Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia 2020

Grand Manan is a large island in the Bay of Fundy, with a rich history.  We have long wanted to visit Grand Manan, and being in this part of New Brunswick provided a perfect opportunity.  We were up with the sun and headed out the door at 7:45AM so that we could catch the 9:30AM ferry out of Black's Harbour, which is about 35 minutes from St Andrews.  Waiting for the ferry actually provided one of the highlights of the day:  the beautiful area around the ferry terminal gives an incredible insight into the ocean floor at low tide. The crossings to and from Grand Manan were ideal:  a warm, calm, sunny day made for a pleasant voyage in each direction.  The crossing takes 90 minutes, and porpoises and whales are frequent companions to the ferries. We were fortune to have seen some! Grand Manan is larger than we imagined: 34KM long and 18KM wide.  There are several small communities scattered from North Head (where the ferry lands) to Southwest Head. ...

This was our day to transition from PEI to New Brunswick.  And we picked a good day for it, because the day started with misty rain through part of PEI and brought a heavy afternoon rainstorm between Sussex and Saint John.  So it was a good day to spend in the car doing an interprovincial move. We started out with breakfast at a popular diner in Mount Stewart, took it easy for most of the morning, and left the resort at 11AM.  According to Google Maps, the drive should have taken 4.5 hours.  But it took us 6.5 hours.  Granted, we made a few quick stops.  But the real slow-down was an accident on the Trans-Canada Highway on the outskirts of Charlottetown, and the 40-minute wait at New Brunswick's Covid check-point as soon as we got off the Confederation Bridge. We made stops in Victoria-by-the-Sea in PEI and at Lepreau Falls in NB.  We rolled into St. Andrews, NB at 5:30PM and were surprised to see a very busy and bustling Algonquin Hotel.  Due to...