On this adventure we decided to stretch our hearts and tackle the East Coast of Canada and visit the Maritime Provinces. Two nomads + Betsy + East Coast lifestyle = Ten days of pure LOVE. Look out New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, “Here We Come!!”.

As per our usual modus operandi of working hard all week, these two nomads quickly packed up Betsy and hit the highway, music playing, bare essentials packed, wide smiles….. Wait! STOP the van!….East Coast or BUST photo required. A shout out to Jamie LeBel for photo cred ☺ Back into Betsy William!

We decided to take the American way to the East Coast by crossing into the United States at the Niagara Falls Border.  After a long day of work, crossing the border quickly became our travel goal for our first night. After crossing into the United States a sign appeared out of the darkness. Welcome to Scottsville! The gypsy half of this duo (Laura Scott) insisted it was a sign from the universe to stop and rest for the night.  William thinks it had more to do with her heavy eyelids and not so much the universe.  A town with a name of Scottsville has to be filled with peace and tranquility right??…..lol Bed down, window shades up and these two travellers were quickly studying the inside of their eyelids dreaming of ocean waves, lighthouses, pails of seafood and beautiful red rocks.

Day 1 – June 25, 2016

A longer jaunt than usual means our first day was mostly driving. The GPS set and our printed maps in hand, we set Betsy on cruise control and enjoyed some quality time to catch up on our lives, dreams and goals. Williams quote of the day as the gypsy was happily busting a move in the passenger seat of Betsy, “You are going to hurt yourself, if nothing else, you are seriously going to hurt yourself”.

Let the SHEVANIGANS begin!  Oh lordy!

 

Eight hours of driving for William and eight hours of singing for Laura means it was time for some fresh air; before William pulls over and leaves the gypsy on the side of the road holding nothing but the East Coast or Bust sign. We quickly pulled over for dinner and walked along the riverfront of Bangor, Maine. Why Bangor Maine?? We say “Why Not!”…lol. This little town provided the perfect peaceful backdrop for dinner. Not to mention desert via a local street vendor who just happened to be selling homemade ice-cream. “Who doesn’t love ice-cream!”.

After another little stroll along the riverfront to stretch our legs it was time to get back in Betsy and accomplish our goal for the day, the New Brunswick border.

We did it!  We crossed back into Canada through a small international crossing in Saint Stephens, New Brunswick. A quick google search located a bustling Tim Horton’s parking lot where we called it a night. Free Wi-Fi comes with a catch, a loud drive thru speaker. Small shout out to the very cheerful Dave who was working the drive-thru for what seemed like hours that night, “Hello my name is Dave, how can I help you” was our bedtime melody!

Day 2 – June 26, 2016

Sunday morning started off as most days do while traveling with William…..with a coffee.  We just happened to have spent the night in the right place! Gassed up and fueled up with coffee, we hit the road to officially start our journey in New Brunswick.

While happily driving thru St John’s we stumbled upon a beautiful East Coast visitor’s information center. Equipped with insight, maps and the tide schedule we were armed and dangerous. Okay, maybe not exactly dangerous, more like hungry….lol At the end of a quiet little side street with an clear view of the Bay of Fundy was McLaren’s Beach.

  It served as a perfect spot for a beach breakfast and a leisurely stroll. We are off to an amazing start. Not many people can say they started their day off by walking on the ocean floor.

While planning our adventures we always try to include interesting “pit stops” and in St John’s it was Reversing Falls. We just happened to catch a preview of the raging waters from high up on the hill and with a few turns in Betsy we were parked and enjoying an up-close view of this natural phenomenon.

The St John’s River naturally flows out into the Bay of Fundy, but when the tide is high, the force of the ocean pushes the water back up into the St. John’s River, causing a turbulent dog fight of opposite currents. This swirling multi-directional water flow surly brought a few early settlers to an unforeseen grave. Although we took plenty of pictures we have now decided to add a video camera to our “bare essential” packing list!

So, with the tide heading out, we decided to follow it. Back in Betsy cruising towards Hopewell Rocks. One of the things these two nomads love about #vanlife is the freedom. The freedom to explore, experience and just live in the moment. Enter homemade ice cream from McCabe’s, a 1905 Sawmill Creek covered bridge, and last but not least a small fishing harbour in Alma. All a great pre show to Hopewell Rocks.

Hopewell Rocks lies at the eastern part of the Bay of Fundy and experiences some of the highest change in tide elevations on earth. We and our new travel companion #happyvan had to check this out. We had access to the rocks three hours before and three hours after low tide. After that, we would be swimming with the fish…lol

Hopewell Rocks is a geologists dream and just happens to be one curious engineers too. This area was formed hundreds of millions of years ago. What was once a vast mountain range has eroded down to layers of compressed rock fragments and sandstone, thrust up in all directions to create the rock cliffs we see there today. The tidal action of the Bay of Fundy has eroded the softer sandstone at the base of the cliffs creating these spectacular sand rock formations.

After spending an informative and refreshing day at Hopewell Rocks we decided it was time to move towards our next maritime destination, Nova Scotia. With our stomachs growling and eyelids heavy, a late afternoon meal and outdoor nap in the Mapleton Park Rotary Pavilion in Moncton, New Brunswick was in order. Nothing like a full belly nap under a tree in an open park to prepare us for the next leg of the trip.

Now picture this, Betsy heading north on the Canso Causeway as we enter Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  To our right, hovering over a large mountain ridge is a storm of angry dark grey clouds mixed with fog and to our left, sunny blue skies with white fluffy clouds. Enter stage right, the most beautiful full rainbow we have ever seen. Welcome to Nova Scotia!!  

Stay tuned for more Maritime adventures as we explore Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.