Dana found our name match and after 10 minutes of conversation, learned enough to be able to introduce Sarah and Dan to the rest of the group.

And then came the lobster! \240We’ve had plenty of lobster while in Maine, but this was the first “whole” lobster we’ve had to tackle. We are definitely a fan of having someone else pull all the delicious meat out of the shell for us! I think it uses more calories to get to the meat than the meat provides! Imagine that … the new lobster diet program!

After a delicious dinner and some socializing, we returned to our rigs where we set up a “conversation and cocktail” circle! \240This pic was taken around 9:30pm and the sun was still shining!

… we finally made it through the border! \240

Many of the original Loyalist settlers had been trying to flee the independent United States for years. At one point, they moved to a northern area of Maine which they were sure would be in the new province of Canada. When the new US border was drawn, they were still in the US. So, they dismantled their houses and floated them piece by piece up to the beginning of the Bay of Fundy, landing on the banks of the St. Croix river to form the settlement of St. Andrews.

There is one grocery store in the town of St. Andrews and, since you can’t bring fresh produce or meat into Canada, it was time for us to stock-up!

The early history of St. Andrews shows it to be an important shipping port. This mural painted on the side of a current wharf building illustrates the town in the early 1800s.

In the late 1800s, St Andrews was rediscovered by wealthy tourists from New England states and Central Canada. Following in their footsteps, we settled into a campground at the edge of town and just steps from the Bay of Fundy. This campground was used first by the Passamaquoddy peoples and later by vacationers in tents and small campers.

Campgrounds in Canada are generally designed for small trailers. Most of the rigs in our group are 45 ft coaches, similar to ours, and it made for tight quarters with the neighbors around us!

We took Max and Rolex for a walk along the beach at the edge of our campground at low tide. \240Then the tide comes in, these rocks will be completely covered!

The altar of the nearly 200-year old Presbyterian church is noteworthy for using tongue-and-groove and dove-tail joints in its construction. No nails were used.The church is still in use, but the dwindling congregation is challenged to continue to fund the upkeep. We discovered many beautiful wooden churches across New Brunswick abandoned and in the process of being dismantled. It was sad to see.

The pew boxes are representative of the era. Pew boxes were rented, usually by families. The larger square boxes towards the front were for larger families with children. All the pews have doors at the end and the theory is that the doors were to keep the dogs in! Apparently, heating the church has always been a problem, so people used to bring their dogs to lay on their feet to keep them warm. Maybe that’s what we need in churches today. It might increase attendance!

The courthouse, built in 1840, is designed in typical British fashion on the inside, however the outside is built in classic Greek Revival style. The courthouse held trials until 2016 and is now a museum.

The typical British courtroom looks a bit different from US courtrooms. The judge’s bench and witness box are similar, but the counsel table is set such that they can sit across from one another. Another difference is that there are no rows of seats for spectators, but rather a gallery built to each side.

The county jail next door to the courthouse was built in 1832 and was used until the 1979.

The jail is built of huge blocks of granite mined from Deer Isle, ME. The walls are 2 feet thick. The main floor contains 10 identical 6 ft x 8 ft cells with tiny door openings and a large door threshhold designed to require a grown man to half to turn sideways and step high over the door step to enter or leave the cell. The thought is that this would slow a prisoner from being able to rush the guards. Tiny slits in the rock walls of the cells allowed the only light and air into the cells, which were neither heated, nor cooled. It was definitely a gloomy place!

The day cleared after our jail time, and we made our way past the famous, historical Algonquin hotel. \240Today, this 130 year old hotel is part of the Marriot Autograph collection and it was full of vacationers as we passed. The hotel has had notable quests from Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1983, to Stephen King who is said to have used this hotel as his inspiration in the book “The Shining”. The original wooden hotel was built in 1889 with 80 guest rooms about the time of the first tourism boom. It was largely destroyed by fire in 1914 and was rebuilt in a Tudor Revival style using concrete. As you might imagine, it is one of the most photographed buildings in the area!

This is the centerpiece of the “knot” garden.

