8/19 - Left Jill and Bernie's cabin in Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island (MDI) and headed not too far away to Gouldsboro, where I stayed at a BW host. On the way, I went to Schoodic Peninsula, which is part of Acadia, but not on MDI, (I didn't know there was more to Acadia.) It was another foggy day, so not much for views, but fog is cool too. The highlight was Schoodic Point where I hung out for probably an hour watching the big surf break on the rocks. Apparently the surf was so high due to Hurricane Ernest out at sea (thankfully not on shore!). The ranger I spoke to said he'd never seen waves like this, so I felt very fortunate.
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| Crashing waves at Schoodic Point |
The BW host mentioned a place in Corea for food and Google said it opened again at 5, but I got there around 4:30 to walk around town first, but there was no sign of anyone around, so I left after walking Zoe for a bit (we hadn't had much exercise today).
I'm glad I went to the grocery store and had gotten a couple of things because I was on my own for dinner since the restaurant in Corea was closed. The host lives on the water, but with the fog, there wasn't too much to see. They do have some ADK chairs near the water for hanging out, so I did do that for a bit until the mosquitoes came out in force.
8/20 - I dilly dallied trying to figure out where to go. Do I do some of the places I had marked on Google maps or head to Campobella island in Canada and maybe hit the others on the way back? I decided to head to Campobella and finally get to Canada. Not the best idea come to find out... I stopped at Quoddy Head State Park to see the lighthouse and take Zoe for a walk. Super foggy, but still cool. It is amazing how mossy the woods are here downeast. Almost 100% humidity many days. I hope the van isn't having mold building up anywhere from all this humidity. I'm ready to head back out west!
After the lighthouse, we headed into Lubec, ME, which is small and quaint, but I didn't stay. I wanted to go to the Prince Cafe at the Rockefeller park for a late lunch (it was already 2 PM and I had only eaten an apple), so didn't hang around. I crossed the bridge and got stuck at the border crossing. Apparently they were bored and decided to search the van. (I was told that they often search RVs, but I saw several go through, but he said that there were only 3 people there, so they couldn't search others. I guess I was the lucky one! ðŸ˜) Wow, they were very thorough. Two guys on the job and I couldn't see what they were doing other than him going through my backpack where he pulled every single thing out. I figured it would be a cursory exploration, but nope! They were at it for at least an hour. And they found some CBD oil I had for Zoe (not sure where it was) and CBD gummies Laurie gave me forever ago. I also had some CBD chocolate and CBD gummies (they didn't find these gummies) that I had bought in Portland, ME with Polly last year. I'd tried them, but didn't really enjoy it, so forgot about them. Apparently pepper spray is illegal in Canada and I had 2 very small canisters they also found. They fined me 200 CAD for the CBD stuff because I didn't declare it. They did not fine me for the pepper spray, which would have cost 500 CAD each! Not sure why they gave me a break on that. When asked, I didn't think carefully about my answers because it's usually just a breeze and I didn't think I had anything of concern. I knew I had a bottle of wine and told them that, but when asked about CBD and pepper spray, I didn't give it much thought as I don't use these things, so don't think of them. The CBD gummies from Laurie and the CBD oil for Zoe I would never have thought of had I been carefully thinking about it. The CBD chocolate and gummies I got in Maine and the pepper spray, I might have remembered if I thought more carefully about it. Lesson learned! Still, even if they didn't find anything, them going through my van like that is super violating and unpleasant. This is my home that they just invaded! I am really bothered by this and wonder how long it's going to eat at me. I know I should just let it go, but it feels really yucky and I'm struggling to get past it (it's only been 3 hours).
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| Sitting area in the AM at BW host |
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| Foggy lighthouse visit. Quoddy Head State Park |
Tonight I'm at the Herring Cove Provincial Park campground. I'm not loving it, but it's a place to sleep and shower. Maybe hike from here tomorrow. I want to do a tour at the Roosevelt park too.
I had considered driving back across the border and then going up through Calais, but no way - I will take the ferry! I've probably got a record now and they'll stop me again. I guess if I want to go to Alaska I'll have to remember this. Apparently Sue and Bruce have been searched 2 of the 3 times they've crossed into Canada. It used to be that going into Canada was so much easier than crossing into the states.
