Photoset
May 29, 2012

Terra Nova National Park.

Newfoundland is vast, and we have destinations planned in the south, east, north and west. People live along the coast, especially in eastern harbor towns such as the capital, St. John’s. The interior consists of boreal forest and lakes. We drove 350 miles Saturday, listening to The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. This classic Newfoundland novel tells of a cursed family’s redemption after returning to the family homestead and overcoming all the pain. We’re traveling with quite a few books and audiobooks that reflect the landscapes we’ll be traveling through.

Arriving at Eastport, settling into the Pinetree Lodge and finding dinner (more panfried cod, and a partridgeberry crumble), we took a stroll around Sandy Pond. It was boardwalk the whole way because of the bogs. We saw pitcher plants and mosses, ferns starting to uncurl, some kind of native azalea, and more lichen than I’ve ever seen,  spread out across the ground like snow. Here are some of the photos.

Photoset
May 27, 2012

Newfoundland: Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn

We drove off the ferry in the fishing town of Port aux Basques, its name like many on this vast island reflecting the French heritage that preceded the Celtic. We were glad to have GPS guiding us to pan-fried cod and then to the remote lighthouse where we’d spend the night.

We drove around the bay, through the unincorporated clapboard houses of the Codray Valley and along a ridge to the Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn. A woman from town greeted us and showed us around. The gabled former keeper’s house, white with red trim, stands on the windswept ridge, its long front porch fronting on the Gulf of St. Laurence. There was a cozy living room, dining room and kitchen to fix our own breakfast. Our room was next door in a newer house painted to match. Our room with its cheery quilt on the bed included a couch and an ornate pump organ. We would have the whole place to ourselves. 

Soon we were alone. What a place to start our Newfoundland adventure! A stiff wind blew off the gulf as we zipped our windbreakers and headed out to photograph the lighthouse in the evening sun. We walked down to the rocky shore, then back to the porch to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the sunset. A young man arrived with two friends. He said his great-grandfather was the first lighthouse keeper, then his grandfather, and now his father, though his father lives in town and, since the lighthouse and fog warning are fully automated now, his job consists of environmental monitoring.

Then we were alone again to read in the living room before retiring. This is getting to be a really interesting journey.

Photo
May 26, 2012
Hopewell Rocks (A post from the day before the ferry.) New Brunswick’s Fundy Coastal Drive leads from the boundary of Fundy National Park along the top of the cliffs, far enough back not to be washed out by the tides. It passes through charming villages with galleries and B&Bs„ past a winery where we sampled and bought both sweet and dry blueberry wine, and around bends with sweeping views of the bay. But no restaurants open in May, as we got hungrier and hungrier. Until we came upon the Log Cabin Restaurant that served wonderful lobster rolls with fries that we practically inhaled.  Then on to Hopewell Rocks. This is a major tourist destination, which in July and August  draws hordes of people. But in late May, only a few people shared the broad trails and sturdy overlooks with us. We arrived at high tide, so were not able to walk among the towering formations as people do at low tide. But we throughly enjoyed seeing them surrounded by water. One natural archway, 18 feet high at the curve, was nearly filled with muddy water where five hours earlier visitors strolled. A ranger pulled out his iPad to show us time-lapse photography of the tides and short wildlife videos, including amusing baby juncos in a nest. We topped off the day with dinner at The Bistro in New Glasgow. If you should ever find yourself in this motheaten town, stop here. Bistro salad with crusted goat cheese and baked apple. Cauliflower soup with gouda cheese and chives. Cajun salmon with roasted potatoes and broiled tomato stuffed with gouda. Linguini with smoked salmon, prosciutto and avocado. (Do you get the impression I love to eat?) A fine day, adventuring with my best friend.

Hopewell Rocks

(A post from the day before the ferry.)

New Brunswick’s Fundy Coastal Drive leads from the boundary of Fundy National Park along the top of the cliffs, far enough back not to be washed out by the tides. It passes through charming villages with galleries and B&Bs„ past a winery where we sampled and bought both sweet and dry blueberry wine, and around bends with sweeping views of the bay. But no restaurants open in May, as we got hungrier and hungrier. Until we came upon the Log Cabin Restaurant that served wonderful lobster rolls with fries that we practically inhaled. 