The sculpture in this garden appears to be a common fountain post, but the flowers were spectacular!

The blue fir trees were abundant and beautifully showcased by the purple and blue flowers.

This traditional English garden was perfectly placed outside the manor house.

And what garden can be complete without a 1/3 scale windmill!

Walking in a tunnel through the trunks of the old growth hedges seemed like a trip through an enchanted forest!

Here is the same view 6 hours later at high tide and covered with 14 feet of water!

The barn of the estate is the largest barn in Canada. Three stories allowed for hay storage on the top floor, plenty of cows and horses on the main floor, and pigs and sheep on the bottom floor. Silos built into the structure stored grain for the winter months. Covered holes in the main floor allowed for easy removal of soiled straw into composting containers on the bottom floor. The barn was operated with efficient cleanliness and workers in the barn were required to wear white lab coats.

The structure in the foreground was the ice-house and creamery. Milk from the milking rooms in the barn was piped underground to the creamery for storage.

Stalls for the award-winning Clydesdales.

One of two large milking rooms.

The Van Horne estate, named Covenhoven for Van Hornets father, was constructed of red sandstone quarried on the island and was originally relatively small. Between 1892 and 1901, Van Horne continued to expand, making two major additions to the house, for a total of 50 rooms (half for the family and half for servants) and an eventual floor space of 10,000 sq ft.

Originally, the walls of the entrance room were stained wood paneling, but during the period of time that it was used as a hunting lodge, the walls were painted white.

Van Horne collected these huge model ships and there were several throughout the home. When shipbuilders finished a ship, they often created a small scale version of the ship that would be consecrated and placed in the cathedral or church for the blessing of the crew and passengers. This model is of a Spanish galleon.

The home is filled with period pieces, but very few of them are original. The property passed through several family members after Van Horne’s death until, in the 1970’s a niece who had inherited the property chose to sell it. The new owners auctioned off most of the priceless furniture before the Province of New Brunswick stepped in to purchase the island and save the remaining structures.

At the edge of the property is a circular bathhouse with a winding staircase to the granite beach.

The rectangular area of sand and tidal pools was once a tide-fed salt-water pool. While quarrying the granite for the home’s foundation, Van Horne decided to use the 6-foot deep hole as a pool at low-tide. Today, the outline of the pool is still visible, although time and tides have filled the pool with sand.

The Irving paper mill sits on the Saint John River at a point where the River reverses with the tides. Here, along the Bay of Fundy, the tides are about 30 feet, and this strength of the tidal water is enough to force the river to flow backwards. When the tide goes out, the river reverses and flows back into the Bay.

Here the water is flowing up river, almost at high tide. Tides can run up to 30 feet in this area of the Bay of Fundy. The force and volume of the Bay water squeezing into a narrowing bay and even more narrow river causes the river level to raise 5 feet.

A seagull watches the cormorants navigate the waters.

Two hours later, the tide turned and now the river is rushing back into the Bay. This area is known as reversing waterfalls.

A valerian plant waits calmly while the waters of the Saint John river tumble tulmultuously towards the Bay of Fundy. Valerian root extract is often used in naturopathic medicine for its calming properties.

The Old City Market in Saint John is an eclectic mix of local foods, produce, tshirts and art vendors. One of the vendors, a local photographer, showed us a picture of the market at Christmas in the years before COVID and it was magical!! Full of vendors and products and gifts and flowers and decorations! Just imagine…

The Carleton Martello Tower was built in 1812 to defend against the US during the War of 1812, but it didn’t see use in the war as it had ended by the time construction was finished. Carleton towers, with their thick stone walls, could withstand most weapons prior to the 20th. But with the advent of rifled cannons, the walls were no longer impervious to attach. Still, the tower had some use drums WWI where it imprisoned wayward soldiers awaiting transport to Europe and in WWII where it was used as an observation post for German Uboats. And there were several German boats located in the Bay!

Tom is appreciating the view across the Bay of Fundy to the coast of Nova Scotia.

The loyalist soldiers dressed similarly to British soldiers. I’m not sure of this uniform is authentic - it looks a lot like our son’s high school band uniform from the early 2000s!

