The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20230923235951/http://www.agnew.biz/ nblog2010/index.php?blogid=1&archive=2022-06

Archives

You are currently viewing archive for June 2022

2022/06/30: Lunenburg

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
It's time to leave the Bay of Fundy and go to the Atlantic Ocean. Driving across the interior of Nova Scotia brought us to Kejimkuijik National Park and National Historic Site.

C5D_6900_1_2NP
We just stopped for a short visit to get a feel for the park. Our first impression is it's a park to go back and to hike some of their trails.

7D_3750
Hung on the light posts around Lunenburg are the fish and shellfish sculptures --- 44 of them to be exact.

C7D_3771_2_3
Some of the colourful buildings along one of the main streets.

C7D_3563_4_5
A boat yard.

C7D_3587_8_9

C7D_3614_5_6
The Bluenose II coming in from a cruise.

C7D_3989_90_91
The sun was low in the sky giving us a wonderful view of Lunenburg.

C7D_3962_3_4

C5D_6951_2_3
There was a light drizzle for about 5 minutes then this absolutely stunning rainbow. You could see from one end to the other and the colours were very visible. Unfortunately the photo doesn't do it justice.

Not far from Lunenburg is the small fishing village of Blue Rocks. It's a photographers paradise.

C5D_6927_8_9

C5D_6927_8_9

C7D_3810_1_2

C7D_3849_50_51

C7D_3879_80_81

C7D_3903_4_5

2022/06/29: A Serendipity Day

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Ever have one of those days where random decisions you make all work out really well. Well, today was one of those days.

Upon our arrival in Yarmouth we picked up a walking tour of the city and decided to walk the section that went past old homes. There were a lot of beautiful restored homes from the 1800's. We were lucky and a couple of the owners of the homes came out and spoke with us given us a lot more history than the walking tour did.

C5D_6260_1_
This house as well as the 2 neighbouring houses were constructed for the Lovitt family. This Italianate style house was built in 1874. It has distinctive features like rope-like carved molding on the corners of the house as well as portholes in the frieze band.

C5D_6283_4_5 C5D_6289_90_91
The owner of these 2 houses happened to come out as we were taking photos of his houses. Turns out he restored 2 other buildings, a hotel and an apartment building along with these 2 houses. The photo on the left is of a Queen Anne Revival Home in 1894. The house on the left was built between 1893 and 1895 for a local pharmacist. It also is a Queen Anne Revival Home but unique for Yarmouth for having all the classic Victorian frills in brick and stone. The owner told us that materials to build this house were brought from Boston as ballast.

C5D_6228_29_30
A few of the brightly painted stores along Main Street.

C5D_6575_6_
The first Cape Forchu Lighthouse was built in 1839. After 123 years and several changes to the lights it was time to replace the lighthouse. In 1961 the new "apple core" lighthouse was built.

C5D_6556_7_
A tidal pool on Cape Forchu.

C5D_6405_6_
We've seen lots of colourful floats but never so neatly arranged.

C5D_6432_3_4
Another harbour shot.

A 50 km stretch of the coast (from around Beaver River to Gosses Coques in the municipality of Clare) is known as La Cote Acadienne (Acadian Coast). This area is populated by descendants of the French who settled here after the expulsion of 1755. The place names and soaring Catholic Churches announce you are in the largest French conclave in Nova Scotia.

C7D_3445_6_7
Rocks at Cape St. Mary's.

C5D_6728_29_30
Sacré-Coeur Church (Sacred Heart Church) in Saulnierville was built in 1880,

C5D_6656_7_8
Eglise de Sainte-Marie in Pointe de L'Eglise (Church Point) was built between 1903 and 1905. It is the largest and tallest wooden church in North America

C5D_6762_3_4
St. Bernard Church is an imposing granite building reminiscent of European cathedral architecture. The foundation stone for the structure was laid in 1910, and the community spent the next 32 years completing it. On Jun 19, 2022 the church was deconsecrated.

C5D_6820_1_2
Gilbert's Cove Lighthouse.

20220629_210804
At the B&B;, I looked out the window and saw this beautiful sunset.

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
We enjoyed our time on Brier Island but it's time to move on. Today's destination is Barton just outside of Digby. We've had a couple of sunny days so we were due for rain and mother nature didn't disappoint, it was pouring rain when we got up this morning. By time we had ridden a ferry and driven 17 km it had stopped raining but the fog was still with us.

