Day 3 of 30 on our 2017 Canadian Maritime Caravan with Yankee RV Tour

Today is the day we travel from St Andrews to St John. We departed the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground, it is nice to know that the profits from this campground, go to benefit the Kiwanis Club. We came in with the bay on our right and we left with the bay on our right.

We traveled up Prince of Wales St, there is a marble Irish cross erected between the street and the bay in a grassy area. 

The story behind the cross is sad. Just off shore is Little Hardwood Island, used extensively during the mid-1800s as a quarantine station. The tiny island, comprising less than three acres sits in Passamaquoddy Bay next to its larger sister, Hardwood Island. A small hospital with simple medical facilities opened in 1832 to manage a cholera outbreak. In 1847, the site, renamed Hospital Island, became overwhelmed when medical staff attempted to handle the mass influx of Irish Famine immigrants. The Irish, hoping to find a new life in the New World, died from typhus onboard ship. Many died on the journey here.

Those who died while in quarantine were interred on the tiny island, the exact number of deaths unknown. Some estimated the death toll as high as 400. Similar to conditions at other quarantine stations along the St. Lawrence River, some of those who came to aid the sick became infected themselves and died. If the pitiful situation at Hospital Island wasn’t enough to raise sympathy for the plight of the Irish people, newspaper reporters wrote that in 1869, the Saxby Gale was so vicious a storm, it washed away soil from the Irish cemetery, uncovering coffins, and exposing skeletons. Bones that washed ashore on the mainland were desecrated, with awful stories circulating of children using human skulls to kick around. It would take a decade before what could be collected of the deceased Irish remains were re-interred in a more sheltered area of the island. A Celtic cross memorial to the Irish who died at Hospital Island stands at Indian Point along the shoreline in St Andrews. Erected in May, 1995, the monument features various symbols depicting the Irish story including a shamrock, fiddle, and sailboat, representing their tragic voyage.

Just beyond the cross, there is a unique granite sculpture. The sculpture calls it, “Story of the Stone.” She believes it represents lines and forms reaching out from the stone as roots from a tree or veins. Stone is the earth on which we walk. It is alive, gives us life, and carries our history. The forms emerge from the stone as from the heart as a source where life is born. Karin van Ommeren, completed the sculpture at the 2014 Sculpture Saint John symposium. She is from the Netherlands, but currently works and lives in both the Netherlands and Italy.

Photo Credit: Sculpture Saint John

Now, as Paul Harvey would say … The rest of the story …. 

The Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, its first event at the Acadia National Park on the Schoodic Peninsula in 2007. This resulted in seven sculptures placed along coastal towns in Maine and began a new trail system.  There are now thirty four sculptures along the Maine coast. Remember the “Sisters” sculpture, in an earlier Blog from Mt Desert Island in Maine? They are one of the 7 sculptures. In 2012 The New Brunswick International Sculpture Symposium held the first symposium in Atlantic Canada under the name Sculpture Saint John modeled after and working closely with the Schoodic symposium. Sculpture Saint John has held biennial events so far and will result in a Canadian sculpture trail of over thirty five large scale sculptures by 2020.  Combined, the two trails make up a unique international art exhibition of large scale granite works of contemporary art by world renowned artists.

The Algonquin Hotel is a looming feature of St Andrew, as it sits atop the hill facing the Bay and overlooking the town. It has a rich history, steeped with fame, fortune, hardship and naturally a few ghosts! In 1889, The Algonquin Resort opens in Canada’s first seaside resort town, the cost of a room ranged between $3 and $5 per day. By 1894, the Algonquin Golf Course is opened. Construction of Painter Wing, named after Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Chief Architect, Walter S. Painter, is completed in 1908, this added 100 rooms and 60 bathrooms. Four years later, the six-story “kitchen wing” is completed adding an additional 33 rooms and new kitchens. They added a building known as the Casino, featuring a ballroom, bowling alley, billiards and pool tables. Sadly, in 1914 a fire destroys most of the original hotel’s wooden structure, with the exception of the Painter Wing, Kitchen Wing and iconic tower. The resort had to close, but re-opens in 1915 after being rebuilt featuring the now familiar Tudor-style exterior and red roof. For the first time, all of the resort’s rooms featured telephone and electricity! The cost of a room at the new and improved resort ranged between $4 and $7 per day. The Algonquin Resort closed for two years during World War II.