There are many buildings around the lighthouse today, including a restaurant and museum shop. You can even try your hand at zip lining over the compound and rappelling down the cliff. Fortunately, we arrived too late in the day to try these activities and therefore, we are still alive to tell the tale!

Cape Enrage is so named for the turbulent waters that pass over the reef that extends for nearly a half mile into the bay. It is one of the most hazardous areas for mariners in the upper Bay of Fundy. The tides in this area can approach 45 feet, leaving a broad, sand and rock beach at low tide. At the bottom of Cape Enrage we found hundreds of carefully constructed cairns along the rocky edge of the beach.

However, the weather conditions were not too cooperative. At a brisk 58F degrees and 20 mph wind with 4 to 6 foot waves, Tom and I decided we would take pictures of the brave and foolhardy! The next two pictures are not us!!

Our friends from Fantasy RV tours who were adventurous enough to brave the waves encountered minor chop upon launch. But these waves quickly grew to triple this size. The folks that participated were drenched and tired when they returned but admitted the adventure was thrilling!

About 6 hours later, a larger group of us ventured out to walk along the ocean floor. This area had been under 15 feet of water just 3 hours ago.

And here is the iconic “lover’s arch” as the tide is going out. The tide will not be completely “low” for two more hours.

Supposedly, it is good luck to kiss your honey under the lover’s arch!

Here is another view of the lover’s arch from the top of the viewing tower. This is where I was standing when I told the first picture in this entry!

The viewing ledge is 75 feet (stairs) up with another 25 stairs to the top! It is a great vantage point for viewing the massive tidal changes that occur 4 times daily.

This illustration in the Interprative Center depicts the size of the tide at lover’s arch with the tide “in” on the left, and “out” on the right.

* The uniquely high tides are caused by the funnel shape of the bay that becomes increasingly shallow towards the upper end, compressing the sea water up.

* Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun with the moon contributing 75% of the force. When the sun, moon and earth are alined (e.g., full moon and new moon), the tides are the highest and are called “spring tides” - not for the season - but for the “springing up” of the tides in response to the increased gravitational pull. During the quarter moon phases, the high tides are lower than usual and are known as “neap tides”.

* The high tides play a key role in forming the 20 unique rock formations / sea stacks / flower pots seen at Hopewell Rocks.

* The high tides expose fossil cliffs from the Carboniferous period and have helped uncover the oldest reptilian fossils found in the world so far.

Grand Prix is an Acadian Heritage Site that provides a glimpse into the life of the French settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1636 and colonized this area they called Acadie. Control of this region was heavily contested by the French and English but throughout a century of skirmishes the Acadians stayed neutral. However, in the 1750s, when England took final control, the Acadians who refused to declare an oath of allegiance to England (which was most of the 11,000 settlers) were deported to the 13 colonies. Louisiana, under Spanish control at the time, was the only place that welcomed the Acadians, allowing them to continue to speak French and worship their Catholic religion. Over the years, these Acadians shortened their description to ‘Cadian’ and then ‘Cajun’.

The Acadians created a system of dikes and sluices to reclaim the land from the Bay of Fundy. It took about 3 years of rest and rain water to wash the salinity away and then this land became some of the most fertile and productive farmland across the coast of North America.

Ocean Cove Campground is a lovely place with many of the sites right along the bluff overlooking the Bay of Fundy!

Tom enjoyed grilling with a view!

Museum docents in period clothing added to the historical flavor of the monument.

A little further away lies Fort Anne. This fort changed allegiance 7 times between the French and British in its first 150 years.

These are two of four tapestry panels that illustrate the 400 year history of this area. Although originally settled by the French, it was the British King James I (also King James VI of Scotland) that chartered this area as ‘New Scotland’ or ‘Nova Scotia’ in 1621. A small group of Scotsmen settled the area but were evicted when England ceded the territory back to France in 1632. Although their time here was short, the name, flag and coat of arms have remained. In 1636, the French returned to Nova Scotia and the fort that became known at Fort Anne in the town of Port Royal, now known at Annapolis.

