Two Sore Backs

September 11th.

It is Day 100 of our trip.

It rained overnight.

We pack up and leave Saint Andrews. It is always easier to leave when the weather isn’t so bright. We leave hoping to come back another time and stay at the Algonquin Hotel and play golf at the golf course. 🤞

To be honest the weather in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick hasn’t cooperated for rounds of golf or more serious hiking. Next time.

As we leave Saint Andrews we reach another milestone.

Getting there

We take two short ferries to Campobello Island. The alternative is a drive around through Maine but we like short ferry rides and staying in Canada is simpler (car range, mobile phone coverage).

The route is L’etete to Deer Island to Campobello Island. The first ferry is free, sweet and short. It is very foggy but we have total faith in the crew. We drive across Deer Island and we don’t see any deer.

We stop at Old Sow at the south end of Deer Island. Located in Western Passage, it is the Western hemisphere’s largest whirlpool. With the fog it doesn’t look so impressive. The churning is beneficial to bird and fish life – nutrients in the bay’s colder depths are churned up and rise to the surface.

So why is the whirlpool called “Old Sow?” According to folklore, the name refers to the “grunting” noise — which sounds like hungry pigs slurping up their slop — made by the giant churning gyre. “Sow” may also be a mispronunciation of the word “sough” (pronounced suff), which means “sucking noise” or “drain.”

The second ferry is actually a barge ferry. There is no terminal, just a lineup on the beach. Fares ($30) are paid on board.

The barge will pass through the whirlpool as it crosses Western Passage and flirts with the US border. We’ll come back this same route in a couple of days so expect the visibility will be better. 🤞

First stop is Roosevelt Campobello International Park. First observation, many US state licence plates in the parking lot. The park is just a short bridge away from the Maine border.

The story of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt is incredibly interesting. Ken Burns has a great series about ‘The Roosevelts’.

The grounds are beautiful. We take a walk to Hubbard Cottage.

Next stop is a tour of the Roosevelt Cottage.

FDR came to Campobello as a baby and his parents loved the climate and beauty of the place. This cottage was built and gifted to FDR and Eleanor early in their marriage. The family came annually but not always FDR, due to his polio (1921) and later when he became president (1932).

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The following afternoon we are back for Eleanor’s Tea. The interpreters give a great talk about Eleanor Roosevelt’s life.

Other sites

The weather is pretty snotty. We visit two lighthouses – at either end of the island.

Mulholland Point Lighthouse is in the channel between New Brunswick and Maine.

Head Harbour Lighthouse is almost impossible to see. Also impossible to walk to. A beautiful spot though.

Given the weather we are camping in a chalet at Herring Cove Provincial Park. There is a nice beach and the golf course is across the road but it is too wet and buggy for either passion.

Guess what. The morning we leave Campobello is just as foggy as the day we arrived. One difference, we take a different route along Deer Island and see quite a few deer.

It turns out to be a soggy week. With tropical storm Lee heading towards us we head to a nice hotel in St John for a few nights.