in the POD - Fun-"day" 2

Dickson Falls

Fundy National Park, NB

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New day and no rain! 

Foggy and cloudy with temps in the low 40's for most of the day - but we forged on wanting to see as much as we could of this small, pristine park. We opted for a series of 5 short hikes - figuring that between each one we could warm up in the POD, rest, have lunch..... It worked out perfectly and over the 5 trails we were able to experience 3 very distinct environments. 

Peat Bogs

Fundy National Park, NB

We began our day with a short 1.5 mile trek around Caribou Plain, home of a large peat bog. Ringed by pine, birch, and fir trees this bog is home to a large community of beavers. The large "home" on the bog notwithstanding, we saw lots of evidence of the beavers' tree trimming veracity along the trail!

After leaving the bog area the trail winds thru dense forest - the greens were absolutely amazing - and no photo I have can actually show the diversity of color, the abundance of moss and lichen, the quiet, the smells and the beauty of it all thrown together. Where the canopy of firs opened to the sun there were these beautiful white flowering trees (?) called Bunch Berry. They looked like a cross between a creeping hydrangea and a dogwood. They lit up the forest!! 

 Caribou Plain

Fundy National Park, NB

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When we did finally relinquish and head back to the POD we headed to one of the park's many lakes so we could have a spot "with a view" to warm up in. Unfortunately, Lake Bennett was too pretty and we HAD to get out and explore. In good weather this lake offers kayaks and canoes for rent. Today, the little building that rents the equipment, while open, was sporting a solid fire in their pot belly stove! 

Our next stop was Dickson Falls. This was a short - maybe 1+ mile - loop DOWN and through pristine forests. Again, the number of GREENS were overwhelming and the staggering beauty of the moss and towering trees mixed with the choral sounds of the rushing stream and waterfall ....... be still my heart. At every turn we had to stop and enjoy both the perspective and the beauty. We must have walked over 300 feet down into the ravine before coming upon the stream, which as we began to climb back out, became the waterfall. Beautiful music and scenery! And again, no photo can show the textures or colors that were present in this Eden under the canopy. 

Stunning. 

Reverent.

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We drove on back to Herring Cove as high tide time was approaching. We wanted to see the beach (where yesterday we had scrambled atop so many boulders) fill with the 40 meters of water that had been proclaimed. A lunch of butternut squash soup, crackers and egg salad in the POD fortified us as we sat in the parking lot before heading back down the stairs to the beach below.

High tide at Herring Cove Beach

Fundy National Park, NB

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Whoa! At low tide yesterday, at the far point in this picture, there were huge boulders rising 20' above me. We had climbed their seaweed covered face and scampered over them to the other side of the point. 

They're gone now!! I'm a believer!

We headed to the south most portion of the park along the coast and stopped first at Matthews Head to follow that trail to its outermost point (which we had not completed on day 1). The approx 2 miles going down to the coast through lush forest was quite steep and marked with lots of tree roots- yet small plains broke the descent every so often and the flowering trees, staking out their rightful spot in the forest, was quite inspiring. 

Matthews Head stood high above the Bay of Fundy below and we could see to Nova Scotia and the Great Atlantic.

We ended our day at Point Wolfe. It was picture perfect. 

Covered bridge, ravines, finger inlets, and an old logging and lumber area that had been accessed by small craft - based solely on the tides. 

And, yeah, maybe a few bootleggers in the past as well.

By the time we completed the trails in this area it was once again low tide. We ambled down the 1/2 mile path to Point Wolf beach to explore the ocean floor again. 

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Covered bridge

Point Wolfe, NB

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 Point Wolfe 

Fundy National Park, NB

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Inlet from the Bay of Fundy 

leading to Point Wolfe River

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All in all we only walked around 7 miles of trail today....

and yet - we climbed 64 flights! 

(up.... as in flights of stairs!!!!!!!)

Beautiful day of exploration and we definitely deserved our night's sleep!

in the POD - Fundy National Park

Alma, New Brunswick

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Day 1

Home to the world's highest tides, Fundy National Park has over 12 miles of dramatic coastline to explore along with more than 62 miles of hiking trails through pristine Acadian forests filled with freshwater lakes, river beds and waterfalls. We will spend three nights here before driving north/northwest to Cape Breton.

We arrived mid day, registered at one of the three campgrounds within the National Park (Chignecto North) and immediately took off to explore. The tides are so dramatic here that you are given a tide table upon arrival (to plan accordingly) and luckily it was low tide. We decided to start with a short hike out - and DOWN -  to Herring Cove Beach "to walk on the ocean floor". And then added a loop into the forest that sat at the top of the cliffs above us, Matthews Head, to get a feel for the forest trails.

