..or has anyone seen my boat?
After visiting the spectacular coast of Maine on our road trip through the Maritimes, we crossed the border into New Brunswick, Canada. We were looking forward to exploring the fabulous Bay of Fundy. The crossing was a story in itself. There are actually three border crossings in this area near Calais, ME. Since we had no idea where we were going, we ended up going to Millport, the oldest entry spot rather than crossing at the brand spanking new one. It is also the smallest and the least busy. To approach the Canadian side we crossed a small, narrow bridge. Quaint is a good descriptive. It was so different from the other crossings we do between Detroit and Windsor, we wondered if we were in the right place. Not another car was in sight in either direction.
21 Questions Game
As we approached the small booth we saw it was empty. An agent came out from the larger building to ask for our passports. This guy was all business. It was 2021. Our first trip since the pandemic. My partner Don was still not allowed to do a land crossing into the US. Agent Clouseau , not his real name. (Don told me not to give the real name even though it was PERFECT!) Clouseau was either bored to death or really wanted to do his duty to God and country and keep all terrorists at bay. He grilled us for about 7 minutes. Where were we from? Where were we going? What was our relationship? When had we left Illinois? Where had we stayed the last 6 nights? Who owned the car? How long were we going to be in Canada? Did we have our vaccine cards? I can understand precaution because of Covid but Sheesh!
Being in an international relationship (sounds a lot sexier than it is) we have traveled across the border many times during the last six years. But this was extraordinary. Covid required caution. But this grilling of two old geezers in their very late 70s seemed excessive. We joke about it now but at the time we were thinking he was going to turn us away! I hope the Canadian government knows that Agent Clouseau earned every dime they paid him that day.
The Tides
The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world! They average 50 feet. They are spectacular to witness but also can be extremely dangerous. Hopewell Rocks, also know as Flowerpot Rocks, had just closed the week before we arrived. (I’m really a shitty planner. I’d starve as a travel agent.) The place was locked up tighter than a drum. People get stupid (you know who you are) and if they don’t leave in time they can get caught by a fast moving tide and drown. We were able to capture the tide at Hopewell just after the high tide. During the low tide, the floor of the Bay is completely exposed so visitors can walk around at will. There is always a Park ranger to tell people when to leave. The following show the stark difference between high and low tides.
A Place of Stunning Beauty
Of course there are other lovely scenes in New Brunswick besides the Bay of Fundy. Lighthouses, covered bridges, grasslands, beaches. We had a marvelous time exploring the coastline before we crossed the long bridge to Prince Edward Island. And that’s another story. Canada is a place of breath taking beauty. We look forward to exploring more of it. And if you get to New Brunswick, give our regards to Clouseau.
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