Ocean Surf RV Park, Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada

Great location in New Brunswick to explore the coast line of NB, Prince Edward Island, etc. The park is walking distance to a great beach area that we enjoyed strolling along at night. The park is split into two main sections where the first is primarily seasonal and permanent residents and the back section is for the short term visitors. Our site was gravel, but flat and with a lot of extra room on all sides. Each site has a picnic table with grass surrounding the gravel parking pad. The park has a nice pool area that was very popular with the families during our stay. The park offered wifi, but it was very weak and mostly did not work. The staff during checkin was helpful and prepared. We rate the park a 3 out of 5, but would have no issues staying here again when we visit the area.

Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada

After a great stop in Halifax, we headed back to northern New Brunswick to explore that coastal area of Canada. We only had a couple of days so we got right to exploring by heading to Prince Edward Island for the day. Our first stop was Anne of Green Gables in the beautiful PEI country side and then a stop in Charlottetown where we walked the harbor area and visited St. Dunstan's Basilica. Charlottetown has a surprising amount of historical significance for the formation of Canada as a country. Our second day was spent visiting the Hopewell Rocks Park. This park is along the Bay of Fundy and experiences the 50'+ daily tidal swings. The coast line has been etched by the tides into amazing formations. We spent a few hours at the park walking along the ocean floor at low tide appreciating the natural beauty. After this quick stop it is time to move into Quebec.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

This may sound very "American" of me but I never knew/never stopped to figure out where Halifax, Nova Scotia is.  It always sounded like some far off and exotic place whenever I would read about it.  When I realized we were going there I was pleasantly surprised.  :)

Nova Scotia means New Scotland in Latin and it is indeed very influenced by Scotland.  It is one of the "Maritime Provinces" in Canada and I think it is the most beautiful.  It played a big part in both world wars because of its location,

Our first day we visited The Citadel which is an old fort built right on the water to protect Nova Scotia from France and later on, The United States.  It never was used as such but when you go today, you will find soldiers, still firing their guns, while dressed in their tartan plaid and once a day, at noon the canon is still fired.

Nova Scotia also plays home to a couple UNESCO World Heritage Sites and we had the pleasure of visiting both.  One of them is called Peggy's Cove.  It is a tiny fishing village located on the eastern shore of St. Magarets Bay and it is home to Peggy's Point Lighthouse.  It is stunning where the edge of land meets the ocean and the waves slam against the rocks, creating "water explosions".  :)  We walked around for a little bit but spent the majority of our time watching the waves since it was an overcast and windy day, thereby creating "angry waters".

The next day we drove out to another UNESCO World Heritage Site which is Lenenberg.  Another small town that is home to The Bluenose II.  The original Bluenose was a fishing and racing schooner that became an icon of Nova Scotia but it was wrecked in 1946.  She was so popular that she was replicated in 1963 and still sails today.  We just happened to be there while she was in port.  She was sailing to Boston a couple of days after we saw her.  Lenenberg was also a huge fishing port but is now a popular tourist area known for its colorful buildings and beautiful architecture.
After Lenenberg we drove out to one of Canada's National Parks called Kejimkujik.  It is a heavily forested area with some beautiful lakes and rivers to kayak in.  We just did a short little hike and then we were on our way.  A fun fact about Canada's National Parks is that they put up 2 red, adirondack chairs whenever they think there is a view worth seeing.

Our last day in Halifax we went down to the waterfront area.  It is a beautiful setting of restaurants and shops and fun touristy things like segway tours and duck boat tours.  We decided to do a duck boat (or what they call a Harbour Hopper) tour to learn some fun facts and history of Halifax.  One fun fact is people that live in Halifax are called Haligonians.  :)  It was a beautiful day so we walked up and down the waterfront, had a glass of wine and just took it easy.  I have now been to 5 Canadian provinces and Nova Scotia is my favorite so far.

Woodhaven Park Campground, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia

Conveniently located park just a few minutes outside of Halifax. The park is good sized with many long term and permanent residents. The sites are gravel, narrow and very sloped. We had to max out our wood blocks and the range of our jacks in order to get level. The park has many mature trees between the sites and surrounding the park. The park has the standard amenities of a pool, bathrooms and laundry services. They also have a game room with a few video games. The park advertises wifi, but it rarely worked. We also had less than impressive customer service in the office with the staff. Given the sites and the poor customer service, we are giving this park a 2 out of 5 and would look elsewhere when we return to the area.

