RV Travel in North America: 2023 August Canadian Maritimes, New Brunswick

Visiting Maine has been very enjoyable, I certainly had hoped that the fishing was better but there has been so much rain here before I got here and while I am here that everything is flooded out and fishing has been difficult for me in the rivers. That being said, it is better than no fishing at all! I hope that when I return from Canadian Maritimes it will have improved and be better for me to fish.

I had hung out in Old Town, ME while waiting for the Canada trip to start. Taking daily rides on the motorcycle around town and including Bangor, ME, looking for interesting things to see. On Saturday night I had drifted asleep about 8PM and at 9PM heard possible gunshots! Fortunately, not gunshots but was fireworks across the river at the Penobscot Indian Reservation. Right from my RV at the lodge directly across the river and watch the fireworks show lasting 15 minutes.

Zoom into display on the building!

Cool Message

Paul Bunyan originated in Maine, so Mainers say!

Tree sculpture in Steven Kings yard

Steven Kings house

I wore my winter jacket for the rain, and it was not waterproof, I remembered many years ago that my Mom would spray our coats with Scotchgarde to waterproof them. I had looked over the years and had never found any and thought that they don’t make it anymore. But as I was in a JoAnn’s Fabric store getting needle and thread to repair the motorcycle cover, I thought to ask and YAY they did have it! I called my Mom with the childhood story and although she did not remember using Scotchgarde she did enjoy the story. Yes, it worked! My winter jacket is now waterproofed, it has a liner that is removable so it's not so warm in the summer.

Every few days I would go by the lodge in Bangor, ME to see if any of the other travelers going on this trip were there and caught up with Ronald. We looked at each other and said I know you from somewhere? After discussion we realized that we had met in the lodge in Denver, CO last summer and had quite a few conversations then. What a small world! He is also a member of the WIN’s and is going on the Canadian trip.

WIN's is Wandering Individual Network, an opportunity for solo RV travelers to meet and travel as a group. I joined this after my wife Tanya was required to return to office and not remote work anymore.

The day prior to the planned date to meet in Canada was to rain all day. I really get bored with being cooped up inside so I decided that driving would be better than sitting and headed out to go one day earlier than originally planned. It’s not far 120 miles and I did laundry, topped off propane (not knowing the price of propane in Canada) and headed out about 11AM. Nice drive along 2 lane road to Calais, ME then over the border.

Customs border crossing I fully expected to be pulled in and searched because of the trailer and they did pull me in. Not bad 30 minutes they searched the RV and trailer. Very considerate to put things back where they were too. Still, it is something to be a little anxious about for you never know if there is something you had forgotten about that could create a problem. Curiously while waiting a travel trailer was passed right on through. I guess I have a suspicious face 😊

I had looked up grocery stores before entering to replace the prohibited items such as eggs, fresh vegetables and the one with the best reviews had such a small produce section and believe it or not absolutely no green onions. Hmm, going to have to try other grocers as I find them.

No other WIN’s in the campground, I am a day early but had expected Bob and Karen for they had shared the same thought to come in early during the rainy day travel. OK, today is the scheduled arrival now and I expect that late in the day many will arrive.

My first day with the WIN's and I must say it is a resounding success! I have met 14 other people and enjoy chatting with them. The daily meeting and ideas are floated around of what to see and do. This particular night the host Jenell provided lobster mac - macaroni and cheese with lobster. This is not the normal but very nice. Karen made Tiramisu cake for dessert, naturally I do not care for sweets but did have another serving of lobster mac.

I am all the way in the back.

Day 2 and a bike ride to St Andrews Farmers Market, this is only open on Thursdays in the town park. Nice displays showing quality craftmanship only 2 vegetable stands with very good-looking produce. Bob and I did not stay too long here for we wanted to go to the bigger town with a large supermarket. It was very productive and when I picked up a rotisserie chicken, I changed my menu for the potluck tonight to quesadilla with chicken and roasted poblano peppers. I have one package left now.

