steps yesterday…my legs were tired!
We drove today to Hopetown. This is the Chaleur Bay Region. Although we passed a few fishing villages and lots of farms, it was my observation that this part of the coast was newer and had more modern stores and homes.
We had a quiet day. We did go into town, searching for a few things we have been unable to find.
We stopped at a seafood market. Most of the lobsters in the tank were normal sized but these two were ginormous. The one had a claw the size of Tim’s hand.
This evening, we walked down to the water.
Tomorrow we will complete our journey around the Gaspe Peninsula.
I began the day with an easy walk through the town.
While I was out, I purchased tickets for the ferry. When we hiked the other day to Land’s End, we met a gentleman from Nova Scotia. He had just been through Perce and he told us that we had to take the ferry ride to the island to see the birds.
We got to the wharf and stood in line with hundreds of others also waiting to board. We departed and the boat took us around Perce Rock. It really is impressive to see it close-up!
Three Sisters.
The captain then steered us around Bonaventure Island. This bird sanctuary is the summer nesting place for northern gannets. These are the diving birds I have been watching. There are an estimated 150,000 gannets here right now. They arrived in April, returning to the exact place where they nested last year. Each pair hatches one egg. The chicks are white fluffy things! Each bird eats 1 pound of fish each day. The chicks get so fat that they cannot fly and do not take to the skies until September.
We saw the birds soaring overhead, catching wind currents and sitting on the ledges and depressions in the cliffs. They looked like frosting drizzled on a cake.
We could see seals bobbing in the water.
Once we arrived on the island, we hiked across on the Colonies Trail. Each morning, when Tim and I walk out into the world, we have no idea what we will see.
I was totally unprepared for what greeted us. First there was the smell…it smelled like birds that eat fish. Then, there was the noise; a loud, raucous chorus of squawking. Then, there were the birds…thousands of birds. There were many coming in to land, flying low and carrying what looked like bunches of seaweed. They whizzed overhead. They have a wingspan of 3-4 feet and they are incredible to see.
This reminded me of college kids on spring break…the chaos, the multitude of them, on the beach!
I could have stood there all day…it was amazing and an experience I will never forget.
We decided to take the longer hike back to the ferry. This trail skirted the edge of the island giving us lots of opportunity to see other bunches of gannets and more seals and the beautiful coastline.
A guy hiking in front of us spotted this fox in the weeds.
There was a bunch of feathers on the path not far from that fox…
The last part of the hike was past houses…years ago, people lived on this island and subsisted on cod fishing and had small farms and grew vegetables here. In 1971 when this became a national park, the Canadian government evicted the 35 families living here.
We stopped for a snack…I had packed boiled eggs…which might have been in poor taste!
We had hiked about 5 miles and we were happy to arrive at the snack bar where we snagged a powerade and a date bar.
We met another couple as we were hiking and then met them again while we waited for the boat. They were from Montreal. They wanted to know if we were lucky enough to get reservations at La Maison Du Pecheur and we had. Apparently, it is a world class restaurant and they had really wanted to go. There are no more reservations available until late August and so they were going to miss going. Tim and I had talked about canceling our reservation but instead, we gave it to Sean and Kim…we hope that they are enjoying a spectacular dinner! We were tired and we went to a pub and ordered drinks. They brought us our order and told us that they were closed until 5 when they would reopen for dinner…darn! We went instead to the food truck and Tim got fish tacos and I got a quesadilla; both delicious and enough.
We got back to the RV at around 5 and I put some laundry into our washer. The washer broke and so we had sopping clothes and wet carpet and wet basement compartments. I am at the laundromat now waiting for clean clothes…it’s all part of the adventure!!!
