New Brunswick

August 5th through August 9th we were in New Brunswick.

On August 5th we arrived at Ponderosa Pines Campground in New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy.  We were there to visit Hopewell Rocks and see the famous Bay of Fundy Tides..  We were not disappointed.  We walked on the ocean floor at low tide, the tall rocks known as the Flower Pots were HUGE.  We came back later in the day to find those same rocks almost submerged in the water.  It is really amazing the amount of water that flows in and out of that area.  The tide was 32 feet when we were there.  It gets as high as 50 something !!!!  The ocean floor is rocks and mud.  The kids had a good time playing in the mud. Thankfully they did have places to wash off your feet.  We wore Crocs and managed to stay clean.

From the stairs, note the arch on the right

Same arch from the ocean floor

Muddy kid

A FlowerPot low tide

A Flower Pot at high tide

The arch at high tide

August 7th we moved to Kiwanis Ocean Front RV Park in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. We were on the front row with an ocean view.  The tide was only 22 feet here.  Downtown was just a short walk away, so we explored downtown several times.  We also did a short bike trail in town (the Van Horne Trail).  We enjoyed taking pictures of the restored lighthouse.  It has been replaced by modern lights in the harbor.

St Andrews Yacht Club

Mural in downtown St Andrews

Our view at high tide at Kiwanis 

Nova Scotia near Peggy's Cove

Sorry it has been so long between posts, the internet has not been sufficient to upload pictures and do a blog post.

July 22 we moved from PEI to Wayside Campground near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.  Our plan was to stay there a week to explore the area.  We loved it so much we stayed 2 weeks !  Wayside is a family owned campground across from a quiet cove.  It is not fancy but is a nice place to stay.  We were one row off the front so we had a partial view of the cove all the time and a full view when the sites in front of us were open.  One of the special things about this camp site was our neighbors, Keith and Barbara who were there for the summer.  They had a fire each evening.  We joined them to share our days adventures and learn of places they loved in the area.

Sunset on the cove across from campground

The pride and joy of this area is the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse.  The road in has a welcome center, fishing boats and there are old buildings turned into shops and places to eat.  During our two week stay we went to Peggy's Cove at least 7 times to try to get the perfect picture of the lighthouse and boats.  Each time we got different light and fog conditions.  It became a challenge to take the perfect picture.

The Trans Canada Trail is the longest recreational trail in the world.  You can read more about it at this link .   The railroad donated the land.  It is up to the local areas to maintain and support the trail.   We were very close to the trail so we rode bicycles on 5 different days riding a different section each time.  Much of what we rode on was nicknamed the Rum Runner Trail. The views from the trail where you could see Margarets Bay were very nice.  Our favorite day was when we road the Salty Marsh and Atlantic View sections.  The Salty Marsh is 2.5 miles over the marshy wet lands.  The Atlantic View runs along the rocky shoreline.

We did two hikes in the area.  Polly's Cove and the Sambro Light Trail.  Polly's Cove was a rocky trail to a hidden cove.  Sambro Light Trail was along the shoreline overlooking the Sambro Light.  Both were good hikes with pretty views.

Sambro Lighthouse

One day we drove the Shoreline Trail from Peggy's Cove to Lunenburg.  It winds along Margaret Bay and Mahone Bay.  We did some exploring in Mahone which is known for the 3 churches on the bay.  Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The houses and shops are maintained in the style and colors they would have been when the town was founded.

Three Churches on Mahone Bay

Looking across the bay at Lunenburg

Halifax is an easy drive from Peggy's Cove.  We spent several days in Halifax/Dartmouth.  Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia.  There was a lot of construction being done all over town, so it is thriving.  We walked the boardwalk and explored town. Halifax has a cruise ship terminal so there was plenty for the tourist to do in the area.  On our travels one thing we do is visit the local Ikea store which we did in Halifax.

Halifax Harbor

The first Monday is August is Provincial Day in Canada.  Each province can choose how they would like to celebrate the holiday.  We visited the Citadel on that Monday and got in free in honor of the holiday.  We happened to show up just as they were starting a special ceremony "The Presentation of the Colours".  They were getting a new specially designed flag to commemorate several events. Everyone was in dress uniforms including kilts for the local volunteer brigade. The pipe and drum corps and many dignitaries were there to celebrate the occasion.

The new Colours

We celebrated my birthday by going out to Grafton Dinner Theatre to see the musical "The Sound of Music By'e".  The play was a spoof on the Sound of Music set in modern times and in Nova Scotia. They used the same music but rewrote the lyrics to most of the songs.  The actors all had great voices and did an amazing job.

In Nova Scotia we found that is nice to have so many options for eating out as we found that most restaurants offered several vegan options.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

Day26 - 28 July 16-18 found us on the road to PEI.  It would take three travel days at our preferred pace.  First stop near Bangor, Maine.  We stayed at a park called Shady Rest, "quaint" is probably the word to use, but it was reasonable for an overnight stay.  It was also a good place to go to the grocery store to get a few things before crossing into Canada. 

The next day was from Bangor to St John, New Brunswick.  Customs was no problem. We stayed at Rockwood Park, which is  beautiful park, but we could not take advantage of it because of the fog/rain/drizzle. We did go to the grocery store and stock up on fresh produce which you are not allowed to take across the border.

