TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER: Low 60s to mid-70s, sunny, windy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Riffle above Island below McClellan’s

FLIES USED: #14 olive Norfork River scud, #20 red/silver zebra midge, #14 Norfork River crane fly

ROD USED: 7’ 9” 2-wt Winston WT

HATCHES: Caddis, Midges, Crane flies

OTHER: I fished with Ed, Bill, and John.  We walked in at Mill Dam Eddy to falling water.  Bill and John remained downstream while Ed and I waded upstream.  Fishing was slow on the scud/zebra midge combination.  Shortly after 9:00 AM, crane flies began surfacing and fish were rising to them. Ed moved to the center of the riffle, between two streams of river, and immediately began catching fish on top; most of the fish were 14-15 inches and pretty hot.  He continued to catch fish on the crane fly imitation for the next 3 1/2 hours.  I fished the right descending side of the riffle and caught quite a few fish. I waded upstream to the plunge pool and again caught fish, about half of which were caught stripping the crane fly imitation. I switched back to the scud/zebra midge combination, moved to the left descending side, and caught several fish in the small riffle.  wading downstream to the tail out above the island, the fish continued taking the zebra midge, with far more misses than catches.  Bill worked his way upstream and caught lots of fish below, along side of, and above the island while John caught a bunch of fish below the island. 

TIME:  8:30 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER: Low 60s to mid-70s, sunny, windy

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Riffle above Island below McClellan’s

FLIES USED: #14 olive Norfork River scud, #20 red/silver zebra midge, #14 Norfork River crane fly, #22 olive/black midge

ROD USED: N/A

HATCHES: Midges, Crane flies

OTHER: I accompanied Ron and Matt, son and son-in-law respectively.  Ron began catching fish immediately in the tail out of the riffle just above the island; most fish were caught on the red/silver zebra midge.  About 9:30 AM, crane flies began hatching and fish began rising to the hatching insects.  I tied on a Norfork River crane fly, and the “boys” caught an occasional fish.  Matt moved to the center of the riffle, between two streams of river, and immediately began catching fish on top.  Ron waded upstream and likewise began catching fish on top.  This continued until about 12:00 PM, and the fish stopped taking the crane fly fly.  I tied on a #22 olive/black midge trailer below Matt’s crane fly, and he caught an occasional fish on the trailer.  At about 12:30 PM, neither the crane fly nor the trailer would catch fish.  Ron and Matt switched back to the scud/zebra midge combination and again caught fish, but sporadically.  At 1:00 PM, we called it a day after lots of fish being caught by both.

We awoke early, ready to return to the USA and home. We repacked our bags for the flight home, and twiddled our thumbs for a couple of hours until near time to leave.  Our bags were hauled to the rental car, and apparently John and Sandy were in the same frame of mind as they, too, were ready to go.

Unsure of the time to return the rental car, check in, and go through US Customs, we made the 35-minute drive to the airport without a hitch, arriving about 10 AM.  I dropped Kay, Sandy, John, and the luggage off at the US terminal, and drove to the rental car return.  So far, so good. The US has a Customs operation in the Halifax airport, and once you’ve made it through there, you are treated as a domestic passenger for the remainder of your trip; this proved to be very convenient.  We checked our bags at the Delta counter, made it through Canada customs, and through US Customs.  The only problem we had was with some apples we tried taking through.  Without a sticker of origin, they got trashed, but at least the agent was friendly; he almost talked our ear off.

We finally boarded the really small aircraft, making it to New York on time.  From there, we caught a flight to Atlanta, and barely had time to make the flight from Atlanta to Little Rock.  The planes on all three legs of the trip were full to capacity.

Arriving in Little Rock just before 8 PM, we grabbed our baggage, caught the shuttle to the Holiday Inn, loaded the old Explorer, and drove home, getting here about 11 PM. 

This was a great trip, and traveling with John and Sandy was a joy.  We have many things in common, yet enjoy enough differences to make things interesting. 

The Maritimes were populated with wonderful, friendly people.  The countryside is neat and clean, and there is little “junk” on the property.  Most of the area, about 75 percent, is forested.  There is far more agricultural land and farms than we would have ever dreamed.  And there are lots of old, old churches, almost all of them painted white, with tall bell towers.  Residents should be proud of their respective provinces.

For Kay and me, we’re glad we did this trip, but it will likely be our one and only trip to the Maritime Provinces—too many things to do and see, but too little time. 

Another life list item to check off. 

