Possible Road Trip - NB

Okay, so for this Canada East road trip that we're considering, we of course wanted to see all the provinces we haven't seen yet ... New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador; however, the reality is that we only have a week, plus we're driving, so we probably are going to miss a lot.

I honestly don't know where to begin since I know so little about what those provinces have to offer, therefore I'm not sure which ones I am willing to sacrifice seeing this time around. I figure we'll have to narrow it down to one or two provinces. I think off the bat, we may have to eliminate Newfoundland & Labrador, which are the ones I have the desire to see the most, but which are much too far for a one week road trip.

Therefore, I figured I would start off by going through one book and taking note of the things that are offered and, of those, which I'd really like to see ... starting one province at a time.

The book I decided to use for this purpose is CAA's Atlantic Provinces & Quebec TourBook. Why that book? Because it contains information about all the provinces in question, which is good for consistency ... because it's geared towards touring ... because it's CAA approved ... because any book would do as a starting point ... and mostly because it was free and it just so happened to be in my hands at the time I felt motivated to start this post.

So here we go ... starting with New Brunswick, and focusing on tourist attractions and valuable information at this time. I'm just trying to prepare a high level overview right now.

NEW BRUNSWICK
Average temperature in September: Low of 6'C, High of 19'C

SOME POINTS OF INTEREST

- Bouctouche, NB. Irving Eco-Centre. One of the few remaining sand dunes on the northeast coast of North America is preserved here. 2km boardwalk to observe flora and fauna; nature trail from the dune to the town of Bouctouche; interactive displays for all ages; picnicks allowed.

- Le Pays de la Sagouine. Live performance, Acadian food and music. (Bouctouche, NB).

- Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Franklin D. Roosevelt belongings. Scenic drives and walking trails along coves, bogs, beaches, and cliffs. (Campobello Island, NB).

- Cap-pele. 95% of the world's smoked herring is said to be produced in this city. West of town is Parc de L'Aboiteau, a scenic beach with boardwalks, cottages, volleyball courts, and evening concerts during the summer. (Cappele, NB).

- Acadian Historical Village. This historic site interprets the lives of the Acadians from 1770 through to 1939. More than 40 authentic Acadian structures on display. Interpreters in period costumes bring ancestral customer and traditional trades to life. $16. (Caraquet, NB).

- Deer Island. An enormous whirlpool, "Old Sow" can be seen offshore 3 hours before high tide. One of the world's largest whirlpool vortex. (Deer Island, NB).

- Potato World Museum. Florenceville is home to McCain foods, largest producer of French Fries. (Florenceville, NB).

- Fredericton, NB. Self-guided walking tour of the city's historic areas. Shopping and craft shops. Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

- Fundy National Park of Canada. Overlooks the Bay of Fundy and encompasses 206 square km of wooded hills and valleys. Nature hikes, beaches, self-guiding trails, salt-water pool, golf course, trout fishing. Home to Northern flying squirrels, American martens, Atlantic salmon, peregrine falcons, and whitetail deer. $7.80. Located between Moncton and St. John.

- Grand Manan Island. 15km off the coast of Maine in the Bay of Fundy. It is known for its lobster and herring catches and for the preparation of dulse, an edible seaweed. Humpback, finback, and North Atlantic right whales visit the waters off Grand Manan from mid July to mid September; the rare right whales use the area as a mating ground. Deep-sea excursions and whale-watching trips can be scheduled locally. Some hiking trails offer visitors the chance to sight seals. Sea Watch Tours leaves from the Seal Cove Pier. 5-hour whale-watching trip in the Bay of Fundy. Whale sighting is guaranteed or tour is free. Departures daily at 8am and 1pm, early July to late September. $59. Reservations required. (506) 662-8552 or (877) 662-8552.

- King's Landing Historical Settlement. Meticulously restored typical village in the Saint John River Valley, 1820-1890. Historical reenactments. $15.50.

- Moncton, NB. Two natural phenomena, Magnetic Hill (drive downhill to a spot indicated by a white post, then with gears in neutral, an optical illusion seemingly moves the car backward up the hill), and The Tidal Bore, an incoming tide that moves upstream against the regular flow of water, causing a single river-wide wave. Self-guiding tours of the historic area, shopping, Magnetic Hill Zoo.

- St. Andrews, NB. Kingsbrae Garden, horticultural garden featuring more than 50,000 flowers, shrubs, and trees. Tall ship Whale Adventures, $47. Whales & Wildlife Catamaran Style, $45; frequently offer sightings of humpback, finback and minke whales, seals, porpoises, sea bird colonies, and bald eagles.

- St. John, NB. Self-guiding tours, shopping, horticultural gardens, New Brunswick museum, bus tours, city market.

CONCLUSIONS

Clearly, I left out a number of cities and attractions in the list, above. From the list above, I was able to derive at least a sense of what I hope to accomplish by visiting New Brunswick. Here are my conclusions.

- Of all the possible tours and things to see, I want to whale-watch the most. It's something I won't get to do here in Ontario, it's something I've never done before, and it's something natural that I don't have the priviledge of seeing everyday, which I can't help but find fascinating. Therefore, I think we should definitely be near the Bay of Fundy. On that conclusion, I think it is safe to say that we should probably travel through Maine, USA.

- Since we have other provinces we would like to see, such as PEI and Nova Scotia, and since we are constrained by time, I think we should draw the line at travelling too far North in New Brunswick or Quebec.

- I think for NB, we should make it a point to get to St. Andrew's or Grand Manan Island for some whale watching, then travel to a major city like St. John where we can do walking tours to take in the city and drink with the locals, then pass through Moncton to see the natural phenomena and, again, take in the city; then move on to either PEI or Nova Scotia. Of course, we would be able to stop at any other points of interest that grab our attention along the way, so long as we have a general path.

- Ah Yes! I would also love to have lobster somewhere along the coast and maybe even find a beach to relax on, or to play volleyball.