Travel day 3 was from St John to Cavendish, PEI.  To get over to PEI you have to take an 8 mile long bridge.  There is no charge to go over to the island, but they charge you to get off !  It was $63 Canadian for the car and the RV to get back across! Our next four nights we were at Marco Polo Land RV Park.  PEI is known in Canada as a vacation spot with the best beaches.  The RV parks are set up to entertain families.  What a great park this was for families with children!  It was up a hill and off the road.  The kids could run and ride bikes all over the park.  There were 3 playgrounds, a petting zoo, a basketball court, a fenced in area to play hockey with a ball, an area with exercise type equipment outside, a rec room that offered activities at different times like games, movies, arts and crafts, 3 pools (not heated), a skateboard ramp area, a giant bounce pillow and other stuff I am sure I am forgetting.  They also had a camp store and a small restaurant. It was a great place for families, but not so exciting for active adults.

Day 29 to 31, July 18-21 time in PEI.
The Cavendish area reminded us of a mini Myrtle Beach with rides, gift shops and restaurants. The beaches are all in the Provincial Park.  They are well maintained and the water, even though it is the warmest in Canada, was COLD !  It was 62F! We touched it but would never consider swimming in it. We did walk quite a few of the beaches and found some seaglass. Most of the people we saw at the beach were just enjoying the sand and the sun.  The park also offered very nice multi use trails.  We walked a few and biked one (13.6 mile ride) enjoying the view of the coast.

 The claim to fame of Cavendish and PEI is Lucy Maud Montgomery.  She grew up there and wrote "Anne Of Green Gables" based on her life there.  So everywhere you look you see Anne of Green Gables referenced.  We went to the Anne of Green Gables House and Museum.  We also went to Charlottetown and enjoyed seeing Anne of Green Gables the Musical.  Charlotte Town is the only town of real size on PEI and where most people go to do their shopping.  We did find a nice vegan restaurant for dinner before we saw the play.

PEI is rolling farmland and large well kept homes.  They grow a LOT of potatoes.  The shoreline is rocky and foggy and has lots of lighthouses. PEI  had 63 lighthouses, 37 are still active.  We saw at least 6 while we were there. The most interesting, not because of the light house, but if you walk just beyond the Cape Tryon Lighthouse there is a beautiful steep red cliff that is a rookery for a Cormorants that I will try to identify when we get home and have unlimited fast internet.  They are different than the ones we have at home.

Anne of Green Gables House

View from Cliff at Cape Tryon Lighthouse

 

Finger Lakes, Vermont and New Hamphire

Day 20  7/10  The Finger Lakes are a beautiful area filled with big farms, vineyards, cherry orchards, and 100's of wineries.  We drove to Taughannock Falls State Park and hiked the gorge and then rim trail.  We were pleased to find out while you are camping in a NY State Park your admission to other NY State Parks is FREE !  It is the dry season so Taughannock Falls were not as impressive as they could be, but still pretty.  We were able to walk down the river bed park of the way up the falls.  We had a late lunch in Ithaca at Nikki Green's a great Vegan restaurant followed by grocery shopping.

Wayne walking the river bed

Us in front of the falls

Falls from the Rim overlook

Day 21  7/11 We drove over to Watkins Glenn and rode part of the Catherine Valley Trail on our mountain bikes.  It was up hill most of the way out, I liked the ride back better. The trail goes through the town of Montour Falls. We missed seeing the falls on the way out but saw them on the way back...not sure how we missed them the first time through.  It was a 16.5 mile ride, which on the mountain  bikes was enough for me.  On the way back to the RV we stopped at two wineries for tasting.  The first was JR Dill.  They buy local grapes.  We bought two bottles of wine.  The second was Silver Thread.  They grow most of their own grapes but do buy a few from others.  We chose to do their wine and chocolate pairing tasting.  They were all great pairings but we both especially enjoyed the Curry White Chocolate with Pistachio and Ginger.

Note the falls behind the white house

Chocolate and wine pairings

Day 22  7/12  We again went to Watkins Glen to visit Watkins Glen State Park.  We hiked the gorge trail and the south rim trail.  Their sign said they had over 800 steps in the park.  I think we climbed them all!  On the way back to the RV we stopped to pick cherries.  At only $2.50 a pound I wish we could have gotten more than two pounds, but we are going into Canada soon and need to eat up all of our fresh produce.

Wayne picking cherries

Day 23  7/13  Today was another travel day.  We drove from Sampson State Park to Woodford, Vermont, where we camped at Greenwood Lodge and Campsites.  The park is on 120 acres of land with ponds, trees and rolling hills.  We took a hike around the park before supper and I took pictures of wildflowers.  There was a woodchuck enjoying some grass outside our window while we were having dinner.

Day 24  7/14  Our drive today was from Vermont to White Birches Campground, in Gorham, New Hampshire in the White Mountains.

Day 25  7/15  We have a nice view of Mt Washington however there was so much cloud cover we decided not to go to the top.  Today's first stop was the Appalachian  Mountain Club (AMC) Lodge at Pinkham Notch.  We saw cars from all over the United States. The hikers were there to hike the local White Mountains or more adventurous hikers were doing the Appalachian Trail.  Our first hike of the day was a little piece of the Appalachian Trail from AMC to the Lost Pond.  The trail was pretty rugged and took much scrambling.  I am not even sure that 40 years and 40 pounds ago I could have hiked much of the trail, those are some ambitious people that hike the whole trail.  After a picnic lunch we saw the Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson, NH.  Our second hike of the day was to see the Glen Ellis Falls.  This is a beautiful area in the summer.  The lady at the information center said it gets as low as 40 below here in the winter...no thank you.

Proof we were on the AT in New Hampshire

Proof we were on the AT in New Hampshire

We saw lots of trees that were growing over big rocks

Mount Washington

Lillys growing in Lost Pond

Honeymoon Covered Bridge, Jackson, NH

Glen Ellis Falls