Today marks our last full day in the Maritime Provinces.

After a restful night’s sleep, we awoke, had coffee, and finished packing for our departure.  Sebelle and Susan, owners of the Atlantic Sojourn B&B, had a late evening, so we all delayed breakfast until 8:30 AM.  However, all the guests met in the common area near the dining table and visited, getting to know one another better, and we asked them lots of questions about Canada, their customs, their healthcare system, food, etc.  They were quite patient with us.We all enjoyed another hearty breakfast, and we excused ourselves for a 9:30 AM departure.

The drive to Halifax was just over an hour; we bypassed Peggy’s Cove at the suggestion of Sebelle.  We all checked into the Westin near the harbor. We all walked the harbor front and purchased tickets on the Grayline’s Ambassatour of Halifax.  The downtown area is vibrant, with lots of young adults everywhere.  We also saw families enjoying the city, especially along the water front.  Three things aroused my interest in Halifax:  their public garden, the explosion of 1917, and their role in the Titanic disaster recovery.

My favorite part of the Ambassatour was walking through the Halifax Public Garden, one of only two Victorian gardens in Canada.  It was well kept, and the flowers and plants were awesome.  Some of the blooms were huge, and I could have been there all day taking photos.  We were amazed at the number of people, including many families, enjoying the gardens.

I was also surprised to learn of the 1917 explosion in the Halifax harbor. This explosion occurred in December 1917 when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship fully loaded with wartime explosives, collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in “The Narrows” part of Halifax Harbor.  About 2,000 people were killed by either debris, fire, or collapsed buildings, and over 9,000 were injured.  Every building within a 16-mile radius, over 12,000 in all, was destroyed or badly damaged, essentially leveling a major portion of the riverfront area.

Halifax played a major role in the Titanic disaster recovery. White Star Line built, owned, and operated the Titanic on its maiden voyage. When news broke regarding the “unsinkable” Titanic hitting an iceberg, White Star officials in New York at first believed that the damaged Titanic would sail to Halifax, the closest major port and trains with relatives and immigration officials departed from New York to Halifax. Hours after the Titanic sank, however, White Star Line commissioned their cable ships based in Halifax to recover the bodies of victims. Of the 209 bodies brought to Halifax, 150 were laid to rest at three local cemeteries.  It was apparent that many in Halifax still hold the White Star Line and its wealthy owners in disdain for their handling of the whole recovery effort and callous treatment of victims.  The “rest of the story” is pretty interesting, indeed!

After the tour, Kay and I split off from John and Sandy to walk the downtown area.  We were hungry for regular food, so had a sandwich at Subway, and it was real good.  We spent the rest of the evening in our room, ready for our trip back to the US and home.

After a restful night’s sleep in a great B&B, I enjoyed coffee made from dark roasted beans brewed in their Keurig coffee maker—almost as good as being at home.

The Atlantic Sojourn is so comfortable and complete, that one cannot help but relax and enjoy reading, listening to music, or other similar activities. I took advantage of the peace and quiet in one of their comfortable common areas, catching up on local news and emails on the IPad before other inn guests awoke and began to stir. After conversation with other guests over coffee, we all sat down for breakfast.  I had orange juice, oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, poached eggs, maple and smoke flavored bacon, and English muffin.  This breakfast was complete, and almost as good as the Innisfree B&B in Hopewell, New Brunswick.

With nothing really planned for the day, we all walked to the harbor front, where John and Sandy split off to do a house tour.

Kay and I continued to the harbor, taking pictures along the way, and then Kay split off to shop while I walked the remainder of the historical district, amazed at all the colorful houses and shops. I returned to the B&B and worked on the blog, almost bringing it up to date, immensely enjoying free time. Kay joined me, and after a couple of hours, we walked back to the harbor front and spent an hour or so in their local museum. John and Sandy came by just as we finished the museum, and Kay and I returned to the B&B. We all looked forward to dinner at Olde Black Forest Restaurant, a Local German eatery. While it was good, I think we were all a little disappointed as it wasn’t quite what we expected.

