Day Trip Ideas in N.B.

Last week I had to make a quick trip to Grand Falls. On the way up, we did a quick "detour"  into Hartland to see the Covered Bridge.  At 1,282 feet it holds the record as the World's Longest Covered Bridge. It was originally constructed by the Hartland Bridge Company (formed by citizens from both sides of the river who were tired of waiting for the Government to make up their mind on bridge construction) and officially opened on July 4, 1901. It spans the beautiful St. John River. The side walkway, also covered, was added in 1945. The bridge is both a National and a Provincial Historic Site.







When crossing the bridge, tradition dictates that you must make a wish, close your eyes (NOT if you are the driver), cross your fingers and hold your breath.  If you can do this for the entire length of the bridge, your wish is likely to come true. The bridge is also known as a kissing bridge. Back in the days of horse and wagon, there was great opposition when they first talked of covering the bridge. (It was not covered when it was first built.) It was thought by some, that a

You can see the covered walkway on the right side of the bridge

covered bridge would destroy the morals of the young citizens! It is said that young men trained their horses to stop about halfway across the bridge; the horse would wait until the couple had shared a kiss or two, then it would continue on the rest of the way.

When the bridge opened in 1901, it was funded by tolls: three cents for pedestrians, six cents for a single horse and wagon, and twelve cents for a double team. A strip of twenty tickets could be purchased for fifty cents. The tolls were dropped when the government purchased the bridge in 1906. In the early years, snow had to be hauled in the winter and placed on the "floor" of the bridge so that horse-drawn sleighs could easily travel through. How times have changed!!

Looking back at the covered bridge from upriver a little ways gives the best view to really appreciate its length. It's a lonnggg way across!

There you have it- the WORLD'S Longest Covered Bridge. You had better visit it the next time you are in New Brunswick!







We weren't in Grand Falls for long, but we were lucky to have a few minutes to view the Falls as well. I've never been in GF in the spring when the snowmelt is really making the Falls spectacular and  all gates are open. It's on my Bucket List though. I was impressed with the amount of water pouring through the two gates at this time of year, but I was told by a lifelong resident that "This is nothing in comparison.." Guess I'll have to return in April...








I was quite surprised at the noise from the falls, nothing like Niagara of course, but pretty loud just the same. It is an impressive sight though, even now, don't you think? Below the falls is what's known as the Gorge, where you can take a quiet (NO noise from the Falls) guided pontoon  boat ride on the St. John River, or you can kayak it too!  The Gorge is 1.5 km. long and the rock walls rise to heights of up to 70 metres  (230 feet!)  See those cables across this photo? What do you suppose they're for.... 



Look closely...They are for thrill seekers who want to get their adrenaline pumping... lol  You can ride a Zipline across the Falls! Do you see the two gals? They are just left of centre in the photo. Too bad they were both wearing dark clothing. I think their red helmets show up better in the next photo.




We watched several people come across on the Zipline- it takes less than a minute.. It would take a whole lot more time than that to convince me to do it!! No thanks- I'll stay on solid ground and be the photographer, thank you very much! It does look like fun... but I'll pass... for now.... But YOU can do it, and tell me all about it.... Let me know your plans and I'll even come to take your photo...

You could "dangle" like this gal...
These photos were all taken from the Malabeam Tourist Information Centre. It is where the Gorge Quilters' Guild will hold their Quilt Show this fall- what a spectacular setting!!





Yes, New Brunswick has many wonderful sights and experiences for tourists and locals alike. Below is a Tourism N.B. video, from Youtube - I couldn't resist including it for you to view and enjoy. (You can see the Grand Falls Gorge at 0.52.) If you are reading this from outside the Maritime provinces and are planning a visit to N.B. this summer, it will give you an idea of the spectacular natural beauty to be found here (do I sound like a proud Maritimer?) and the many attractions you could visit. Let me know when you're coming and I'll try to be of help!


