Turns out that our camper has been running on 5/8 cylinders! No wonder it wasn't a happy camper. The diligent but busy mechanic was able to get 2 of the 3 offenders working again. Unfortunately the last one requires a more major repair and he wouldn't have time for it before late July. Back on the phone, and arrange a Ford repair in Halifax for July 21. Hopeful that they can do it and at least they will have access to proper replacement parts.
With heat warnings to see us off, I understand and sympathize with the camper, as I feel I'm also only running on 7/8 power. The humidity drains us, but we use all the things at our disposal to keep cool.
Bidding farewell to delightful Gatineau and Ottawa, we drive on. My goodness, but Montreal feels like it goes on forever, and every other street has construction. It takes us over an hour to get around it and continue East. Relieved to enter a populated but rich farming landscape as we enter Quebec. There are numerous dairy farms, many with huge barns and 2 or 3 tall silos. Interspersing our travels are lots of rivers, and the prettiest pine forest. The pines here are not thick trunked but busy green, each looking like a perfect Xmas tree.
Chadiere Falls, Levis\ power plant first build here in 1901
Pretty little Port Joli
We know we are in Quebec by the number of church spires in the area.
The horizon shows distant church spires and silos.
On July 13, exactly 2 months after leaving Victoria, we enter the Maritimes. Like Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the Prairies, New Brunswick is the poor sister of the Maritime group. Everyone lauds the red soil and Anne of Green Gables in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia has Cape Breton,the Lunenburg, and fine music , and Newfoundland has quaint place names, L'Anse Meadows (early Norse settlement) and delightful, if confusing accents. But few carry on about New Brunswick. Yet, if you munch a McCain's french fry, it came from here. This province is potato fields, hardwood forests and some of the highest tides in the world in Bay of Fundy. The Xmas tree pines are replaced by columnar thinner branched pines, with only about 20% of the forest now pine trees. We pass by clear cuts, potato fields and smell french fries when passing a huge McCain plant.
Along the way we stop at Grand Falls, where they proudly show their hydro plant built on the falls in 1903. You can take a zip line ride across the falls, but we aren't brave enough. We suspect the reduced fee for seniors is because so few make it without heart attacks (LOL).
This town was where jockey Ron Turcotte came from. He was famous for winning the Triple Crown on Secretariat in 1973. Unfortunately, he had a riding accident which left him a paraplegic at 36.
The Legend of Malabeam:
The tribe that lived near the falls, was known as the Woastoqik. They lived beside the Wigoudi (St John's River). One day the chief and his daughter, Malabeam, were walking away from their village, when they were captured by their fierce enemies, the Mohawks. They killed the chief, but offered to spare the girl's life if she agreed to lead them to her village and to marry one of their braves.
Malabeam agreed, telling the Mohawk warriors to keep their canoes in tight formation as they headed down the river. When the Mohawks heard the river roaring around the bend, she told them it was only rapids where two rivers joined. They paddled on to their death, unable to turn from the river's force. Everyone perished. Although the Woastoqik people scoured the shores, they never found Malabeam's body. To this day, tribal elders tell the story of the brave young maid who gave her life for her people.
We make a side detour to revisit the longest covered bridge in the world, 1282 feet, at Hartland. We first saw this bridge in 2012. At that time, our little FIT drove right through, but we didn't think the camper could.
Fredericton is a wonderful old city, filled with heritage buildings, clean streets, many parks and lots of free plays and music daily. We see two plays, one performed by a cast that included multi-compromised people with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy. Their play was fun, filled with laughter and song, and the troupe performed a very inclusive production. The performance centre held 700 and was mostly filled with a supportive audience. Also enjoyed a 'private showing' (we were the only audience, outdoors and very hot) by 5 performers of the Great Miramachi fire. This vast fire in 1825 ranked among one of three largest fires ever recorded in North America. It burned 16,000 square miles including several towns, and much of the province's old growth forest.
The downtown core was originally a Garrison for British troops first established in 1776. A few of the original buildings are still standing, most of them repurposed. They are another World Heritage Site, and quite worthy of viewing their former grandeur.
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