WagoneerSX4
Adventurer
Last summer we did the West Coast, so naturally we did the East Coast this summer! Over 10,000km covered (not including ferries). We hit all of the classic stops as well as a few I was told about by locals. I wasn't expecting this trip to even come close to the West Coast (lets be honest, the west coast has the rockies), but I was so very wrong!
Our campsite just outside Halifax. Nothing special here, this was just our base camp while we unpacked my brother who was moving out to Halifax for a year. Moving my brother was the excuse for this trip. My poor little trailer and SX4 were packed to the brim with not only our camping gear, but all of my brother's belongings as well. New Brunswick has some of the steepest grade highways in Canada (who knew?) and boy did Suzie get a workout. We're talking 3rd and 4th gear foot to the floor the entire way there just to keep up 100km/h. Little trooper didn't even complain once. Even after some 3rd gear 5,000rpm WOT climbs that were a good minute at a time. I guess NB never got the memo that you build highways in the valleys to avoid drastic elevation changes. They just literally drew straight line over top of mountains and built a road.
We explored all around Halifax the first week, met some friends we haven't seen in a while who moved out there a year ago. Good times, good food, and good company! This is Duncan's Cove, one of many hikes we did along the coast line. This is also the hike I popped the question to my fiance. And as you may have guessed since I said fiance, she did say yes. Like 50 times over again. For anyone who's visiting halifax, do yourself a favour and skip the famous Peggy's Cove. It's WAY too touristy and I was very unimpressed with it. Duncan's cove (literally the next cove over) was probably one of the most impressive hikes I've ever been on. We saw a total of 6 other hikers on the 4hr hike. Probably because it's so difficult, but it was completely worth it.
After that my parents joined us and we took the bridge out to P.E.I. and did the tourist thing for a couple days. We went to see Anne (with an "E" - for all of you that have read the book) of Green Gables and then went to see the play afterwards. My parents went to see the house that the story was based on before it was turned into a national historic site. Back then it was literally just a house you walked out and could explore the property. Now it's basically a theme park. Kind of disappointing, but also good to get some tourists out to P.E.I. I guess. Going to see the house and seeing the play was my mother's only request on the trip, so we had to oblige. The red soil is also amazing to see. And the entire northern eroding shoreline is amazing to see. We biked almost the house thing, even though we brought along entirely the wrong kind of bikes for road biking.
Then we took the evening ferry off of P.E.I. to caribou, NS. There we got a hotel and woke up super early to start the Cabot Trail while the sun was coming up. This road is just stupid gorgeous. I can sit here and explain how beautiful it is all night long, but you really have to see it for yourself. All of the panoramic photos I took of the scenery doesn't even do it justice.
That's just a few of the hundreds of photos we took. I've never been on a road with so many "scenic outlook" pull off areas. Even the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Banff doesn't have half as many.
After we said our goodbyes to my brother who had to return to halifax and start work, we got on the overnight ferry to Newfoundland! To be Continued... same bat time, same bat channel.
Our campsite just outside Halifax. Nothing special here, this was just our base camp while we unpacked my brother who was moving out to Halifax for a year. Moving my brother was the excuse for this trip. My poor little trailer and SX4 were packed to the brim with not only our camping gear, but all of my brother's belongings as well. New Brunswick has some of the steepest grade highways in Canada (who knew?) and boy did Suzie get a workout. We're talking 3rd and 4th gear foot to the floor the entire way there just to keep up 100km/h. Little trooper didn't even complain once. Even after some 3rd gear 5,000rpm WOT climbs that were a good minute at a time. I guess NB never got the memo that you build highways in the valleys to avoid drastic elevation changes. They just literally drew straight line over top of mountains and built a road.
We explored all around Halifax the first week, met some friends we haven't seen in a while who moved out there a year ago. Good times, good food, and good company! This is Duncan's Cove, one of many hikes we did along the coast line. This is also the hike I popped the question to my fiance. And as you may have guessed since I said fiance, she did say yes. Like 50 times over again. For anyone who's visiting halifax, do yourself a favour and skip the famous Peggy's Cove. It's WAY too touristy and I was very unimpressed with it. Duncan's cove (literally the next cove over) was probably one of the most impressive hikes I've ever been on. We saw a total of 6 other hikers on the 4hr hike. Probably because it's so difficult, but it was completely worth it.
After that my parents joined us and we took the bridge out to P.E.I. and did the tourist thing for a couple days. We went to see Anne (with an "E" - for all of you that have read the book) of Green Gables and then went to see the play afterwards. My parents went to see the house that the story was based on before it was turned into a national historic site. Back then it was literally just a house you walked out and could explore the property. Now it's basically a theme park. Kind of disappointing, but also good to get some tourists out to P.E.I. I guess. Going to see the house and seeing the play was my mother's only request on the trip, so we had to oblige. The red soil is also amazing to see. And the entire northern eroding shoreline is amazing to see. We biked almost the house thing, even though we brought along entirely the wrong kind of bikes for road biking.
Then we took the evening ferry off of P.E.I. to caribou, NS. There we got a hotel and woke up super early to start the Cabot Trail while the sun was coming up. This road is just stupid gorgeous. I can sit here and explain how beautiful it is all night long, but you really have to see it for yourself. All of the panoramic photos I took of the scenery doesn't even do it justice.
That's just a few of the hundreds of photos we took. I've never been on a road with so many "scenic outlook" pull off areas. Even the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Banff doesn't have half as many.
After we said our goodbyes to my brother who had to return to halifax and start work, we got on the overnight ferry to Newfoundland! To be Continued... same bat time, same bat channel.
