Summer 2014 – Acadia National Park, PEI, & Nova Scotia
After considerable thought and discussion we decided the North country was calling us for Summer of 2014…
Welcome to Maine
We departed CT at 7:30 am Sunday morning for our first stop at Hadley’s Point Campground in Bar Harbor , ME. Our site was a great size and we were able to make a big swing in open grass to easily maneuver into our spot. We had chosen this campground based on price and convenience as it was only about to the 4 miles to the Acadia National Park visitors center. We were on site C27 which is very convenient to the bath houses.
View From Cadillac Mountain
At 3:30 we decided to head into the town of Bar Harbor for some site seeing and maybe a little food. Bar Harbor this time of year is a big tourist area and parking was a premium just about everywhere. Fortunately we found a spot on Cottage Street which was only a few blocks of walking to downtown. After a little window shopping we settled on Fish House Grill for Lobster Rolls and some beverages. The food was good, the beverages were better, and the view of the water was outstanding. After our early dinner we to strolled through the shops and downtown and before heading back to the campground settled on a little desert at Ben & Bills Chocolate Emporium. The ice cream was great and the portions substantial. Be Careful – a small is plenty big enough here!
On the way home we decided to catch the sunset on Cadillac Mountain at Acadia NP. It was spectacular. It had been a very full day so we hit the bed early. The campground was exceptionally quiet for the night.
After breakfast we headed to the NP visitor center to get some information and develop a strategy to see the park. Several years ago we had purchased a self -directed cd tour at Gettysburg and loved it and wanted to see if they had something similar at Acadia. We were in luck, they did, and we picked up the last copy in the store. These CD tours we have found are exceptional and allow us to see the park at our own pace with our own personal tour guide. We would highly recommend them as the cost is usually between $15.00-$20.00 and they come with a wealth of information. They did have some 2.5 hour tours by bus or trolley though the CD was the right decision for us. We saw Sandy Beach, Thunder Hole, Otter Point, Otter Cliffs, Gotham Cliffs, & Jordan Pond. We took a few small hikes including the “Ocean Walk” though will have to have more time to do the Carriage trail and Bubble Rock next visit. One of the high points of the day was when we stopped by a viewing station where rangers with the right equipment could see peregrine falcons nesting in the cliffs.
On the way home we stopped in downtown Bar Harbor again for another Beverage at Stewman’s on the wharf and a chance to reflect on the sites of the day. For dinner we deiced to visit Down East Lobster Pound on the ride back to the campground. We had been told this is where many of the townies go for their lobster, Delicious….
Tuesday 7/8/14 – Another quiet night at the campground , a quick breakfast and pack up and we were on our way to our next stop Prince Edward Island, Canada (PEI). We decided to take the scenic route all the way up Route 1. A very rough road… We crossed the border to Canada around noon and spent the rest of the day driving across New Brunswick. The bridge from New Brunswick to PEI is very long and you have to either use it or the Ferry on the SE Coast to get on/off the Island. Note: They only charge a toll to get off the Island. The Bridge is about $60.00 to drive over on the return. The Ferry to Nova Scotia is about $120.00 so in hindsight we could have saved some money going in the opposite direction on the trip if we had done more research.
We arrived at our campground, Twin shores Campground in Darnely about 7:00 pm on the Northern coast of the PEI. After set-up had a nice dinner off the grill and then took a short walk along the red clay beaches adjacent the campground.
Wed. 7/9/14 Blueberry pancakes for breakfast – yum and then off to do some sightseeing of PEI. Drove around the mid section of PEI including right past the Anne of Green Gables Home and then on to Charlottetown the capital of PEI. Whence I say people take pride in their property here it couldn’t be more of an understatement. Every yard, home, field, was as picturesque, clean and cut to perfection as you can imagine. We have never seen so much pride in one’s properties. Trash and litter is no where’s to be seen. A beautiful area with many homes having views of the ocean and backing up to rolling hills/countryside. Late Lunch/Early Dinner was at SouWest with the best deck on PEI. A great meal ,with a great view.
For the evening we decided to take in the show at the College of Piping and Celtic Dance in Summerside. 2 hours of pure Celtic Culture. A great choice of entertainment for the evening that we would highly recommend.
The college of Piping
The college of Piping
Thursday 7/10/14 we decided to taker the North Cape Coastal drive for some more sightseeing. This was a spectacular drive along the North & West side of the island. We went all the way to the North Cape Lighthouse. The views, the hiking, and the people we met made this a terrific final day for our visit in PEI.
Friday 7/11/14 we had an early departure as we packed most of our things up the night before. The drive to the ferry took about 2 hours and the ferry took about 1.25 hours to Nova Scotia. We got breakfast on the boat and had a great discussion with the tourist information booth staff. After landing we started on our long drive to the southeastern side of the Cabot Trail. Our plan was to take the eastern side up to our campground at the very top and then take the western side down on the return. Our reservation was at Hideaway Campground, in Dingwall. It is at the most northern point of the Cabot Trail. We had only been at our campsite for 10 minutes when we could hear the loons calling from the water below and then a bald eagle flew right past us. This places has a terrific view of the water.
Saturday 7/12/14 is our wedding anniversary. We begin the day early as we have a long day planned. We begin by signing up for a whale watch tour at Oshan’s departing from the Bay of St. Lawrence. The town is a beautiful little fishing village. Our tour does’t leave for about 1.5 hours so we decide to go explore a little area known as Meat Cove which was recommended by some other campers we have met at Hideaway Campground. Meat Cove is a bit of a trek on dirt roads ,on the side of the mountain, though when we arrive we can see why it is popular. You are camping their on a cliff that is totally exposed on 3 sides to the ocean and the view is amazing. Mostly tent campers though we did see a few RV’S. This stop is a must for anyone heading to the Cabot Trail. We don’t have much time so we had to visit quickly so we could catch our whale watch departure.
Meat Cove
Oshan’s and Captain Fraser did a spectacular job with our whale watch. We were able to see over 50 whales on the watch and several different types. Mike probably took over 500 pictures while standing on the top of the cab to get the best view 360 degrees around. This was a great excursion for our anniversary.
From the whale watch we decided to venture farther down the west coast of the Cabot Trail looking for the Skyline trail head for a hike. We ended up parking about 1/2 mile from the trail head and the trail map said the was about 4.7 miles long. We hike for quite awhile and just when we think we are towards the the end we come across a marker and observation deck that says we are half way. This is a long 4.7 miles though so worth it. The observation decks (many stairs and decks) are amazing. You get a view of the entire West coast and ocean side of the Cabot Trail. This view is a must if you visit the Cabot Trail.
Skyline Trail Hike View
Although we were pretty tired from our trek, we had decided earlier that we would have an anniversary dinner out . We continued down the Cabot trail to a litle town called Cheticamp. The drive along the Cabot Trail is really unbelievable. The views of the mountain and ocean have to be seen. We arrive in town and decide to have dinner at Le Gabriel a landmark restaurant in the area. The menu special that night was 2lb lobsters and nearly every table had them except us as we were starting to get a little lobstered out. The food was very good and quite reasonable. Everyone had been telling us that you really shouldn’t be driving the Cabot Trail at night given the terrain and the number of moose in the area. With the sun starting to set we decided to get the billed paid and try to make it back to Hideaway before dark. The trip going back to the top of the Cabot Trail seemed to go faster and we arrived just as the sun set. What an incredible day we had for our anniversary.
Sunday 7/13/14 we start our trek South with the Rv in tow down the West side of the Cabot Trail. Driving this steep terrain with the RV was certainly more difficult than without the RV. Very steep and very curvy . We decide to spend the night at Ceilidh Cottages Campground in the town of Mabou, NS so we can make a stop
The Red Shoe
that evening at the famous pub know as The Red Shoe. The Haddock and chips were great and the Cape Breton Celtic fiddle music is just a blast. This is a place that every visit to the Cape Breton needs to put on their list.
Monday 7/14/16 we we head towards the bottom of Cape Breton and decide to take the coastal road all day since it was raining out . We planned to weave our way all the way down to Halifax and Peggy’s Cove lighthouse. While it rained all day we had a nice leisurely drive down the coast and a great inside picnic lunch by the water. I will never forget the one turn in the road that day where the path disappeared into a river/ocean. We sat their looking at the maps for some time when a person in a barge approached and ask if we need a lift to the other side. Apparently this was the only way across though their was no mention or reference of this in our maps. We were a little concerned with the small size of the barge and our rig though the pilot assured us it wouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t and once we landed on the other side we continued on our path towards Halifax.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse
Tuesday 7/15/16 we woke in the campground by Peggy’s Cove. Wayside Campground is ok and very close to Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove is a famous lighthouse tourist spot that is a very quaint little sea town on a big bunch of rocks. It is a beautiful vista and lighthouse though with so many buses coming in and out with tourists it wasn’t a great visit. The weather was still poor and very rainy.We decide to have breakfast at “The Sou Wester” which was very good.
More Lighthouses
The following day we decided to start heading towards home in Ct. We stopped in New Brunswick at an Moncton RV to get a couple of light bulbs and stretch our legs a bit while looking at the large inventory they had of units. While their we picked up a few Faulker Anti Gravity chairs that we had been looking at at a good price and excellent exchange rate. We stopped for the night in Stadig Campground in Wells, ME. A nice campground though the sites were tight with all the pine trees. We were recommended to catch dinner at “Fisherman;s Catch” a restaurant that has been featured in Yankee Magazine and Coastal Living calls “One of America’s Best Seafood Dives” . Good food and good times. With our trip coming to an end we were probably ready to take a break before we begin planning the next adventure on this Revolutionary Journey….
The Bay of Fundy
