CANADA!!!

On Saturday morning, we went to a pancake breakfast on the KOA campground.  For $2 each, the kids got special pancakes, sausage, fruit topping, and juice.  What a bargain!  The man cooking the pancakes was a “Pancake Artist” and he did a wonderful job.  Isaiah had him make a moose.  Michaela chose a butterfly, and Jeremiah chose an eagle.  The kids had a great time and it was a good breakfast too. 

 

 

The eagle picture from the day before.

 

After breakfast, we closed up the RV and headed north to Canada.  About an hour from the border we stopped at a tiny rest area and got all of our documents ready to hand to the guard.  We also finished off the food that couldn’t cross the border like the apples, bananas, strawberries, and eggs.  When we got to the border, there was only a few cars going through so we didn’t have to wait at all.  The border agent was friendly and had a good sense of humor.  He looked over our documents and asked us a few questions about the nature of our trip.  Then he told us to go inside the building so they could do a background check since it was our first time in Canada.  We went inside and gave the documents to the agent there.  He took a quick look at them and us, didn’t run the background check, and told us we could go on our way and to have a pleasant trip.  They didn’t even look inside the Jeep or the RV.  Very smooth crossing.  We just hope it is that easy going back into the USA. 

 

 

 

 

 

It seemed a little strange reading the road signs once we were in Canada.  We had to get used to seeing the speed limit in km/hr instead of miles/hr.  Most of the road signs are written in both French and English which helps. 

We drove all the way to an area called Hopewell Cape in New Brunswick before stopping for the night.  We found a campground called Ponderosa Pines and pulled in around 10:00.  The manager had just gone to his house but some friendly campers told us what to do.  We found the manager and he was nice enough to come and check us in and show us to our site.  The people here are very friendly and laid back.  They don’t seem to get worried or upset about anything. 

 The campground is only about 1 mile from a very popular place called Hopewell Rocks.  This area is on the Bay of Fundy and is a natural land formation where the tide rises drastically.  The tide can rise as much as 45 feet or more.  We wanted to go to Hopewell Rocks at both high and low tide so we got up early on Sunday morning and went to the park.  They weren’t open yet and it was more than a mile to the area we wanted to see so we decided to go and have breakfast and then come back once the park was open.  Well, we did look for breakfast, but didn’t find any.  There are almost no businesses in this area.  The closest grocery store is about 40 minutes away and there are no gas stations.  We turned around and went  back to the RV for a delicious bowl of cereal.  We were all tired so we ended up taking a nap instead of going right back to the park.  I guess all of the miles on the road finally caught up to Michael and I.  After lunch, we went into the park and saw the area at low tide.  It was so neat!  We were able to walk around the area that is covered by water at high tide.  The kids had fun looking for interesting rocks and shells and exploring the caves formed by the water.  One of the park rangers was demonstrating how to build balancing rock structures.  Isaiah was intrigued with that and had to give it a try. 

 

     When we left the park, we drove into a little community called Alma.  It was still low tide so we were able to get a picture of the boats sitting on the ground in the harbor.  The fishermen have to plan their trips in and out with the tide or they will end up stuck!  While we were there, we saw a little bake shop that was just full of activity.  The local residents just kept coming to the shop so we decided there must be something good in there.  We went inside and bought  some of their famous sticky buns (hot out of the oven) and they were delicious! 

 

     When we paid for the sticky buns, we had to use cash since they didn’t accept many credit cards.  I handed them a $20 bill and was shocked when the lady handed me my change in Canadian currency.  I had forgotten all about  being out of the US.  It looked like play money to us.  This was our first cash purchase in Canada and it seemed strange to see the Canadian currency. 

 

Next we went across the street to a little convenience store/restaurant/grocery store.  Yes, all three in one.  That’s the way things are done here.  They were selling a seasonal delicacy for this area….fiddleheads.  They are the young fronds of the ostrich fern and they are eaten like vegetables.  They look like the scroll of a violin thus the name fiddleheads.   You cook them by steaming them and then tossing them with butter, salt, and pepper.  The kids loved them. 

                                              These are fiddleheads growing in a field.

 

    The next day, we closed up the RV and went back to Hopewell Rocks to see it at high tide before leaving the area.  It was interesting to see the difference in the landscape.  We left there and drove all the way to Digby, Nova Scotia.  It was a long, long drive.  It took us about 10 hours total including a couple of stops to eat.  Since it was around 10:30 when we arrived last night, we ended up just staying in Walmart’s parking lot last night.  That was the first time we haven’t been in a campground since we left.    

 

This morning, we were able to find a McDonald’s that had free Wifi so I was finally able to update the blog.   Today we will explore the coastal area of Digby.  Hopefully we’ll see some whales or seals.