Canada 2014: Sugarloaf to Fundy National Park

Wednesday, September 17th.  260 miles and camped at Bay of Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Canada.

Site 101 at Chignecto North Campground, Funday National Park.

After a full day of rain Tuesday, the weather Wednesday turned sunny and warmer.  We were on the road by about 8:30.  After a week of traveling along the coast, the trip today was mostly through forested inland roads.  There were moose warning signs everywhere.  In fact, some of the roadways had moose fencing built along the sides to help keep moose off the roads.

We arrived at Fundy National Park about 3:00 and quickly set up at the Chignecto North campground.  We are on sites 101 and 102 with water and electricity.  They are huge and wooded.  Out of 160 sites in our section of the campground, there were less than 10 campers.  Things really do shut down in Canada after the first of September.

View of the Bay of Fundy from an overlook near campground.

We drove down the hill into the little town of Alma.  The tides were out, and boats were setting on the muddy ocean floor.  The next day we go to see them floating as the tides rose.

We stopped at the Tides Restaurant for snacks and a drink.  They weren’t busy, and we got to strike up a conversation with the co-owner and chef, Marc Casey.  What a great visit we had.  Marc and his brother and parents bought the place 16 years ago.  They are originally from Toronto, where he went to culinary school.  The restaurant is open from Mother's Day until Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the US) each year.  From October to January each year Marc works a lobster boat with friends.  They snowmobile the rest of the winter.  Marc’s sister in law was tending bar, and we asked her what she does in the winter.  Her answer, “Hockey Mom.”  

We went back to the campground and ended up cooking steaks and sitting around a campfire for the rest of the evening.  On Thursday we will explore Fundy some more.