Then on to Hopewell Rocks. This is a major tourist destination, which in July and August  draws hordes of people. But in late May, only a few people shared the broad trails and sturdy overlooks with us. We arrived at high tide, so were not able to walk among the towering formations as people do at low tide. But we throughly enjoyed seeing them surrounded by water. One natural archway, 18 feet high at the curve, was nearly filled with muddy water where five hours earlier visitors strolled. A ranger pulled out his iPad to show us time-lapse photography of the tides and short wildlife videos, including amusing baby juncos in a nest.

We topped off the day with dinner at The Bistro in New Glasgow. If you should ever find yourself in this motheaten town, stop here. Bistro salad with crusted goat cheese and baked apple. Cauliflower soup with gouda cheese and chives. Cajun salmon with roasted potatoes and broiled tomato stuffed with gouda. Linguini with smoked salmon, prosciutto and avocado. (Do you get the impression I love to eat?) A fine day, adventuring with my best friend.


Text
May 25, 2012

Ferry

We’re on a ferry heading north to Newfoundland, a six-hour trip. Our loaded car waits below on the fifth deck, while we’re sitting on the seventh. This ferry is so well appointed and well run, comfortable, clean, carefree. Steve in particular has been happily doing nothing. We explored the boat. Took a nap. Stood on the sunny top deck. Got coffee. Shot a few pictures. Ate lunch. Had our picture taken. Looked at the paper. Wandered to the lounge for a beer. Talked about the lighthouse B&B where we’ll spend the night.  Watched the far shore appear on the horizon and rise was we draw closer until we spy snow in the highlands and tiny buildings that must be Port aux Basques.  Noticed how the water changes color, from shining green to deep blue and now, nearly black flecked with white. Sometimes it’s good not to be accomplishing anything at all.

Photoset
May 24, 2012

Fundy National Park, part 2

The second-growth acadian forest of red spruces, firs, maples and birches, benefits from the frequent fog. Mosses and ferns cover the forest floor, so lush and green, blooming with alpine dogwoods. Where homesteaders settled in the 1800s, nothing is left but the apple trees in full bloom. It’s spring again here. And creeks tumble over cliffs in the most delightful waterfalls. A series of boardwalks and staircases leads to lovely Dickson Falls, cascading playfully past the mossy banks, under wooden bridges and away to the bay.


Photoset
May 24, 2012

Fundy National Park

Last night we stayed in the tiny town of Alma at the Parkland Inn. Our second-floor room had both a sitting room and a nice view of the bay, which, while we were there, was at low tide both evening and morning. The 14-foot high tide came in the middle of the night, floated those stranded boats, and receded again, leaving a vista of wide mudflats. This is so bizarre.

We ate at the inn, where we both enjoyed chunky seafood chowder and I had the most marvelous salad: greens with blueberries, almonds, poppyseed dressing, and on top, big local scallops, fresh and perfectly grilled. We slept soundly and long.

Rested, refreshed, well fed, we set off on our first day of hiking. Here’s a collage of photos from our sunny morning in the park. (These are nearly all by Steve, who’s a far better photographer than I am. He shoots with a Canon Rebel.)  

Fundy National Park, ”where the forest meets the sea,” has wooded cliffs rising out of the bay. We walked at low tide on the sea floor, over rounded rocks dotted with barnacles and snails and seaweed. At Wolfe Point, we watched the water rising, quickly covering dry boulders.

Photoset
May 23, 2012
Photo
May 23, 2012
The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. A M’icmac legend attributes this to a great whale sloshing water back and forth with its tail. Alternatively, it has to do with the length, depth and funnel shape of the bay, which extends some 50 miles between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Twice every day, the water recedes so far that boats are left high and dry. And twice every day, the water comes surging back in. We arrived at low tide, and so far the docks look pretty strange, standing 15 feet high. Can’t wait to see what it looks like when the tide comes in.

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. A M’icmac legend attributes this to a great whale sloshing water back and forth with its tail. Alternatively, it has to do with the length, depth and funnel shape of the bay, which extends some 50 miles between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Twice every day, the water recedes so far that boats are left high and dry. And twice every day, the water comes surging back in. We arrived at low tide, and so far the docks look pretty strange, standing 15 feet high. Can’t wait to see what it looks like when the tide comes in.