C7D_3109_10_11
We decided to visit some of the coves along Digby Neck. This was Whale Cove.

C7D_3139_40_41
A boat in better condition also at Whale Cove.

C7D_3163_4_5
Great view at Mink Cove.

C7D_3189_90_91
Sandy Cove Beach has an actual sand beach, but on the other side was an old wharf that and fish shack that had seen better days.

C7D_3240_1_2
The wharf

C5D_6022_3_4
The habour at Sandy Cove is in much better shape. Lots of lobster boats, scallop boats and fishing boats.

C5D_6049_50_51
More fishing boats.

C5D_6090_1_2
A view at Prim Point near the lighthouse.

7D_3306
A boat in the harbour --- still foggy.

C5D_6195_6_7 null
A clock on the corner in Digby .... look at the face carefully. You know your by the Bay of Fundy when the town clocks are tide clocks. The side faces of the clock were regular clock faces. This warning bell use to be at the North Light on Brier Island.

C5D_6218_19_20
The harbour in Digby. This first row is pleasure boats, the fishing boats are in the back row.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
The weather office predicted good weather for today and tomorrow not so much so we decided to do the hike to Balancing Rock today. To get to balancing rock you hike about 1.25 km then walk down 252 steps by our count and of course you have to reverse it get back to the parking lot. On the hike we saw lots of lichen, flowers (including some ladies slippers), trees.

C5D_5778_79_80 null
Balancing Rock is a single column of Basalt precariously sitting on the edge of another piece.

_7D_2933
I know, these are ordinary daisies, but they're my favourite and this bunch was pretty.

C5D_5863_4_5
Fog was playing games with us today. It would roll in then roll out. Boar's Head Lighthouse on Long Island..

C5D_5895_6_7
Boar's Head Lighthouse on Long Island.

C5D_5929_30_31
A cove on Long Island.

C7D_3001_2_3
Boats in the harbour on Brier Island

C7D_3026_7
We went for a walk along the cliff out by Brier Island Lighthouse.

C7D_3029_30_31
One of hundred's of seagulls in the area. We think the area is a rookery. We walked through the area and started feeling like it was a scene out of the old Alfred Hitchock movie "The Birds".

C7D_3070_1_2
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we are staying put on Brier Island. Well, sort of. We are getting on a boat to do a little whale watching this afternoon. We're actually staying here for 2 days with only the whale watching scheduled. The rest of the time we can rest, hike, birdwatch or geocache.

This morning Ed and I went out in search of a few caches and were successful. We also found some amazing scenery.

C7D_2591_2_3
At Pond Cove there are 2 ponds, big pond (the big of water you see in the photo) and little pond. There is a narrow strip of land that separates the ponds and the cove. This strip of land is covered with roses.

C7D_2594_5_6 l
The beach at Pond Cove, the only sandy beach we found on the island.

C7D_2625_6_7
At another spot on the island there are basalt rocks.

C7D_2644_5_6
On a dock looking back at shore, it's nearing low tide.

C7D_2748_49_50
Just off of Brier Island is a little island, called Peter's Island. It has a lighthouse and is a bird santuary.

C7D_2767_8_9
Just off the main road is a bog that is now protected. The town raised money to build a boardwalk so people can walk through the bog without disturbing the protected plants.

C7D_2779_80_81
A view on the main road.

C7D_2782_3-4
A few lobster traps. The water around Nova Scotia is divided into sections for lobster fishing. The area Brier Island is in gets to lobster fish between the end of November and I believe the beginning of May. So in June the lobster traps on shore.

C72_4546_7_8s
Just two buds hanging out.

72_4561
Mega Nova is a research vessel that offers whale and seabird tours. On the tour this morning a lot of sea birds were spotted but not so much on our tour. We just saw a couple of shearwaters and some bald eagles near the shore, but we did see a number of other interesting things.

5D_5709l
These 2 ladies were the naturalists on board and both were very knowledgeable but had very different backgrounds. The one on the left is from Ontario. Quite a few years ago she brought her kids to see the whales, loved it so much she moved her family to Long Island (the island next to Brier). The rest is history. The woman on the right was born on Long Island. Her parents were lobster fisherman and she married a lobster fisherman and she fishes with during lobster season (in the winter) --- she puts the elastic bands on the lobsters. She's happiest at sea and is extremely knowledge about the area, the birds and the sea creatures. I asked a lot of questions today and got a lot of answers.