In 1958, the last train to drop off guests to the Algonquin leaves the station after CPR discontinues rail service to St Andrews. In 1991, another expansion adds a new convention center and roof-top garden to the property.  The Algonquin is named Canada’s Resort of the Year by The Canadian Travel and Tourism Industry Association. Two years later, the Prince of Wales (it is across Prince of Wales St from the rest of the hotel) wing is built adding an additional fifty-four rooms and suites. The winter holiday seasons were celebrated for the first time at the Resort during the 1997-98 season. It marked the first time the Algonquin remained open all year round. 
The hotel closed its doors for two years to make over $30 million in renovations. In 2014, The Algonquin Resort re-opens as the first Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel in Canada; Included in the renovation is the addition of an indoor pool and waterslide, balcony suites, and outdoor pavilion. Many dignitaries stayed here, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife, Margaret pay an informal visit to the Algonquin during their vacation in New Brunswick. They hosted Prince Charles and Princess Diana during their 1983 visit to Canada.

We headed east on Route 127. The road has many road side signs indicating that you can see lighthouses along this trail.

We passed by the home of the Atlantic Salmon Federation. They are dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon and the ecosystems on which their well-being and survival depend. They work wherever there are Atlantic salmon in North America, out at sea, and internationally. The Atlantic Salmon has for centuries been named the king of fish for its power and grace. It is a symbol of all that is wild and beautiful to millions of people. This king fish is an important part of rural economies along the rivers where it spawns. It also carries an important bond between the culture of First Nations and all others who share its heritage. The conservation requires an international commitment and determination to see that numbers of North Atlantic Salmon are restored to historic levels, despite the obstacles of dams, acid rain, bad forestry practices and other abuses of our environment. 

We got off the two lanes of our coastal drive on Route 127 East and began to travel on Highway 1 East. We could still catch glimpses of the water! Today had mostly highway driving, but you can learn a lot! In St George, their town motto is “In St. George We Take A Few Things For Granite.” Notice the spelling, they are referring to red granite. St George is Granite Town. 

Nestled around the Fundy basin, it offers natural beauty. Pocket a small sample of our famous St. George Red as you explore one of the many quarries that flourished in the 1800's. Watch the ebb and flow of river and bay as the waters of the basin meet those of the magnificent Magaguadavic River. Explore in detail the gorge, watch carefully for osprey overhead or Atlantic salmon maneuvering.

On the Trans Canada Highway, along the edge of the woods are uniquely designed animal gates built into the fences. They allow any animals that get into the roadway to get out, but they are built so that they cannot enter through them. The fences funnel, or direct them toward the gates too.

The Canadians have interesting signs for services. The different symbols take a little getting used to ... but some are kind of cute! There is a bed over an egg cup. It is the symbol for a bed and breakfast. It reminds me of our friend, Dede ... because seh had to pack her egg cups for her RV caravan to Alaska! 

 

We crossed over the Pologhan and Lapreau Rivers. 

Located west of Saint John, NB in one of the most biologically productive natural settings in Atlantic Canada, Musquash is one of the last fully functioning estuaries in the Bay of Fundy. For generations, the stunning scenery surrounding the lower Bay of Fundy has drawn vacationers to its coastal islands and cobble beaches. The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been working at the Musquash Estuary since 2001 and has protected over 4,000 acres by conserving 21 properties through purchase or donation.

Located near the Estuary is the Musquash Marsh. It maintains much of its original physical and ecological features; it has no industry on its shores (although there is a thermal power plant on adjacent land), and there is very little residential development. Thus there are few sources of contamination to the area; those that do exist could be easily eliminated. Considering the dismal results of habitat assessment, and the critical role of supporting marine productivity and health, CCNB launched a campaign in 1998 to have the Musquash permanently protected from development or alteration through an MPA designation under the federal Oceans Act administered by the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans. In 2006 the Musquash Marine Protected Area was formally designated.

As we neared Saint John, the Kennebecasis River was on our left. It is a tributary of the Saint John River. The name Kennebecasis is thought to be derived from the Mi'kmaq "Kenepekachiachk", meaning "little long bay place." It runs for approximately 50 miles, draining an area in the Caledonia Highlands, an extension of the Appalachian Mountains, inland from the Bay of Fundy.

Our first view of Saint John was of the harbor and all of its industry.



I saw these pink buses and had to try and grab a picture, while I was navigating! It would be awesome to take a tour on a double-decker bus, the pink is a bonus!

