"The Canadian Maritimes" consist of three Canadian Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Erik and I had both “lived” about 14 weeks in Oromocto, New Brunswick, or rather at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, at earlier points in our lives when we completed some of our military training. We had also both made short visits to Halifax for training as well. That was the extent of our Maritime exposure in our adult lives. Needless to say, we both felt as though we were visiting for the first time. And what a great visit it turned out to be!
“I really liked the campsites in Quebec, like a lot, because there were so many things to do.”
On our way into New Brunswick, we stayed two nights at a Camping Union campground called Camping De La Demi-Lieue in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli Quebec. This campground is situated on the coast of the St-Laurence and had exceptionally great facilities for families: mini-putt, shuffle board, a trampoline, a large indoor bounce castle, a pool, playgrounds, a games room, and a lovely coastline of the river with beautiful sunsets. Seeing as this was our first stop, we also appreciated that our site was a pull-through so we didn’t have to brave the “backing up” pressure just yet. We had a blast and played hard for the day and a half we were there. It was hard to convince the kids to leave.
“I just really like mini-putt and shuffleboard. And jumping.”
New Brunswick struck us with the beauty of rolling hills, thick forests, and rocky road-side cuts. We were surprised to see a sign announcing that we had reached the “French Fry Capital of the World” at Florenceville-Bristol. Who knew? Our two nights were spent in Fundy National Park in a private site (that we had to back into…uphill) and we visited Hopewell Rocks when the tide was fully out. For three kids who haven’t spent time around the ocean, they were surprisingly happy to catch and hold hermit crabs even as the crabs crawled around their hands.
The Bay of Fundy boasts the highest tides in the world. It’s also beautiful to see. We walked along the sea floor for an hour and looked for interesting sea creatures in the tide pools. Molly was our fearless leader who was the first to overturn rocks or to pick up shells in search of hermit crabs.
“Every spot created a new memory. There was something to wow us, something to scare us, and something to pull us together as a team.”
Our stay in NB was much too short but we bid farewell as we made our way to Nova Scotia with the ambitious goal of making it to the Hideaway Campground located close to Dingwall on the Northern part of Cape Breton Island. Words can hardly express the beauty of the drive along the western Cape Breton coastline - the “Cabot Trail”. The views were breathtaking. We were blessed with a sunny and clear afternoon with the sun at our side. The steep climbs and descents challenged the truck (and Erik’s nerves) and we learned how best to drive these slopes when pulling 8000 lbs. Reaching our site was harrowing but so rewarding and we were welcomed with a wonderful view of a bay from an elevated point. Wow.
Calling Grandmaman to wish her Happy Birthday from our glorious spot on Cape Breton Island, NS.
We spent two nights and had the entire following, sunny day to explore the beach, eat some seafood for lunch, brave the coastal winds while enjoying ice cream, and then hike one of the most memorable trails of the whole trip. The White Point Trail weaved atop a finger of land that jutted out into the Gulf of St. Laurence pointing toward Newfoundland. For me this trail gave me a sense of walking the highlands of Scotland and had me imagining I was part of the Outlander series.
“Hideaway Campground was my favourite because we had a nice grassy field and played frisbee. Also the beach was really fun and we made an entire sandcastle with a courtyard and turrets. We also saw mica in the rocks and were able to break off a chunk of mica to keep.”
The morning we pulled out of Hideaway was grey and misty. We were set to meet some friends in North Sydney and then board the overnight ferry to Newfoundland. The ferry trip had everyone feeling a bit nervous as the kids had never slept on a boat before. The fog and mist broke a few times for us as we wound down the Eastern side of Cape Breton and it’s very hard to say which side had the nicer views - the whole road is worth driving.
We’ll tell you all about Newfoundland in another post. Stay tuned!
Our return trip from Newfoundland had us arriving in North Sydney closer to dinner time so we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a motel in Antigonish, NS. We pressed on the next morning and made our way to Prince Edward Island where we stayed at the PEI National Park in Cavendish. We had a few missed turns along the way and got to explore some of the farming areas of the Island. Potato crops were everywhere as were many other crops that we couldn’t identify. There was a beauty to the way the land rolled with the patchwork of fields. It wasn’t hilly like NB nor flat like the Prairies. It looked fertile and lush, not dusty or depleted. The communities looked welcoming. And the red dirt was art in itself. We spent our time at the beach and exploring the Green Gables museum. We would have loved to stay longer.
Our journey turned homeward once our stay in PEI was over and we found a few other great spots for a night’s rest in both NB and Quebec. The best part about heading home was knowing that we had accomplished what we’d set out to do - to become familiar with pulling, backing, setting up, and packing up our trailer; to work out what items we needed, those that were nice to have, and what we could do without; and to build our confidence that as a family we are capable of setting off on our next grand adventure!
Check out our trip video on our YouTube channel!