Ever since my beloved was a little kid, he’s dreamed of seeing the Canadian Maritimes, but the adult found the idea of driving the continent round trip daunting. However, in August 2010 we shipped camping gear to Maine & flew to Boston. We spent 10 days there with friends while our car was driven cross country by a family from our hometown. After rendezvousing with our car & retrieving our gear in Maine, we headed to Acacia Nat. Park in Maine AND our long anticipated & magical tour of the Canadian Maritimes; NEW BRUNSWICK, Fundy Nat. Park, Mt. Carlton Prov. Park, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, Charlottetown, Cavendish Nat. Park, NOVA SCOTIA, Halifax, Salzman Provincial Park, Mira River Prov. Park, Cape Breton, NEWFOUNDLAND/LABRADOR, Barachois Pond Prov. Park, Gros Morne Nat. Park, Notre Dame Prov. Park, Butter Pot Prov. Park, & St. Johns. On to QUEBEC, staying at l’Auberge de l’Île Flottante in the heart of the village of Saint-Laurent, Île d'Orleans with daily odysseys around the island & into Quebec City.
Our deliberately slow return allowed for visits with people we’ve known for many years & meeting others for the first time. We passed through NY, Ontario (CAN), Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, & Idaho. Many places to see and explore on the way that were new for both of us.
We’re a decidedly stellar travel team (he drives, I navigate), covering few miles each day, & some days none. We happily camped A LOT. There are now nights we long for our tent, the sound of rain, soulful night sounds like the loon’s call, delicate unfamiliar scents…but mostly being emancipated from everything but the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a fleeting moment in time. When the weather cooperated we hiked. We dodged TWO major hurricanes passing through the Maritimes, Earl and Igor. When we weren’t tenting, we stayed in outré B&Bs, meeting people from all over the world. Our passions for people, places & travel were so aroused by this part of the North American continent, so unlike anything we’ve experienced before. People were more than affable, the sights staggeringly beautiful & the dining…words cannot do justice to our many gastronomic delights. Eight weeks, over 17,000 miles on our buggy, & hundreds of photos later, we’re still trying to adjust to life back home. We lose ourselves in musings of the places we’ve seen & are easily drawn into plotting our next sojourn. We hope to immerse ourselves in the Maritimes again one day, & we highly recommend The Canadian Maritimes.
Final note: Ultimately, at least for us, our journey reminds us that the landscape is the real narrative behind the inhabitants, but its inhabitants give the landscape its unique voice.
(PHOTOS: Captioning is turned off by clicking the green box on the left of each slideshow. If you prefer larger images, double-clicking on the slideshow will open it in another window.)
BOSTON, MASS ↓
SANDWICH, MASS ~ Glass Museum ↓
