Our much-awaited Canadian Maritime RV caravan trip kicked off near Bar Harbor, Maine, as 19 RVs gathered for this 49-day adventure together. One RV is the "Wagon master" and they are in charge of our itinerary and general logistics. We were initially missing our "Tail gunner" RV as they had a breakdown that prevented them from joining us, so a replacement Tail gunner was en-route and would join us in a few days.
That first night included an orientation meeting and "get acquainted" party. It is a nice group of folks and we are all excited about this trip. Dinner was a catered whole lobster meal and thankfully included instructions so we could wrestle the meat out of the shells.
Following the driving instruction booklet we were provided, we all drove 136 miles to St. Andrews the next morning. We are discouraged from convoying as it can hamper other traffic. We are basically given a window to leave the current park, with the Wagonmaster generally being first so they can be set up to receive us at the other end. Today not only included crossing the border into Canada but also getting our last chance at cheaper fuel in the USA.
Our new RV park in St. Andrews had a fantastic view overlooking Passamaquoddy bay. St. Andrews' downtown area was a short walk away and was very much geared to the summer tourist season. We were picked up by a tour bus the next morning and driven around the area to see amazing "loyalist" homes moved here in the 1783 (by boat), the town jail, the town Courthouse/Archives, and finally Kingsbrae Gardens where we had lunch. There is a 28 foot tide at this part of the bay and it was fascinating to watch it go in and out during the days we were here.
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| St. Andrews Courthouse |
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| Kingsbrae Gardens |
On our second day here we all carpooled over the low-tide sandbar to see Minister's Island where the summer home of railroad-baron Sir William Van Horne (deceased) is located. The window to see the home and surrounding property is limited as you need to drive back over the sand bar before the tide covers the road!
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| Our line of cars going across to Minister's Island |
Day 5 had us driving a short 73 miles to Saint John. It is a social group (as most RVers are), so we had our first impromptu group "Happy Hour" followed by several of us going out for a seafood dinner afterwards. The next day included a formal bus tour that took us by Fort Howe (built by the British to protect the city from American raids), the Old City Market (shopping), and Carleton Martello Tower (tower built on a hill to help protect the area from coastal attacks). We also swung by the famous Reversing Falls at low tide. After the bus trip was done, we made two additional drives in the car back to the falls that day so we could witness the "slack" and to see high tide where the water rushes back into the river.
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| Outgoing tide at Reversing Falls |
On Day 7 our goal was to go 110 miles to Hopewell Cape. We stopped at the town of Alma on the way and took a long walk across the sand to the low-tide ocean. Any boats still at the dock were on blocks and completely out of the water, waiting to be afloat again when the tide came back in later.
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| Alma at low tide |
The next day we all drove our cars over to Flowerpot / Hopewell Rocks at both high and low tides (a 34 foot difference) so we could witness the dramatic change between the two and how the rocks were exposed. A guide walked us out at low tide and shared a number of stories about the rocky landscape and the local ecology.
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| Flowerpot Rocks |
That evening we drove ourselves into Moncton so we could witness its "Bore Tide". This is when there is a rush of seawater returning to a shallow and narrowing inlet (Peticodiac River) from a broad bay (Bay of Fundy in this case). It was only 3-4 feet tall that day, but still impressive.
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| Bore Tide in Moncton |
Now for the RV "lifestyle" part of the post: We lost 1 RV before even leaving Bar Harbor as the single-hander fellow was called home by his doctor due to results of a blood test done before he left home. Another RV stopped for lunch along the route one day and the rig wouldn't start again, so they got towed to a service center, a new engine "starter" installed, and caught up with us the next day. Another rig is suffering with a slow radiator coolant leak and are making plans for a new radiator to catch up with us. Our own new water pump is acting finicky. No doubt we will each face a challenge or two over the next 5+ weeks together but hope everyone "travels safe" as we like to say. Never a dull moment living in these machines!
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