tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37300606445622428312024-02-20T07:48:47.498-05:00A tale of twoIt's time for another escape... I'm headed to the Acadian coast of New Brunswick for a combination biking and hiking trip, with a 2-day stop at Acadia National Park on the way home again. Two wheels, two feet, two Acadias...
Maine, New BrunswickDenise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-86224921746962004662009-01-19T23:16:00.002-05:002009-01-19T23:24:41.224-05:00Introduction<b><i>Musings, in early August of 2008...</i></b><br /><br /><b>Puzzles: Where? What?</b><br /><br />If you followed my travels in the spring and summer of 2008, you know that I haven't been planning this trip. Thoughts of a summer trip were wandering around in my mind, but a decision? That was a long time coming.<br /><br />It was just a week away from my departure date when I finally made up my mind. Yes, I finally know where I'm going, and I think I know what I'm going to be doing. <br /><br />You do want to hear about my arguments with myself before I spill my plans, don't you?<br /><br /><hr/><br /><b>Possibilities... too many dreams</b><br /><br />I'm heading to England next month to do some hiking and to attend a photography seminar in the lake District. That trip involves a long plane ride, so I thought I'd try to stay closer to home for this summer trip. Note that I said <b><i>try</i></b>.<br /><br />My problem wasn't a lack of places to go. It was a combination of my decision to stay (sort of) close to home - in the northeast corner of the United States or spilling over to the bordering provinces in Canada - and of coming up with too many ideas of where to go and what to do. That's a good problem to have, isn't it?<br /><br />I started with the thought of getting my bike and me to North Station in Boston so I could hop aboard a train to Portland, Maine. I was going to head away from home along the coast for a bit, then I was going to turn to the south and west to head back to my home base. One of these days I'm going to do that trip, but it doesn't feel right for now. I think my problem is that this is an area that I wander in on a somewhat regular basis, so it's not new territory for me. And I think I need something a little different.<br /><br />Next my eyes turned to Quebec, to Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, a fjord and a lake. I'd thought that I'd ride along the fjord, around the lake, and back again. The area still looks interesting to me, but the more I looked the more I suspected that riding around the lake would mean riding around the lake in the woods. That may or may not be true, but I'm not willing to take that chance. Don't get me wrong - woods can be beautiful - but I'd rather not be surrounded by trees for an entire trip. And it's a really long drive to get to what would be my tour jumping off point. Nope, not now. A visit to Quebec will need to wait for later.<br /><br />Then I had a really wacky idea. Well, I classify it as wacky only because I'm stuffing this vacation into a week. My idea? I was going to take the train to Portland (accompanied by my bike), then take the ferry from Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. And then? Then I was going to ride around the edges of the Bay of Fundy, following the road through Nova Scotia, across the connecting land to New Brunswick, into Maine, and then all of the way back to home in the northeast corner of Massachusetts. That sounds like a great ride to me - but it would take me longer than a week. Another not now idea. Hmmm... I wonder how long I would need to (comfortably) ride around that beautiful body of water. <br /><br />Do you see what I mean about too many ideas?<br /><br /><hr/><br /><b>Ah... a decision!</b><br /><br />My eyes wandered over maps once again. That's it! New Brunswick! I want to wander along the section of the province tagged with the name Acadian Coastal Drive, from Bathurst east to the Acadian Peninsula, then to the south along the east coast, beaches, water views, and then... I'll head to the west along the Fundy coast. And you know me, I need to stop at Acadia National Park in Maine on my way home. <b>Two Acadias!</b><br /><br />My trip has morphed into riding and hiking, day trips as opposed to a pure bike tour. <b>Two activities...</b> I'll be sandwiching some walking - along the beaches on the eastern shore of New Brunswick, at Hopewell Cape, and at Fundy National Park - with some riding - in the area around Bathurst, in the Acadian Peninsula, and in Acadia National Park.<br /><br />Rolling waves from different bodies of water will fill my vision, from Chaleur Bay separating my home for the first couple of nights in New Brunswick from the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to Northumberland Strait. And then... the Bay of Fundy and on to the Atlantic Ocean. Tell me, who defined the boundaries between water bearing different names that seems to an unknowing eye to just flow together?<br /><br />Oh, you're right - I'm sure there will be trees surrounding me on my wanders around the province, but there will be water too... Now, if only I could find a way to make the water stay in the bays and oceans and out of the air...Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-65679109767168319962009-01-19T23:16:00.001-05:002009-01-19T23:16:24.454-05:00Table of Contents<blockquote><blockquote><i><table border="1" cellpadding="20"><tr><td>For now, please use Blogger's list of posts in the sidebar to follow my trip in reverse sequence. I plan to flip this blog on its head so that the posts flow from oldest to newest (like the table of contents in a book), adding a real Table of Contents and a Page by Page sidebar entry, and adding (better) next and previous links at the bottom of each post. <br />
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I probably won't be able to make these changes for the next several weeks. <br />
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...Denise, January 19, 2009</td></tr>
</table></i></blockquote></blockquote>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-8769970223730114822008-09-01T20:10:00.000-04:002013-08-03T08:30:12.735-04:00My camera was very busyThis journal contains a sampling of the photos that jumped into my camera during my trip, but most of the photos live in my photo galleries. <br />
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You can view the photos splashed across your whole screen if you'd like - just click the <b>slideshow</b> button in the upper right of the photo gallery window. (If you're in the gallery slideshow, you can get control of your computer back again by moving the mouse and clicking "return to gallery" or by just clicking the Esc key.)<br />
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You can enter the galleries at <a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/Travel/A-tale-of-two-August-2008">A tale of two</a> to choose from the five photo galleries for this trip. Or you can jump right into a specific gallery:<ul><li><a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/5822296_D4o2e">The northern edge... Bathurst to Acadia</a> captures photos from just north of Bathurst to the end of the Acadian Peninsula. <li><a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/5822341_KQJhc">The eastern edge... Kouchibouguac & Bouctouche</a>, beautiful parks... <li><a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/5822366_jDWV5">Hopewell Rocks</a>, a second visit, not likely to be my last. To see the tidal difference was just amazing - from a low tide of 3.6 feet to a high of 42 feet! <li><a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/5822409_3aoMa">Along the Fundy coast</a>, from Cape Enrage to Fundy National Park. <li><a href="http://www.denisegoldberg.com/gallery/5797843_cFqhB">The other Acadia</a>, a quick stop at Acadia National Park on my way home. </ul>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-39289044051438145782008-08-25T20:01:00.003-04:002009-01-21T20:10:04.256-05:00Signs along the way<center><br />
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The ever-present moose signs first popped up on I-95 in Maine. But those were just occasional signs. Along the Acadian Coastal Drive in New Brunswick these signs were all over. Some of them were more insistent - including warnings to drive slowly at night. <br />
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Unfortunately I only saw the signs, no moose wandering.<br />
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New Brunswick is apparently the only (officially) bilingual province in Canada. For the most part, the signs were in both French and English - even the common stop sign that usually is recognized based on its color and shape.<br />
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Then again, there was an area on the Acadian Peninsula that seemed to forget the English. <br />
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You don't speak French? Here's a translation, courtesy of <a href="http://babelfish.yahoo.com/">Yahoo! Babel Fish</a>.<br />
<blockquote>Caution <br />
Let us be proud and responsible! <br />
Let us keep our own footbridge, collect droppings of our doggies! <br />
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Announce the faulty ones to 336-3900.</blockquote><hr/><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/459235287_6KWDB-500x500.jpg"><br />
Tell me, why is the warning about the danger of standing next to a fog horn always situated right next to the noise-maker? <br />
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OK, OK, you're right - it is a few steps away. But wouldn't it make more sense to post a warning far enough away that on an iffy day you might not wander close enough to damage your ears?<br />
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Even worse - here's the same warning right in front of the foghorn. Not a few paces away, right there!<br />
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Now this one just made me laugh! <br />
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Somehow I don't think I would have wandered out to the point where this sign lived if it had been really foggy... <br />
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OK, OK, I'll stay behind the fence!<br />
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<i>Noon, time to head home...<br />
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Denise drove out of the park and off of Mount Desert Island. We had one stop to make in Trenton before we really started that long drive home. Where? We stopped at a farm stand to pick up some of those marvelous tiny and tasty wild blueberries. They have decorated our breakfast for this entire trip since the growing area extends into the Maritime provinces too. Denise bought three quarts of the berries, some for eating now, and some for freezing. It's always nice to pull out a taste of summer in the cold months of the year. Oh, I like them too, and Denise always shares. <br />
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We followed route 1A, angling toward Bangor where we picked up quick-moving I-95 for the journey home. Denise usually resets the trip odometer in her car when she fills up with gas, but she thought it would be interesting to see how far we drove during this trip. Of course we found something interesting in the process of watching the miles click by... the trip odometer only holds 3 digits. Denise looked pretty confused one morning - I guess she thought that the car misplaced some of our miles. Then she realized that at 1000 miles it had flipped back to zero. Isn't that silly?<br />
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Our total? 1670 miles. Wow - think how many days of biking that would have taken!<br />
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Home again, and now it's time for a bit of a rest.<br />
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<hr>Oh, you want to know what's next? We're heading to England in September to attend a photography seminar because Denise says she still has a lot to learn. We're going a few days early, so we'll be doing some hiking too. Maybe I'll bounce along the path instead of riding with the cameras this time. <br />
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I have four more weeks to dream of wandering in the Lake District. <br />
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Oh! I like this photo of me. I was bouncing around at the top of Cadillac Mountain, watching the sun sinking slowly, painting the rocks and then the sky. A good trip memory...<br />
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I wonder when Denise & I will be wandering back to Acadia National Park again. You do know she's going to go again, don't you? It's only a matter of time.<br />
</center><blockquote>--- Rover </blockquote></i>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-9576831346660294652008-08-24T19:49:00.000-04:002009-01-21T19:53:03.830-05:00Photos: A bubble of a view<center><br />
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<i>Hi, it's Rover again. I told Denise that it's my turn to write for the day. We spent a half of the day wandering, and the other half driving home - and my words will describe both halves of the day.<br />
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Evin made us another wonderful breakfast. Today we had a vegetable frittata, fresh croissants, and a wonderful pear crisp. At first Denise thought the pear was a potato, but then Evin went through the morning's menu. It was a half a pear - still in the skin - that had been baked (just a bit) and topped with crunchy crispy good-tasting stuff. Yum... Denise says she'll be quite happy to go back to her normal fruit and cereal in the mornings, but I know that she really enjoyed her B&B breakfasts.<br />
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It was a morning to do something different, a walking kind of day. We headed to The Bubbles, a pair of - well, I guess you would call them hills. South Bubble is 766 feet high, and North Bubble is 872 feet high. South Bubble is decorated with Bubble Rock, a glacial erratic (a boulder, a large rock...). South Bubble was a pretty easy walk. Even the climbing parts were just walks. North Bubble was tilted granite, a harder to see path that was highlighted with the occasional blue marker. I was surprised that Denise didn't turn around at one point; not only was the rock steep, it was tilted strongly to the side. But she kept on walking. Both bubbles looked down on Jordan Pond, water surrounded by very green trees.<br />
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The sky was decorated with some interesting looking clouds, so we took a quick drive up Cadillac Mountain for one last look before we headed toward home. And a couple of sea gulls landed right next to our car. I think they were wishing us a good journey. </i>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-67629676047780241242008-08-23T19:43:00.000-04:002009-01-21T19:46:52.386-05:00Photos: Sun dropping...<b><i>...changing colors</i></b><br />
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<i>See... I told you that we did some riding!</i><br />
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Morning rolled around, and so did another good breakfast accompanied by good conversation. Evin served eggs, stuffed French toast topped with wild Maine blueberries, and, on the side - watermelon topped with a little bit of spice. The French toast was so good that I had a second serving, as did everyone else.<br />