_72_496
After swimming around a bit, this humpback whale decided to slap his dorsal fins against the water. There were huge splashes. He seemed to be having fun because he kept it up for a few minutes.

72_5017
Time to dive.

_72_54462
The boat came across a pod of dolphins. It was hard to watch them as they were all around the boat. Ed caught these guys.

DSC_6905
John was lucky as he was watching in the right direction and caught this white sided dolphin (I think) jumping.

_72_5566l
Not the best photo as most of the fish is underwater. This is a Mola Mola or Ocean Sunfish. A first for us.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
It's time to move on again. This time we head south to Brier Island. It's a little island, approximately 7.5 km long and 2.5 km wide and is made up of basalt. We'll be driving through Annapolis Royal where we'll stop and see some history.

C5D_5149_50_51
"On the rich shores of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Basin, Port-Royal’s Habitation was one of North America’s oldest European settlements. From 1605 to 1613 French colonists including Samuel de Champlain lived in this fortified compound, forging ties with the Mi’kmaq who welcomed them to their territory and who helped them survive.

Because of its historical significance, the Habitation’s cluster of adjoining hewn timber buildings with an enclosed courtyard and surrounding palisade was reconstructed in 1939 using early 17th century building techniques."

C5D_5189_90_91
The inside.

C7D_2336_7_8
Though there was no military presence at the settlement, it was still fortified with cannons.

C5D_5432_3_4
"Set on the banks of the Annapolis River, Fort Anne offers visitors a vivid reminder of an era when Europe’s powers battled for supremacy in North America. First fortified by the Scots as early as 1629, the site was later controlled by the French before falling for good to British troops in 1710. It would remain a regular scene of battles until the fall of Quebec in 1759.

Today, the fort – Canada’s first administered National Historic Site – consists of a renovated 1797 officers’ quarters (now a museum) and 1708 stone powder magazine, surrounded by a maze of defensive ditches, banks and bastions known as Vauban-style earthworks."
In the museum there is a really interesting video showing all the forts that have been on this location.

C5D_5459_60_61
The powder magazine.

5D_5532
"Inside the museum, visitors can learn what this place means to the Mi’kmaq, see centuries-old artefacts, as well as the Heritage Tapestry, a hand-stitched work showing 400 years of history."

The photo is just two of the four panels. The tapestry was amazing. The 4 of us must have spent at least 10 minutes staring at it. There were numerous unique stitches. A plaque on the wall indicated that many people helped to stitch the tapestry, included Queen Elizabeth II. Her contribution was a few stitches on Queen Anne.

C7D_2366_7_8
Cute harbour on Digby Neck.

C5D_5592_3_4
The first ferry is finally coming. This ferry goes from Digby Neck to Long Island.

C7D_2404_5_6
The 2nd ferry was crossing as we drove up to the ferry waiting line. This ferry takes us to Brier Island. Brier Island is separated from Long Island by the 0.5 km Grand Passage.

C7D_2453_4_5sunset
Looking across the Bay of Fundy watching the sun set.

C7D_2556_7_8
Brier Island lighthouse

2022/06/24: Another Rainy Day

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we are spending the day around the Canning area visiting several view points, beaches, waterfalls and harbours. The morning started with rain and fog so that slowed us down a little.

C5D_4914_5_6
We went to the Look Off (that seems to be it's official name) and couldn't see past the hill we were standing on so we decided to go a little further up the road and do a bit of a hike while we awaited dry skies as promised by the weathernetwork.ca. The skies didn't totally clear and the fog didn't totally go away but it did mostly stop raining. Over the course of the day we drove by the Look Off a total of 4 times and were rewarded with 4 different views (OK 3 views and a non-view). None of them were clear but they were still interesting.

C7D_2091_2_3
Houston's Beach is on MInas Bay so the bayfloor is red. It was a fine stone or sand that was different from the muddy red floor we had seen else where on the Minas Bay.

C7D_2133_4_5
A field near Houston's Beach

C5D_4961_2_3
We went looking for Black Hole Falls and didn't find it. We think we heard it but weren't willing to scramble over the rocks to look. We were impressed the Black Hole though, some amazing boulders there.

C7D_2193_4_5
We drove done a road that was 2 tracks with grass growing down the middle and were surprise by this cute little cottage and a car in the driveway.

C7D_2208_09_10
Baxters Harbour did have a really nice waterfall and some great rocks on the beach. I found information that indicated Baxters Harbour is a former fishing community. Today there is no pier.

C5D_4979_80_81

C72_4486_7_8

C5D_5068_69_70
Halls Harbour is an active fishing community and is home to the Lobster Pond Restaurant. It also has a water falls (which we didn't find and sea caves (which I think we may have found.

C7D_2315_6_7

2022/06/23: Another Travel Day

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
This is the only time in the trip where we travel between 2 places 2 days in a row. This time the destination is Canning. We followed the coastal route from Truro to Canning and it was very beautiful. Unfortunately, the roads aren't conducive to parking and there are almost no pull offs. So lots of eye candy for us and no photos to share.

The timing was correct so we stopped to see this morning's tidal bore --- lunch bag let down. Not only are we on a neap time (so low high tides) but the morning tidal bores are lower than the evening tidal bores. We might not have seen much but we did learn a few things.

7D_1919
First stop was the Fundy Tidal Interpretive Centre at the Shubenacdie River. We had missed the tidal bore by several hours but we did see high tide. The water was a dark muddy colour like the rock. The objects in the river are piers from the old train bridge.

C7D_1951
The following has been borrowed but modified slightly "A lighthouse was built on the head in 1858, and lit in 1859.

A narrow neck of land connected Burntcoat Head (what is now the island) to the mainland. Over time, the tides of Fundy eroded this until the Head could only be reached with much difficulty involving a climb up the bank by ladder! Consequently, in 1913, the first light was torn down and some of the timbers used in the construction of a new lighthouse on the mainland. This lighthouse was removed in 1972 so the citizens of the area built a replica of the 2nd lighthouse."

C5D_4638_39_40
The rebuilt lighthouse at Burntcoat Head. The highest tides in Fundy Bay have been recorded here.

C5D_4667_8_9
The red rocks.

7D_1941 C5D_4715_6_7
The little person is Ed, those rocks are pretty tall.

C5D_4737_8_9
Walton Harbour Lighthouse

_C5D_4759_60_61
A view from the top of the lighthouse.

C5D_4789_90_91
Looking back at the lighthouse.

C5D_4851_2_3
Borrowed from Wikipedia: "Fort Edward is a National Historic Site of Canada in Windsor, Nova Scotia, (formerly known as Pisiguit) and was built during Father Le Loutre's War (1749-1755).[1] The British built the fort to help prevent the Acadian Exodus from the region.[2] The Fort is most famous for the role it played both in the Expulsion of the Acadians (1755) and in protecting Halifax, Nova Scotia from a land assault in the American Revolution. While much of Fort Edward has been destroyed, including the officers' quarters (which burned down in 1922) and barracks, the blockhouse that remains is the oldest extant in North America."

Another interesting tidbit is this fort was used to help train Jewish soldiers that were involved in creating the State of Israel.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we are driving to Truro and visiting some additional places in the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark. My abilities as a navigator and guide were put into question today. For awhile I thought I was going to be fired (more like hoped), but then no one else wanted the job so I guess I still have it. Some of my fopaux were not realizing we were at the place we were going and taking us down unfinished roads in a new development looking for the site we had been at, believing the information I found on websites and following the instructions and getting us lost, following the GPS blindly then realizing it was wrong forcing both vehicles to turnaround. I guess it wasn't really too bad as all people and vehicles survived.

C7D_1633_4_5
We discovered an artist on the beach painting the cliff. Later when we came across another artist we found out that there was a invitation painting event going on in the area. That explained why we were seeing artists everywhere.

C7D_1642_3_4
The Two Islands aka Two Brothers. I know it looks like there is only one island in the photo, the second one is the bump on the right side of the larger island. From other angles you could see the two islands.

7D_1657
The information for this area indicated that the Economy Waterfall was about 7 kilometers out of town in the hills. Since we were going to a new town we had both vehicles. John felt that his car, which is all wheel drive should be fine going up the windy, hilly gravel / dirt road. It was a bit slow going at times but we made it ... well almost. About 100 meters before the parking lot were 2 puddles that spanned the width of the road. The truck got through without any trouble but could the car? Carol watched from the back and Ed and I watched from the front. Luckily the puddle wasn't very deep and John drove his car safely to the parking lot. He got it out as well!

C5D_4491_2_3 C72_4397_8_9
From the upper view point we saw small falls and rapids, from the lower view point we saw more of the falls. To really see the falls you would need to wade out into the stream, something we weren't willing to do. As expected because of the rainy weather there was lots of water going over the falls.

C7D_1681_2_3
Coming down the road towards town we were rewarded with this beautiful view.