The needle point tapestry panels took over 7 years to create with the help of hundreds of Nova Scotians. It was a marvel to explore history in this manner.

One more picture of SAM at the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia!

Below, the sailing vessel, Bluenose II, is a replica of the original Bluenose schooner built and launched in Lunenberg in 1921. Although it was built to be a working fishing vessel, it was designed to be fast enough to win the International Fishermen’s Race. The International Fishermen’s Race was created when North Atlantic fishermen were shocked that the America’s Cup sailing race was postponed for “bad weather” when that same bad weather was the type of weather they worked in every day. Out of this contempt, the International Fishermen’s Race was created for working ships and their fishermen crew to compete in a “real” sailing event braving the challenging everyday conditions in the North Atlantic.

For a working schooner, speed was an asset - as those who made it back to port first fetched the best price for their catch. From the moment the original Bluenose took to the sea, she won the International Fishermen’s Race trophy. For the next 17 years, no challenger - Canadian or American - could wrest the trophy from her. \240Bluenose came to symbolize Nova Scotia’s prominence in fishing and shipbuilding and she represented Canada around the world. Today, Bluenose II carries on the tradition, and we were pleased to see her in her home port! \240Here she is under full sail …

This building at the end of the harbor is the ship’s chandlery housing block, tackle, hooks, lines, (and sinkers!, floats, traps, screws, bolts … just about everything you need to work a sailing vessel. Most of the other buildings along the harbor were fisheries in the day, but today, they house restaurants and ice-cream shops and a very interesting museum, the “Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic”.

Old wooden lobster pots are stacked around the town. Today traps are made of coated metal painted bright colors - but they just don’t have the charm of the old wood and net traps.

Newer lobster traps stacked and ready.

Block and tackle, anyone?

Dories and dinghies …

The St. James Anglican Church was built between 1885 - 1887 and has contually held services ever since. \240In its commanding presence at the head of Mahone Bay harbor, its 100 foot steeple is visible from land and sea. For many years, mariners would line up the steeples of the three churches on the shore (Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian) as a navigational aid.

Amos Pewter has been crafting exquisite pewter pieces in their shop in Mahone Bay for nearly 50 years. It was the first artisan shop in Nova Scotia to become a member of the International Economusee network whose mission is to showcase traditional trades and skills.

We watched the process of creating beautiful pewter pieces using rubber molds. The modes are created from clay pieces that were often crafted from pencil sketches by artists employed at the shop.

The “crock pot” by the wall is heating the pewter (a mixture of 98% tin plus small amounts of copper, antimony, and bismuth) to 500+ degrees. The artisan describing the process has just poured a ladle of molten tin on the counter and it hardened instantaneously!

The molten pewter is ladled via a funnel into the mold while it is turning in a centrifuge. After removal from the centrifuge the pewter cast appears. The cast on the counter contains medalions of the Bluenose schooner that will become key chains (we got one!) Each medallion is then clipped from the cast.

Each pewter piece then goes through a process of polishing. After learning the process, we all got to finish our own pewter sand dollar!

In the afternoon, we drove through the Blue Rocks area along the cost. This ragged coast of the North Atlantic weaves among inlets and peninsulas and provides some spectacular views!

Upon our return to Lunenburg, we walked into town to sample the goods from the IronWorks distillary. All of the liquors are made in small batches within the walls of this historic old ships blacksmith building. We sampled several rums along with whiskey, vodka, gin, and fruit flavored liquors made from local berries … and they were surprisingly delicious!

Having made our way to Canada by way of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, we were interested in learning their liquor history. It turns out that Canada played a large role in “rum running” during the American prohibition. Rum was produced in the French provinces of Newfoundland and carried along the coast of Nova Scotia to New York and Boston, where it was distributed widely. The rum is smooth and runs (out) quickly! ;-) And the gin and vodka were delicious too!

The town of Peggy’s Cove is very picturesque. There are some fishermen who live there still, but most of the buildings have converted to gift ships. It’s kind of like walking through the Seaside and Watercolor at \240home.

