Maritime Musings and Excited States...

Pictured: One last beautiful sunset over the Saint John River and, Janice takes in the lull before the storm the night before Earl.



We woke to drizzling rain at Hartt Island Park knowing that we were on the edge of where Tropical Storm Earl was scheduled to appear. It started pouring rain about 10:30 am and we had to move our trailer at 11:00 because we hadn’t been sure if we were staying and so didn’t reserve our spot. I got thoroughly soaked and by noon it was coming down in sheets so we hunkered down, me with a book, Janice mostly on the internet, and waited while the wind blew and the puddles grew. By three 0’clock the skies opened up and we took a long walk along the river. Pictured below: Janice's pictures of some of the rain at our new, lower level campsite where the big puddle is forming. The truck(her name is Betty White by the way), gives an idea of the puddle's depth. By the time we got back from our walk on the river the kids at camp had put the puddle to good use.















The downpour gave us time to reminisce about our six-week tour of the Maritimes. We concluded that Newfoundland tops our list. Nova Scotia has more history and more grand seaside communities; Prince Edward Island is perhaps prettier; New Brunswick has the Acadian culture that is colourful and intriguing, but The Rock has a way of casting a spell. Its like being immersed in a different culture, almost like a different country, where the folks are both rugged and genuine, like the landscape that surrounds them. I know we’d go back.

We left Hartt Island Park on Sunday morning and drove into Fredericton where we parked downtown and walked around, had lunch and then widened our explorations on our bikes. It’s amazing what a little hurricane will do. A few days earlier when we were in Fredericton we had fled early because of the thirty-six degree heat that set a 130 year record. Two days later we were wearing jackets because it was only about fourteen degrees, with a chilly breeze - from record summer highs to fall in one day. We had dinner at Killarney Lake in Fredericton and then bedded down in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart.

The next day, on our way to McAdam, NB, you’ll be thrilled to know that we drove through Harvey, the home of none other than the late Don Messer. We camped at Wauklehegan Lake at McAdam where we toured the old CP station pictured below and later finished off anything that we weren’t allowed to take across to the Excited States of America.



Pictured are the boathouses at Wauklehegan lake and Janice at the same lake.





Pictured is the CP Station built in 1900. The cafeteria was added in 1910 and everything is original except the countertops and flooring that were replaced in the 1950’s, and the stool tops that were replaced last year. We split a piece of homemade coconut cream pie with coffees for $5.00.






We crossed the border into the great state of Maine at the teensy little outpost east of our campsite and took the backroads through to Lincoln, where we had lunch and then camped at Pleasant Hill Campsite at Bangor. What they forgot to tell us at our campsite is the fact that we're parked right below the flyway to the Bangor International Airport. Pretty loud with the windows open. We unhooked and then drove into town and were soon filled in on the goings on by the bartender at The Sea Dog Brewery and Restaurant. The beer was very good and the bartender was well informed. Like BC, the main industry was forestry until twenty-five-or-so years ago but the regional hospital with the cancer unit is now the major employer. Tomorrow, on to the coast...