St. Andrews, New Brunswick

Our last stay in the Canadian Maritimes was St. Andrews...August 6-13. St. Andrews is a National Historic District. The small town is one of the oldest in the Maritimes. Located in the Bay of Fundy, it is a treasure of beautiful architure, scenery, and rich in marine life. Today, it offers all the features of a modern resort, yet the streets and people have managed to retain a turn of the century charm.

      





We went on the Zodiac Whale Watching Tour. It was a 2:00pm tour.  It was a foggy afternoon in the bay, but it cleared and what a treat. We saw quite a few  finback whales.The finbacks are the second largest mammal in the world. Our captain said the whales we saw were about 60 feet long and 600 tones! The whales use the bay as a feeding ground during the summer months. The whales feed on enormous amounts of krill,squid, and schools of herring, pollock, and mackerel as a result of the Fundy tides. The Bay of Fundy is also a preferred location for whales to give birth, both for the abundant food and the protection the Bay provides. Up to 12 species of whales can be found in the Bay of Fundy during the summer months. The seals were cute too and we learned that they do not have any natural preditors in the Bay.













                                      

This was our campground...Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground. We were heading back to the dock when I noticed we were passing by it.

Joe and I decided to take the Harley to Deer Island. We were told about the Old Sow Whirlpool...the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. You have to take the St. George Ferry...about a 30 minute ferry ride...to get to Deer Island. We were told to be at the southern point of the island 3 hours before the high tide...that was 2:37pm. We got there, had a picnic, met several other people also waiting, watched the seals play and the boats go by, and waited...finally, a young girl who had been coming to Deer Island for 20 years said she had never seen the whirlpool...something about the moon having to be in just the right phase....we didn't see the whirlpol, but it was still a beautiful place to be and a scenic ride as well.

Our next door neighbors for several nights were Geoff, Tina,  and their children Josie and Maxx. Geoff  told us about Wolfhead Smokers and even brought over samples of their hot and cold smoked salmon on crackers for us to try. WOW...it was unbelievable. We met the owner Karen Wolf at the Thursday market on the docks in St. Andrews the next day. When we visited her business on Saturday, Karen helped us with our selection of smoked salmon, gave us recipes, and packed our salmon for traveling home as we had other stops to make. Their website...www.wolfheadsmokers.com... has a short, but informative video of the process. I cant leave this topic without saying we have already had 2 delicious meals from 1 of the hot smoked salmon filets we bought.

Joe and I both enjoyed our stay in the Maritimes....just over 5 weeks.  It would have been 6 weeks, but we could not get reservations in Halifax. We met Charlie and Marie in Cavendish. They are from Halifax. They took us to dinner at a lovely restaurant (The Dunes) on the island their last night at the KOA. Since we missed Halifax (and now have friends there), Peggy's Cove, and the eastern shore of Nova Scotia and since I do want to ride the ferry to New Foundland too......sounds like a trip in the making!!!