Northern New Brunswick

[markopolo]

After Mt Carleton we passed through Campbellton, New Brunswick on our way to Charlo where we stayed at the Blue Heron campground. I'd go back there for sure. The campground belonged to the Province at some point then it became a Municipal campground and now it is private. There are trails nearby and the beautiful scenery around the Bay of Chaleur.







The next photo brought to mind the conversation Billy had with Quoyle in the movie "The Shipping News":

[Billy Points at dark clouds at the horizon]
Billy: Tell me the headline.
Quoyle: Horizon Fills With Dark Clouds?
Billy: Imminent Storm Threatens Village.
Quoyle: But what if no storm comes?
Billy: Village Spared From Deadly Storm.

I'm fairly certain that is Quebec in the photo


On the trail I was reminded of the West Coast on Vancouver Island. The trees are not as big but it has that rainforest look and feel.




We crossed over the bridge to visit Dalhousie NB.






Looking toward the Blue Heron campground from Dalhousie




I don't know much about the history of Dalhousie but it looks to be in transition. Evidence of the demolished mill remains. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalhousie,_New_Brunswick


The drive on HWY 134 on the coast in North New Brunswick is very pleasant. There really isn't much traffic at all so you can just cruise along at your own pace.

[Mike]

We've driven that area and that general route a couple of times now, and your evaluation matches ours. It's a nice cruise and you can take your time. Blue Herons are one of our favorite birds to observe, and on our first trip east in 2009, they were everywhere around the Gaspe Peninsula. I have no idea why, but there were plenty of them at every place we stopped that had a shallow stretch of water, and a food source for them. On 2 subsequent trips we saw fewer. I'm now thinking we have taken slightly different routes, and maybe we just missed them due to timing and routing.

We also looped out on hwy/rte 11 around the peninsula east of Bathurst around the time of the Acadian Festival de Caraquet on one trip, and there was red, white, and blue bunting everywhere. It was very pretty, and the folks were preparing for their celebrations. We made Mirimichi and then headed south to the Confederation Bridge to PEI. Then on to Nova Scotia where we took in some of the main touristy sights and places, including Peggy's Cove, and then back out to NB and The Hopewell Rocks to walk the ocean's floor.

I know I sound like a broken record when I get talking about the Maritimes, but it really is a different world out there than the rest of the continent, and worth a tour at least once, in my opinion.

[markopolo]

Bleu, blanc, et rouge, Blue, white and red - the colors are being displayed now Mike. Summer is fun time, folks really make the most of it.

Just a quick note about temperatures. We were just about 95 F here yesterday (officially) but with low humidity. Kouchibouguac set a record high of 99 F (37.3 C). Kouchibouguac had the highest temperature in the province for the second time this month the other day being July 4 so it has been a very hot month so far. Those are air temps. It was extremely hot out in the sun.

Charlo and Dalhousie area reached 96F yesterday. Bathurst temperature got to 97 F (35.9 C) yesterday. Night time (think pre-dawn hours) low temps later this week at Kouchibouguac and Bathurst could go down to 55F (13C) so a jacket might be needed for an early morning walk!

[Mike]

Those temps aren't normal, even for this time of year, are they?
I met a couple from Quebec traveling in a late model Plateau TS yesterday, and asked about the articulating hitch mounted bike rack on the back. It was a Thule brand, and swung neatly out of the way of the rear doors. I'm interested in something similar, but with 2 swing arms, one for the spare tire mount, and the other for who knows what?
They had just come out from the Hamilton area where they were bicycling, and stopped in Sarnia for a couple of days. I mentioned we liked the Maritimes this time of year for the moderate summer temps, and he said Gaspe was/is unusually warmer than normal. I had to agree. We have had temps three times, that were warm during the day, and then cooler for sleeping at night out there.

[markopolo]

No, those high temps aren't normal.

Normal for mid July would be Max: 77F (25°C) and Min: 57F (14°C) Every summer we get brief periods of way above normal temperatures but this stretch has been longer. Last summer we went swimming a few times in August at beaches on the Northumberland Strait (NB & PEI). We've tried three time over the last week or so but I find the water still too cold to go in much past my knees. A few people are swimming and snorkeling though. DW says it is still "icy".

[Mike]

We aren't likely to be mobile until sometime in August, and we're hoping the temps out there return to seasonal norms. It will be our first trip in almost 2 years. Hope the cat likes truck stop coffee......

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Mike

...............Blue Herons are one of our favorite birds to observe, and on our first trip east in 2009, they were everywhere around the Gaspe Peninsula. I have no idea why, but there were plenty of them at every place we stopped that had a shallow stretch of water, and a food source for them. On 2 subsequent trips we hardly saw any.................

The first photo below was taken in July 2010 at Little Bouctouche River. I haven't traveled that way much recently to notice if they still congregate like that.



The next two photos were taken today.

[Mike]

They must enjoy the eastern water or diet available. We get them here but not in the numbers we saw that first year which was 2009. They were everywhere including all the main cities and towns along Rte 132 on the St. Lawrence River shore at like Rimouskie, Matane, etc.
Would be nice to see lots of them there next time out.
They're so regal looking for a wading bird, and they're usually the boss of the water they're standing in. Very few other types of birds seem to go near them in the water.