>7D_1726_7_8
The information on the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark indicated that Londonderry provincial park had old mining equipment and a war memorial 10 km north of Great Village and just a few minutes north of that were old beehive coke ovens and slag piles. We found a cute little parklet but it wasn't where the GPS thought the Provincial Park should be. We stopped to talk to a man that was gardening and he told us the Provincial Park had closed because kids had thrown picnic tables in the river and he gave us an idea where to find the coke ovens. We couldn't find the coke ovens and were giving up when Ed decided to check for a geocache in the area. We were lucky that some geocacher decided to place a cache at the ovens. Tonight after a bit of googling I determined that the cute little parklet is the provincial park referred to in the directions.

Now a little history: "From 1849 to 1908, iron deposits along the Cobequid Fault fed the brick kilns of Londonderry. Fully two million tons of iron ore were mined during the heyday of Londonderry when the town was a
bustling centre of mining and steel making. 1876 was an exciting year for the mining operations as 67 experimental beehive-shaped coke ovens were added to the site to produce coke from coal. Tracks were laid across the top of the ovens, and small coal cars filled each oven through its “charging hole” on top. It took over 40 hours to produce coke from coal. By 1906, the mine had a total of 53 beehive ovens."

C5D_4595_6_7
Finally in Truro we went to Victoria Park to see the wonderful waterfalls. I've seen photos of them and there's lots of water flowing over the falls. Well I don't know the cause as there's been a fair bit of rain but we only saw a trickle.

7D_1822t
I'm not sure why but i hadn't planned on seeing the tidal bore in Truro ---- I think that I thought we wouldn't be there at the correct time, well it turns out we were here at the correct time. Because we are closer to the neap time then the spring tide it is a very small tidal bore but it still was impressive.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
"The Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark is located along the north shore of the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia stretching from Lower Truro in the east to Apple River in West, a distance of 165 km." Today we explored the section from Parrsboro to Apple River. There is so much to see and much of it is by hiking so we only saw a portion of it. We drove out to the Apple River and worked our way back.

First stop was a hike with overlooks of Anderson Cove, Eatonville Harbour, and the iconic 3 Sisters sea stacks, but first we have to get there. The fellow at the information centre said, since we were driving a 4 wheel pickup we should have no problem driving the Eatonville Road to get to the trailhead for our hike. After a few kilometers on the gravel road Ed decided to use 4 wheel drive. The road was twisty, hilly, narrow, rocky and just fun to drive. We did catch up to car (the driver was obviously taking it very easy.

C7D_1264_5_6
Anderson cove is absolutely stunning, the photo does not do it justice. I think our eyes and brain focus differently than the camera does.

C5D_4266_7_8
Eatonville Harbour, back in the day it was a bustling place.

C5D_4269_70_71
A single sea stack.

C7D_1242_3_4
The Three Sisters sea stacks.

7D_1201
We were entertained by several squirrels along the trail. They were very friendly and posed for photos. We also saw a quail and a pair of eagles flew by.

C7D_1297_8_9
We drove the "car way" out making the trip a loop. Good thing we did as we saw several interesting places including this one. I just loved the view. So do a lot of other people as not far down the road were a lot of trailers on lots looking out at the light.


C5D_4355_6_7
Cobequid Fault at West Advocate is a very important geological site. This is where continents collided. As you look around the beach your can see stunning red rock, grey rock and regular rock. Down the beach you are suppose to see folds in the rocks.

C5D_4352_3_4
One of the red rocks.

C5D_4368_69_7
"Cape d’Or and its lighthouse watch over the ‘Dory Rips’– powerful tidal currents. They also stand on
towering basalt cliffs in which historic native copper mines can still be seen." Another place with amazing views. Borrowed from Wikipedia "The Dory Rips is a phenomenon involving extreme tidal agitation of waters located in the Bay of Fundy off the headland of Cape d'Or in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The phenomenon occurs at the entrance to the Minas Basin, which is known for the globe's highest tides.[1][2]

The turbulence does not result from a simple rip tide, but rather from the collision of three opposed tidal currents whose violence is enhanced by the presence of a subsurface reef that forces the water upward. The powerful incoming tidal current loops back and collides with itself while another current, coursing in semicircular fashion around Advocate Bay, slams into the collision point at a 90-degree angle."

C7D_1131_2_3
Another boat on the hard photo. This one is in Grenville.

C7D_1390_1_2
Looking down on the river.