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180 steps to the beach below

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Herring Cove Beach

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When the tide is in, this "beach" is under approximately 40 feet of water! SO, in fact, we were walking on the ocean floor. The rocks scattered on the beach were greens, deep reds, marbled granites - all polished and rounded. It was difficult to choose a favorite! And surrounding us on 3 sides were looming red russet earth and boulders rising up from the sea with pine trees clinging to their edge - all of it leaning toward the land and trying to hang on.

Large slabs of rocks lay at their base, fanning out into the sea and covered in periwinkles and the most beautiful seaweed I have ever seen......

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 Streams and waterfalls at every turn

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The sound of the forest is so restful and yet so energizing. Your feet patting the ground, your own breath, perhaps the crunch of a dried leaf.  Other melodies appear slowly - as you approach a stream, a waterfall, or the sudden rustle of the wind - and then fade. 

Mindfullness. 

Thinking right now about a book that is waiting (so patiently) in my iPad for me: The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams.

Seems like a no brainer - but I think we/I need to keep reminding ourselves....
everyday.

 into the woods

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 Day 1 ended with a stop in the town of Alma to pick up a couple of lobster rolls for dinner. 

Pod life. 

Gotta love it!

Day 2

Rain. 

Lots of rain. 

All day rain calls for a very leisurely morning - coffee, toast, yogurt and showers. The campground is quiet this time of year - still very much off season up here. The few larger rigs around us are all closed up tight and even the few children we have seen are secured inside. We both did some reading, planned our route/stops for Sunday, and then ..... discovered a local brew pub!! 

Truly a miracle.

Okay - technically "Holy Whale" brewing has not yet begun brewing themselves - but they are currently serving draft craft beers from 4 other New Brunswick brewers as they finish setting themselves up. Picture this - 2 brothers and a friend (all from Prince Edward Island) decide to open a brewery. They look all over the Eastern Canadian maritime area - because that is important to them - to find the right spot. In this tiny seacoast town of Alma they find a church for sale. They figure National Park, tourist town = great probability for success, so they buy the church. 

A brew pub in a church!

They first set up a coffee roasting operation - one of the brothers is into coffee as well - and arrange with a local baker to supply them with cookies, scones etc. so they can start selling, settling into the town while they construct the brewery. 

Holy Whale Brewery/Buddha Bear Cafe

Alma, NB

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When we were there they were installing the steam pipes for the kettles and they think they will be fully operational by July. Till then - they still have some very interesting craft brews from Maybee Brew Co, Gray Stone Brewing, and Grimross all out of Fredericton, NB. 

As for food....... we had oysters (clean, sweet, with a slight steely finish and not as briny as Wellfleet),  a fish taco and lobster chowder. Everything was delicious! And they did it all in an outside tent!

I love these guys!

It always amazes me how friendly people are when you simply ask questions and listen. I wish them all the luck in the world and hope I can get back here to sample their beer.

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We look forward to day 3 and hope the rain abates.
We need to get into this forest again.

in the POD - heading to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton

Adventure Awaits!

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This road trip has been on my mind since 1970 and now, almost 50 years later, I'm finally going! Wild coastlines, salt spray and sea air, seashore villages and coves, whales, light houses ... all the things that talk to me of home and adventure. And a bit of family history to explore.

My Nana, Mary Lucci Spadafora, immigrated to the U.S. as a toddler. She was born in Corfinio, Italy in 1906. Her parents had already traveled to the U.S. around the turn of the century, had a child or two while here, but then went back to Italy for a few years...?... Nana said, "My father was the world's first hippie!" When her family did return to the U.S., sometime around 1905/06, they entered through Halifax, Nova Scotia. I don't know why - and neither did she. All I do know is that when we went to get my Nana her first passport in 1970 - so that we could take a multi-generational (all female!) trip to Italy - it seems that her father had NEVER claimed her when they re-entered this country! There was no record of her. Zip. Nothing. She had married young, never worked, and never had a social security number. An unknown, underground female in our world! Crazy to imagine that was even possible - on so many levels! Fortunately it was 1970 and bureaucracy understood that sometimes people fell through the cracks. They issued her a passport, she told me the story, we went to Italy, and deep in the back of my mind I wanted to visit this place where so many immigrants had arrived and passed through on their way to a new life.

There is a small, seasonal window for camping, biking, and hiking in theses parts. Most campgrounds don't open until the end of May and only stay open till mid October. The weather looks like it will average in the mid 50's most of the time we are there, with some rain on the horizon. We will be three weeks on the road with approximately half of that time spent in National Parks (Fundy National Park and Cape Breton Island National Park) while the rest we are leaving up to chance ...... and try our hand at "boondocking".

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The POD is packed. Adventure awaits.

Here we go!