The rest of the evening was spent packing for our return to Halifax and the last whole day in Nova Scotia.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

After a good night’s sleep, we met for breakfast, which was adequate, with a much more attentive and friendly Garrison House Inn staff member. We walked across the street to the Fort Anne National Historic Site, only to find that they closed on Friday and Saturday. Apparently, Parks Canada is facing severe budget cuts, and opted to close this site on what they maintained were the least visited days of the week. Even local merchants and inn keepers were unaware of this.  Nevertheless, we walked the one half kilometer trail around the grounds of this star-shaped fort. Fort Anne was built to protect the harbor of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The fort repelled all French attacks during the early stages of King George’s War. It is now operated, except for Friday and Saturday, as Fort Anne National Historic Site, within the national park system and managed by Parks Canada. The 1797 officer’s quarters was renovated in the 1930s and now house the museum with exhibits about the fort’s history and historic artifacts from the area. Regrettably, we were unable to experience much of this site.

From Fort Anne we drove the short distance to Port Royal-The Habitation only to find it too closed on Friday and Saturday. The Habitation was established by France in 1605 and was that nation’s first successful settlement in North America. Port-Royal served as the capital of Acadia until its destruction by British military forces in 1613. France relocated the settlement and capital 5 miles upstream and to the south bank of the Annapolis River; the site of the present-day town of Annapolis Royal.  The relocated settlement kept the same name "Port-Royal" and served as the capital of Acadia for the majority of the 18th century until the British conquest of the colony in 1710, at which time the relocated settlement was renamed Annapolis Royal. The replica village resulted from significant lobbying by both part time and permanent residents. In the early 1900s, chiefly under the leadership of Harriet Taber Richardson, native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and summer resident of the nearby town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotian preservationists and historians began lobbying the Government of Canada to build a replica of the Habitation which stood from 1605 until its destruction in 1613. The government agreed, after much persuasion, to have the replica built on the original site. Construction took place from 1939-1941 and was based on a duplicate set of plans for the original Habitation that had been recently discovered in France. This reconstruction was the first National Historic Site in Canada to have a replica structure built. On May 25, 1925, the Government of Canada’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized the original Habitation at Port-Royal in the community of Port Royal, Nova Scotia for its heritage significance and granted the designation of the Port-Royal National Historic Site of Canada. In the 1930s the site of the original Habitation was located in the community and the results of archeological excavations fed public interest in the period of the original French settlement. This interest had been increasing since the publication of Quietly My Captain Waits, an historical novel by Evelyn Eaton set in Port-Royal in the early 17th century.

Disappointed by the closure of these two significant historical sites, we agreed to tempt fate and asked Kay to negotiate an early departure from the Garrison Inn, thinking it wouldn’t happen. She was successful (though I wasn’t surprised), but that left us without accommodations for the evening. We quickly packed and checked out, grateful that the otherwise "unfriendly" inn granted our request.

Before we departed Annapolis Royal, we toured the Annapolis Royal Historical Gardens which proved to be an awesome experience, far better than expected, and the highlight of our time in Annapolis Royal. They employ 10 gardeners to oversee the various vegetables and plants. We spent a couple of hours there and could have spent all day. The photo was taken in their expansive rose garden.

Leaving Annapolis Royal, we drove south to Digby to again sample their fine dining. Kay and Sandy had scallop "sandwiches", John had sausages, and I had fish cakes. The food was scrumptious. The restaurant is one of our two favorites in the Maritimes.

Our drive to the eastern shore was through a heavily forested lake region, reminding us of the lake region of the north woods in Minnesota. Both John and I were much interested in the smallmouth bass and brook trout fishing, but that will have to wait for the next trip. Near Lunenburg, Kay called the Atlantic Sojourn B&B where we had reservations for tomorrow evening, and they had two vacancies for this evening. We arrived shortly after Kay’s call, and were greeted by Sebelle, one of the two owners. We felt instantly at home as Sebelle is from Natchez. She and Susan have a super B&B, have left nothing to chance, thinking of everything.

We had dinner at a highly recommended pub, and though noisy, the food was great. After dinner, we spent some time relaxing in the lavishly appointed common areas, and then retired to our bedrooms for the evening.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Our B&B, Innisfree B&B in Hopewell, New Brunswick, has set the bar rather high for both accommodations and breakfast. The owners and operators, a relatively young couple from Montreal, have done an outstanding job of providing clean, spacious, and more than adequate accommodations; the landscaping is relaxing, simple, and natural with a wonderful walking path beginning with a collection of lobster trap buoys.

And the breakfast was to die for! The multi-course breakfast consisted of juice and a simple, but tasty homemade blueberry scone, accompanied by butter and several jams; an oversized martini glass filled with fresh fruit, all locally grown, including sweet wild blueberries, topped with yogurt and homemade granola; and lastly, huge Belgian waffles with locally made maple syrup. Allen, who with his wife, own the place, was alone during our stay while his wife was on holiday, but successfully managed to see to our every need, including preparing this sumptuous breakfast.