7D_1580
It was nearing high tide when we were at the dock in Parrsboro. We watched this lobster boat come in, dock, load week old fish (for lobster bait) and leave. The owner of the boat talked to us while the crew was readying things on the boat. They were on their way out to check the lobster traps. This guy had retired at 48 about 10 years ago (not sure what he he retired from), after a year he got bored and bought himself a little boat for lobstering. After a year or so his son joined him and they boat another boat. Then they boat an old fish plant and put in tanks to hold lobsters. Now he gets to travel the world and sell his lobsters. His little hobby boat turned into a large business. He said he had one problem in Shanghai --- whenever he went outside the locals would bother him because they thought he was Kenny Rogers. In fact he does look like a young Kenny Rogers.

C7D_1509_10_1
Some beach chairs at the harbour.

C7D_1503_4_5
They are really big beach chairs!

2022/06/20: Switching Provinces

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we leave New Brunswick and drive to Nova Scotia.

We've had 2 lovely days so I guess I can't complain that it rained most of today.

null null
On the drive through New Brunswick we came across a privately owned park that allows public access. The park contained some farm implements, tractors and some home made pieces of "art" as well. Two examples are the "Tin Man" and "propane man".

Once we were in Nova Scotia we stopped at Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You've probably guessed that the cliffs contain lots of fossils. It in fact "contains contains an unrivalled fossil record preserved in its environmental context, which represents the finest example in the world of the terrestrial tropical environment and ecosystems of the Pennsylvanian Coal Age of the Earth’s history." (borrowed from their website). The above statement means scientists have gotten some amazing fossils from the site. There is an information centre that tells the history of the site with many of the fossils on display. You can also walk the beach and look for fossils. No we didn't find any fossils --- we wouldn't have been able to keep the fossils if we managed to find one.

null
The cliff where most of the fossils we found.

null null
I was looking at one of the coal veins in the hillside. We really liked the black and gold rock that we found on the beach.

C7D_1080_1_2
One of the several strips of rocks that went out into the water.

C7D_1113_4_5
The beach with the remains of an old warf.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Another beautiful day --- mostly sunny and no fog.

We drove back to Alma and the Fundy National Park. The park is known for it's hiking trails. We did one short hike with a lot of stairs to see a waterfalls, saw a few great views, a covered bridge and a beach without water. After visiting the park we went into Alma for lunch.... yum seafood --- clam strips, lobster roll and seafood chowder were consumed by John, Carol, Ed and myself.

C7D_0850_1_2
In 2011 Parks Canada at Gros Morne National Park came up with the idea to place sets of Adirondack chairs in lesser-known, stunning locations around the park, inviting visitors to enjoy and share on social media. This is one of the places where the red chairs are placed at Fundy National Park.

3981_2_3
The covered bridge at Point Wolfe in Fundy NP.

7D_0899
The beach at Point Wolfe looks a little dry at low tide.

null null
It's very damp and very green at Dickson Falls in Fundy NP.

7D_0945
There were a lot of types of lichen around the falls, this was one of the most interesting looking ones.

5D_4169
At the Alma harbour the tide has started to come in but you can still the "crib" that was set under one side of the boat to stabilize it at low tide.

5D_4180
Fishing boats in the Alma Harbour.

7D_0977
It wasn't quite high tide but the boats are floating again. One boat was getting ready to leave the harbour and one boat come into the harbour and tied up.

7D_0990
On the way back to the AirBNB we made a few stops. One of them was a quick look at the Lighthouse at Cape Enrage.

5D_4214
Near Cape Enraged we bound this beach that covered in smooth flat rocks of varying shapes and sizes. It was almost high tide so waves were crashing against the shore. As the wave went out you would hear a loud series of bangs. It took a few minutes to figure out that the rocks were being lifted by the wave when it came in then dropped hitting other rocks when the wave went out.

72_4326
We stopped at a nature area and was serenaded by this bull frog.

7D_1018
An old lighthouse that had been from another town was placed by the edge of a creek.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
The forecast for today sounded pretty good so it was off to Hopewell Rocks. The day started with some fog, you could see the rocks but not the coast across the water, and ended with sun.

I'll start with the animals and birds we saw. Squirrels raced paced us a few times and then one guy decided to pose.

72_4323

Before we walked down to the beach a park interpreter told us to look for the Peregrine Falcon chicks, so we did and we saw them and Ed got some photos.