We took Max and Rolex with us to Peggy’s Cove and they enjoyed scampering over the granite rocks and meeting the other dogs there. They were not so thrilled to pose for this picture with Tom!

But I was!!

The bodies, largely unidentified at the time of burial, were buried in a section laid out in the shape of a ship’s bow. This was not planned, but was due to the topography of the land, but it adds to the sombering effect of the memorial.

The White Star line, which owned the Titanic, paid for the burials and the grave stones, each etched with a number representing the count of the body when it was removed from the Atlantic. Later, as bodies were identified, names were added. Some families paid to place larger markers on the site, but no one moved the bodies. Some bodies took decades and the use of DNA technology to identify with certainty. \240Some remain unknown.

After leaving the cemetary, we traveed a short distance to St. Mary’s Basilica. This church was original built by Irish Catholics in 1784 and call Saint Peter’s at the time. In 1820, the current church was built to resemble cathedrals in Ireland with arched windows and doors in the Gothic style with pillars of Georgian architecture. Shipwrights were hired to build the massive roof as they would have built the hull of a ship. The title of Basilica was bestowed in 1950.

The original stained glass windows were destroyed in the Halifax explosion on December 6, 1917, as were some of the eleven bells in the steeple - but the rest of the church withstood the blast unharmed. (More on the Halifax explosion later). The current windows were made by craftsmen in Germany. The upper portion reflects New Testament teachings and the lower portion reflects corresponding events from the Old Testament … although the correlation is not always obvious. Here’s an example of the 15th window: Upper: The Reserection: Jesus rises from the tomb after three days. Lower: Jonah emerges front the belly of the whale after three days. We can imagine that if the priest’s sermon is boring, these windows could keep you entertained for hours trying to figure out the correlations!

The Halifax Citadel, set on a hill overlooking the Halifax harbor, served as the headquarters for British military regiments for 100 years. For the past 90 years, it has been a National Historic Site. Today, inside the Citadel, its 1869 every day!

High school and college students along with more seasoned interpreters wear period costumes and reenact the experiences of a day in the life of a British soldier. On this day, the British regiment is a Scottish Highlanders regiment, complete with kilts and bagpipes!

We timed our visit to correspond with the daily discharge of the noon cannon. It was a booming success, even in the drizzle!

After the Citadel, Tom and I found lunch at a small English pub The Brown Hound. After weeks of lobster rolls, clam chowder, and fish and chips, Tom opted for a burger and Dana selected Shepard’s Pie. While the burger was great, we both agree the Shepard’s Pie was the best we’ve ever had.

After lunch, we had a couple of hours to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This museum represents the extensive marine history of Nova Scotia. The Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian merchant marine, Nova Scotia small craft, a display of the role of native Mi’kmaq contributions to fishing, a large section to the many hundreds of shipwrecks that dot the cost of Nova Scotia, including the Titanic, which sank about 370 miles southeast of Newfoundland, CA.

One of Dana’s favorite displays was of Theodore Tugboat, a children’s TV show in the 1990s that was inspired by the Halifax waterfront. This show was popular during the time of our children’s early TV days and the familiar boat characters and buildings on display are the originals used at the studio.

As the rain cleared, our last stop was a quick stroll through the 17 acres of the Halifax Public Garden - a Victorian garden established in 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation.

No visit to the Halifax boardwalk is complete with a “beaver tail” - which is a Nova Scotia pastry with your choice of toppings - said to be a hit with Prime Minister Trudeau. Alas, while we found the shop, it was closed … so no beaver tail for Dana!

But Alex was a part of many successful inventions. \240He, along with the Viola company, invented the Graphophone, an improvement over Thomas Edison’s phonograph that was the first to utilize wax disks and a floating needle to create a durable reproductive musical experience.

In Baddeck, he joined a group of colleagues, The Aerial Experiment Association to create a airplane capable of carrying passengers. In 1909, the Silver Dart took flight off the ice in Baddeck Bay piloted by Canadian pioneer John McCurdy … but Alex, with an eye for safety, did not allow passengers. The first flight in Canada was a success and a replica of the original plane hangs in the museum. While this plane was launched 6 years after the Wright Brother’s first flight, it was a much durable design with higher, longer and more reproducible design.

