Category: New Brunswick

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New Brunswick WanderLog

Learning about Tides in Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick

Travel Dates: August 31-Sept 2, 2018

Our last stop in the Maritime provinces was Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. We should have timed things better but by the time we drove over from Halifax, grocery shopped and made it to Hopewell Rocks, the tide was in. And we wanted to see the park when the tide was OUT. Too late we learned that our ticket would have been good for TWO days, but instead we just parked at the campground and drove back the next day.

Sometimes things aren’t perfect and that’s okay.

Bay of Fundy, National Park

We settled into our campsite at Fundy National park and then took the short walk down to the town of Alma and the beach. We walked along the shore for about 15 minutes and marveled at how fast the tide was going out. Then we came back after dinner and were just completely blown away!

Sam and I managed a date night and loved sitting right on the bay at Tipsy Tails. Poor kids weren’t invited, but we definitely needed a night out!

“Tides are fascinating. We’ve learned a few things just in the last 24 hours or so of being on the Bay of Fundy! Over breakfast we watched a video that described gravitational forces between the Earth, sun and moon that create both low and high tides every day.

Then we wanted to know why the Bay of Fundy was so extreme. Turns out it’s the perfect length and shape to match the tidal rhythm of the Atlantic Ocean (yep! They have rhythms!) This resonance between the two amplifies the tidal range and creates a larger sloshing effect. So, basically the Bay of Fundy is the world’s largest bathtub. 😂

Also, lobster poutine is one of Canada’s great gifts to mankind.” – @currentlywandering

“When in Canada, eat Poutine. When in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, eat Lobster Poutine.” – @telegramsam

Sunday was a bit of a down day. We had a morning devotional as a family and then drove over to Herring Cove where we spent an hour turning over rocks looking for crab. It was hilarious and seriously so much fun! We also did a short walk/hike to Dickson Falls. It wasn’t anything spectacular but we did stretch our legs. Finished off the day by swimming together in the salt water pool. Seriously. A national park with a swimming pool. Canada is awesome.

“Benevolent: well meaning and kindly.

Too far to attend regular church services today we had a family devotional and council instead. While I’ve long felt that full time travel has brought our family closer together, lately we’ve had a lot of discord. Perhaps because the kids are older, or we know we have a house to go back to, or maybe it’s just regular family life. Regardless of the reason, constant fighting, accusing tones, and bickering has forced away the peace usually found in our little space.

So today we talked about being kind. We believe in being honest, true, chaste and benevolent – but it’s hard to be something when you don’t know the meaning of the word. We talked about using soft answers, being unselfish, and giving service to one another.

We ended with a quote from one of our general authorities – “I promise that if you will extend yourself beyond what is easy to do, you will feel so good inside that kindness will start to become a part of your everyday life. You’ll see that benevolence can bring joy and unity to your home, your class, your ward, and your school. ‘Remember this: kindness begins with me.'” Something I think we could all do a little better at, yes?

Also, wild blackberry picking today. And then we made crumble. Both definitively approved Sabbath activities.” – @currentlywandering

 

Hopewell Rocks

This is one of the best places to see the dramatic effect of the tides. The water has carved incredible formations among these rocks and it was pretty fun to walk around and underneath them. Its definitely muddy so come prepared with the right footwear!

After wandering around on the beach we headed up to the little cafe and ordered probably the BEST lobster roll we ate in all of our travels.

We totally had mixed feelings about leaving Canada. On the one hand we were excited to head to Maine but we loved the Maritimes and the people so much!

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National Parks New Brunswick

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

Kouchibouguac National Park is located on the eastern coast of New Brunswick. During my research I found out it was full of biking trails, 1st Nation History, paddling, and the beach! Sounded amazing.

After we got settled in the campground, we headed out for an evening walk in the bog. Due to the extensive trail network, we road our bikes to the start of the walking path, and then enjoyed a leisurely saunter out and back.

“I’m WAY behind recording my story here. We have been enjoying Canada in a huge way. Kouchibouguac was amazing, including this bog walk we enjoyed after a bike ride to the trailhead. This park supports cycling in a way that I wish every park did, including multiuse paths and ample bike racks at each trailhead.” -@telegramsam

“Kouchibouguac National Park also has quite a few walking paths. Our first evening in the park we wandered out into “the bog”. We learned the word “bog”can comes from a Celtic word meaning “slow”. Hence you can get “bogged down”. Its basically land that has enough decayed vegetation which is too soft to walk on. Sphagnum moss was also used in diapers (eww) and for medical treatments. #roadschool

They say eventually the soggy landscape will take over the forest but for now this tower is still on solid ground right at the edge.” -@currentlywandering

“Kouchibouguac (Koo-she-boo-guac) National Park is right on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick. It is a fascinating blend of bog land, river, lagoon, biking trails, forest, beach, and First Nation culture.

There are 60km of groomed, gravel trails criss crossing the park and tons of bike racks, bike rentals and other infrastructure to support it. Such a cool experience as I’m pretty sure our US parks frown on all things bike related. 😂” – @currentlywandering

Our final morning, Rachel and I left early and rode the only designated “mountain bike” trail in the park. We had a few kilometers of gravel, wide trail and then turned off onto single track.