72_4180

72_4180 72_4180
The horizontal photo shows 3 of the 4 chicks sitting on a ledge. The two verticals are enlargements from the horizontal photo ---- the bird on the left and the bird on the right. We saw a lot of wing flapping and heard a lot of crying. I think they are almost ready to start flying.

Lastly, a birder pointed out what we think is a Yellow Throated Vireo (she told us what it was but none of us remembered). The bird was surrounded by a lot of branches but Ed did manage to get a photo of it with it's head back singing away.

72_4278

Now to the rocks.
C5D_3622_3_4
The iconic photo of Hopewell Rocks at low tide.

C7D_0807_8_9
The same location as above but at high tide.

C5D_3782_3_4 C5D_3653_4_5
A couple of rocks.

C7D_0717_8_9
I thought it was unusual to see a pointy rock.

C7D_0749_50_51
The tide is starting to come in.

C5D_3882_3_4
Looking down on one of the coves at high tide. Same cove as the previous photo.

C7D_0761_2_3
Around the bend from the rocks are the mud flats that attract hundreds of thousands of birds from mid July till the end of August. It's suppose to be amazing.

7D_0833
One of the "things to do" at the park is to kayak at high tide. We could this group about ready to head out.

C7D_0776_7_8
There was a beautiful bed of lupins in the parking lot and I couldn't resist taking a few photos.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Fundy Trail Pathway is a 30 kilometer scenic drive following the coast of Fundy Bay. Unfortunately, mother nature decided that she was going to throw a wrench into our plans. It started raining at about 8 am and didn't stop all day. The photos are a little dull and any spots are rain drops on the lens.

C7D_0425_6_7
This rock formation is known as a flower pot.

C7D_0451_2_3
There are 4 waterfalls in the park and this is one of them. The other four were on longer trails that we weren't will to hike in the rain.

C7D_0482_3_4
There are a lot of view points along the trail. This is one of the few that actually offered us a view. Unfortunately most of the other view points were obscured by fog.

C7D_0516_7_8
There is a suspension bridge over the salmon river.

C7D_0567_8_9 C7D_0579_80_81
I'm not a big fan of heights or suspension bridges but I did manage to cross it. It helped that no one else was on the bridge. Ed found this area where trees were growing over rocks or maybe laying rocks :)

2022/06/16: Caves and City

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Another gorgeous day. We were up bright and early so that we could be at the Saint Martins Sea Caves by low tide which was at 8:04 am. Yup, Ed got up early!

The caves themselves aren't spectacular but the fact that you can walk to them without getting your feet wet ... well almost is pretty neat. When the tide is in you will definitely get wet going to the caves.

C5D_3301_2_3
Looking out from the inside of a cave.

C5D_3355_6_7
What can I say? We like rocks.

Then it was off to Saint John. First stop the Reversing Rapids. Again not an earth shattering site but still very interesting. Patience is required for this stop. The Saint John River flows into the Bay of Fundy. As the tide comes in and the water level rises in the Bay, the water starts to flow up the river. At about the half way point between the high and low tide the water in the river goes very still, the rapids disappear and everything looks flat. As the tide continues to rise you can start seeing the river flowing "backwards" --- up river. We arrived about 2 1/2 hours after low tide and stayed for about 1 1/2 hours in order to see the flat then the flowing up river.

C5D_3526_7_8
A paper mill is not the prettiest object to have in the background but it does prove that the photos were taken in the same place. This photo was taken soon after we arrived.

5D_3536
This photo was taken closer to high tide. The bit of movement in the water travelling up the river.

While we were in Saint John we also saw the Carleton Martello Tower NHS, watched some freighter leaving port, and wandered around some of the parks and streets looking at the old buildings. There are some beautiful old buildings. We also went into city market. I was disappointed with this stop as it was "different" from my last visit 6 years ago. Could have had something to do with us arriving well past the lunch rush or just things change over time.

72_4061
Not the best composition, but I like the church and the ship in the harbour.

5D_3582 72_4074
Trinity Anglican Church. A half scale replica of the Celtic Cross on Partridge Island and the Three Sisters Lamp which was used to help sea captains navigate safely into the harbour. Partridge Island was Canada's version of Ellis Island. A lot of Irish immigrants spent time on Partridge Island.

7D_0412
A row of old houses .... no idea on the age just thought they looked cute.

2022/06/15: Seafood!!!

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Beautiful day today. We started our day checking out a few things in Saint Andrews that we didn't see last night including the "Algonguin Resort". Ed's favourite part was meeting the resorts mascot --- a black lab named Sydney.