Alex and his colleagues designed and created a successful hydrofoil boat while in Baddeck. In 1919, it won the world marine speed record of 70.86 mph. It was hoped that this speedy boat would be useful for military operations in WWI, but unfortunately the war was over by the time the design was scalable for large production. A replica of the original H4 hydrofoil boat is in the museum. The replica contains some of the original foils.

And, of course, another lighthouse. This one, on the end of the small island in the Baddeck bay called Beinn Bhreagh, home of Alexander and Mabel’s estate, which is still owned by the Bell family. \240Incidentally, the Canadian telephone system is still called “Bell”.

Churches here are important, if not plentiful. \240This one was built in the early 1900’s with local woods. Notice the pew backs are open, with only a strip of wood at the top. This was to allow the air from the wood stove in the back to filter through the sanctuary. But it made is challenging for the children as they tended to fall through the back!

This old stone lighthouse was in service for about 70 years. It’s unusual in the area as most lighthouses are made of wood or cement. After it was decomissioned in the late 1940s, it fell to ruin. But recently, local funds have allowed for restoration. It was a brisk walk in a cold, foggy wind to the promontory where the lighthouse stands. The inside includes antique furnishing appropriate for the time of its use.

Apparently, Tom must have relatives in Port au Basque as evidenced by his resemblance to this painting in the old railway museum!

They’ve clearly had hundreds of Screech-In ceremonies at this place!

Caribou are indigenous in the northern areas of Newfoundland. This group was pretty tame and let the babies come almost up to us!

Check out this video of the carribou herd approaching us on their way to the lighthouse!

On our way back from they lighthouse, about 100 yards off at the edge of the woods we spotted our first moose! A young male!

We spent about 2 hours drifting in the swells offshore, watching a couple of humpbacks surface and blow and gracefully slide below the waves. But every now and again, we watched them arch their bodies and extend to the deep, flapping their tails in the air before disappearing!

Our vessel was a mature, old girl - lovingly cared for and … reliable! The indoor (aka, dry) seating was limited, but …

Many of us took refuge under the eave along the side of the cabin where we were rewarded with great sightings!

About a mile away, we toured a reconstructed Viking encampment, Norstead Village, which was hosted by interpreters who shared the stories and cultural activities of a “day in the life” of a Norseman! It was fascinating!

This replica of the Viking ship “Snorri” - the originally of which was sailed here by the Vikings (era 790-1066) - actually made the voyage from Greenland to here in 1998 with only 9 men. (If you ask me, it was neither big enough, nor enclosed enough, nor powered enough, to make that journey … but it did!)

The interpreters prepared fried bread for us, served with butter and local berry jam. Yummy!!

The walls of the Viking structures are 6 feet thick, made of peat blocks that provide insulation for the internal wooden wall. The outer sides and top of the structure host a lush carpet of sod and flowers.

Woody Point lighthouse is a beautiful sentry for the Gros Morne mountains. One area, the reddish flat rock in the background, has been determined by geologists to be a part of the original earth’s core, thrust through the crust hundreds of millions of years ago during the collisions of the tectonic plates in this areas.

Our guide was part historian, part comedian, part musician and all “Newfie”!

On the other side of Rocky Harbor you can sit in the ubiquitous red adirondack chairs! Pairs of red chairs are all over this part of Canada. \240It’s clear from all the Canadian flags flying at homes and business that these folks have enormous national pride! \240And red chairs are placed strategically so that they and their visitors can marvel at the views of this special place.

View of Lobster Cove Lighthouse from those red adirondack chairs!

About one-quarter of the original town has been reconstructed with some of the shops such as the bakery and forge operational in their original format and others updated to function as gift shops and restaurants.

As with many national historic places operated by Parcs Canada, interpreters in period dress are available to share the history, culture, and a “day-in-the-life” of the inhabitants of the site. We stopped by the bakery where you could pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread for $3!

