Week 25: Maine’s Coastline to the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

On Father’s Day, Sunday June 15th, I finished the drive north along Maine’s pristine coastline and crossed the border into New Brunswick to start my summer in Canada.

Quoddy Head State Park, ME
The drive “down east” (as the locals call it) becomes quite remote once you pass the booming town of Bar Harbor.  My final stop in the states was Quoddy Head State Park in Lubec, ME to walk the ocean view trails, see the lighthouse, and take photos at the most Eastern Point in the US.  Much like the rest of Maine’s coast, the park was surrounded by rugged and dramatic shoreline making it a nice end to my journey through the states (for now).

Looking out on the Gulf of Maine

Hiking through a bog

Easternmost Point in the US!

Beautiful even under construction

Friendly neighbors

Looking north toward the Bay of Fundy

Happy boy

Happy in our element

Quintessential Maine coastline

New Brunswick, Canada

Shortly after leaving the state park, I reached the border crossing connecting Calais, ME and St. Stephens, NB.  Unlike my experience in Ontario, this border crossing was pleasant.  The woman was more interested in Trooper than sticking to the rules.  She let me in by trusting my can of bear spray actually had “BEAR” written on it (which I discovered later it does not) and by waiving the 1.5 liter wine allowance.  Within 20 minutes of reaching Calais, I was driving in the Atlantic Province of New Brunswick heading east on Canada’s highway 1 along the northern edge of the Bay of Fundy.

A short and simple border crossing

Welcome to New Brunswick!

The further east I drove, the heavier the winds and rain became so I pulled into New River Beach Provincial Park just west of Saint John.  The next morning, Monday 6/16, I woke to clear blue skies and walked to the campground’s nature trail for my inaugural “toe dip” in the Bay of Fundy .  My first impression was that it is similar to Maine’s coast but more primitive and less of everything (people, tourism, luxuries).   Trooper and I had the trail to ourselves allowing him to be off leash and me to drown in absolute peace and beauty.

First view of the Bay of Fundy

Another beautiful coastline

Enjoying the new surroundings

St. Martins
The rest of Monday was filled with a lot of driving as I took the scenic route through Saint John to St. Martins on route 111.  I read that St. Martins was a must destination for views of the bay and their World Famous Chowder.  The detour was 60 miles on some of the worst roads I have been on.  Everything in the RV was jostling and clinking; fortunately, the only thing that broke was my desire to drive.  Along the way, I passed numerous restaurants claiming to have “world famous chowder”, so my suspicions about this “must do” detour increased with every passing mile.  Nonetheless, I arrived in St. Martins and stopped at Caves Restaurant for a bowl of chowder and a few photos.  The chowder was thick, creamy and delicious with lots of seafood, but not sure it made up for the mileage.  When I left the restaurant, I continued on the road I thought to be route 111 but when it suddenly and abruptly became a gravel road, I slammed on my brakes and accepted that I was disorientated (did I mention the navigation system broke again and I have reverted to the good ole days of paper maps?).  I got back on track and headed toward Fundy National Park which was a long drive on routes 111 and 114 making me wish I skipped St. Martins.  (Side note: the Fundy Trail begins in St. Martins and is supposedly beautiful.  Since we hiked earlier in the day, I skipped the trail but perhaps that would have made the detour more worthwhile).

World Famous Chowder (and the road I shouldn't have followed)

Delicious chowder and great views

T approves

Alma
Several weeks ago, my father told me about his snowbird friends who owned a campground somewhere around the Bay of Fundy.  I spoke with Jim prior to crossing the border and he gave me directions to their campground in Alma and welcomed me anytime.  My goal after St. Martins was to spend a couple of days in Fundy National Park but when I saw that Alma was literally down the hill from the park, I continued into town.  After filling the gas tank (a whopping $300 @ $1.45/liter), I parked at the fish market and walked Trooper around town.  Alma was delightful!  It is the epitome of an authentic small fishing village.  The woman at the general store/gas station and a few locals admiring Trooper waved goodbye as we drove away.  

Welcome to Alma

I pulled into Bay View Campground around 7 p.m. and even though Jim and Linda weren’t expecting me so soon, they gave me a spot and opened a bottle of wine to celebrate the evening (which I desperately needed to stop the clinking in my head!).  I quickly felt at home as they shared their love for the area and their recommendations as I continue my journey through the maritime provinces.  They are both very knowledgable and my excitement to explore the area increased with each fact they shared, such as...

1.  The population of California is slightly larger than the ENTIRE population of Canada!
2.  The Bay of Fundy has the world’s highest tides (53.38 feet at the highest point). 
3.  Each day, 160 billion tons of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy, which is more than the combined flow of the world's freshwater rivers!
4.  "They" call the Bay of Fundy Canada's 8th Natural Wonder (because it didn't make the official list of 7).

I got an early start Tuesday morning to walk into town for low tide.  Seeing the fishing boats on the ocean floor is like something out of a movie; it just doesn’t look right. Trooper and I spent about one hour making our way through the mud to the water’s edge.  Turning back and looking at the village was shocking; we were so far out.  The interesting thing is that the floor is nothing but mud and stone; there is no seaweed or algae.  Later, Linda explained that it’s due to the strength of the tide which takes everything out and keeps it clean (and keeps the town free of “sea smell”).  We spent hours walking on the beach and around town.  I fell in love with Alma, was mesmerized by the bay, and was enamored by the friendliness of the locals.  Connie at the General Store saw Trooper and I walking by and brought him two treats.  I made a comment about how muddy he was and she let me use their hose to clean him up.  Trooper and I enjoyed another cup of world famous chowder from Harbour View Market as we sat on the shore and watched the tide and winds shift.  I stopped at Cleveland Place Book Store and Artisan Shop.  Again, I was overwhelmed with friendliness.  After chatting with the owner for a while and fighting the urge to buy a hat, pottery or local knickknack, I found a hardcopy trilogy by Jack London with White Fang, Call of the Wild, and Sea Wolf… surprisingly none of which I ever read and at $12, it was a bargain.  