Peace,
Linda

"An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but  great fulfillment." ~ David Attenborough

Starkey Bridge

It's time to visit another New Brunswick covered bridge. This one is in Cody's (near Coles Island) and is called the Starkey Bridge (also known as Long Creek #1). It is 225 feet long and was built in 1939. It is in very good condition and is still in use today. I photographed this bridge last October when returning home from Moncton. It was late in the day and the skies were overcast and dreary so I was grateful for the pop of red color from some maple saplings.











I'm not sure what it is about these bridges that make me feel nostalgic for days gone by... I guess they seem like a piece of the past - steadfast and sturdy - still doing their job after many years - strong and dependable - they can be counted on. Like old friends...

Can you tell I was just as "taken" with the red maple leaves as I was the bridge? Yep, I'm a maple tree hugger.. just can't get enough of those  maples that give us such glorious red color in the fall...













As I was turning to go I looked behind me and spotted a loon. He wasn't long exiting the scene once I turned my attention and lens toward him. He was not going to give me the time to change to my telephoto.. guess he was camera shy...


Peace,
Linda

The beauty of a single moment can last an eternity.

Beautiful St. Martins...

 Summer. That season when you feel free to just take off on a day trip if the weather is good, and you feel like a change of scenery. That's what we did a  few days ago.. we took a jaunt down to St. Martins. It is a small fishing community on the Bay of Fundy, east of Saint John.  Known as one of New Brunswick's most beautiful seaside vacation resort communities, it is also famous for its sea caves, and as the gateway to The Fundy Trail. Situated halfway between Hopewell Rocks and St. Andrews along the Fundy coast, it is a short drive from Saint John N.B. You can watch a short video about the St. Martins area and Fundy Trail Parkway here.

 We enjoyed a seafood lunch before a quick exploration of the beach and the sea caves at low tide. At least we "timed" it right for the tide this time; when I was there last July it was closer to high tide so people were kayaking in and out of the caves!! We learned that the rocks of St. Martins are of the Triassic age, about 250 million years old. Very few fossils are found in these rocks. Across the Bay, Nova Scotia's fossil history includes the oldest dinosaurs in North America found in Triassic age rocks, but these rocks are too old to have dinosaurs!!!

 We didn't really go well prepared, footwear-wise, for a long beach walk to the further caves, so we headed "back to town". Remember last fall I started a little "project" of visiting the province's covered bridges? (You can read that post here.) Well here at St. Martins is the only spot in N.B. where you can get two covered bridges AND  a lighthouse in one photograph!! These two bridges both span the Irish River, but are known as Vaughan Creek bridge (or Irish River #1 - built in 1935, length of 71'6") and the more distant one is known as the Hardscrabble bridge (or Irish River #2 - built in 1946, length 72'). Both bridges have a covered "walkway" with
"windows", not something many bridges have. In case you are not familiar with covered bridge "lore" it is customary to make a wish as you pass through a covered bridge, as well as tooting your car horn. Some people also hold their breath while passing through; supposedly this ensures that your wish will come true... just so ya know!! (I hope to have more covered bridge photos to show you soon...)
Our last stop was to visit the Studio/Gallery of  Gwen and John of Desideratum Art Jewelry. Gwen and I have been blogging friends for a while now so it was great to finally meet her! I laughed when she told me she thought I'd be taller!! Haha- nope - just little ole me at 5'5"!! Isn't it funny how you "picture" someone you haven't met and have this idea what they will be like..then it turns out your image was not quite accurate! Their Gallery is not to be missed if/when you go to St. Martins. Not only does it feature their wonderful whimsical jewelry, but also Gwen's exquisite art cards (photographs and drawings) and John's incredible oil paintings. Click here to see some wonderful photos of their Gallery, and their incredible photos of St. Martins and surrounding area.
Last year I visited the Quaco Light as well so have included two of those photos in my final collage...
My Maritimes and the Bay of Fundy.... gotta love it!

Peace,
Linda

"The tide rises, the tide falls, the twilight darkens, the curlew calls." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Am I getting old? Or just "more mature"?

