Acadia
 "The deep, dark forest,  too silent to be real." from "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" by Gordon Lightfoot

 September 11, 2015


We loved Quebec and PEI; however, there is nothing like the Maine woods and water! This is the best place—even in the rain.

Robin was up at 5:30 a.m. to photograph the sunrise on Frenchman Bay; of course, there was no visible sunrise in the pouring rain and mist. That’s okay—we got an extra couple hours of sleep, and that’s what we needed.


We spent all afternoon in Acadia National Park, and it was so much fun! I found “my place” and named it Pine Cone Point, where we walked along a path and sat on stones and just took it all in—the pines, hemlocks, the birch trees, the ocean dotted with small islands (Porcupine Islands), the rocks, and surf.

 It was cool and certainly overcast, but it was peaceful and restorative just being a part of these gifts. And I may have taken the picture for our Christmas card this year, right there in Pine Cone Point. 

Some of the white birch trees were turning golden, and we saw a bit of red interspersed with the greens. Another week or so, and it will be even more spectacular.

We drove the Loop Road in Acadia, all the way up to Cadillac Mountain, which is a giant hunk of pink granite. Usually the view from up there is awesome; today it was awesome in a different way—we were surrounded by clouds and could see nothing below. It was a world we don’t experience very often—surreal almost.

We decided to drive for a few hours tonight to get a head start on our long trek home tomorrow and Sunday, and we are now in Waterville, Maine, just north of Augusta, the state capital.

Heading Home

 September 10, 2015

When we originally planned this trip, we intended to go so many more places, specifically Nova Scotia and then ferrying to Newfoundland and back to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, to ferry to Portland, Maine. Before we left Richmond, we eliminated Newfoundland—a land that we would very much love to visit, but we just did not feel we had enough time because the ferry rides took all day each way.

Last night, knowing that we were leaving PEI today, and we need to be home in a few days, we realized that we just couldn’t do it all—we spent too much wonderful time elsewhere and didn’t keep to a fixed schedule. Since today is our anniversary, Robin suggested something special—“Let’s go to Bar Harbor!” He knows how I love it here, and we both have always wanted to get back to Acadia National Park; we were here 28 years ago. I didn’t even think of Bar Harbor as a possibility, but Robin made reservations, and here we are, and we can’t wait to see everything tomorrow before we head south.

Joyce and Robin - 9-10-2015 - 32 years

Frenchman Bay is right across the road from our hotel; Acadia is a few miles east, and we have one day to enjoy it all.

We left PEI behind—land of lighthouses, little, white churches, little diversity, a lot of mussels and lobster, warm, friendly people, unique villages—and headed back across the Confederation Bridge for the mere sum of $45.50, but, as Robin says, it’s Canadian money, not American, so that makes it about $34. They built this wonderful bridge, so everybody who leaves the island must pay for it, but it was all good.

Back to New Brunswick and the endless highways and in just a few hours, we were in the northern Maine woods on a two-lane road that brought us through forests to Bar Harbor.

We discovered that the restaurant that we loved so much many years ago was gone—what a surprise! We had seafood at Fiddlehead’s, but the very best part of the meal was a large, thirst-quenching glass of real iced tea, which I haven’t had for almost two weeks. Robin got us a bottle of pinot grigio, and that was very good, but nothing beat the tea!

In Search of Lighthouses
 September 9, 2015

Explorers that we are, we spent an interesting day with two goals in mind—find as many lighthouses as we could and get to the Anne of Green Gables House in Cavendish. We succeeded in doing both, but not without some interesting experiences and entertainment.



Our GPS does not know the roads on this island—she only knows that there are roads where they are. We found ourselves many times on red dirt roads—not gravel—that I’m sure are mostly for tractor use, and they went on for miles. It reminded me of the cow paths through farmland that she took us over when we were in Switzerland.

We really had no understanding that this island was not very wide from north to south. We got from the south coast to the north in about 40 minutes! In trying to find the lighthouses, we kept going over the same roads, seeing the same churches and community centers in our search, and we only found about 4 of the 50 lighthouses they say are standing in PEI.

A village, found on the way to a lighthouse,

We also saw lobster traps piled high on a fishing skiff, indicating the end of lobster season. Many of the restaurants and the few hotels that are here are already closed and the retail businesses that are still open are running 50 percent off sales. Winter is coming and probably soon.


Today was a fun adventure and a good day of getting to know the western part of this province, and we are winding down and heading south to the states tomorrow.
house

One other thing to mention is that during our entire time in Québec, New Brunswick, and PEI, we have only seen one other car with license plates from the U.S.—and that was a car from Pennsylvania today. We didn’t spend a lot of time looking for license plates, so I’m sure we missed some.

