October 1, 2017: Canadian Maritimes

We just returned from a trip to New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Cape Breton Island (the far northern tip of Nova Scotia) - it was a great melding of nature and history.  I learned about the indigenous people of Canada, the immigration of the Scots, the history of Canada and its gaining independence from the British.  The later was much less violent than our transition to independence, both sides having learned much from New England's struggle with freedom.  Visits to the Louisbourg Fortress, the Iona Highlands Village, and the Halifax Citadel provided excellent immersion experiences.

The existing fort is the fourth built on the site of the Citadel in Halifax

The Highlands Village in Iona tells the story of the Scottish immigration and settling in Nova Scotia

Fortress Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island is the largest reconstruction project in North America

The Fortress of Louisbourg

When visiting new areas I always look to see what aspects of nature are similar and different to those in New Hampshire.  In the Maritimes I found some of both, though more similarities than significant differences.  Even though almost 250 miles farther north than the Lakes Region, the proximity to the ocean on all sides tempers the climate considerably.  Some of the more interesting animals we saw were eagles, silver foxes, and whales.

Bald Eagle at Bay St. Lawrence, Cape Breton Island

A pod of whales, possibly Pilot Whales, seen from the Skyline Trail near Cheticamp, Cape Breton

At the Whale Interpretation Center in Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia, I learned the differentiation between whales, dolphins, and porpoises - which are all cetaceans - is based on their size, though dolphins also have different shaped teeth than whales.

There are also bear, moose, and deer, though we didn't see these.  And always present, wherever we went, were chick-a-dees, red squirrels, and chipmunks.  The squirrels are much bolder than ours; at one of our lunch stops they were running right around our feet as we ate our lunch.

We found great hiking and biking trails all over the Maritimes, providing gorgeous hikes in the mountains and along the coastlines, all with beautiful vistas.  The most dramatic differences from New Hampshire were the coastlines, even though New Hampshire does have its own rocky coasts and whales.

The Cabot Trail seen from "The Buttereau" near Cheticamp

View south from the Skyline Trail

North Rustico, Prince Edward Island

The Gulf of St. Lawrence from Le Bloc, Cheticamp

Of course, we had to experience the 30 foot tidal swing in the Bay of Fundy.

High Tide at Alma, New Brunswick, on the Bay of Fundy

Six hours later

The weather was excellent the past few weeks, but we still managed to get a couple of days that made it clear why the Scots called Nova Scotia "New Scotland" and were so comfortable settling here.

Farms in the fog at Prince Edward Island

New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island

It was interesting to learn that the Scots considered the forest "evil" and couldn't wait to cut it all down and make the country look like their native land.  In the higher elevations where the forests has regrown, the leaves were turning, but they didn't have the brilliant colors of a New England fall. Upon returning to New Hampshire we found that foliage season, which was showing early signs of progress when we left, had been retarded by the warm weather.  I thought we might miss it, but it looks like we'll get to enjoy all the beauty of this season after all.

As of today the leaves show only a touch of color on the hills behind the morning mist