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We slept fairly well and woke up to a beautiful sunrise off the Canada coast, right across from our motel balcony. It was fairly quick and easy to get ready and go.
As we were leaving the motel, a deer ran right in front of our car and hit the right-side of the car. The deer was fine, but the side panel was a bit displaced and had some scratches… cars are so poorly made nowadays (all plastic) that a butterfly bump would leave a scratch!
After this incident, we stopped at a Walmart to pick up a couple of things we had forgotten on our checklist. Then we went for breakfast at McDonald’s. The Egg McMuffin breakfast meal is always a safe bet and now McDonald’s has pretty good coffee (if you order the premium type).
The border crossing was just off Main Street in Calais and it was quick and easy. A couple of days before, we had downloaded the ArriveCAN app on our cell phones for COVID info. Since we were already in the system because of the app, all we had to do was to show our passports, answer a few questions, and we got in!
First thing we noticed in Canada is that the highway we took was really well maintained – unlike the roads in New York. Also, hardly any cars as we were driving toward our first destination: St Martins, New Brunswick, passing through Saint John.
Right outside Saint John, we stopped at the Reversing Falls Rapids outlook.
The site is a unique phenomenon created by the collision of the Bay of Fundy and the Saint John River. At low tide the river empties into the bay causing a series of rapids and whirlpools. As tides rise they slow the river current for a brief period called slack tide. The Bay’s tides continue to rise, gradually reversing the flow of the river; rapids form again, peaking at high tide.
Unfortunately, we were there at slack tide so we couldn’t observe the unique characteristic of the falls/rapids flowing backward as the water is pushed by the incoming tide. Another time…
To the left is a stock photo on the whirlpools in the river when the tide is up and pushing the river upward.
From the Reversing Falls Rapids outlook, we could see the two humongous cruise ships that the guides at the visitor center had told us about. This means that about 7,000-9,000 tourists were strolling the streets of Saint John! A good thing that we were not staying at Saint John… too many people for us. On the below photo, you can see the two cruise ships in the background.
Since St. Martins was not too far from Saint John, we decided to keep driving and have a late lunch there. Before lunch, we booked our kayaking tour for Wednesday afternoon, but the guides told us that due to the weather forecast, it is possible that they would have to cancel the tour. They would let us know ahead of time, of course.
For lunch, we had read that there was a small restaurant called Spinney’s that prepared an amazing lobster roll (1/4 lb of lobster with homemade mayo-based dressing on a homemade bun). Very generous portion and true, it was one of the best lobster rolls we’ve ever had.
As soon as we could check-in (3:00pm), we went to our accommodations called the Sandstone Chalets on the Bay. Our chalet was called the Serenity Chalet and was really very tastefully decorated, cozy and with all the amenities you would need for a longer stay. There was a second chalet but nobody was there. So we had the entire property all to ourselves.
Once we were settled in, we took a look around Saint Martins and the surroundings. To our surprise, there were quite a few buses catering to the people from the two cruise ships we saw in Saint John – can’t avoid these tourists!
After lunch, we took a stroll to the original lighthouse of St. Martins. The lighthouse is not much to look at but it is a very peaceful site. There is coastal trail there that goes up and down the Canadian Atlantic coast. Beautiful views!
Since it was too late for hiking, we went to the rocky beach where we could see the caves. We were there long enough to see the caves both at high tide and low tide… it’s amazing how fast the tides move in this part of the world. Reminds us of Mont St. Michel.
Right there by the beach, there were two restaurants and from one of them, the Caves Restaurant, we ordered fish and chips take-out (this time, the real thing!). We ate our dinner on the balcony of our chalet with a nice bottle of Italian wine that the hosts had provided for us. We very much enjoyed spending a quiet evening with the nice view of nature and the Bay of Fundy in the background.
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