Driving a large, almost circuitous route, we returned to Nova Scotia, traveling through largely uninhabited country. At Truro, we turned south, and were awed by the sparse, but neat farms on Nova Scotia’s upper west coast. In the largely pastoral countryside, we saw beautiful villages with their white churches and colorful houses. Further down the coast, on the Evangeline Trail, we toured the Grand-Pré National Historical Site. Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada commemorates Grand-Pré area as a center of Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755 and the deportation of the Acadians, which began in 1755 and continued until 1762. Grand-Pré was the basis of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline. Though not positive, we believe my mother’s paternal side of the family, the Malotts (Maillet), included members expelled from this area to Maryland in the 1755 to 1762 period, then to Indiana, and finally to Arkansas.

After the day’s long drive, we arrived in historic Annapolis Royal for our overnight accommodations at the Garrison Inn. After a long wait, we were "acknowledged" by a young, inattentive innkeeper, who did little to make us feel welcome. Our room was quite small, and unadorned. After checking in we drove south to Digby, the scallop capital of the world, where we had an outstanding dinner of grilled scallops, baked potato, and fresh vegetables. And their lemon meringue pie was almost as good as my mom used to make. This was a great way to end the day!

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Today is Sandy’s birthday, and we celebrated by serenading her in the hotel lobby.

We departed PEI early this morning in order to see the high tide at Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. We crossed the Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered waters, paying our toll on the bridge approach. As an island, PEI is somewhat isolated, with only two ways in or out by automobile: the ferry and the Confederation Bridge. The toll is collected only on the way out! As soon as we crossed, we were in New Brunswick. We drove to near Moncton, where we stopped for breakfast and coffee, and continued towards the Bay of Fundy, surprisingly seeing a ring neck pheasant on the outskirts of Moncton.

The Bay of Fundy is famous for having the highest tidal range in the world with, reaching a differential as high as 53.5 feet between high tide and low tide.  Today, we experience a very moderate tidal differential of only 22.6 feet.  In just a few days, on September 19, it will be 44.0 feet

The Hopewell Rocks, also known as the Flower Pot, is a provincial park that provides an opportunity to view high tides, and then walk on the ocean floor at low tides.  We rushed to be there at high tide.  After paying our entrance fee, and walking down the trail to the observation point, there was only a narrow band of beach exposed; we were a few minutes late, but the high tide had only dropped a few inches. We walked among the rock formations, on the narrow beach, taking pictures to compare with the same area at low tide later in the afternoon. The reddish brown color of the water was surprising, but takes on the color of the soil along the New Brunswick coastline, and the ever-changing tide keeps the water and soil agitated, giving the water this unusual color.

Leaving Hopewell Rocks, we drove south through beautiful countryside, noting the predominance of old, beautiful Baptist churches; we’re not sure if they maintain the same mostly evangelical beliefs of Baptist churches back home, but they easily outnumbered all other denominations combined. Along the way, we saw our first of several covered bridges.

Continuing south along the Bay of Fundy coast, we "detoured" off the main highway towards Cape Enrage. All of us—Sandy, Kay, John, and I—really enjoy taking routes on roads less traveled. Even off this loop, we found still another one that took us to an historic shipbuilding town, a road across a tidal barrier dam, and another out-of-the way road through one of Canada’s national wildlife preserves. The sparse farms and small villages were all neat and clean, and all the buildings looked freshly painted. Again, we saw a multitude of old mostly white churches, with a vast majority being Baptist.

This out-of-the way drive took us to Cape Enrage Lighthouse, sitting on a large cape jutting out high above the Bay of Fundy. I hesitated to pay the fee to access this area, but am glad I did. Again, I took the stairs down to the sea "floor" to walk among the clumps of sea weed and fossil embedded rocks. We had a great lunch at their cafe. Cape Enrage was not on our itinerary, but proved to be one of the most scenic places we visited.  It had barely escaped closure, but a private, not-for-profit entity took control, opened the restaurant, and to assist in funding, built some zip lines, provided kayak tours, and developed some other outdoor entertainment.  We were there in the off season, and it was not crowded.

Arriving at Fundy National Park, we were confused by directions to scenic views, and the lack of road and highway signage, though this seems to be the rule rather than the exception in all the Maritime Provinces. Consequently, we drove the breadth of the park, missing what we thought was a lighthouse view.