Potluck dinner and everyone brought something different and tasty. We also talked RV Tips and I shared perforated vinyl for windows and was asked for a link to this. I sent it on Facebook. One of the tips shared was 30 years of trying all the prevent mice techniques everyone has heard about. Steven shared how only one method has worked for him, mouse traps in the basement with peanut butter under the trap trigger and a sunflower seed stuck to the trigger. The other key element is placing a few sunflower seeds in a location that you see frequently, when some are missing you have mice, when none go missing your free of mice. Steven also shared that kangaroo mice in the US Southwest are deterred by light, their predators hunt during daylight so has a light under your RV to deter mice, also open the engine hood to deter them from the engine compartment.

Each day there are things to do, and you choose what you want and go along with others or choose to go your own way. One day I did go out on my motorcycle to have a day to myself. I ran into WINs several times in my travels! Hahaha. I went to the next peninsula and visited the lighthouse. Lina showed up to see it before taking the ferry over to Deer Island. There was one display, a mockup of the air driven foghorn. The teenager that worked there had some knowledge of it and we together went through the process and that was fun to do it with a teenager.

Linda then left to ride the ferry and later told us about a very large whirlpool that shows up 3 hours before high tide. I plan to go see it sometime later this week when the timing is right.

Some of us went by bicycle and some drove to Ministers Island where you can cross over during low tide. An american man who worked his way up high into the railroad was assigned to build the cross country railroad in Canada. He finished 2 years early and under budget! So they gave him a bonus of 1M dollars, this was in 1885.

Wow he is now a very rich man! So, he bought the island, built a fabulous house, huge barn. In 1898, a large chateau-style barn for Van Horne, one of the largest in the Maritimes, and often regarded as one of the most beautiful. This barn was used for breeding of Van Horne's prizewinning Clydesdale horses and Dutch Belted cattle, one of the only such herds in North America. This farm served as a nursery for his larger operations in East Selkirk, Manitoba.

Highly advantageous breed of cows:

The name Lakenvelder or Lakenfield cattle derives from the word “laken” meaning a sheet or cloth, referring to the white band passing around the body. In some countries animals with this marking are known as “sheeted” cattle. This belt or sheet is of pure white hair extending from the shoulders to the hip bones and should encircle the body completely. The cattle are otherwise black (or occasionally red). In their original form they were horned and primarily a dairy breed – comparing favorably with the Holstein in milk yield. Cows weigh from 900-1500 pounds with bulls weighing 1350-2000 pounds. Their milk tests 3.5 to 5.5 per cent butter fat making it an ideal drinking milk. Dutch Belted are small-boned, making them very easy calving. They have unusual longevity and fertility, high meat yield and friendly dispositions.

Statistics:

Photo courtesy of The Dutch Belted Cattle Association of America, www.dutchbelted.com

The breed retains excellent grazing ability and forage efficiency.

Optimum calving interval is an important trait for seasonal dairy production.

Many cows produce over 20,000 pounds of milk, primarily on forage.

Longevity reduces replacement costs, and there are many teenage cows still in production.

Moderate frame size results in high dairy beef yield.

Heifers breed early and produce a calf every year.

Conception rate far exceeds the average 2.7 services required for Holsteins.

An average birth weight of 70 pounds assures calving ease and less postpartum stress.

The Dutch Belted offers remarkable genetic consistency resulting from centuries of pure breeding and selection. Dutch Belted bulls are prepotent, and their offspring are highly predictable and uniform. Dutch Belteds can impart significant hybrid vigor when crossed with other breeds. These crossbreds have found great favor in grass-based dairy production. Due to the rarity of the breed, crossbreeding can be recommended only if using Dutch Belted semen on dairy cows of other breeds. Pure Dutch Belted cows must only be bred to pure Dutch Belted bulls.

Ron thinks he might be related to this man!