It was mostly flat, but lots of root, brush, boardwalks and good times. The very end of the one way trail road along the river which was pretty scenic.

We hitched up and towed the trailer over to the Kelly’s Beach parking lot and then spent a few hours playing at the beach before taking off for Nova Scotia.

This was the first time we had been to the beach since Hawaii and we took to it again immediately. The water wasn’t quite as warm, but apparently the water is the warmest its been…like ever. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

We’ve loved the experiences we’ve had with Canada’s National Park system in the past and Kouchibouguac was no exception. We loved hanging out here!

Categories
New Brunswick

Hiking Mount Carleton, New Brunswick

While perusing the New Brunswick tourist magazine at our last provincial park, I noticed a photo with an amazing summit view. After going back and forth we decided to drive there on Sunday afternoon and spend Monday morning hiking to the summit.

We just couldn’t pass it up.

Mount Carleton is kind of in the middle of nowhere. So much, that the campground only accepts cash for payment. We had a lazy Sunday afternoon and then woke up early and made it to the trail head by about 7:30 am to start hiking.

The summit trail is a loop – best hiked counter clockwise. The trail winds near a stream through some dense forest before ascending “Rocky Ridge” to the summit.

It was everything we hate about east coast trails – lots of roots, rocks, no switchbacks, and plenty of humidity to go around. Still worth it though!

“We took some time off last weekend to hike Mount Carleton – the highest point in the Maritimes. Totally an audible since we only found out about it a few days before but worth the effort!

The last few kilometers up rocky ridge and along the spine of the mountain were my favorite. The trails tops out at the old fire watchtower where we had a snack and then enjoyed the view of 10,000 trees.

Felt good to be on top of a mountain again.” – @currentlywandering

“ALL the trees. 🌲🌲 I’ve been thinking a lot about outdoor family adventure and what it really means to me and why we do it. Part is about the exercise, part about seeing new views and exploring. The biggest part though is the sense of mutual accomplishment. We did something hard. Together. It binds us as a family in ways that are hard to articulate.

I love getting home and feeling the good kind of tired.” – @currentlywandering

“Mount Carleton is the highest peak in the Maritimes, at 817 Meters above sea level. That’s 2680 feet, which is half the elevation of our home base in Driggs, ID but high enough to get quite a view. This isn’t the peak though, just a good spot for a view on the ridge approach.” – @telegramsam

Once we descended off the ridge (pretty steep again!) the trail flattened out into more of a wide ATV trail. There were plenty of small rocks but the going was easy and much faster than the way up.

We barely made it back to the Airstream in time to shower, grab lunch, and make it out just slightly after check out.

We tried to get into Kouchibouguac National Park after hiking Mount Carleton, but unfortunately the campground was full. After calling around we found space in a little commercial park in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

It wasn’t much to look at, but we managed to get the chores done so we could play later in the week!

Categories
New Brunswick

Parc provincial Les Jardins de la République, New Brunswick Canada

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Travel Dates: August 8-11, 2018

After our morning-turned-afternoon bike ride to Montreal, we packed up and checked out of our campground late. Motivated to get closer to Nova Scotia, we opted for a long evening drive that took us all the way into New Brunswick.

I had found a small Provincial Park and made a reservation over the phone. We had to move sites to stay longer, but the park was peaceful, the signal was great for work, and they had a pool! We spent most of our afternoons playing in the water which was incredibly relaxing.

I had found a trail system nearby and although the trails were rated ‘green’ on TrailForks, Sam and I decided to test them on a biking date before taking the kids over. I’m so glad we did! They were more difficult than the kids would have enjoyed but Sam and I had a blast.

Edmundston is right across the border from Maine and we looked longingly over the river. Its been a running joke for 4 years that we are on a road trip to Maine and just really bad at getting directions.

Yep. Not actually going there for another 3.5 weeks after this.

“Kind of loving New Brunswick so far. We are just over the border from Quebec so there’s still a lot of French, but we feel less dumb since everything is also in English.

Work, school, a mountain bike ride, some Ukelele playing, sweatshirt and an actual campfire tonight with s’mores and the brownies Rachel made. I’m not sure today could actually get any better.” -@currentlywandering

We never have campfires. Like, ever. But since the temps were low enough at night we decided to pull out the roasting forks and go for it! Rachel also made brownies for us and the results were delicious. I promptly ate way too many.

Meandering through the valley is the Madawaksa River. I kept looking longingly at it and finally decided to paddle a section on our new SUP from Sea Eagle boats in kayak mode. Sam & Rachel joined me at the dock to grab some drone footage and then drove down and picked me up at the other end. It was beautiful, peaceful, a good arm work out and exactly what I needed!

“Before we left Edmunston, NB @telegramsam shuttled me on a paddle down the Madawaska river. Since there was very little current, it really was quite the paddle but the evening light made it picture perfect.

Still loving the @seaeagleboats SUP. I added the kayak seat this time and with the needle nose and the fin we tracked pretty straight! Also, this thing can really MOVE. It’s a blast!”- @currentlywandering