6/21
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| Roosevelt Cottage |
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| View from the Hubbard Cottage What a window! |
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| Milkweed - there was a woman telling all about Monarchs. So interesting! It takes about 5 generations to get from Mexico back to the NE where they summer. |
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| Sitting area in the Roosevelt "cottage" |
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| Mulholland Point Lighthouse with Lubec, ME in the background. The speed of the water flowing in this pretty narrow channel is just crazy. This is at the base of the Bay of Fundy, so there are some big tides. |
I went to the other end of the island to Head Harbour Light station and ended up walking across to the lighthouse ($5 CAD supposedly, but I gave him $5 US and he didn't give me any change - and I didn't ask).
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| Tides can rise at 5'/hour here!!! |
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| Taken at 5:05 PM. Notice no land between the islands. |
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| Taken at 6:22 PM. That's a considerable difference! |
After walking to the lighthouse, I decided to go grab something for dinner. I ended up going to several places that were closed and then the last one I went to was so busy that I gave up. I ended up driving back to the lighthouse to spend the night instead of going back to the campground, even though I was right there. I am so glad I did. Though there were a few cars that came and went and some that hung out for a while, it was pretty quiet. I enjoyed the sunset there and the next morning was special!
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View from my seat in the van. Not bad!
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6/22 - When I got up and took Zoe out, I thought I could hear a whale surfacing and blowing, even though I was pretty far from it. I rushed Zoe over, but could see anything in the cove where I thought I heard it. I then spotted a whale in the distance and could see the spray and hear the blow of air. Even though I wasn't close, just being in their presence feels special. Zoe was a good girl and tolerated me watching for quite a while. No photos though.
I left and caught the 10 AM ferry (after making a stop at an ATM as the ferry is only cash). I should have waited for higher tide (but I didn't know better) as the van (trailer hitch) bottomed out as I was getting on the ferry to Deer Island. They just drive up to the ramp and lower the boat ramp and you drive on. It happens really fast. No problem driving off, but then getting on the next ferry from Deer Island to the mainland (free) I bottomed out again...
Beautiful morning views at the lighthouse
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| Ferry coming in |
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| Cars driving off |
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| Loading up seconds later |
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| These two foggy photos are taken on the same 20 minute ferry ride as the two very blue photos following! |
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| This is the biggest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere! |
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| These whirlpools are everywhere |
We stopped in St John on the way north. We walked around for only about an hour, but it's a nice town and I'd like to spend more time here. I felt the need to get to Fundy NP, so I didn't want to stay too long. I would have had a bite to eat had we not stopped and had the worst lobster roll ever. I was so disappointed (there was a review saying the lobster roll was great with lots of lobster) and disgusted! There was a ton of mayo and it wasn't big chunks of lobster like I've gotten used to.
Got to Fundy NP around 4 or 4:30 and booked a campsite at Chignecto (the BW folks had said this was nicer than others, so I picked this). The ranger gave me some recommendations of hikes I could do with Zoe and even though it was getting late, I felt like I had to do some stuff, so we rushed off and did the Caribou Plains hike, which was really pretty. The woods were just spectacular with the afternoon lighting.
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| The moss!!! 😲 |
Then we stopped at a recommended lookout.
Then we went and did another short hike (Shiphaven's trail). It said it was easy, and it was, but there were a lot of steps. Poor Zoe was getting tired by this point!
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| Ships used to come up this river at high tide |
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| This is where the small ships came to |
Then I stopped at Herring Cove and left Zoe in the van to rest, which was good. I walked down many steps to the beach (low tide). It was probably at least one, if not two football fields of beach that is gone at high tide.
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| Looking back up the beach from the edge of the water. |
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| All of this rock gets covered. |
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| The water ends up almost at these posts. No more beach at high tide! |
We finally went to the campground to check in. Firewood is included (for 13 CAD - not optional), so I picked some up. It felt damp, so I wasn't optimistic. When I got to my site, there was a ton of wood already there and the grill (not a fire pit) was full, so I had to pull that out and I ended up using the wood I got as it seemed drier. I had it going and was quite proud of myself until I poked at it too soon and then I gave up. 😂 I'm not much of a solo fire person, so no biggie. Decent site and oh so dark! When I took Zoe out for a late night walk, I couldn't see anything. Usually after my eyes adjust I can see, but not here.
