After completing our travels in Maine we set off to visit our neighbors to the north in the Canadian Maritimes.  The Maritimes is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.  It is located northeast of New England and southeast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula.

We began our adventure by entering Canada at the International Avenue border crossing in Calais Maine.  Crossing the border couldn’t have been easier.  There were only a few cars in front of us at the boarder and they move quickly.  We were asked a few brief questions by the Canada Border Services Officer and were on our way in less then a minute.

Our first stop was St Andrews, New Brunswick.  This is a little town located on Passamaquoddy Bay.  We were only able to spend one day there because the area was busy with a road race.  We spent the day walking the little town, eating homemade ice cream and driving around the area.  Our next stop was in St John.  We stayed in a small campground located in Rockwood Park.  The campground was really just an open area with full hookups but it was clean, quiet and it served its purpose.  Rockwood Park is a nice park with walking trails, a lake and a cute little restaurant called Lily’s. We ate dinner at Lily’s one night and the food was very good.  We also sat on their patio at the lake and enjoyed a quiet breakfast.

Next it was on to the remote area of Hopewell Cape where the Bay of Fundy turns north into the Chocolate River. This is where Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpots Rocks, is located.  The rock formations rising from the sea floor were caused by tidal erosion and stand 40–70 feet tall.  The formations are covered by high tide water twice a day but at low tide you can descend about 120 steps to the sea floor and view the formations from ground level.  You can also walk out on the exposed sea floor and explore the sea bed.  Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 52 feet giving Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world.

We made the long drive into Nova Scotia and stopped in Halifax next.  We stayed at the Shubie Park Campground.  It is actually located in Dartmouth on the opposite side of the bay from Halifax.  It was a nice park in a residential area.  We spent a few days exploring the area including the beautiful Halifax Public Gardens and the Citadel National Historic Site. The Halifax Waterfront is a nice area with shops and restaurants but it is very crowded and parking is difficult.  We enjoyed dinner and breakfast at local restaurants.

Prince Edward Island was our next stop.  PEI is a lovely island with rolling green hills and beautiful country side landscapes.  We stayed at the Marco Polo Land Campgrounds and Inn in Cavendish.  This is a very large campground with over 580 sites.  Cavendish is a tourist town with lots of activities for families.  We enjoyed some long rides and beautiful views while driving the country roads of PEI.  We traveled along the shore on the Rue du Gulf Shore Parkway and stopped a few times to take in the scenery.  One day we drove into the historic town of Charlottetown. We walked the streets while enjoying local music playing around us.  We visited the exquisite St. Dunstan’s Basilica Cathedral and enjoyed the sights while sitting in beautiful Victoria Park.

We had a good time roaming the Canadian Maritimes.  Stay tuned for part two of “Our Canadian Adventure”, coming soon.