So finally I am back in Nova Scotia after the long drive from Toronto, Ontario through Quebec and this time a detour through Maine with a quick visit to Bar Harbour! The weather was amazing the entire trip and the long winter seemed sudddenly to give way to babbling brooks and rivers and almost green fields.
In southern Quebec maple syrup collection was ongoing in the numerous sugar bush that we passed.
Now one of the amusing things that happened along the trip which we planned using Google trip planner was at Sherbrooke, where the Google directions sent us down unpaved roads to bypass the town of Sherbrooke. So we are travelling a total of two thousand kilometers across four provinces. You can imagine our surprise then when the Google directions take us on a detour of the Sherbrook area sugar bush. Fortunately for us the snow was all but melted, except occasionally in the deep shade of trees. Clearly though, that list of Google directions that you print out and nurse along the route needs to be carefully vetted before you start your journey.
Our Google directions list from Holland Landing, about 45 kms north of Toronto, to Canso, Nova Scotia, had fifty individual steps and of these three consecutive short steps, covering about eight kilometers, were on unpaved roads. Now we have since done what we should have done in the first place, we have actually looked at the map very closely to see where those directions were directing us. This has failed to provide a reason though for the quirky turns through farm fields that Google routed us. In fact when you look at the map you are left wondering if Google wasn’t having a bit of fun at our expense. And yes, I even checked to make sure that we didn’t download those directions on April 1st!
Our reason for this route, (through the Sherbrooke area sugarbush), on this particular road trip from Toronto to Nova Scotia, was to travel through Maine. It seemed like an interesting alternative to going through northern New Brunswick where the weather can still be a little bleak and unpredictable at this time of year. We were not disapp
ointed; the towering white pines were no-longer clad in white but stood in sunshine.
We spent the night in Bangor, Maine, and to our complete amazement arrived to find that every hotel/motel was fully booked for a Spring event! The following morning, we elected to travel the coastal route, Route #1, otherwise known as “Down East and Acadian Route.” Though the mildness of the weather continued to charm us we were disapponted that there were in fact very few coastal views, with the exception of at Trenton and the Bar Harbour Island.
Bar Harbour Island was nothing short of breathtaking. Fringed by the Acadia National Park, the area is uncommonly beautiful and the climate temperate, protected as it is from the coastal winds by the gently undulating hills on the surrounding islands. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, reminiscent instead of the West coast in fact. Bar Harbour itself was a well-heeled resort community with trendy boutiques and lots of waterfront dining. Despite our early arrival there was already a sense that the tourism season was about to open.
From the waterfront The Cat, the high speed ferry from Bar Harbour to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia was visible across the water and cars were already lined up for the next sailing to Nova Scotia when we passed by the entrance to the ferry terminal. With hindsight, I rather wished that we had taken the ferry but still hopeful of those ocean views from route #1 we continued by car through to New Brunswick and then to Nova Scotia.
Our advice for anyone thinking about doing this roadtrip is to take the ferry, in spite of the relatively high ferry cost.
The ferry terminal in Bar Harbour is only one hour from Bangor and the high speed ferry crossing to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia is three hours.
Alternatively, take the detour from Bangor down to Bar Harbour, then retrace your route to Bangor. From Bangor take Hwy #9 to Calais and then Hwy #1 to St. John, New Brunswick, which is about a two and a half hour drive.
We found little to recommend along Route #1, the “Down East and Acadian Route,” between Bar Harbour and Calais. An occasional glimpse of the water, one particular scenic picnic area and the rather reddish coloured blueberry fields heralding Cherryfield, the blueberry capital of the world. The big payoff though was to come after crossing at Calais into New Brunswick: Once we were in New Brunswick we detoured to St. Andrews. Now this is the quaintest seaside town! I loved it. None of the photographs I took do it justice!
Posted by emeasures 