6/23 - After a shower and a walk around the campground, we went and hiked Dickson Falls. I was afraid that I had waited too long and that the fairly small lot would be full, but I lucked out and there was plenty of parking at around 11. Nothing like Acadia! I didn't have super high hopes for this hike, but wow! It was so beautiful with all the moss on the rocks. That green is like the spring green leaves and just so incredible. I wish they had a bench to hang out on as I would have stayed for a while. I was lucky to have enjoyed it without others around as it got pretty busy when I was leaving.
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| Not sure what was going on here. There wasn't an extraordinary amount of water flowing down, so I don't know what made it this foamy color. |
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| Zoe was very serious about what the sign says! |
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| Such a pretty girl |
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| Tired pup and very happy to have some sunshine to recharge in |
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| Tide is coming in and the color of the water is so cool. It's almost purple. |
After our hike, we went into Alda to get some lunch. I had some fish cakes that were a bit bland on their own, but the pineapple topping made it good. I wish I had taken a photo of the boats that were grounded when I arrived, but I took one a bit later.
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| 12:37 |
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| 1:08 |
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| 1:31 |
Then I went to Hopewell Rocks so that I could see it at high tide at 3:30 or so. When you get a ticket, it is good for two days so that you can see high and low on different days since it is 6 hours between each high and low tide.
Then I drove back the way I came to park at a free (donation) camp spot. There were quite a few of us there. Three tents, one car camper (father daughter), two other vans, and a cargo trailer converted to camper (very small!). A bunch of us hung out around the fire, while one guy had his own (but did join us for a short bit). It was a nice crew. One guy liked to talk about himself a lot which got a little old. At least three of us with to Hopewell Rocks in the morning.
When I got to Hopewell Rocks, it was already quite warm and sunny, so I found a shady spot and left Zoe in the van with windows open and the fan running. She had been slow the day before (one walk was quite far, hilly, and had some stairs. So, I went and quickly did all the things to get comparison photos and then came back to her.
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| High Tide |
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| Low Tide |
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| High Tide |
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| Low Tide |
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| High Tide |
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| Camping spot for the night and Momo decided to come hang out with me and Zoe |
I panicked when I returned to the van because it was largely in the sun and on the side I expected her to be on. She was in the driver's seat in the shade and the van was cool. I don't think the sun had really been on the van for long. I took her out and she was very slow, but since I had already done what I wanted to do, it was easy for me to just go at her speed. We ended up grabbing lunch at the park, which I wouldn't normally do, but Zoe needed to hang in the shade. I'm glad I went cuz I ended up having a fabulous salad with chicken on it. I also ended up chatting with a couple from GA for a while, who I really enjoyed.
Before I left Hopewell Rocks, I messaged a BW host about staying, but since I didn't hear back in time, I ended up heading further north and found a great spot by a beach with great views.
4/24 - It was nice walking the beach in the morning at low tide. We walked through the water and washed my feet with my outdoor shower. I'm always trying not to get dirty and track extra dirt/sand into the van, which is silly, but I have that shower, which is good for hosting of me and Zoe!
After hanging around until around Noon, I headed across the bridge to PEI. It's pretty new and about 10 miles long and costs 50 CAD to cross (only charges on way back from PEI, so if you took a ferry off island, the bridge wouldn't cost anything. Not really knowing what to do on PEI, I stopped at the visitor center and was given a map that had 3 coastal driving loops: West, Central, East. It seemed like a good idea, so I started with the West. I came to find that it wasn't that interesting and these PEI people really like to patch the roads! I've never seen so may patches on a road! They did a good job in that they weren't too bumpy, but it definitely wasn't a smooth ride. I thought that there would be cute little towns to visit along the way, but nope! Not much of anything, other than some beautiful farmland and some views of the ocean. It's pretty, but not all of what I had hoped. There was the Famous Canadian Potato Museum, which was cool. I never knew that potatoes had so many nutrients. They have vitamin C in them and potatoes helped with scurvy in those early days. They seemed to originate in South America, or that's where the Spaniards learned about them. I guess I need to start eating more potatoes! I don't eat them much because I think of them as empty calories. Who told us that? Why were we told that? I really love a potato with butter (hmmm, is that the problem?) and salt and pepper. I even, at one time, ate potatoes with just salt and pepper - when I used to be concerned with eating too much fat...