Across from sound from the fortress is the Louisbourg Lighthouse. This is an active lighthouse and the current structure is the 4th to be constructed on the site. The first lighthouse here was also the first lighthouse to be constructed in what is now Canada.

Captain Vince and first-mate Mattie!

The venture operates out of the Van Schaick’s home where they have 5 cottages for rent as well as some space for RVs.

And here is the reason we went on the Bird Island Boat Tour … to see the Atlantic puffin … and they were everywhere! These colorful birds are nicknamed the “sea parrot”, but they are excellent swimmers using their short wings to propell them as deep as 100 feet as they search for herring and kapelin fish.

The Atlantic puffin is the national bird of Newfoundland and Labrador. \240They breed in this area as well as Greenland and Iceland. There are two other puffin species than can be found in the Pacific northeast. Puffin are fast fliers and are hard to catch on film. But since they spend most of their life on the water, it was easy for Tom to get a few great shots!

Blue Herons roost on Bird Island, too!

Gray seals are very numerous in the waters around the Bird Islands. They don’t bother the birds, but rather feast on the cod and herring.

At the top of the avian food chain is the bald eagle! We saw around 12 eagles as we circled the small rock islands! \240Eagles spend most of their time perched and observing for just the right morsel. They prefer the eggs and chicks of smaller birds.

Great cormorants and double-crested cormorants can be found in abundance!

The water on the western side of the Bay of Fundy is always milk-chocolate brown from the silt that is constantly agitated into the water as the tides churn in and out.

This pic is not from our group, but shows the magnitude of the waves that are formed with the incoming tidal wall hits the outgoing river flow. Needless to say … it was a wet and salty and gritty ride … and we loved it!

After riding the 4 to 6 foot waves for awhile, our guide placed into the “washing machine” - an area of smaller, choppy waves and proceeded to fill the zodiac with water!

Salty milk chocolate bathtub!

At the end we were all wet, muddy and deliriously happy! This is 5-star entertainment!

Nancy, one of more adventurous Fantasy RV travelers, took advantage of the high, muddy banks in one of the inlets and did some mud-slidin’!

Interpreters play the parts of Anne and her friend … albeit with matching masks that are a bit out-of-character for the times - but I appreciate the flower-print fabric!

Michelle, one of our Fantasy RV Tour Wagon Masters, in full “Anne” regalia! (I got one of those hats too … for the next reunion tour!)

The Green Gables golf course runs alongside the homestead (and at one time the 9th fairway was on the front lawn, though fortunately it has since been moved). Today, both paths that Anne traveled in her stories, the “haunted woods” and “lover’s lane”, are easy 1-kilometer walks through the woods on the estate. Tom and I opted for the “lover’s lane” stroll!

The Anne of Green Gable books often mention the white cliffs at the seashore which is about a half-mile from the center of Cavendish. We traveled en masse to experience the view!

And here we are, our 2022 - 34 Day Canadian Maritimes - Fantasy RV Tour friends!

There are actually very few “white cliffs” along the northern coast of PEI. The extensive iron content in the area turns the sandstone cliffs rust-red with oxided iron. This coast is constantly eroding and looses about 1 meter per year.

The few white cliffs are visible in the distance and attract many beach-goers. Once the red sandstone is eroded back into the ocean, the outer rust is washed away, leaving whiter sand to be deposited back on the coast.

While you had your choice of lobster or scallops or haddock … the star of the evening was the PEI mussels! \240PEI mussels are acclaimed as the plumpest and sweetest mussels anywhere … and we spent the past 2 days verifying this fact! At the Fisherman’s Wharf, the PEI mussels were available on the massive salad bar and buckets were provided at each table for you to fill with scrumptious mussels as often as you wanted!

Our wagonmasters, Ed and Michelle finally getting to enjoy some tasty morsels!

After dinner, we went to a musical about Anne of Green Gables. \240Obviously, this is a local production to capitalize on the popularity of local author, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic. \240But we were blown away by the professionalism and talent of the actors as well as the staging, choreographgyt and set design. This was one of the best plays we’ve seen in some time. \240We would rank this as good as any Broadway production, and in fact, many of the actors have Canadian and American TV, movies and Broadway experience!

We crossed back over the Confederation Bridge to reach the mainland of New Brunswick, Canada. This 7.5 mile long bridge over the Gulf of St. Lawrence is renown as being the longest bridge over “ice-covered waters” in the world.

One more border crossing done! This one took about 45 minutes to get through the line of waiting vehicles - and we were boarded! It seems that most of the RVs that passed this border crossing were boarded. But the process was quick … and since we had no fruit or vegetables, the border guard only took our eggs! Turns out her “best friend” lives in Santa Rosa Beach(go figure)! And like that (snap), we were back in the USA!

Our journey began on July 4th, fifth wheels and motor home bus,

Questions going through our minds....what if we don’t like them or...what if they don’t like us....

Folks from many of the lower 48, Canada too,

Singles,couples, pets and rigs to learn,

All from different walks of life, and lots of new friendships to earn

We traveled to many places and got to know each other well...

Some were a little quirky, but most were really swell

Dan’s cigars smelled so sweet

Snickers made the trip complete.

Terri drives the Breeze bus

Until the air line took a fart

With Terri driving, Ben and Roy went to get the part

Emerick’s coach didn’t want to go

A brand new battery put them back on the road

Ben climbed in Stumps’s basement, Mark had to join him too,

Tried to fix the slide and water leak,

But

It made us cry to say goodbye when Kern and Rebecca had to leave

Some of us will see them when Albuquerque balloons are in the breeze

The Oliver’s only had seven starts left

And to their dismay had To go away

After a quick turn of a sensor wire

Their situation was no longer dire

Power at Cove Oceanfront,

Left much to be desired,

The view was spectacular,sunsets beyond compare

Our Alaska folks had a get together with great food and fare

Bruce lost a wheel nut and struggled to level, and Linda’s scooter took her wherever,

Tom was on the Redwood quick as a flash,

While observers on the hill took photos and chilled,

happy that roof problem wasn’t theirs and the really sticky eternabond tape made Paul swear

Vicky offered good advice to enhance the trip along the way,

Alex got to play golf; while Ingrid and Sandy shopped.

We were sad to leave 3 rigs behind when getting on the ferry….

The Jordans held down the fort at Arm of Gold, we were delighted when we were reunited

Covid reared it’s ugly head and our guests dropped like flies, Covid tests, quarantine and medicine sent it bye bye!!

We were blessed to have Elmon our doc, make RV calls, and Dana our pharmacist, gave advice to all

The Viking feast was quite a treat and accusations and trials were heard, Mary was found guilty and Linda was caught, a fork was sought and Joe; who accused had to pay the dues for the next 7 days till the penalty went away

The rolls were hot, and jam was sought as Bruce and our host twanged, you couldn’t help but clap your hands and some even sang

Whale watching was wet and the tails of the whales did not fail

All shared photos on our Maritimes Facebook page

Zoey, Mully, Angie, Charlie, Tucker, Champ, Mazie, Rolex and Rex, Bilbo, Brodie, Chloe, Bailey, Coco, Ozzy, Lizzy, Archie, Beau and Frannie the cat

Eighteen pets make our lives complete….having our pets on the Maritimes was really sweet!

The cleanest truck award goes to the Martins; Ann would clean every streak which made it look really neat. Ben was on call for who ever needed him,

And campfires and beating Dan at Cubbs was one of the sweetest treats of all

We’ve shared so much and have come to love these faces,

We laughed, we’ve cried,

With wonderful memories of all these magical places

So as your journey in life, takes you to the new....don’t forget these happy faces

It’s hard to say goodbye and leave all these beautiful places

We’ll meet again, so we’ll just say, \240not goodbye, but see ya later....

Knowing our paths will cross again, Maybe around the equator

You’ve changed our lives and made the trip sweeter,

Memories made and friendships too

And May God’s richest blessings,.....go with each of you!