New Brunswick - Maine - Points South

Since our last post at Fundy National Park, we've put about 1,100 miles under the tires and have

officially concluded our whirlwind tour of the Canadian Maritimes.

We left Fundy NP and headed south to Saint John, NB

We left on a crisp fall day with the trees showing more and more color as the days pass.

Our stop for 2 nights was Rockwood Park in Saint John.

Centrally located and with full hookups it is a convienent place to visit the largest

city in New Brunswick and second largest (behind Halifax) in the Maritimes.

Rockwood Park is a huge urban park with miles of trails that wind thru the hills and

around numerous lakes

Our site was located in a large flat area - more like a big gravel parking lot with some trees,

but it was sparsely populated and quiet.

A short walk up the hill and we were able to get a glimpse of the city

 and the Bay of Fundy beyond the harbor.

These campsites would have the view - but also the noise from below.  

We were tucked behind the hill and it was nice and peaceful.

I did not get a picuture of our campsite but it was a long pull thru.  Long enough to stay

hooked up.    This view of the deer across from us give an idea of the environment.

We had a robust schedule of things to see while in town but work has been extremely busy

lately so it was scaled back.   One stop we had to make was the 

Saint John City Market - the oldest continuously operated farmers market in Canada.

The market moved to its current building in 1876.

It was a feast for the senses.

We bought some breads and baked goods, meats, and fresh produce to stock

up the pantry.

Forced to press on - our time did not allow us to visit the reversing falls so that will have

to wait for another day.

We crossed the border back into the US at Calais, Me.

Once again we were relieved of some of our produce by US Customs but managed

to keep most of it.

Our next stop was 4 days in Bar Harbor.

We stayed at the Oceanside KOA on an electric/water site.

We had filled our water tank and drained the others at Saint John in anticipation

of a week or do of travel and no hookup.

We had a pretty decent view from the bus.

I think after all the gorgeous places that we've been we are getting pretty fussy about the views.

The view out the front window at dusk.   (notice the Halloween Pumpkins)

Once again work has been keeping my nose to the grindstone but I did manage to cut

out for an afternoon and we took the drive up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park,

and grab some lunch in Bar Harbor.

There were 2 cruise ships in Bar Harbor the day of our visit.

I checked the ship arrival schedule for Bar Harbor and there was going to be at least

2 ships per day in town each day so no day was going to be better as far as crowds.

Acadia National Park is famous for its views and the 57 miles Carriage Roads that were built

by John D Rockefeller, Jr between 1913 and 1930.

During this time -  just after the Guilded Age in the US - many of the new industrial

barons in the country were building huge palaces and 

other monuments celebrating their wealth and power.

The Biltmore in NC was completed in 1895,  

 The Hearst Castle in 1919 (although construction continued for Decades)

Today the roads are preserved for Hikers, Bikers, and Horses.

And....

Unfortunately I was unable to break away from work to spend time on them.

We did try to schedule a horse drawn carriage ride though but its hard to compete with limited

seats when several thousand cruise passengers have arrived to look at the pretty colors.

And speaking of pretty colors...

I've spent a large part of my life living in the Northeast US among the colorful

hardwoods and this year seems to be mind-blowing as far as the colors.

I don't know if it was a localized  event - 

(these pictures were taken in Northern Main heading south on I-95) -

of if the rest of the region will be seeing these colors,

but I do not remember ever seeing such vibrant colors as we did during this stretch.

We left Bar Harbor and had a very colorful 6 hr drive south to Foxboro, Mass,

to Normandy Farms RV Resort.

Just an overnight stop for us so I reserved a long pull thru where I did not need to unhook.

Full hookups and 50amps seems to be most of the sites.

The place is huge and quite nice.

Normandy Farms Site #D-1

This resort is a destination campground for families for sure and one of those parks

where the word "Resort" in the name is deserved.

Every imaginable activity is here.

Baseball fields, Basketball, Tennis, 2 outdoor and 1 indoor pool etc etc. 

An outdoor food court. 

2 of the 3 Pools.

I took this from the Shuffleboard Court.

Our bus is hiding between the trees top right center.

We left Foxboro at 0630 headed to the Shenandoah Valley Virginia.

A 540 mile day took us thru Mass, CT, NY, NY, PA, MD, WVA, and finally into VA.

8 States and 9 hrs later we are in Quicksburg, Va for an overnight stay.

Today is a short 3 hrs to Wytheville, VA for an overnight.

We have reached the outer rain bands from Hurricane Matthew.

The winds will stay out towards the coast and we are traveling south inland on I-81,

but I expect we will get wetter as we head south towards Fla.

Matthew is forecast to affect our home on the NC coast with up to 75mph gusts on Sunday

and we are keeping an eye on the weather as we move about.

It's all part of the journey.