Low tide at Alma's fishing wharf

Walking on the bay floor

A long way out from the wharf (Trooper is in the photo but hard to see so far back)

Perspective thanks to the dump truck

Closeup

Tide starting to come back in

Another delicious bowl of chower

When we got back to camp, Jim and Linda offered me a cup of coffee and homemade peanut butter cookies, and we made plans to take a ride later that evening.  Around 4:00, I rode my bike back into town to see high tide.  I was stunned by the drastic change in landscape.  It’s indescribable but awesome to see with one’s own eyes.  I was fortunate to see the first lobster boat of the evening leave dock.  With the dramatic change in tides, the boats won’t come back to dock until the next high tide.  

High tide

With boats back where they belong

Not a bad office

Or commute

When I returned to the campground, Linda and I went to Hillsboro for groceries (about 30 miles away) and she gave me a local tour.  

Another pristine beach just north of Alma

Love the juxtaposition of the marsh and ocean

My new friend Linda

Consolidated School for all grades; check out the fire escape!

Sawmill Creek covered bridge

View of the marshland from inside the bridge

Random Great Heron shot

Wednesday, 6/18 I was planning on heading out but awoke to a relentless rain.  I was grateful for an unexpected day off relaxing in the RV, catching up on emails and researching future destinations.  That evening, Jim grilled steaks and we ate inside their home (a very nice and roomy fifth wheel that is being retired from the yearly snowbird trek to Florida).  Thursday morning I said my goodbyes to Jim, Linda, Cash (the cat), and Alma.  I’m thrilled that my father connected me with a wonderful couple who introduced me to an amazing fishing village on the shores of one of Canada’s Natural Wonders.  THANK YOU Jim and Linda for your incredible hospitality and for treating me like family.  It was an absolute pleasure spending time with you and I look forward to our paths crossing again (November in New Mexico, perhaps?)…

Jim & Linda... GREAT hosts!

This one is for Dad... here is your buddy's attempt at building a deck (lost count of the times he took it apart and put it back together again with "better" ideas)

Cash

Goodbye for now Bay View!

Hopewell Rocks
As I continued traveling along the bay on route 114, there were a couple of spots I wanted to visit.  The first stop was Hopewell Rocks at low tide, which I was just in time for.  The $9 admission fee was well worth the experience, and since they encourage people to bring their dogs rather than leave them in hot vehicles, I was ready for some fun… little did I know what we were in for.  Hopewell Rocks are rock formations caused by the impressive tidal changes and stand 40 - 70 feet tall.  During low tide, you can walked down to the beach and explore the formations on foot.  At high tide, you can kayak through them.  The rocks reminded me of Oregon’s coastline, only with the ability to walk around and through them.  And the mud… did anyone mention the mud?  Thankfully I was wearing water shoes because Trooper and I were up to our ankles in thick, heavy mud.  I wanted to take him to the water to cool off but the park guide told me I would get stuck and they would have to come get me out, so Trooper had to wait to cool off.  Many folks avoided the mud, but Trooper and I immersed ourselves because it seemed like the right thing to do.  Fortunately, they had hoses at the entrance to clean up. 

Beautiful day to explore the effects of the world's highest tides

Captivating

One unique formation after another 

And the trees adding a cool element

View from above where you can see the water's edge... and the mud

Did someone say mud?

SO much mud!

Perspective with people

Not looking forward to the cleanup effort

Family shot

I think he likes mud!

Tidal Bore
Our last stop along the bay was the city of Moncton to witness the “Tidal Bore”.  This phenomenon is created by the amount of water coming into the bay and up the river at high tide.  The tidal bore is a wave that has been said to travel over 35 miles (and it’s also said that surfers have surfed the wave for that length).  I stopped at the visitors center and waited two hours for high tide.  I saw the wave coming from far away and did my best to capture it on film.  A local woman next to me said it was unusually small but the rise in water level and sound of the wave as it passed by was a pretty cool experience.  The Bay of Fundy is truly one of Canada’s Natural Wonders and I highly recommend a visit to this incredible place that offers a unique and wondrous experience!

River before tide

Here comes the 'Tidal Bore'

Final Thoughts
World Famous.  I lost count of the number of eateries claiming to have world famous chowder.  In the few that I visited, I asked them what made their chowder world famous.  Everyone had an answer and as far as I could tell, they truly believed theirs was the best.  I found it humorous at first but then thought, if they believe that theirs is the best, then it is.  Belief is a powerful thing.  I recently finished reading Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Mastery of Love” book which states:

“Everything is about belief.  Whatever we believe rules our existence, rules our life.  The belief system we create is like a little box we put ourselves inside of; we cannot escape because we believe we cannot escape.  Humans create their own boundaries, their own limitations.  We say what is possible and what is not possible.”

I certainly never believed that I would have the means or courage to quit my job and live in an RV traveling thousands of miles through the US and Canada, but here I am.  Perhaps my own belief system is going through an awakening and for that, I'm thrilled!

Thanks for reading and until next time!