On our drive east we stopped a few places to take photos of the scenery and at one spot to buy smoked salmon. Yum.... it was really good. We bought 4 1/2 lb packages so we still have some left to enjoy tomorrow.

On arriving in Saint Martins we found the cute little cottage we rented for 2 nights. After we unloaded the vehicles we decided to check out a lobster/seafood store. We arrived at closing time and a very patient woman helped us to buy 4 cooked lobsters. Another big yum!

5D_3243.JPG
The Algonquin Resort

C7D_0117_8_9.jpg
St. Georges Falls

C7D_0151_2_3.jpg
Black Harbour

C7D_0157_8_9.jpg
Leapreau Falls

C7D_0236_7_8.jpg
A view of the sea caves from the beach near the cottage. It's zoomed in but I could have easily walked there if I didn't mind going through some water.

7D_0192.JPG
Where'd the water go. Saint Martins near low tide.

C7D_0257_8_9.jpg 7D_0268.JPG
Lupins by the beach

2022/06/14: Lots of Weather Today

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today we are driving from Edmundston to Saint Andrews. The day started out overcast and coolish about 14 C. One of our goals of this trips is to stay off the major highways as much as possible. This works in Ed's favour as major highways don't have geocaches but minor ones do. That said we drove the scenic route along the Saint John River stopping for some easy caches. We made it to Hartland with only some minor rains. Ed was about to get out of the truck when the rain came down. From this point on we had rain, torrential downpours, a bit of sun then repeat. It was rain quite hard when we arrived in Saint Andrews. Once we were checked in the rain stop and the sun came out and we enjoyed a beautiful evening. Dinner was on a restaurant deck overlooking the Bay of Fundy.

C7D_9849_50_51
We stopped at Grand Falls. It's not a big water falls but there was a lot of water going over it today.

C7D_9879_80_81
Florenceville has an interesting bridge, one span is a covered bridge the other spans are steel-truss. The original bridge was covered but sections burned over the years. I'm having a chat with Mr. Potato across from a McCain Foods building. BTW July 13th is National French Fry Day.

C7D_9898_899_900_a
The world's longest covered bridge in Hartland 391 meters or 1,282 feet long.

C7D_9975_6_7
Saint Andrews is a really cute town. Tide was out. The Bay of Fundy experiences extreme tides ... today the difference between low tide and high tide is about 23 feet.

C7D_9978_79_80
The pier is set but the docks are all floating.

C7D_0022_3_4
I was surprised at how many churches are in Saint Andrews. We found four old churches with a 3 block area.

7D_0064
I thought we have a deer problem in Walkerton. Well, it's nothing like the one here. Many gardens have fencing around certain plants and we met one shop keeper on the main street who was covering his geraniums with a sheet. The deer are very use to people. When I was walking there were 2 deer on the other side of the road. They looked at me for a second then went back to eating.



2022/06/13: The Adventure Begins

Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Do you remember the old joke about Canada having 2 seasons ---winter and construction. Well the last 2 days have proven to us that perhaps the joke isn't a joke but reality. I think over the last 2 days 50 percent of our driving was through construction zones. OK maybe it wasn't 50 percent but it was a lot.

The first night we stopped in Johnstown Ontario and had a nice visit will old friends. Tonight we stopped just outside of Edmundston New Brunswick. Not too far from the hotel was a Pizza Delight where we enjoyed a seafood pizza. The pizza was topped with a clam sauce, scallops, shrimp, lobster meat and of course cheese ---- it was really good. I wonder if the pizza delight at home has a seafood pizza.
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Today is June 6, 2022, and the previous post was February 15, 2020. It's been almost 2 years and 4 months since we have travelled. Anyone reading this in current time will know that it is due to the pandemic. Some people did travel in the last year and some even in the past 2 years. Ed and I decided to play it safe and stayed home. Well now it's time to get going and start travelling. We're still playing it safe and are staying in Canada. This trip is a road trip to eastern Canada. We are meeting our friends John and Carol from Michigan in New Brunswick. It's been a lot longer than 2 years and 4 months since we have seen them. We're really looking forward to the trip and spending time with our friends.

The trip doesn't actually start till June 12 but I thought it would be prudent to try the blog out to make sure it still works and to make sure I still know what I'm doing. It's a good thing I'm doing this because it's the 2nd try :).

20220606-plant 1
A photo we took sometime in the past 2 years.