I ended up stopping at the North Cape lighthouse where you can boondock. At first, I parked on the right side of the point, next to the Wind Center. I had driven up to a rough dirt road that made me feel uncomfortable, so I turned around and then parked. I ended up walking around after seeing a van out on the left side of the point, away from the Wind Center. Someone else pulled into a great spot, while we were walking around. But then I saw a great spot that I thought would work. So, then I tried to rush Zoe back to the van, so that we could go grab that spot. It worked out and it was a most amazing spot with ocean views on three sides and then a lighthouse and wind turbines on the fourth. Wonderful in the evening and in the morning. Lucky me! We took some walks there and got some closer views of a group of seals just hanging out in the water together. There are many of these around and fun to see and hear. They don't make too much noise, but every so often they do. I wonder what they're saying!!! I definitely do not speak Seal. I also got to be close to a wind turbine. They are big! And they do make noise. It's not super loud, but if you're too close, it would get on your nerves for sure ( or mine anyway!). I have always loved the wind turbines. I find them majestic and beautiful.
8/25 - Hung out in the AM, then went to the Wind Center to learn about wind energy, which interests me. After that, I went back to the van and people kept walking by. They had a bit the night before and one or two in the morning, but it was pretty frequent now. People did not think at all about walking all around "my spot". I know it's there for everyone, but I think I would have avoided going so close to someone's van.
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| Meeting of the seals |
Drove the rest of the Eastern loop and started on the Central Coastal loop.
8/26 - needed a shower, so next stop was a provincial park. Very happy with my secluded site vs the MANY sites that are just on top of each other with nothing separating them. Negative of secluded site - don't meet/chat with as many people. Positive is that it's secluded! 😀 Anyway, I went into town to grab a bite at the Lost Anchor and had fish tacos. They were really good, but nothing like I'm used to having. Not mexican in the least and the fish was fried. Though I don't normally eat fried food, I enjoyed it! Zoe had a really hard time at the restaurant and I had to put her in the van. My table was glass and the noise of my china plate touching the table sent her wanting to run away and she just laid there with her tail tucked and looking miserable. Poor baby!
After dinner we went for a walk at a beach and caught the sunset.
Not being a beach/sun/ocean person, there really isn't much for me here. I guess I need to research places better. I would definitely enjoy all of these more if Zoe could be with me, or I didn't have to worry about her.
8/27 - Boondocked in Charlottetown on the waterfront. Not glamorous for sure! Parking lot at it's best/ or worst. Nice for walking to town and waterfront, which we did and had dinner in town. Not super dog friendly here in Canada.
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| Morning view. Haha. |
8/28 - There was a huge pile of gravel next to the parking lot and a loader started loading trucks at 4 AM. I put in my earplugs and went back to sleep! I would enjoy going back to the town and going to the Egyptian restaurant that sounds so good - I might have stayed another night if I had better accommodations which was more conducive for hanging out.
8/28 - Left Charlottetown (because I don't know how to stay still AND the location wasn't conducive for hanging out. I finished the central tour by going through an adorable little town called Victoria. It was drizzling and super windy, but enjoyable anyway. And I had an excellent lobster roll that made me recover from the horrendous one I had in NB.
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| Lobster roll 10, coleslaw 3 |
These are shots of the beautiful artwork that I'd love to have (but no where to put them), but I couldn't even choose as they were all so beautiful. Here are just a few.
The rain got worse and the wind still terrible and decided to go back to Cape Tormentine. After a while the rain stopped and we got a sunset. The wind continued and rocked the van all night long.
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| Back at Cape Tormentine |