Low tide was approaching, so we returned to Hopewell Rocks where we all walked among the many rock formations now exposed.  Walking on the ocean floor, and sea weed, did not seem like much of a feat, until one realized that only a few hours ago it was covered with water. Again, the tidal differential today is a mere 22.6 feet, but has reached as much as 53+ feet, the highest recorded in the world.

After seeing this "life list" item, we found our B&B, checked in, and relaxed in the spacious quarters and common areas. Dinner was at a dude ranch, and was good, wrapping up a long, but rewarding day.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

After our last breakfast at the Bell View B&B, we loaded our luggage and drove south and west to Caribou, Nova Scotia, to catch the ferry to Prince Edward Island (PEI). The ferry route was 14 miles, and with the effects of the just passed hurricane lagging behind, the seas were a bit rough.

None of us knew quite what to expect of PEI, but we were not prepared for its mostly rural nature and the extent of farming on the island. We drove from the ferry landing northwest towards Charlottestown, then through this capitol city’s historic district (reminding us of Charleston, SC) of Charlottetown. We then drove to the northern coast, and along the Prince Edward Island National Park beaches.  Folks throughout the Maritime Provinces are really proud of these beaches; they are quite different from ours, particularly those idyllic white sand beaches along our Gulf of Mexico coast in Florida and Alabama.  I’m sure we take them for granted.

As we were leaving the Prince Edward Island National Park, Sandy spotted a pair of foxes along the road.  We stopped just long enough to snap a few pictures.  The foxes are larger than those at home, and a different color.  They were, however, quite beautiful.

At Cavendish, we toured the Anne of Green Gables farm. Green Gables is a popular tourist destination. Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world visit the site which inspired the setting for L.M. Montgomery to create her beloved tale of a red-haired orphan, Anne of Green Gables. In addition to the Green Gables House, several museums and sites invite visitors to learn more about Anne and Montgomery.

It was then time to drive south for our overnight accommodations in Summerside, PEI.  As with the rest of the Maritime Provinces, we saw lots of old churches.  Most of them were white, and had tall bell towers.

After checking into our hotel, we rested briefly, had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel, and retired for the evening.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

We awoke to rain and wind as we were on the western edge of a major hurricane passing through the western part of the Northern Atlantic.  We were lucky with only lots of rain and wind, because the hurricane hit just north of us on the eastern coast of Newfoundland.

Today was a catch-up day, with time for shopping, hanging out, fishing, or any thing else that suited our fancy.

Alexander Graham Bell, most famous as the inventor of the telephone, chose to build his Canadian residence in Baddeck on Cape Breton. According to Bell, "I have travelled the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all." The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is a 25-acre park overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes, a saltwater inland sea. This complex, with its three exhibit halls, contains the largest collection of Bell’s artifacts and inventions, including replicas of the first telephones and a full scale model of the HD-4 hydrofoil craft. Bell invented many, many things but considered the hydrofoil his most important. We spent a couple of hours visiting the complex, a good rainy day activity.

Kay and Sandy tried to shop in the wind and rain, while John visited with a local "guide" to find out more about trout and Atlantic salmon fishing in the Margaree Valley. He reported back that the guide said one prominent fisher had fished the area 27 years without catching an Atlantic salmon—glad we didn’t book a trip! We all had lunch at the Yellow Cello, a local hangout, and it was decent fare.

Lunch was followed by a drive to Cheticamp, where Kay and Sandy toured a hooked rug museum, and we all toured an old Acadian Catholic church. Cheticamp is a unique Acadian village on the west coast of Cape Breton. It is now a fishing community on the Cabot Trail at the western entrance of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  The downtown area overlooks a large protected bay on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  It has about 4,000 residents, most of whom speak French as well as English.  It is absolutely Acadian in culture, and the largest French community on Cape Breton Island.  We returned to Baddeck, and had dinner at the Telegraph Inn. They had music, but it was more of a dinner type music.

We left there and attended a ceilidh in town. The young fiddler, Mike Hall, was a native of New Brunswick, and was extraordinary, providing lots of information about Celtic music and ceilidhs intermixed with his playing of reels, jigs, strathspeys, and waltzes, all Celtic music tunes. He said he had some 2500 tunes in his repertoire. Some of the more daring visitors were given a square dance lesson as the Celtic music played. This was one of many highlights of our time on Cape Breton Island.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad