I crossed five Canadian provinces off my list last fall when I joined Mama Foley for a 12 day bus tour from Maine to Minnesota. The focus of the tour was three of the five maritime provinces - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The trip also included brief stops in Québec and Ontario on our way west. While the bus tour is not my preferred mode of travel because of the limited opportunities to wander and explore, it did give me a glimpse into places that I would love to return to in the near future.
I met my mom and the rest of the tour group (who were largely from MN, WI, and ND) in Bangor, Maine, straight from a friend's wedding in southern California. I started the trip with a routine I kept throughout - an early morning run to explore all I could within 5-6 miles of our hotels. This was particularly rewarding in smaller towns where we were staying closer to the historic centers. Ironically, some of the larger cities provided opportunities to get into nature via pedestrian/cycle path networks.
 |
| Penobscot River, Bangor, Maine |
The highlight of our time in New Brunswick was the Bay of Fundy, home to one of the largest tidal ranges in the world. There are two low and high tides each day (called semidiurnal), and the water level difference between the two can be as much as 52 feet! By comparison, the tidal range in Santa Cruz is just over six feet during the largest spring tides. When the high tide pushes into the funnel-shaped Bay between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and into the coastal rivers, tidal bores form and move upstream. We stopped to see the flood tide coming into the St. John River where the flow reverses, creating "reverse waterfalls." While the tidal exchange was nowhere near the maximum, it was interesting to see how fast the water was moving upstream and how quickly the water level increased in the river. The diving birds and seals appeared to love the flood tide, likely taking advantage of a higher concentration of fish riding the tide upstream.
 |
Low tide on the St. Croix River in St. Stephen, New Brunswick
(note the angle of the walkway and the how much
room the dock has to move up as the tide comes in) |
 |
| Flood tide and "reversing falls" on the St. John River |
A ferry took us across the Bay of Fundy to Nova Scotia. We visited Grand-Pré, a UNESCO site for it's importance to the Acadian and Mi'kmaq cultures. The Acadians arrived in the late 1600s from France and used indigenous techniques to build dikes throughout the tidal marshes, converting them into fertile agricultural land. The Acadians were forcibly removed from the region, known as Acadie, by the British in the mid-1700s by the British who were fearful that the Acadians would form an allegiance with the French, who were fighting with the British for control of the area. The Acadians were deported to the colonies (not yet the US) and beyond, most notably to what is now Louisiana. The Acadians became known as Cajuns, bringing the French influence to the bayou.
 |
| The grounds and chapel at Grand Pré |
 |
The statue of Evangeline, whose story of loss
was told in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
poem, Evangeline, published in 1847 |
The east coast of Nova Scotia is a picturesque mix of rocky outcrops, evergreens, and small inlets filled with fishing and sailing vessels. We spent some time at Peggy's Cove, one of the most popular tourist sites on the east coast. Despite the many visitors and tour buses, there were some fleeting moments of quiet, particularly as everyone descended on the nearby restaurant for dinner.
 |
| Peggy's Lighthouse |
 |
| Boat shed and dock in Peggy's Cove |
Halifax (Kjipuktuk in Mi'kmaq), the capital of Nova Scotia and hub for the Atlantic Provinces, sits on the Atlantic Ocean. Europeans settled in the area in the mid-1700s, and it has been a prime maritime center ever since. One of the historical maritime sites we visited was the burial site for 121 of the 330 people whose bodies were recovered after the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. Halifax was the closest port and home to the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic. The grave markers have a range of information, depending on whether the body was identified. If there was no identification, the marker contains the date of death and the number that corresponds to the order of bodies recovered. If the identity was known at the time, the name is included on the top of the marker. If an identification was made later, the name was added to the front of the marker. The markers are arranged to conjure the image of the hull of a ship. Halifax tops the list of places I would like to visit again to explore the vast swaths of park land, numerous historical sites, beautiful waterfront, and vibrant cultural scene.
 |
| Titanic memorial |
 |
Only the sovereign gets to enter through the main gate
Plebes (like us) enter through the side gate |
From Halifax we headed north and crossed the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island. I was most looking forward to this part of our trip, particularly for the Highlands and Cape Breton fiddle tunes. CBI did not disappoint. We stayed in the quaint town of Baddeck, along the shores of Bras d'Or Lake (an estuary, actually). Our lodging had live music both nights we were there, allowing me to get a bit of a Cape Breton fiddle fix.
