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While I was quite pleased to be along the Bay of Fundy in August, I was quite distressed that I was bringing in a new decade on the 29th. In preparation, I chose a lovely historic town on the water, and treated myself to a private room at a funky little inn. All good decisions! From the 27th - 31st, I was in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, on the Passamaquoddy Bay, overlooking the state of Maine. Known for the Algonquin Hotel & golf course, St Andrews was founded in the 1770′s as a loyalist town, and was a shipbuilding center in the early history of Canada. This small resort town has a lovely historic district, a quaint Main Street, and honestly, it oozes charm. All of this without being snobbish! I've highlighted some of the sites in photos. With much trepidation, I started my birthday with a bike ride (of course!), then a visit to nearby Minister's Island. However, the best surprise of the day was having my inn hosts join me on the pub patio for dinner and drinks. They raised a glass, and reminded me to take a close look at what I now call "life". I made it through the day but I'm still not sure I like the number!
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It was one glorious week in Fundy National Park where I camped at "headquarters" on a cul-de-sac that was quiet and accessible to every activity I had in mind. From my tent, I could hike, bike, go swim, and walk into the quaint little village of Alma. I love this Park, and I am enamored by the Bay of Fundy! This is a Park that you can bring along just about anyone as there's golfing, fishing, paddling, playgrounds, on and off-road cycling, hiking galore, and yes, a solar heated, saltwater swimming pool. My hot and sunny arrival day was the culmination of a music festival onsite so I caught one act. From there, I plotted and planned all that I could fit in within a week -- cycling, hiking, a little work, some poolside reading, a ranger program, and a walk about town. The trails were not only challenging but scenic, as every trail I chose had waterfalls, a brook or a view of the Bay. This view never gets old as the tidal changes ensure that it never looks the same. Two weeks here would have been great, yet I moved on to cope with the trauma of the big birthday (up next)! I rolled into Moncton, New Brunswick for a few days, with a strictly utilitarian agenda -- oil change, food shop, laundry, etc. Moncton, a small town of 70,000 people, has a reputation for being culturally and architecturally challenged, so my plan was to be on task. I'd booked a hostel room at "C'Mon Inn" and had my list in hand. Lo and behold, Moncton is a sweet little place with a 23 km riverside biking/walking path, and an old-fashioned downtown that works. There was also a festival that weekend where I enjoyed two hours of Canadian short films (free!) with a $4 glass of wine. At the hostel, a 19th century house in a residential neighborhood, I met people from all over the world. Best of all, the locals could not have been nicer. Moncton is also where I discovered "chiac" which is a mix of French and English spoken in a single sentence. I loved it as I could completely understand what they said! Did you know that New Brunswick is the only official bilingual province in Canada? Me, neither! That said, it appears that the Eastern region is where you'll tend to hear both languages spoken more often. When I left Moncton, I debated a stop at Hopewell Rocks: 40-70 foot tall formations caused by tidal erosion in the Bay of Fundy. Was I really going to spend $10 to look at rocks? As you'll see from the photos, I had quite a good time! In fact, I spent nearly five hours at Hopewell, touring with a guide, watching a peregrine falcon nest, walking wooded trails, and seeing the changes as the Bay went from low to high tide. This was my first Bay of Fundy experience but trust me, there's more to come! |
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November 2025
AuthorCyclist, writer, teacher, avid reader, bike/ped advocate, nomad, pie lover Categories |
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