Steel Rail Stories

Trip dates: September 27 to October 6, 2005

My partner J and I won this trip when we entered a contest set up by New Brunswick tourism. Brewster Vacations spoiled us, putting us in first-class rail and accommodations when we were used to economy everything. As a thank-you for some work that we had done around the house, our landlord Gord had given us matching luggage which we dubbed the "Gord bags"; since having identical rolling suitcases seemed like a ridiculous thing, almost as bad as wearing matching clothing, we decided to bring them along*.

* Gord - we like the bags and have used them many times since. It's just the matching part we find funny.


September 27

We started our trip in the city of London, Ontario on the banks of the Thames River. London has 400 000 people and is an academic and research hub sitting in the middle of a region of fertile farmland. We dressed up for our VIA 1 experience, sitting in the first-class lounge reading the newspapers and pretending we did this all the time. On the train we enjoyed large seats and nice meals, and Ontario speeding by the windows. When we reached Montreal, we made the most of our hour-and-a-half stop by exploring the neighbourhood. It was a clear afternoon and the setting sun lit up all the old stone buildings. Then we transferred to the Ocean and Easterly Class, where we were impressed by our bedroom and even more impressed at nightfall when the seats were converted to beds. I know many have said it before, but there really is nothing like the feeling of being rocked in your bed all night, listening to the clicking of the tracks and thinking of the miles slipping away.

September 28

When I awoke, J was sitting on the edge of my bunk with a purposeful look on his face. I was not expecting it when he began a small speech that I quickly realized was shaping up to be a marriage proposal, culminating in a promissory note for a set of engagement cross-country skis. (I said yes.)

Sadly the train ride was over all too soon and we reached Moncton, New Brunswick in the late morning. We picked up our rental car and drove to a pier, where we boarded a boat for an "authentic Lobster supper". The boat motored out of the harbour while our guide explained many things about lobsters, such as how to tell male from female, how tourists like to buy the old-fashioned curved lobster traps rather than the new design, and how to eat them. Then he reached into the water beside a floating marker and pulled up a trap pre-loaded with our dinner.

September 29

Today we drove to Miramichi. Along the way we stopped at Kouchibouguac National Park, but not before much practice in the car: "Koucheeboojouac?" "Kousheeboujouac?" We finally got it ("Koo-she-boo-gwack".) The dunes and grasses stretching between ocean and rivers were beautiful and we spent a long time walking up and down the boardwalks over the sand.


September 30

Our itinerary gave us a free day in Miramichi and we explored the town, climbing the bridge over the Miramichi River to get a great view of the colourful houses and brick churches below.

October 1

We headed for New Brunswick's capital, Fredericton, taking a detour to Hartland to look for the home J's grandfather grew up in. We had a photo of the house but no address, and drove around and around before we finally found the house, much renovated and quite different in shape. Fredericton seemed lovely; we walked along the St. John River while the sun was setting, then explored the downtown.


October 2

We took the short drive to St. Andrews, a town of 1900 people on Passamaquoddy Bay. We were to stay at the beautiful Algonquin hotel, which was built in 1889 and rebuilt in 1914 after a fire. We stopped along the road so I could collect water from the Atlantic Ocean, adding to my collection of seawater that already included the Pacific Ocean. In the afternoon it was raining but we are hardy people and we spent the time in Kingsbrae Garden. We were content to spend hours wandering in the garden; there were edible gardens (I tried quince for the first time), a gravel garden, an Acadian forest trail, a children's garden, and a garden designed for blind people full of plants with interesting smells or textures.

October 3

We were in Saint John on this day and it was a great city to explore on foot. There were sculptures everywhere, narrow streets that inclined upward at a startling angle, and a busy industrial port. We took a boat out on the Reversing Falls, where tides force the powerful river to reverse directions, forming a tidal bore. It was quite thrilling as our small boat eased into the rapids and pushed the engine to full throttle just to stay in one place. We were also given a tour of the harbour and enjoyed looking at the container cranes and cruise ships.


October 4

On the way back to Moncton, we stopped at the Hopewell Rocks, some flowerpot rock formations formed by tidal erosion and located on the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy. The rate at which the tide retreated was astonishing, with changes noticeable within seconds. We also visited Fundy National Park and hiked through conifer forests above the Bay of Fundy before a very brief "swim" (partial wetting of the feet and lower legs) in the ocean.

October 5

We took the train back from Moncton, going up into the dome to watch the sun go down over the golden bays of New Brunswick...


October 6

...and rise over the jutting hills of Quebec.