We arrived at Rockwood Park Campgrounds, after some delightful banter with the camping host with got our assigned sites for the whole caravan. Rockwood Park is a public park with over 2,200 acres. You can get back to nature in the heart of the city. The park offers many freshwater lakes for fishing, swimming, boating and skating. Rockwood is the hub of outdoor activities year round. 

Over 55 trails and footpaths will guide you through the Park’s unspoiled charm, with its unusual topography and geography. A Stonehammer Geopark site, Rockwood’s billion years of history can be seen in unique rock formations, caves and waterfalls. Stonehammer is all about geology, but it is also about people, society and culture. You can discover all the fascinating treasures in New Brunswick’s all season natural amusement park at Rockwood Park.

Rod caravanned us in cars to see the reversing falls at high tide. The reversing falls is framed by two bridges at one side, the paper plant in the middle and the beautiful countryside at the other side. The phenomenon of the Reversing Falls is caused by the tremendous rise and fall of the tides of the Bay of Fundy. The tide rises and falls once about every 12 and a half hours. To best appreciate the Reversing Falls, you should try to view them at least twice on a given day - near low tide and near high tide. A good water level vantage point from which to view the Falls is Fallsview Park, not far from the Reversing Falls Information Center.

As the bay tides begin to rise, they slow the course of the river and finally stop the river's flow completely. This short period of complete calm is called slack tide. It is only at this time that boats are able to navigate the Falls. Shortly after this slack tide the bay tides become higher than the river level and slowly, at first, the river begins to flow upstream. As the bay tides continue to rise, the reverse flow gradually increases and the rapids begin to form, reaching their peak at high tide. The effect of this reversal is felt upstream as far as Fredericton, more than 80 miles inland. At this point the tidal waters are actually 14 ½ feet higher than the river.

After our first trip to the falls, we headed to the City Market. At one time the City of Saint John controlled six markets; a fish market and wharf on Water Street, a cluster of sheds on Market Street called the Country Market, Sydney Market that served Lowe Cove, a Hay Market on King Street and a cattle market in King Square.  As Saint John grew not only in size but also in power the public came to realize that there was no need for six markets and they were centralized. 

The first market building in Saint John was built in 1830 at Market Square at the head of Market Slip.  The building was made out of wood and ended up burning down in 1837.  Thus the city decided to recreate the building in 1839 making it out of brick but yet again it was destroyed in 1841. During the time that the market was in use, it served many different purposes:  the lower half of the basement was used as a general store.  The main floor which you could enter from King Street was used for the actual market and the upper floor was where they held court and where council had their chambers. 

The market's distinctive design was selected in a competition among local architects, and constructed by the city's skilled tradesmen of the day. The Market Committee offered two prizes to architects for a Market design competition, and the Saint John City Market on Charlotte Street officially opened in 1876. In the nineteenth century Saint John was one of the world's leading shipbuilding centers, so it is no surprise that the roof of the City Market resembles the inverted keel of a ship. Hand-hewn timbers and dove-tailed joints that have stood fast for more than century attest to the skill and experience of the builders. Fortunately, the Great Fire of 1877 left the market building undamaged. Today the market is more vital and productive than in any time in its history.

A full city block in length, the Market runs downhill from the “head of the Market” on Charlotte Street, gently sloping to the Germain Street entrance, a full 10 feet below. At both entrances hang the same gates that have swung closed at the end of each business day since 1880. Crafted from heavy wrought iron, their graceful design is a tribute to the skill and artistry of the local blacksmith who created them. The City Market, the oldest continuing farmer's market in Canada, forms the historic centerpiece of a revitalized city center.

Rod took us to tour the reversing falls again, at low tide. After high tide the bay tides begin to fall and the upstream flow of the river gradually lowers until the bay tides fall to the level of the river - once again resulting in another slack tide. The river then resumes its normal course and begins to flow back out of the bay. The bay tides continue to fall below the level of the river until at low tide the rapids are again at their peak, flowing down stream. At this point the tidal waters are 14 feet lower than the river level. In Saint John, the bay tides rise 28 feet. When the tide is low, the St. John River, 450 miles long, empties into the bay. Between Fallsview Park and the Pulp Mill, the full flow of the river thunders through a narrow gorge. An underwater ledge, 36 feet below the surface causes the water in the river to tumble downward into a 175-200 foot deep pool. Below the mill and under the bridge. The water then boils in a series of rapids and whirlpools.

We capped off this awesome day with our road log review and fellowship with friends at Rockwood Park. THere is nothing more enjoyable, than to sit around and learn interesting "little known facts" about your fellow caravaneers!