Text
May 23, 2012

Connections and Disconnections

Three days into our drive, we’re finally in Canada. far to the east in New Brunswick, bouncing along a two-lane road that winds through boreal forest toward the Bay of Fundy. As soon as we entered Canada from southeastern Maine, it seemed the trees got shorter. They’re mostly spruces, firs and birches here. The sky is cloudy, with intermittent showers. We’re heading toward the Parkland Inn in the tiny town of Alma, gateway to Fundy National Park. 

This summer, as we venture into remote places., cellphone coverage will be spotty. My phone won’t be on at all, and Steve’s will work when it works. We’ll call family when we can. For others, better try e-mail. (janebahls@aol.com or stevenbahls@augustana.edu  and we’ll get back you when we have Internet. Which is most evenings for the next month, and less frequently in the middle of the summer. If you want to comment on blog posts, here are three options: sign up for a Tumblr account (http.tumblr.com) and follow me, comment on my Facebook timeline, where these are posted, or send me an e-mail.

It’s good to disconnect from everyday life from a time, and also to stay connected, when we can, with those we love.


Photo
May 23, 2012
Family, Part 2 After rolling through the green mountains of western Massachusetts and navigating a tangle of freeways, Steve and I arrived about 5:30 at our son Dan and daughter-in-law Carolyn’s duplex in Springfield. They live across the street from Forest Park in a neighborhood full of gracious Victorian houses. Dan was installing a washer/dryer, and Carolyn was getting ready to fly to San Francisco in the morning to present a paper at an academic conference. (She’s working on her dissertation in English.) It was good to see them, as always. Steve helped Dan with the installation while Carolyn brought a lantern out to our Subaru to search for that missing credit card. She spied a corner of it under a metal box under the seat. Problem solved. I reorganized the car while we caught up. I watched Dan send Beckett the border collie through his agility course in the back yard, where the dog leaped over hurdles and through hoops. We had dinner in West Springfield at Bottega Cucina, an unassuming little place in a strip mall, with the most marvelous salads, pasta creations, creme brûlée and cannoli. Well worth the wait for a table. We were celebrating Dan getting a grant for two more years of legal services work in Springfield, and Carolyn being hired again as a graduate student instructor for a three-week western history and literature adventure camp in Wyoming. It’s good to see our kids thrive. Then Dan helped me figure out a few things on my computer and showed me how to download audiobooks from LibraVox. In the morning, we bade them farewell and hit the road by 6:30 so Dan could get Carolyn to her plane. Just 13 hours, a little slice of family life in all its dailiness, contentment and joy.

Family, Part 2

After rolling through the green mountains of western Massachusetts and navigating a tangle of freeways, Steve and I arrived about 5:30 at our son Dan and daughter-in-law Carolyn’s duplex in Springfield. They live across the street from Forest Park in a neighborhood full of gracious Victorian houses. Dan was installing a washer/dryer, and Carolyn was getting ready to fly to San Francisco in the morning to present a paper at an academic conference. (She’s working on her dissertation in English.) It was good to see them, as always.

Steve helped Dan with the installation while Carolyn brought a lantern out to our Subaru to search for that missing credit card. She spied a corner of it under a metal box under the seat. Problem solved. I reorganized the car while we caught up. I watched Dan send Beckett the border collie through his agility course in the back yard, where the dog leaped over hurdles and through hoops.

We had dinner in West Springfield at Bottega Cucina, an unassuming little place in a strip mall, with the most marvelous salads, pasta creations, creme brûlée and cannoli. Well worth the wait for a table. We were celebrating Dan getting a grant for two more years of legal services work in Springfield, and Carolyn being hired again as a graduate student instructor for a three-week western history and literature adventure camp in Wyoming. It’s good to see our kids thrive.

Then Dan helped me figure out a few things on my computer and showed me how to download audiobooks from LibraVox. In the morning, we bade them farewell and hit the road by 6:30 so Dan could get Carolyn to her plane. Just 13 hours, a little slice of family life in all its dailiness, contentment and joy.