Canada Farewell

Moose Signs-No Moose

Monday morning dawned as departure day for those of us who had come to celebrate Ramona and Bill’s new life in Halifax. It was a day of flight schedules, airport runs and time for Mike and me to pack our car and head across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for our return through Maine and Boston back home to Charlotte.

Our drive took us north and west, making a big loop around the north end of the Bay of Fundy that we had crossed by ferry on Saturday. The farther we traveled away from the coast and toward higher elevations, we noticed that many more trees had lost their leaves, but we continued to see at least some golds and oranges along the way, often set against the deep green of evergreen forests.

We became intrigued by the signs for roads leading to Cape Breton, the part of Nova Scotia farthest north. One of Ramona’s friends we met in Halifax over the weekend lives and teaches there. She has promised to send us information about a possible visit. Cape Breton’s rich heritage and natural beauty make it a highly desirable vacation destination.

We also saw signs for Prince Edward Island and picked up a brochure touting its allure for travelers. Canada’s Atlantic Provinces are all attractive areas with their picturesque seaside settings, the fabulous seafood available at every turn and their rich and diverse history.

Our drive through New Brunswick took us through rolling countryside and through the Saint John River valley. Though many signs commanded our “Attention” with a moose graphic, those were the only moose we saw. We did see lots of farms, a good many of those beautifully red fields of wild blueberries and miles of the “north woods” for which Canada is so well known.

We found a lunch place on the outskirts of Fredericton in New Brunswick not too far from where we would re-enter the U.S. at Houlton, Maine. What we noticed on our travels along Canada’s well-maintained freeways, including the Trans-Canada Highway that we followed from Nova Scotia almost to Maine, was that they rarely go directly through any towns or cities, but stay outside them.

Our customs agent at the border asked a very few questions and welcomed us back to the U.S. As I drove down through the Maine countryside toward Bangor, our destination for the night, Mike kept a lookout for the moose that more roadside signs alerted us we might see. As in New Brunswick, we saw not one moose. Somehow we felt the moose were hiding behind the trees laughing at us and our eagerness to see even one of them.

Our hotel in Bangor has been a good place to stop after a long day of driving, providing a tasty clam chowder and a comfortable bed for the night. Today we will wander down the Maine and New Hampshire coast, find some good seafood and stay overnight in Boston before our morning flight back to Charlotte.

(Photo by Mike Lumpkin)