WINs touring the barn

I am always interested in different tools used in the past. The container on the right is a portable fire extinguisher. The 2 glass bottles with spray heads on the bottom are automatic chemical fire extinguishing, building today use the same technology except they are plumbed with water of other suppressants. This is a first for me!

The barn had 2 silos, they are now converted to stairs

Thats Ron and me

Another day I did a ride about on my own, here is a little waterfall from a dam, the river created had interesting current patterns for the tidal water was flowing as well.

Tide is out at this section leving flats going out quite a ways - panoramic picture

Same time and location - standard picture

Toured the Marine Museum, partial blue lobster, there were quite a few here in the tank

Seahorse good pic

Lobs'ta anyone, zoom in and read the card

Every night we meet for a meeting update if there are other things to see or do for the next day, then sometimes play cards, sometimes just go home. We have been here 5 days and tomorrow it is time to go to the next destination St Johns, NB only 104km away.

On my ride over to St Johns, I happily followed the coastal road looking for nice things to see. Although I followed all of the signs for lighthouses, somehow never saw any? I did stop for a nice waterfall called Lepreau Falls.

Touring St Johns with Pete's walking tour is very cost affordable, enjoyable tour, Pete shares only a small amount of founding fathers' history and much more of surviving the pandemic and the future of St Johns. Walking through city streets where he greets townsfolks by name, and they respond happily. Overhead walkways for winter to connect business, shops, living areas in the downtown area.

No stairs, to get the band up to the 2nd floor a ladder was placed on one small banister removed

Tree of life

Ken kept up with us just fine!

Other things of interest are the campground we are in is part of a biking, hiking trail system with multiple lakes and many hills. Nearby the St Johns River meets the sea with a set of rapids. As the tide rises it completely covers the rapids, this is called the reversing rapids or falls.

I had found a awesome breakfast place called Cora's, delicious eggs, ham, potatoes with fruit or tomato on the side. Since I'm a nonsmoker now all things with flavors really excite me! Very good!

We spent nearly a week exploring the area, meeting each evening to share our experiences, sometimes we go as a group and since it's a Solo traveler group we never feel like the third wheel 🛞.

One day trip to Deer Island to see the large whirlpool. No pictures for it was foggy and the view was poor. 80 yards from shore the current would well up from below an create a circle rotating. Yes it's a very large whirlpool!

Driving back a stop for seafood at a tiny mom and pop place fit the bill

Large pieces of fish!

Not much hiking at this stop but severe bicycle rides on hills with beautiful views.

Preparing for the next stop at Fundy National Park we stocked up on groceries before heading out.

Faith asked that she follows me for I wanted to go the coastal road and we're both early riser. Although I talk to Tanya 7am my time then walking group at 8am before leaving the campground.

A nice slow drive to St Martinsville, NB the back up to the highway to reach the next destination.

St Martin has "sea caves" the tide was out so an easy walk to the caves.

One of our group - Faith touring.

Fundy Trail Parkway is truly a spectacular drive! We approached from the West entrance and it was a long drive over a plateau covered with forests and small undulations of the plateau. The entrance fee is very reasonable for such allot of road maintenance that has been done her. Excellent roadway.

There are numerous pullouts with to see Fundy Bay, cliffs, beaches, towering rocky cliffs that are eroded by the tides creating interesting sculptures.

Along the Fundy Trail Parkway is a suspended bridge to cross the river, I stopped hare at the same time as 2 of our group and got their pictures too.

Nearby in Moncton, NB has a "Tidal Bore" this is where the tide is so powerful it pushes a 2' wall of water up the river like a tidal wave! One minute the river is still flowing out to sea and then this wave comes through and very fast current continues behind it going up the river. There is many YouTube of this happening, even one that shows people surfing the tidal bore!

Of course I am a sea kayaker and had to paddle the Fundy tides. It has been a little difficult to find places that I can park my RV and trailer to launch from, but I did find one here and had a great paddle. Many of our group rented from an outfitter tandem kayak on the same day, unfortunately I could not paddle with their group, but we crossed paths and said hello.

Cool Pic's