An Eastern Sierra redo

 In October 2020 not long after the first round of COVID restrictions were lifted in California, we headed to the Eastern Sierras for our first pandemic-era outing. We both look back fondly on that trip, but have wondered if it was truly great or if it is inflated in our memories because we had been housebound for over seven months. Last October, we decided to go back to answer that question. 

We had a slightly different route this time, in large part because we only had a week instead of three. We stuck to the northern part of our previous route, including Lundy Canyon, Mammoth, and the White Mountains. We added a stay at Pete's family camp near Calavaras Big Trees at the beginning and a drive through Yosemite on the way home. 

As we travelled east over the Sierras and north towards Lundy Canyon, two differences from our previous trip were already emerging. Firstly, we were going to be sharing our time with many more people than in 2020; and secondly, temperatures were 10-15F warmer during the day and night, so we were not going to have to worry about our water and food freezing overnight. We had hoped to find a camping spot at the US Forest Service campground near Lundy Lake, but all the spots were taken by the time we arrived. The aspens had started to turn, so fall foliage tourism was in full swing. Lundy Lake Resort, just a bit further up the road, still had a few campsites so we opted for one of those rather than driving to Lee Vining and staying at the private campground we stayed at in 2020. 

Lundy Canyon was just as spectacular as we remembered. We hiked from our campsite to the trailhead to stretch our legs. The afternoon sun made the aspens glow. The dirt road to the trailhead had been damaged in recent storms in a couple places, which was going to make navigating in our not-very-high clearance nano-van a bit challenging but likely doable. It was nice to be able to stand in the road, strategize a bit, and take some rough measurements (boot-high clearance required!) before driving up the next morning.  

We were up early the next morning to get to the trailhead before the limited parking spaces filled up. We made it through all the sketchy places on the road with the help of a couple of well-placed rocks. We had bluebird skies for our hike up the canyon. In 2020, we somehow lost the trail just as we got into the canyon and ended up wandering through the freshwater wetland to try to find our way. This time the trail was either more obvious or we were paying more attention, and we were able to continue much farther up the canyon. The golden foliage against the granitic peaks and the deep blue sky was spectacular. 

Our next stop was Mammoth and Devils Postpile. The site has been on my to see list for a number of years, but our last trip was too late in the season (it usually closes in late September or early October). This time the site was only accessible on weekends due to construction on the access road, so we hightailed it there after our Sunday hike in Lundy Canyon. The Postpile is made up of (mostly) hexagonal columns of basalt that formed when a lava lake cooled around 100,000 years ago. The hexagonal shapes are created as lava cools and changes from a liquid to solid state, a process called columnar jointing (fancy science words for cracks that release pressure). There are many other sites around the world where you can see this phenomenon, including the famous Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland (which is spectacular, partly because some of the columns descend into the ocean). The columns making up Devils Postpile can be seen from the side where they make up an impressive wall of vertical columns, along with more artistic swoops and horizontal columns. You can also hike to the top of the columns and see the extent of the columns beyond the initial layer that is visible from below. 

Our next and most anticipated stop was the ancient bristlecone pine forest in the White Mountains. We were able to camp at the US Forest Service campground a few miles down the hill from the visitor center on this trip, which was a vast improvement from the highway-side campground we stayed at in 2020. On our last visit, the visitor center was closed and we started the 5-mile loop hike about two hours before sunset, making for a brisk pace because of the fading daylight and plummeting temperatures. This time we listened to a talk by one of the docents and learned how the field of dendrochronology (using trees to understand historical climate) was advanced by the scientists studying bristlecone pines. Because the trees are so long lived, scientists have been able to create a record of over 8,000 years using cores from living and dead trees. Trees lay down a ring of cambium tissue for approximately every year of growth. The width of a tree ring give us clues about temperature and precipitation, which affect the growth rate of trees. Rings tend to be thinner during dry years and thicker during warm, rainy years. This annual growth pattern is present in other species as well, such as fish ear bones (otoliths) and coral reefs. These annual tree ring patterns can be used to match cores from different trees that were alive at the same time period for some portion of their lives. With that matching section, you can start to put together an additive chronology that is longer than the life of a single living tree and expand the chronology into the past using cores from dead trees. Dead trees are typically not a reliable source for cores, but the harsh conditions in the White Mountains mean that dead bristlecone pines decay very slowly, preserving the wood long after the trees die. 

The loop trail from the visitor center winds past the area where the oldest living bristlecone pine--the Methuselah tree--lives. It has weathered over 4,800 years of whatever Mother Nature has thrown their way, but due to the risk of vandalism from people, the tree is not marked in any way. Both times we've done the hike, we've tried to figure out where it is likely to be. We'll probably never know if we identified the correct location, but it is a fun mystery to try to solve while hiking along. Towards the end of the hike, the trail follows a north-facing slope populated only with bristlecone pines. The conditions are so harsh here that the bristlecones have no competition from other tree species. As the climate warms, scientists are worried this might change. Ponderosa and limber pine and white fir are all able to outcompete the bristlecone pine and may be able to gain a toehold with changing conditions. 

The campground at Grandview was sparsely populated and the campsites were spacious, giving us lots of room from our nearest neighbor, which is not always the case at a public campground. We got a lovely sunset, but a full moon meant no dark skies for us. Hopefully we'll time it better in that respect next time around. 

A stand of bristlecone pines on a north-facing slope - the environment is
so harsh that virtually nothing else is able to grow on these slopes

well-preserved bristlecone pine

"baby" bristlecone pine ~25 years old

Our next stop was Swall Meadows to see a friend. She took us to Rock Creek for a lovely hike. Even after being at elevation for five days, we could both feel the effects of a hike at 10,000 feet. An incoming weather system meant our trip over the Sierras might involve snow, so we cut our hike a bit short and made haste for Tioga Pass. It was snowing by the time we reached the Yosemite National Park entrance station, but not enough to close the road, fortunately. Our views of Yosemite were minimal through the snow and rain, but the trees in the Sequoia grove never disappoint. 

Trip #2 to the Eastern Sierras was just as lovely the second time around as the first, so it wasn't completely a COVID effect. I suspect the act of unplugging from the world was a common theme of both trips that made them immensely enjoyable. Maybe we'll do another redo again this fall...just to be sure. 

Eastern Canadian Provinces with Mama Foley

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. 

Lighthouse on Bras d'Or Lake near Baddeck

Boardwalk through the bog on the Cabot Trail

Picturesque viewpoint from the Cabot Trail

Seaweed!

Black Brook Beach with lovely granite cobbles

Switchboard at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum

Replica of the Silver Dart, Alexander Graham Bell's
biplane. It was the first controlled powered flight
in Canada and the British Empire (1908).

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