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Ah, it was time to ride under a blue sky with a a few wispy clouds as decoration. My bike started down the road towards Seal Harbor, but then turned around and headed for Park Loop Road. I made it to Seal Harbor too since I jumped off of Park Loop Road when it switched from a one-way to a two-way road just before Jordan Pond. Funny, I always wondered where the road came from that emptied out at the beach in Seal Harbor. I know the answer now - it's the road that jumped off of Park Loop road at the direction change. <br />
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There are a lot of people wandering around Bar Harbor, and there are a lot of people congregating in the more popular locations in the park. Yet, for the most part the roads were quiet. So quiet that I had an interesting deer encounter... I was riding, heading up a slight grade, when I saw a deer just ahead standing by the side of the road. He was just standing there, looking down the road, looking my way. I kept riding, assuming that the deer would see me at some point and would move. I was in the road, he wasn't. But somehow I didn't think he would wait for me to go by. I would have loved to snap a photo, but I knew there wasn't any point in reaching for a camera. After all my 4-legged companion is a lot faster than I am. I got a bit closer, and the deer moved into the road, still watching me watching him. I rolled a little closer, and the deer flew off into the woods. What a beautiful sight! <br />
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My variation of Park Loop Road was a good ride, a start to my day's adventures. I switched to walking shoes and clothes and headed back in to the park. Walking along the coast, stopping to wander over the rocks, to watch the water, small waves creating white decorations. I was sitting, watching waves, playing with my camera, when another photographer came over to compare equipment and to chat. We saw each other several more times, not too surprising since we were on a one-way loop road. (Yes, Park Loop Road a second time...). And somehow, even when we switched to our cars to get a lift further down the road, we must have been on the same 'stop' schedule. <br />
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Back at the B&B, I quickly washed off the sweat of my day, then donned long pants and layers in preparation for my evening out. Sunset time was 7:19, and I wanted to head up Cadillac mountain to watch the sun sink over the edge. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then i headed up the mountain. There were quite a few people there, waiting, watching the sun slowly sink lower, watching it turn from yellow to a deep glowing red. Sinking, painting the sky with color. <br />
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When the show seemed to be over, I headed back down the mountain. I had to stop a few times though because the show really wasn't over. I would stop, jump out of the car, and attempt to stand still. It was hard to believe the wind. I found that I couldn't stand without getting pushed around! At first I wondered why I didn't feel the wind when I was sitting near (but not at) the top of the mountain, watching the sun. Maybe, just maybe, the mountain was blocking the wind at my back. <br />
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One more day... a part of a day in the park, and then I'll need to head home. Tomorrow's activity? I think I'll decide in the morning.Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-44876899475074960912008-08-22T19:35:00.000-04:002009-01-21T19:36:16.665-05:00Photos: A few of the birds<center><br />
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A five o'clock arrival in Bar Harbor... <br />
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It was still full daylight, and it was warm - in the high 70s or low 80s. After a week of mostly 60 degree temperatures, it felt quite nice. I actually like he 60 degree range for outside activity, but it felt so nice to be able to walk in very light clothing.<br />
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I thought about going for a quick bike ride. That thought didn't last too long when I realized that I really needed some food. I popped over to Siam Orchid for some Thai food. And then I walked.<br />
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I walked through (with?) throngs of people to the town pier. Then I headed out on the less busy shore path. I caught up with a woman (and her family) walking with a very friendly big dog. We started talking, and I asked what they had been doing. While they've done other things here, their primary actvity has been hiking. And as we mentioned that word, the dog looked as us, as if to say "Hiking? That sounds better than walking through town. Let's go!" Apparently dogs like hiking at Acadia too!Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-55118835849687744042008-08-22T18:48:00.000-04:002009-01-21T18:48:54.481-05:00Jumping into Maine<b><i>...4 wheels rolling</i></b><br />
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<i>I told Denise I'd pay attention during our drive to see if I could see anything to write about. After all she needed to pay attention to the road since she was driving - and I can bounce around the car and look out the windows. <br />
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We drove and drove and drove. It took about 5 ½ hours to roll from Fundy National Park to Bar Harbor - about the amount of time that Denise thought it would take. <br />
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The road leading out of Fundy National Park rolled up and down some pretty steep hills. One hill was marked as a 10% grade, and I thought that would be the steepest hill on our drive today. But guess what? One of the downhills on route 9 in Maine was marked at 12%. I think Denise was really glad that she wasn't riding her bicycle up those hills!<br />
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Last night Dense was chatting with Rick (our B&B host) about the St. Stephens border crossing. She remembers waiiting there in a line of cars for what seemed like an hour when we drove through New Brunswick on our way back from PEI back in 2005. It's really good that she mentioned that to Rick because he told her there is a second (tiny) border crossing just past St. Stephens. We were the only car crossing at Milltown, no lines! And apparently a new crossing is under construction just past there, along with a better road - one that doesn't require going through the downtown of St. Stephens. Hmmm... I wonder if that will be open the next time we go to New Brunswick. Oh, I don't know when that will be, but I don't think that Denise is done exploring there yet. <br />
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After we crossed back into Maine, we headed towards Bangor on Route 9, eventually angling towards Ellsworth and Bar Harbor. It looked like taking Route 9 would be a little shorter than Route 1 - but even if it was a little longer, Denise thought that it was a much better driving road. It kept switching from 2 to 3 lanes, with an uphill passing lane. There wasn't much in the way of towns, just a ribbon of road. <br />
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Ah, we're here! Where? At the <a href="http://www.hollandinn.com">Holland Inn</a> in Bar Harbor, our home for the next two nights. <br />
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Tomorrow? I'm pretty sure we're going to be biking. If I know Denise we'll probably go back into the park again after our ride. After all she needs to keep the cameras happy too.<br />
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--- journal entry courtesy of Rover<br />
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</i>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-17149098333049479302008-08-22T18:45:00.000-04:002009-01-21T18:47:48.725-05:00Photos: Last glimpses of Fundy National Park<center><br />
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</center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-14490129172795701962008-08-22T18:43:00.000-04:002009-01-21T18:43:49.906-05:00Up, down, lots of stairsIt was an oatmeal morning again. Yesterday's oatmeal and fresh fruit gave me such a nice start to the day that I decided that repeating it today would be a good idea. Happy stomach...<br />
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Food, conversations, and watching eagles soar across another impossibly blue sky, a prelude to walking...<br />
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I headed to Point Wolfe and started walking at the covered bridge. The trail was primarily stairs and boardwalks through the forest with views of Point Wolfe beach. I saw stairs off in the distance that led down to the beach. Those stairs looked to be further away than the length of the trail - and they were. The first trail ended at a parking lot, but at the other end of the lot I could see the start of another trail. Ah, that one leads to the beach. Of course I kept walking because I needed to visit one more New Brunswick beach before I switched to the rocky coastline in Maine. The trail wandered through the woods, trees decorated with sunshine filtering through through the leaves. <br />
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Once I hit the beach, I managed to stick to the rocks and the hard sand - there was just a little bit of mud, and somehow my feet skipped over the mud this time. That was good - I didn't need to look for a place to wash the mud away. <br />
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Back in the car, I started heading up route 114 toward the park exit. The road climbed quickly, and before long I was at the head of the Kinnie Brook trail. The description of this trail drew me in: 'steep-walled valley, disappearing stream, lush floodplain'. It was all true - even the disappearing stream. There may have been running water somewhere there, but I didn't see it. Yup, disappearing... It was a nice trail, even without the stream. Oh, and while most of this trail wandered through woods on a normal trail surface, the end of the trail was stairs and stairs and more stairs. No, I didn't count them, but there were a lot!<br />
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My goal was to spend the morning in the park, and I certainly managed that. I finished my last hike right at noon. <br />
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Ah, time for that long drive to Acadia number two for this trip.Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-4177218903402486072008-08-21T21:15:00.002-04:002009-01-21T18:42:43.440-05:00Photos: Fundy National Park<center><br />
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No, my camera isn't crooked. It's the stairs. I don't remember a harder set of stairs to traipse up and down. Crooked, slanted, made me feel like I was going to tip over! <br />
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Would you believe that this is the trail? <br />
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Sections of the trail were easy walking, and sections (like this) were much, much harder. <br />
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As much as I wanted to get closer to the edge here, I didn't think it would be too smart to step on these very narrow roots. It was a very long way down to the water... <br />
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</center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-4274149440243420972008-08-21T21:00:00.000-04:002009-01-21T18:32:28.893-05:00Photos: To a waterfall<center><br />
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Any guesses as to what this is? Long green hair... <br />
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I wonder what kind of creatures have been drawing pictures in the sand... <br />
</center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-89432731848475938482008-08-21T20:51:00.000-04:002009-01-20T20:51:48.667-05:00Listen... to crashing waves & windWhat's that? A clear blue sky was this morning's greeting, and it stayed with me for the entire day. <br /><br />Breakfast again started with fresh fruit and continued with oatmeal. Ah, that was good. When offered a choice for the hot portion of my meal, well oatmeal just jumped out and grabbed me. I may make the same choice tomorrow morning.. <br /><br />The shared sitting room at Barb's looks out over a marshy area, a river that flows at high tide but is dry at low tide, the Bay of Fundy in the distance, and some outcrops of land too. As I was eating and chatting with Barb, we were both enjoying the morning sights. She was looking and looking, finally grabbing the telescope and sharing. I saw a bald eagle sitting on her (his?) nest. That was awesome. I told Barb about the birds I saw perched on a nest on a pole next to some power lines as I was driving on the Acadian Peninsula; she thought those birds were probably osprey. I went searching for a photo, and I'm sure that she was right. <br /><br />Breakfast and bird-watching from afar done, I headed out to start my wanderings. My first stop was Cape Enrage, a lighthouse and a rocky beach at the end of a peninsula just down the road from here. Portions of the road are being re-paved, which made for a rather interesting journey back. I have to admit I've never seen this variation of road construction before. Keep in mind that this is a narrow two-lane road with no shoulders. Instead of paving one lane at a time, they were working on the full width of the road. They dumped a full truckload of paving material across the road, smoothed it out, and then let the cars pass - whch I'm sure left a rutted surface that was going to need to be smoothed again. And again. Rather odd behavior...<br /><br />The lighthouse is in a beautiful spot, on a spit of land extending into chignecto Bay. Sunlight sparkled on the water. <br /><br />I walked on the very rocky beach at Cape Enrage for a bit, and then it was time to head in to <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nb/fundy/index_e.asp">Fundy National Park</a>. My first stop was at Dickson Falls. The trail signs offered a 'straight there' option, or a circular (and longer) route. You know which one I took, don't you? Yes, the longer option. It started as a normal trail, but was supplemented by boardwalks and sets of stairs as the trail skirted tumbling water and a pair of skinny waterfalls.<br /><br />I made a quick stop at the beach at Herring Cove before heading out on the three-sided Matthews Head trail. That trail was mainly in the woods with occasional views of the water. Sunlight filtered through the trees, and I could always look up to peer through the trees to a still very blue sky. The walking surface at the beginning and end of the trail was very smooth, but a good chunk of the trail presented jumbled tree rooots as a trail. To say that I had to pay attention to where my feet landed is a bit of an understatement. The trail stared high, and headed down toward the edge of a cliff above the water. (Yes, it was perfectly safe - and not right on the edge. But it also didn't go down to water level.) A beautiful walk in the woods...<br /><br />After walking today, I've decided that New Brunswick is corrugated. Ridges, up, down, up, up, over and over. <br /><br />Enough! I thought about heading to Point Wolfe, but I decided that can be my first stop tomorrow morning. It was time to stop for a bit. <br /><br />It was a good walking day, one accented by the sounds of waves and wind. The only time that I lost the sound of the water when I was walking was at the apex of the triangle, my starting (and ending) point for the Matthews Head hike.<br /><br />I had a relatively early dinner, then stopped to walk on the beach for a while. Walking, listening to the waves, watching the water recede. Back at the B&B, it was time for an evening of conversations.<br /><br />Tomorrow? I plan to spend the better part of the morning hiking in Fundy National Park before I set off on my long drive back to Maine. According to Google Maps it is about a 5 1/2 hour drive, and that doesn't include any extra time needed to cross the border. Moving back to Eastern time from Atlantic time means that I'll have an extra hour in my day though. Does that mean that the drive will only take 4 1/2 hours?Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-30327684907741568352008-08-20T20:49:00.001-04:002009-01-20T20:51:09.383-05:00Photos: And on to Alma<center><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363168582_8Di8S-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363168907_iNchJ-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363169162_8EqPj-500x500.jpg"><br /></center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-70114834559384578952008-08-20T19:22:00.002-04:002009-01-20T20:48:32.920-05:00Photos: Rocks, mud, water<center><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363188887_sduob-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363189910_XkZ43-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363192220_nAAA7-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363192935_vySkk-500x500.jpg"><br />This was a rather quiet stair time, very early in the morning. The traffic up and down these stairs was continuous all day long; many times you couldn't see any light between the people.<br /><br />The one photo I wish I could have grabbed was on one of my trips down these stairs. A child was climbing up the stairs with her mother, and the child was covered in mud from head to toe. She was smiling, so I can only guess she was having fun rolling in the mud! <br /><br /><hr/><br/><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363210213_PoYg2-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458607264_e9kFy-500x500.jpg"><br />Stuck in the mud! <br /><br />For a minute, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get out of this mess. As I pulled against the sucking of the mud with this foot, my other foot was sinking deeper...<br /><br />Oh yes, you're absolutely right. I shouldn't have walked in this very wet stuff. But somehow traipsing through this mud felt like something I just had to do! <br /><br /><hr/><br/><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363241985_e4s3V-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458607574_SKvRR-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363344395_N472B-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363344874_ARXtB-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/363346815_MWfyW-500x500.jpg"><br /></center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-44876624759971204582008-08-20T19:18:00.000-04:002009-01-20T19:18:53.656-05:00Stuck in the mud<b><i>...at Hopewell Rocks</i></b><br /><br />I woke to quiet, no more raindrops bouncing. A clear blue sky decorated a somewhat chilly morning, but chilly is much preferred over wet. It stayed dry all day, although the blue did share space with gray (and occasionally white) clouds. <br /><br />Another morning, another great breakfast. Today's started with a dish of fresh fruit, including blueberries, bananas, peaches, strawberries, apples, and... I continued with Elaine's homemade granola, which was absolutely awesome. Alan made eggs to order, so I had to have an egg to go with his wonderful homemade bread. Then I just had to have one of Elaine's cinnamon rolls. Happy...<br /><br />I headed in to Hopewell Rocks just before 9. The low tide was at 9:20, and it's safe to walk on the ocean floor for three hours on either side of low tide, so I had a nice amount of time to wander. I walked from the shorter set of stairs by North Beach (only 20 wooden steps as opposed to the 90 metal steps by the Flower Pot Rocks) to the stairs marked 'do not use, emergency exit only', and back again. My first instinct was to follow Elaine and Alan's advice to continue walking as far as Demoiselles Beach, but clambering over a pile of rocks intermixed with seaweed didn't really appeal. Yes, you're right, that type of surface makes me a bit nervous, and I'd really prefer not to fall. <br /><br />As I walked back, I saw what I thought would be an interesting vantage point for a photograph (what else!). I started walking out through sticky land, and discovered that it wasn't just sticky - it was deep soft mud. Yikes! My feet sunk in, and when I tried to pull each foot out to back up - or even to take another step forward - it felt like they just went in deeper. Pulling a little more forcefully did work, and then I found a safer path back to more solid ground. My feet we covered in so much mud at that point to they felt