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Welcome to Canada! After an hour of the border security sending 5 officers through our entire rig and car, we were officially in Canada and ready to see what the eastern side of the country has to offer. We had a fairly short drive up from Maine, even with the inspection, to our camping spot a few miles outside of Saint John. Our park was located right on the Bay of Fundy and our views were fantastic. There is something amazing about waking up in the morning and looking out over the ocean. We were fortunate enough to be camping next to some great people that are now our newest friends. Thank you Denis and Stephanie for all of your help and insight into the area. We look forward to seeing you guys again in the future. Our visit took us into Saint John to tour the city and explore their city market, then we spent some time watching the water flow opposite directions at the reversing falls and our last day was spent doing a whale watching tour out of Saint Andrews where we saw many humpback whales playing and feeding on the herring. This area of Canada reminds us a lot of the Pacific Northwest. We had only a few days, but we already want to come back to stay longer. Fun fact on the Bay of Fundy. The bay has the largest tides in the world at 50 feet most of the time and up to 70 feet at the max. At the reversing falls, the water is 200 feet deep at the point where the whirlpools form. The water flows both directions over a waterfall and under the bridge. It is quite a sight to see.

Century Farm Family Campground, St. Martins, New Brunswick

Gorgeous setting for this park right on the Bay of Fundy in St. Martins. The park is split into two main sections for the RVs, the first being the long term and seasonal spots and the second is for the short term visitors. We had a back in spot with a view directly out our front window of the bay. The park has a path for direct access to the beach, which is mostly small smooth rocks. You can appreciate the extreme tide changes right out your front window. The park has a rec center and laundry services, but we did not see either. The park advertises internet, but it rarely worked well enough to even check email. The sites are all back in and are gravel with a fire pit and picnic table. The water pressure was extremely low to the point that we had to shower with our water pump on. However, the view of the ocean and the open and friendly setting made up for the downsides. We give this park a solid 3 out of 5 and would gladly stay here again.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Making our way further north, our next stop was Acadia National Park.  We were both excited to get there because all of the pictures we have seen are just gorgeous and our RV park looked like paradise.  I am happy to report that neither the park nor our RV spot disappointed. 

We stayed in the lesser visited part of the park that is across the bay and it provided some peace and quiet.  The scenery right outside our door was just incredible and something we looked forward to waking up to every morning.  On this side of the park is an 11 mile, one way drive with spots to pull out and take in the many views of the coast line.  We did that the first late afternoon we got there and it made us even more excited to go into the main part of the park the next day.  But first, dinner.  Steamed lobster was on the menu while sitting right on the water.  YUMMY!

The next day we drove into the park in the fog.  The day was very overcast and misting.  We drove the 26 mile drive that highlights all of the "must sees" of the park.  It was slightly disappointing since we couldn't see a lot due to the fog and mist but what we did see was beautiful. 

Luckily the next day was a little more clear so we rented some bikes to ride the "carriage roads" that run through the park.  These roads were once used just for horse and carriages.  They started to be used by cars as well but John Rockefeller saw the decay traffic was creating so he donated money to the park to close off the roads to only bike and foot traffic.  I am glad he did because what has been preserved is stunning.  After our bike ride we went into town for lunch and a bit of shopping (since it was our anniversary).  ;)   That evening we had signed up for a sunset kayak tour.  We got to go out onto the ocean in our tiny little kayaks.  Unfortunately we only saw one little seal but it was still fun to be out on the water. 

We had one more full day in the park and since it is us, we had to do a hike.  The hike we chose is called the Precipice Trail and it is known for its ladder rungs and metal railings to go up the rock face of a mountain.  My niece's little piece of advice was "don't look down" as you are going along the narrow ridges to get to the next set of rungs.  :)  I didn't look down because I was so happy looking out onto the ocean!  I recommend this hike to anyone who is visiting the park. 

Every day we talked about waking up early to watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain.  They say a visit to Acadia is not complete until you see the sunrise.  Since we were staying 45 minutes from Cadillac mountain, we woke up our last morning there at 3:15am.  BLEH  We reached the top and found a spot just as the first rays of sunlight were showing.  We sat up top for about an hour when we started to get excited.  All of a sudden, this big, dark cloud came over and the entire sky was one big, grey mass!  I couldn't help but start to giggle (it may have had to do with so little sleep).  Fortunately, the cloud cleared just as the sun appeared.  It turned out to be pretty but I don't think it's something I would do again.  I guess I am just jaded from my time spent in the Idaho mountains.  :) 

Next stop: Canada!