RVing With a Purpose

2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 43 – Big Water, Big Axe

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Once again it was foggy this morning. Seems like it is foggy and gray and gloomy most mornings and then the afternoon is beautiful blue sky with a nice breeze and a high in the lower 70’s. We had a beautiful spot to look out on the lake while eating breakfast, even if it was foggy.

We drove from Hartland up to Grand Falls, New Brunswick to see the Grand Falls Gorge and waterfalls. Some people call the falls the Niagara Falls of New Brunswick. It may actually be prettier. It’s been a number of years since viewing Niagara Falls but the view of Grand Falls today was spectacular. With all the rain of the last month, there was a huge amount of water from the St John River going over the falls and rushing down through the gorge. The gorge is 1.2 billion years old with huge, towering cliffs. We would say it is one of the most amazing sites in New Brunswick and not to be missed. It’s been surprising to us all there is to do and see in New Brunswick. Prior to our visit from most of what we had been told, New Brunswick was just a place to drive through on the way to the other maritime provinces. We now say you should not miss all New Brunswick has to offer and allow plenty of time to visit the province.

We are glad we went out of our way to see Grand Falls.

A walking trail leads around to the other side of the falls and then down into the gorge.

From the falls the water flows under the bridge and into the gorge.

We are glad we hiked the trail because the gorge is just as interesting as the falls.

This painted rock snake is at the Grand Falls visitor center. It is called Morrell the Snake and people are encouraged to add their own painted rock to make Morrell grow.

There is also a zipline across the falls if you’re interested.

From Grand Falls, we drove about 1.5 hours to Nackawic, NB. It was not out of the way to our stop for tomorrow, so we just had to make the visit to Nackawic. Nackawic is the Forestry Capital of Canada, so it is appropriate that it is also home to – The World’s Largest Axe. The axe, built in 1991, is a gleaming symbol of the industrious lives of Canada’s lumberjacks. The chromed blade is 23 feet in length and made of a solid 55 tons of steel. The handle extends another 50 feet in the air. Pretty impressive. The Axe Park is another beautiful park along the St John river, with a marina and a perfect parking spot for tonight. A great spot to park for our Faith Group Wednesday online gathering. It was another great day.

There is a nice walk along the river in this park.

Maybe this gives a better representation of the axe.

And this picture gives an even better idea of the actual size of the axe.

Another day, another beautiful front yard.

2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 42 – Hey, New Brunswick – We’re Back

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

We did our morning walking in PEI and then pulled into line at the Confederation Bridge and 8 miles and $50.65 later we were in New Brunswick. Today was mostly a driving/repositioning day but it was still nice.

Crossing the 8 mile bridge from PEI to New Brunswick. You can come on to the island at no cost, but you have to pay to get off.

The morning was cloudy and misty while we drove through forests that are very lush and green, quaint little towns and by shortly after lunch we were in Hartland, NB. Another quaint little town that happens to have the longest covered bridge in the WORLD at 1,282 feet. The bridge was constructed in 1901 and spans the Saint John River in Hartland. We drove across the bridge several times getting pics and then walked it a few times. Since Blount County has the most covered bridges of any county in Alabama (3), and Alabama has 11 covered bridges, we felt we had to see this bridge. We were quite impressed to learn that New Brunswick still has 58 covered bridges.

The longest covered bridge in the world

It is a one lane bridge so drivers have to wait until no one is coming from the other end to start through. Locals drive across it very fast. Fortunately there is a separate walkway on one side.

Yes, the van fit through the bridge quite easily.

As an added bonus, we even got a smiley (found a geocache) on the bridge.

Next, we went to the potato chip factory tour that was about 5 minutes away. Covered Bridge Potato Chip Co. Fun to watch chips being made and even better to get to taste all the flavors.

Some friends recommended we take the factory tour at the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company.

This is one of the four fryers in the plant. We watched cut potatoes fall into the oil, rotating fingers keep them moving and when done pushed them onto a conveyor that took them to a centrifuge to remove the excess oil.

At the end of the self-guided tour we picked up a bag of fresh potato chips and went to a table with about 20 different seasonings. We did not try them all.

We decided to drive part way to our tomorrow’s destination and in route found a perfect spot for the night in Perth-Andover, NB. We are beside the Saint John river and of course it has beautiful landscaping/flowers. Another great day on our SRT. Enjoy the pics.

2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 41 – Last Day in Prince Edward Island

Monday, August 14, 2023

Wow – talk about not sleeping. About midnight last night we had a thunder and lightning show like we haven’t had since we arrived on PEI. It rained but that was not the main event. It was the lightning. Takes some time to get back to sleep after a show like that.

This morning we cooked breakfast in BB, got some walking in, dumped tanks and then headed out for our final day on PEI. It was a hard decision to leave but after looking at our schedule we decided that we had other places we have never visited and it’s time to move on. It’s been a great visit with friends and enjoying what the island has to offer – which is a lot. Beautiful! On this last day we had some work to do, groceries to purchase, and chicken pot pie handpies to pick up from The Handpie Company. We have stopped for the night just before crossing the Confederation Bridge that joins the province of PEI to the mainland province of New Brunswick. Why? Because there is a Cows ice cream parlor here and we have now eaten our last cone of the “best ice cream in PEI”. Although it was foggy and damp this morning after the stormy night, PEI gave us a sendoff with a gorgeous sunny day – one like on the travel brochures. Another blessed day.

We will be crossing Confederation Bridge tomorrow back into New Brunswick.

2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 40 – Canadian Potato Museum

Sunday, August 13, 2023

We said goodbye to our friends’ driveway this morning as we headed west once again on PEI. It sure was nice to be able to do laundry and take great showers! Our first stop was at the Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary. We have already told you about all the potatoes grown here in the rich red soil and originally didn’t think we wanted to take the time to go to the museum but the more we heard, we decided we needed to “just go.” It was an excellent museum. We thought on a Sunday morning it wouldn’t be very busy but there was a good crowd and most seemed to be engaged with the exhibits. They have been growing potatoes on PEI for a long, long time. There was also a collection of equipment used in the planting, growing and harvesting of potatoes from the early days of manual labor, horse and mule drawn equipment, up to the present day GPS controlled equipment and drones. PEI potato farmers grow about 100 different kinds of spuds. We didn’t know there were that many kinds of potatoes. You can also book a farm tour and on Tuesday or Thursday visit a working farm to learn more. (They are all booked up until sometime in September.) If all the education on potatoes left you wanting a bite, there was also a small restaurant where you could purchase potatoes fixed any way you wanted. They even have potato fudge and yes, we had some – it’s great. We purchased some and we now also have the recipe and plan to make some ourselves.

This was our view this morning from our friend’s home.

This old wheelwright’s shop was donated by a family who moved it here and set it up just like it was when it was operating.

The museum also houses an impressive display of farm equipment, including this old Massey-Harris tractor.

This one is even older than the one’s we used on the dairy.

From the museum, we drove to the West Point light house and beach. It is one that is on a lot of the PEI tourist information brochures. It was built in 1875 and is now also an inn and museum. It is Canada’s first inn in an active lighthouse and for $289/night you can say in the tower room. Less than we thought it would be. Rather than staying in the tower tonight we are right outside in our BB. We have had a great walk on the beach and will sleep well tonight.