Fundy-Nat.-Park >Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
The reception was rather cool, almost shivering and there was some rain from the sky. What was regarded as a true gift for the local population after weeks of dry season, we rather felt as a cold shower.
New Brunswick, which the Canadians themselves tend to ignore rather than do any activities there, is the only official bilingual province of Canada.
Hardly arrived, Chantal discovered the wonderful name “Val-d’Amour” and immediately we curled up a – even in rain – wonderful valley. In order not to drive the same way twice we steered over forest and meadow ways in the coastal mountain range, where with nice weather normally the Quad drivers are on the way.
In the evening we settled on a camping site near Chaleur Bay, but soon had to seek the shelter of a nearby shelter; we surrendered to wind, rain and cold.
After the rain the sun shines, as we all know. Anyway, the first warming rays were already laughing at us very early and we were ready for further explorations south of Chaleur Bay.
We followed the coastal road to the east and were surprised about the new area. The dreamy villages and settlements made a rather sleepy impression on us – almost every second house is offered for sale.
The northeast tip of Gloucester is firmly in the hands of the Acadians, the former French settlers in the New World, who refused the oath after the French defeat of the British Crown and have to accept it with disadvantages until today. They were also deported in large numbers by the British to other areas or immediately back to France.
Today it looks a little better; certain villages and towns are almost more French than those in France. Kilometres by kilometre you only see “rouge-blanc-bleu” with the yellow star, but nowhere a Canadian flag!
After so much France (!) we recovered in the Kouchibouguac-Nat. park with a longer paddle trip by kayak and a bike tour. Through the paddling, but also the bike tour – on a specially designed trail through the forest, which was really wonderful to ride – we felt our bodies still a certain time; driving a car is probably not the best preparation for the physical activities. 🙂
Through the hinterland, so that we could avoid Moncton, we reached areas where there is an extreme rural exodus. Many buildings are abandoned and other houses have already collapsed. Even larger agricultural areas are lying fallow and the forest is conquering back the once cleared areas.
Over winding paths and ways – already crazy, what our Jeep can do so everything – we reached the Fundy Bay. In the park of the same name we settled down a little longer. While Chantal spent a day cleaning, washing and chilling, I did a bike tour in the park and those who love their bikes also like to carry their bikes a few kilometres up the mountain.
The Fundy-Bay is also known for the highest tide difference worldwide and forms the coast particularly strong by the enormous water movement. Very impressive were the Hopewell-Rocks, also called flower pots, which stand bizarre in the water (high tide) or on the beach (low tide).
Unfortunately, we never experienced the well-known tidal waves, but we should be very impressive how the first high wave of the tide washes over the mud.
On another rainy day we briefly visited Fort Beauséjour, which was built by the French and conquered by the English shortly afterwards. The view from the fort must have been overwhelming already then and perhaps the reason why one had to have this fortress.
We crossed the provincial border to Nova Scotia – also a rainy day – and immediately looked for the first exit of the highway; backroads were announced.
We circumnavigated the Cobequid-Mountains east, reached their southern foothills and enjoyed the ride on the varied road. The constant ups and downs, the constant changes of direction gave us every time new impressions.
Impressive were the huge blueberry fields. Entire hill ranges are covered with these shrubs and are accordingly machined. Around the area of Truro there are also strawberry fields, which blew our imagination immediately. But also other fruits thrive in this area very well and the Minas Basin, an eastern tip of the Fundy Bay probably has a very positive influence on fruits and vegetables. Even the wine was not enough and the local plants were excellent for us.
Fredericton was our next main destination, where we walked through the streets and were amazed by the quiet life of the provincial capital. There are also no skyscrapers or smoking chimneys in this place. In contrast to St. John, the main town at the river of the same name is rather for relaxing and recovering.
The rain and the cold drove us and the way into the southern exile is still far! We followed the St. John River upstream through dreamy landscapes and quiet places, crossed the world’s longest wooden bridge and soon stood on the border to the USA.
The last campground keeper said laconically that it was a bit more hectic over there and that there were 10 times more people than in Canada. I couldn’t quite follow his further remarks about the political weather situation, but I understood his hint very well.
We were looking forward to our onward journey to the south and – slightly nervously – went to bed early in order to leave a relaxed impression with the immigration; according to legend, border crossings can sometimes take a little more time, not only for Americans or Canadians.
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