Leaving Gaspé
September 8, 2015

Yesterday was definitely a travel day, although most of the travel was just finishing our trek around the peninsula to get to New Brunswick. The speed limit along this coastal road is usually 90 km. (54 mph), although about every five miles is a village, and it drops to 60 km. (36 mph), so our departure was not speedy but it was stunning. We talked about how, when looking across the landscape at the ocean, it appeared to be higher than the land. We stopped along the way, of course, to take a few pictures and at an artists’ colony to check out the art.


Speaking of pictures, I told Robin that people driving behind us along our routes were probably talking about him as “the nut with the camera in the car ahead.” He has been obsessed with highway signs in French, and, when he is driving, he has his camera hanging around his neck, ready to grab in an instant, if a different sign appears or, in many cases, one that he has photographed a dozen times before! If I’m driving, he never stops clicking. This makes me remember a trip we took several years back through West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri. We stopped once for a meal at a Cracker Barrel, and they had a tee shirt/sweatshirt display from the local college team. He snapped shots of that display. Then, every time we saw a Cracker Barrel, he insisted on stopping—not to eat, but to photograph the shirts from the nearby college’s teams! I told him that he can start his own blog of French highway signs! (He is the one who posts the pictures in this blog, so I’ll have to be sure he doesn’t sneak too many in!)

As we stopped for gas at the end of the Gaspé Peninsula road, we had a nice discussion with the man at the service station who pumped our gas. Notice I said “service” station—they do that up here. I told him we planned to be back in Virginia in a week—he said that we had plenty of time but it would take an hour to get across the bridge into New Brunswick. I looked down the road and saw a large bridge with little traffic and looked back at him. He laughed and told us we would be going into a different time zone and losing an hour!

I kept thinking yesterday was Sunday, instead of Monday, because so many businesses, schools, and government buildings, like post offices, were closed. Then, we learned that Canada celebrates Labour Day today as well.

After days of the sameness of riding along with the calming sea on the left side of the car, yesterday we experienced the unchanging emptiness of straight roads through the wilderness. I might also add that New Brunswick highways had no rest areas. Quebec’s had them every five or ten miles! Every seaside village had its own “halte municipale,” beautiful, well-attended little parks.

Driving along a highway in the dusk through wooded terrain, we saw a lot of signs to watch out for moose. I knew they wouldn’t come out when I was around—I have to sneak up on moose to see them. Robin said he heard that if people are driving at night and there is a moose in the road, it was difficult to see it because moose are so tall that the car headlights go right under it. That’s a little scary. There was also another sign requesting that travelers report moose sightings. So we drove carefully with our eyes on the road, singing old favorites along the way, and wondering about our family back in Virginia.

This sign keeps you awake!

There was a moose - made of concrete

New Brunswick scenery

We left northern New Brunswick this morning on one of their straight highways, and I fell asleep. Robin was driving—without Samantha, the GPS turned on. When I woke up, something didn’t seem right. I picked up the map and discovered that we had driven about 45 miles into central NB, when we were supposed to be along the coast! We had to backtrack all those miles! In our haste and hunger, we stopped at a very popular chain of restaurants in Canada—Tim Horton. We saw them in British Columbia and we’ve seen these little places all along our travels this time. I thought it was fast food, and, in a way, it is; however, it’s more of a coffee and pastry shop with seven different sandwiches. We were curious and rushing, so we checked that one off our list and tried to make up for lost time. Robin was more impressed than I was with Tim Horton’s offerings.

We arrived in Prince Edward Island (PEI) late today and already love it here. Once we crossed the Confederation Bridge that connects the island to the mainland, it was like another world and very welcoming. New Brunswick, a much larger province, was less so. This bridge is eight miles across and, according to the natives, holds the world record for being the longest bridge over ice-covered waters. (No ice today—although it was in the 50s this morning.) Another interesting fact we learned is that no part of this province is more than 10 miles away from the ocean or an inlet. We did not arrive until almost dusk, so our pictures are limited—they will come in the next blog.

We are staying in Summerside and will travel up the northwest coast tomorrow to Cavendish of Anne of Green Gables fame. As we were studying the dinner menu tonight, Robin informed me that PEI is the “mussels capital of the world.” He loves mussels! And those that he enjoyed tonight were right out of the surrounding waters.

They tasted better than they look!

 Problem with mussels is for the dinner companion, who must wait for each little shell (of dozens) to be opened so a tiny morsel can be "bathed in drawn butter and lovingly consumed," as Robin says.

We are eager to explore this island—I just wish we had allowed ourselves more time to enjoy it.

 

Our first Prince Edward Island Lighthouse - at the bridge!

Gaspé Part 4: Forillon National Park

Perce Rock from Rt. 132 going back toward Gaspe

We drove 40 miles north today to check out this wonderful, wooded park along the coastline—and drove to the end of the land and the end of the Appalachians. We could not have ordered a more beautiful day—sunny, breezy, and cool. There was little new to see—just different ways of looking at it. We went as far east as the road would take us, along the rocky cliffs jutting out into the sea and, at every bend in the road, there was something new to appreciate.


 Of course, by now, we should have been heading southwest instead of northeast to get to Prince Edward Island via New Brunswick, but we took a little side trip to see more of Forillon, which basically took all day!

Our last stop in Forillon was an “Interpretation Center,” basically a visitor’s center. We decided to take a little path on foot out into the park toward the shore. I was so surprised to look in the distance and see a lighthouse right there, up on a cliff across a narrow strip of water. I wanted my camera with the big lens, so Robin said he would run back to the car and get it. I proceeded on my own a bit—until some beast stepped out of a wooded area right onto the path in front of me. I was so startled—being out there alone—I panicked and backed away from it. I have no idea what it was. I’m sure it wasn’t a bear—it wasn’t dark brown or black and it didn’t look like a bear. I understand there are lots of black bears in that area. It was a low-to-the-ground round furry body with a big tail, kind of a light grayish brown. At first I thought it was a really big beaver, but it wasn’t the right color—I probably haven’t seen a beaver for about 40 years anyway. I wanted to see wildlife—but not that way. I backed up until I couldn’t see him anymore and then hurried to the car. Robin couldn’t believe I hadn’t taken a picture of it. I had my other camera, but I was in survival mode. First he said it might have been a wolverine, but he told me a wolverine would have bitten me. Maybe it was a woodchuck. I know what a woodchuck looks like, and it was bigger than that.

Instead of walking the path, we drove to a cliff nearer to the lighthouse, and it was a wonderful sight! Huge pieces of driftwood were strewn on the beach below it, and all was right with the world. I really was hoping for a moose, but none were out yet.

Tomorrow—Monday—is a travel day. Many miles to go before we sleep. The travel day should have been today, but we got off our rather loose agenda for too long. Before we left Percé this morning, we had breakfast at a little bistro—today was its last day to be open for the season, so we helped them celebrate. Problem is, around here people who work in restaurants have such a leisurely routine. We finish eating, and they take forever to bring us the check, so what should have been 45 – 60 minutes, turned into 90! So our day was slow in starting. Slow is often good. I think there is power in the pause. At work I feel as if I plug myself in and never slow down!

Gaspé Part 3: Bonaventure Island—Gannets and Seals

Sunrise at Rerce Rock

 We had a great boat ride today to a nearby island that is a Canadian National Park and a sanctuary for bird migration.

The dock at Perce

The boardwalk at Perce

Close-up of Perce Rock

Tucked against the rocky ledges on this island are several hundred thousand northern gannets. I have never knowingly seen a gannet before; however, today we had the privilege of being a part of their environment for a short time, as the waves rocked and sprayed the boat and its passengers while passing by the cliffs along the island. These are beautiful white sea bird with wide wingspans, as can be seen in the pictures. These birds are divers.

Gannet cliffs at Bonaventure Island

In front of the cliffs full of gannets, Gray Seals basked, splashed, and played on the rocks and in the water. It was a lovely feast for the eyes and very exciting to know that this is the best place in the world to see northern gannets. How interesting it was to see this for about a mile or so along the rocky coast and then, suddenly, it stopped, and we saw no more gannets. I was hoping to see a puffin or two; however, one of the tourist guides told me that there were only about 10 puffins left on the island—
and we did not see them.



The seafood from the North Atlantic, fresh out of the surrounding waters, is incredible—lobster, scallops, cod, salmon, and halibut. We have also found it easy to get vegetables and fruit on this trip. Often, on trips out West, corn or mixed veggies out of a can have been the vegetable du jour. Here we have had fresh cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and every meal has a green salad (sa-laud in French) on the plate—a variety of lightweight greens, two thin slices of cucumber, and a cherry tomato sliced in half (in every restaurant!).

Traveling, for us, I think is healthy—nutritious foods, lots of walking, fresh air and sunshine, sleep, using the brain to consider other ways of life and process new information—it’s very restorative.

And this morning I had oatmeal for the first time in Québec—I saw the word “gruau” on the menu under “ceréales.” Our server did not understand my question—“Qu’est-ce que ‘gruau’?” That is, she did not know the answer in English. She spoke no English. I took a chance and ordered it anyway, and it was wonderful! I can read the French that we encounter here; however, I hesitate to speak it because the person will answer me rapidly and with a different dialect than what I learned. Also, whenever we travel where French is the language, after a couple days, Robin starts talking to me in what I call “pidgin French”—using a few French words or phrases, mixed with English.

Tonight is our last night in Percé. Tomorrow, if the weather is good, we will go a bit north to Forillon National Park—there are a few more sights we want to see before we head southwest toward New Brunswick and then on to Prince Edward Island.

I forgot to mention in another blog that the Appalachian Mountains end here or maybe they begin here. Who knows? So much to see and do and so much to think about on these trips. The beauty and diversity of our world is very inspiring, and I am so grateful to be able to be a part of it all and to be on the road with my buddy, who should be sorting pictures to add to this blog but is, instead, across the room, softly snoring! (He’s was up at 5:30 this morning photographing the sunrise.)