Salmon Bridge over Kennebecasis River

I must be getting old. I prefer to think of it as "more mature"... **wink. I find myself becoming more interested in things I never thought I would... like History. I hated History in school- guess I never had a really good History teacher who "turned me on" to the subject. At least I'll blame it on that for now.... But when I backpacked through Europe for 3.5 months after finishing University, and on many trips since, I have wished more than once that I could remember the history of the area, or significant site, or whatever... Laura's amazing trip and experience this past

Salmon Bridge over Kennebecasis River

summer in Germany and Poland has certainly made me want to learn more about WWII and the Holocaust. I have done a lot of reading since she was accepted for the MRH trip, and it has just fueled my desire to learn more. I guess that's a good thing. (By the way, for those of you who are interested and followed Laura's experience and her Blog, she has added to it recently; you may want to check it out here. AND - she is embarking on another great "venture" which I'm sure will turn into an adventure.. I'll be surprised if she doesn't write something more on her blog about it as it is related... More about that later....)

Okay, I'm getting off track here.... Back to recent developing interests... I find myself enjoying historical fiction- something my Mother loved reading. Never thought I would... And I'm more interested in things like older architecture. So, this past summer, I decided I would try to visit and photograph some things in my province which are aging and may not be around forever, like our Covered Bridges. I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped, but at least I got a start. It will be an ongoing project.... I did acquire a "Backroads Atlas" for the Maritimes, which has all the back roads and covered bridges marked. It's a great help. Of course, you probably know that New Brunswick is famous for the longest covered bridge in the world: the Hartland Covered Bridge, built in 1901, is 1282 feet long, and in great condition. You can be sure I'll be visiting it for photos.... but we'll save that for another day.

Patrick Owens Bridge over Rusagonish River

 There were once more than 4,000 covered bridges in New Brunswick; currently there are about 60 remaining. Sadly they are falling victim to arsonists, vandals and natural disasters. In late August, our local paper reported that our current provincial government was considering rebuilding some of these historic structures. That thought has since fallen by the wayside... To quote John Leroux, a local architect and historian, "They (the bridges) give us a stronger sense of our past. They're like the grain elevators to Saskatchewan. When the last one is gone, that's when we'll realize how important they were."

  In the past the idea of constructing  new covered bridges has been dismissed because of modern building codes and the idea that modern materials like steel and concrete would ensure more permanency. However, one only has to look at what's going on with the Saint John Harbour bridge and our own Princess Margaret bridge  and how much money is being spent on repairing them and keeping them safe for the high traffic volumes they handle, to wonder if steel and concrete ARE better...?

You have to agree - covered bridges do have "something special". You get a feeling of the past... the human hand and the work that went into those hand hewn timbers. The tradition of tooting your car horn, and making a wish as you pass through - this just doesn't happen when you cross a "modern" bridge.






The first bridge I photographed for this little "project" (top photos above) was built in 1908. The Kennebecasis River #7.5 bridge or Salmon bridge as it is locally known, is 112 feet long, and is no longer in service. As you can see from the wild roses in bloom, it was a lovely June day, on our way back from Corn Hill Nursery - this bridge is not far from Sussex.

 Another June day saw Laura and I out photographing lupines, and we made our way out to Rusagonish to find the covered bridge there. It's probably less than 20 miles from my home, but I had never seen it. Built in 1909, the Patrick Owens bridge (otherwise known as Rusagonish River #2 bridge) is in daily use. At 115 feet, it features something not many other cb's have - a window running the entire length of the bridge on the west side. As you can see the window is also "covered" or protected by a roof. It allows one a great view of the beautiful Rusagonish River from the bridge. It was a perfect summer day when we were there - bees were buzzing, flowers were blooming and butterflies were fluttering around. Several young people were fishing under the bridge, and no I did not take a pic of the eel he caught... sorry!
 I'll continue with this photo project and share more covered bridge photos and info with you in the future.. hope you have enjoyed this little look at a piece of our past.

Peace
Linda

"History is who we are and why we are the way we are." ~ David McCullough