heavier than usual. After I found my way back to more solid ground I followed a better path right into the water. I really needed to wash my feet, and I didn't think I could tromp back up those 90 stairs - which were still quite a ways off - to wash my feet at the official hose site. Luckily, the water of the Bay of Fundy isn't to cold. <blockquote><i>I'm so glad I chose to ride with the extra camera lenses today instead of tromping in the mud with Denise. I prefer to keep my bright red paws clean! I did stick my head out regularly to exchange barks with the dogs walking on the muddy floor of the Bay of Fundy. Some of them had pretty muddy paws. While at times I thought that taking a mud bath might be fun, I really appreciated my ride today! <br /> ...a little side note from Rover</i></blockquote> As I was walking back to the stairs, my ultimate exit point from the floor of the bay, I saw a mass of low-flying birds. It was a long line of birds, a multi-layered line, birds and birds and birds, flying just above the surface of the water, floating, soaring. Most of them (apparently) were semipalmated sandpipers, with some plovers through in for diversty. They stop here in New Brunswick on their annual migration from the Arctic to South America. This is one of their eating spots. They spend up to a couple of weeks here eating, doubling their weight before they continue their journey to the south. At high tide, they congregate on the beach to the north and east of the area of the Flower Pot Rocks. I walked as far as I could (humans are not allowed to disturb these birds) to look at the birds o the beach. From afar, they really looked like rocks on the beach. It was amazing to watch the flight of these birds. <br /><br />But - back to the tides... I stayed on the floor of the bay as long as I could, watching the water replace the mud, flowing in at an amazing rate of speed. As the water lapped up to the bottom of the stairs it was time to ascend. <br /><br />And it was time for a food break. I was a bit chilled, so I headed back to the visitor center for a nice hot bowl of soup. And then... back to watch the water for a bit longer at it edged toward high tide. By some odd piece of luck I was here on one of the very high tide days, where low tide was at a depth of 3.6 feet (1.1 meters) and high tide was 42.3 feet (12.9 meters). It's just amazing to be able to see the difference by watching the water levels on the Flower Pot Rocks. <br /><br />After many hours watching the water, it was time to find my home for the next two nights. I'm at <a href="http://www.barbsbandb.com">Barb's B&B</a> in Waterside, about 7 miles from Fundy National Park where I plan to play tomorrow.Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-76734830529908739692008-08-19T19:15:00.001-04:002009-01-20T19:17:42.380-05:00Photos: La dune de Bouctouche<center><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361006483_VD79F-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361007308_TTMzz-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361008303_eW38S-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361009530_WbwaE-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361009991_iEgg5-500x500.jpg"><br /></center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-6391723257291905372008-08-19T19:09:00.002-04:002009-01-20T19:14:44.901-05:00Photos: Kouchibouguac<center><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360992245_jTsvX-500x500.jpg"><br />Funny, when I pulled in to the visitor center, I saw this group of people having a picnic in the rain. I thought it was a little odd to choose to sit in that very wet spot when there was a building not too far away... It took approaching the group directly to see that it was a statue! <br /><br /><hr/><br/><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360993992_WmpAB-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360994661_Ng6HS-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360995632_zbZDb-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360995973_sSjYg-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/360996963_u4omV-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458601131_tttZb-500x500.jpg"><br />It's a good day for bouncing down the beach! We're so lucky that the rain stopped (although I know that Denise had every intention of enjoying the beach here... I think she would have carried an umbrella if the sky had still been leaking). <br /><br /><hr/><br/><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361002496_2wYyr-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/361006134_oMvKe-500x500.jpg"><br /></center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3730060644562242831.post-46325008436792028482008-08-19T18:19:00.000-04:002009-01-20T18:21:30.563-05:00Photos: Shells belong on the beach!<center><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458573960_TDz63-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458574272_8jDfQ-500x500.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://denise.smugmug.com/photos/458574511_LZgtk-500x500.jpg"><br /></center>Denise Goldberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049223586218975704noreply@blogger.com