RVentures with Doug and Chris: Maritime Meaderings Through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

After our visit to Acadia National Park, we continued to head north to the cute fishing village of Eastport, Maine. A monument near our boondocking spot on the harbor stated that we had arrived in the easternmost city in the United States.

The next morning as we drove little further east to the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, a monument there also claimed the bragging rights for the most eastern point of the continental United States. It could also be a very spectacular spot to see the first rays of the new day in our country ... unless it is fogged in like it was on the day we visited.

A quick border crossing in Calais, Maine would bring us to our next travel destination ...

Canada, Here We Come!

But wait! Not so fast! Was it our ''Florida'' license plates, or the fact that we stated we had some bear spray on board, or just a slow day at the border patrol office?? Whatever the reason, we were one of the lucky ones ''chosen'' for a van search. Border crossings always make me a little nervous because I worry about them confiscating all my produce and meat supply. It seemed that they were more concerned about finding something a little more dangerous than freezer-burned chicken, but after a 15 minute search, we were given the A-OK and were on our way to the ...

Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The name alone fills us with savory visions of fresh lobster, scallops, and the King of the North Atlantic, Cod

... as well as other Canadian staples such as Tim Horton's Donuts,

... lobster poutine,

... and ketchup-flavored Lays potato chips.

(I do like to dip my potato chips in ketchup, so I probably should try these ... )

When the food coma from all this rich Canadian cuisine sets in,

... there are plenty of comfy Adirondack chairs that welcome visitors to sit a spell and enjoy the beautiful Canadian wilderness.

I'll be ready to start exploring the Maritimes right after this nap ...

Saint John, New Brunswick

We spent a bit of time in this area two years ago, but Doug neglected to visit a craft brewery in New Brunswick (I know ... can you believe it??). Feeling compelled to get that ''bucket list'' item checked off, our first overnight stop was the city of Saint John, New Brunswick and specifically, Big Tide Brewing. It was also our first of many maritime fish & chips dinners.

We quickly learned that the ''fish'' in fish & chips is always cod,

and that we can easily share the gigantic fillets piled on top of the mountain of fries

that come in a typical two-piece dinner.

That night we were able to find a boondocking spot overlooking the Bay of Fundy. This was the first of many nights of scenic, quiet, and free boondocking spots that we would enjoy during our maritime travels. While we mainly use the iOverlander application to find legitimate boondocking spots, it seems that Canadians are pretty laid back as far as boondocking goes. A number of people told us that pretty much any public spot out of the way of traffic is OK for a night or two.

Fundy Trail Parkway

Our route the next day would take us along the Bay of Fundy which is famous for tides that can fluctuate up to 50 feet from low to high tide. A friend suggested that we take a 12 mile trek along the Fundy Trail Parkway.

This not-for-profit park winds along the Bay of Fundy coastline giving visitors spectacular views of the coastline, gorges, waterfalls, and treasures on the beaches that can be discovered during the low tides.

An overnight stay at Fundy National Park gave us more scenic views of the ever changing water levels below us as we planned our weekend stop in ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia

A lively waterfront community, delicious seafood, easy boondocking, and a craft brewery or two drew us back once again to Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days. We also like how the diversity of this city's citizens brings an energetic vibe to the local surroundings. When there is favorable weather, it's fun to walk along the harbor boardwalk, beside the elegant old brick buildings, and through the colorful neighborhoods and local farmers market.

And if rain moves in (which it often will in the Maritimes), we are grateful to be able to check the radar and head to where the forecast looks a bit more promising, which turned out to be ...

Kejimkujik National Park

Last fall when we visited Jasper and Banff National Parks, we ended up saving money by buying a yearly entrance pass for Canada's national parks. Always ones to want to ''save'' even more, we decided to use our pass to visit Kejimkujik National Park in central Nova Scotia for a few days. We have come to appreciate that Canada's national park campgrounds have more amenities and less crowds then those in the US. For $25/night we were able to get a lakeside site in a nearly empty campground with a brand new shower house nearby.

Kejimkujik's surroundings reminded us a lot of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota (on a smaller scale). The park has many beautiful lakes surrounded by hardwood and hemlock forests. As we walked along one of the trails, we saw an energetic group of young paddlers setting out in their canoes for one of the more primitive campsites on the other side of the lake. While I admired their enthusiasm, I was more than happy to head back to our cozy van with electric heat and a hot shower!

As we came to appreciate during our visit, it's the hiking trails through old growth hemlock and hardwoods forests, and

... paths alongside lakes and rivers leading to magnificent waterfalls that really highlight the beauty of Kejimkujik National Park.

Other Maritime Treasures of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

After our national park visit, we had to get serious about heading in the direction of Sydney, Nova Scotia as we have reservations for the ferry that will take us to the island of Newfoundland.