We drove the 298 km long Cabot Trail, which traverses the Cape Breton Highlands. This was an especially difficult day to not be able to get out of the bus for more than a few minutes at each look out; there were so many trails! We did go for a short walk through a highland bog. Lots of carnivorous plants, as well as dwarf black spruce and larch. We also stopped at a beautiful rocky beach that was a treasure trove of drift algae...I was in nerd heaven pawing through the wrack! The ocean was surprisingly warm, similar to the temperature of the water in Santa Barbara, California, where I had just come from. Without the Gulf Stream, the water that far north would have been frigid.
Our time on CBI ended with a visit to the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck. It was fun to learn about all of the things he invented during his life, many of which make Pete's job of being at sea for long periods much more comfortable, including the ever important water maker.
Our maritime province tour concluded on Prince Edward Island, the smallest of the Canadian provinces. The main tour stop was a visit to the setting for the Anne of Green Gables books. I did not read the books as a kid, so I felt obliged to read at least one before our trip. I finished the first book as we were riding the ferry to the island. We also learned more about the economic engine of the region, the lobster fishery. As with many fisheries, it is highly controlled to maintain populations at ecologically viable levels. At least on PEI, there is a lot of community enforcement of the rules, a common trait of community fisheries. We also had a lobster supper, a quintessential tourist experience.
 |
Anne of Green Gables house, the inspiration
for Lucy Maud Montgomery's novels |
 |
| Picturesque Charlottetown, the capital of PEI |
 |
| One of many murals in downtown Charlottetown |
 |
| lobster traps |
 |
| lobster boats |
 |
| lobster supper |
Once back in New Brunswick, we followed the St. Lawrence River west. We had a long day of transit from NB to Québec, broken up by a stop at the Hartland Covered Bridge, the longest covered bridge in the world. I live next to the tallest covered bridge, so I've got all my bases covered at this point. :) For horse racing fans, we also stopped in Grand Falls, home of Ron Turcotte, the jockey who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973. We apparently missed him by a day at the visitor center.
 |
| Hartland covered bridge - 1,282 feet long |
 |
Cars still drive across the bridge, so there is a
separate pedestrian walkway (also covered) |
We had a full day to explore in and around Québec City, the provincial capital of Québec. Upon exiting the bus, it felt like we had left Canada and travelled to a different country. The official language of Québec is French, the only province in Canada with that designation. It was a fun change in the middle of our trip. My french is terrible, and yet, I soon became the designated translator for our group. Fortunately, no one was depending on me for anything important!
While in Québec City, we visited the oldest parish church in North America, the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec in the middle of the old city, including a glimpse at the holy door, one of only seven in the world and the only one outside of Europe. We also visited the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, to the east of the city. The mosaics were fantastic here, including a depiction of the zodiacs, which is unusual for a Catholic church.
 |
| Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré |
 |
| floor and ceiling mosaics near the altar |
I loved wandering around the old town. It felt very European with its narrow streets, stone buildings, and quaint shops. In the mornings, I ran along the St. Lawrence River, soaking up the natural beauty just outside the city center. Québec City is another place high on the list for a return visit.
 |
| St Lawrence River |
Our final substantial stop of the trip was Montréal, Québec. The city is built on an island archipelago on the St. Lawrence River and has over 700 miles of dedicated cycleways that connect them all. Old Montréal was lovely, as well as the view from Mount Royal, the (anglo) city's namesake. We got a bus tour of the city, but did not get many options to hop off and explore the sites, unfortunately. I can imagine a bicycling adventure there in the future.
 |
| Place Jacques Cartier |
 |
Opened in 1847, Bonsecours was the main
marketplace in Montréal until 1963 |
We had a few additional picturesque stops between Montréal and Minneapolis, including Pembroke and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Lake Michigan. After 2,500 miles on the bus over 12 days, I was happy to have a couple days with friends in MN before flying home.
 |
| Pembroke, Ontario |
 |
| Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |
