Sunday, October 18, 2015

Wednesday, September 30th – It was a Fun Day in Fundy, New Brunswick



The day started with Rice Krispies for breakfast in my motel room.  It was still a cold and dreary day with rain still falling.  According to the morning weather forecast, the predicted storm that was anticipated to bring flash flooding had been slow to materialize and had mostly unloaded throughout the night.  I wasn’t too concerned about how my drive would go since I was planning to stay mostly on the main roads as I had a relatively light day in terms of miles.

On the agenda were some covered bridges, the Fundy Trail and ultimately an overnight in Fundy National Park.  My first stop of the morning was at the coastal village of St. Martins.  By the time I arrived, the tide was again out.  The tide cycle in this region runs about 13 hours, so for the past few days, I’ve seen low tides in the morning and then again around nightfall.

St. Martins is said to be the only place in the world where you can take a single photo that includes two covered bridges plus a lighthouse.  The lighthouse found in town was the 1883 West Quaco Head Lighthouse and now serves as a visitor center.  There were two cruise motor coaches in the lot when I arrived and another was approaching as I left to do the Fundy Trail.

The cruise industry is a big boom to the local economies throughout Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  I would continue to cross paths with “cruisers” throughout the rest of my vacation.

The Fundy Trail Parkway is a privately operated “tourist attraction” providing miles and miles of hiking trails along with the 10 mile road that cuts through the dense forest, often providing panoramic views of the cliffs and Bay of Fundy.  I did drive the entire length of the parkway, which actually dead ends before reaching the Fundy National Park.  Plans are to complete the trail to connect to the park in 2017.

Because there was on and off rain, it was a challenge to walk to many of the viewing platforms.  I did walk along the Big Salmon River to the walking suspension bridge.  It began to downpour just as I was getting back to my truck.

The Interpretative Centre was nearby and my timing coincided with their hosted afternoon tea.  Guests were shown a short video to tell about the logging industry that was so important to the Canadian economy.  They have the old saw mill with some equipment open to self-tour, but I took a pass due to the weather.  I enjoyed my molasses cookie and hot tea; and headed back through St. Martin so as to get on my way to the actual national park.

As I went through the village, I noted that the information center was closed (I guess no more cruise tours were anticipated) . . . and that the tide had peaked and already started to go back down.  The one covered bridge had a water line from high tide, and at the time I came back through, the water level was only about a foot beneath the bridge.  Compare this photo to the one posted above.  You can see the difference that only two hours made.
 
From St. Martins I headed over to Fundy National Park, about 90 minutes away. Along the way, I was once again distracted and taken off on a detour by the “covered bridge” sign.  This is the Trout Creek #5 bridge, also known as the Moore Bridge.  It was built in 1923 and as you can see, still serves as a public road.
 
I also stopped in Sussex to check out a candlepin bowling center that was for sale.  The proprietor was very friendly, lamenting that business was continuing to drop and that he couldn’t find anyone interested in buying his business.

As darkness fell, I was becoming concerned about my plans to camp especially since the heavy rains predicted were now anticipated for tonight.  I found a nice motel inside the park and called in advance to make my reservation.  For $80 CDN, it was an outstanding “shoulder season” value.  Lots of space, a kitchenette and a very comfy bed.

Today’s drive was 205 miles, mostly in rainy conditions.  My truck had a thick coat of dirt/mud when I stopped for the night.

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