 Dale Sievert | Eastern Canada |
I remember very well in grade school being intrigued by Leif Ericson discovering what is now North America, specifically, the northern tip of Newfoundland. In September I finally went to visit the site. I flew to Burlington, Vermont and then drove first to Montreal. Then I went to Quebec City and up the Gaspe Peninsula in New Brunswick. After that, I toured Prince Edward Island before taking the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. Then I headed south for a brief trip through Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Newfoundland
Americans pronounce the name NEWfoundland, but its residents pronounce it NewfoundLAND. Bet you never knew that. But Leif (pronounced LEEF, not LIFE, but who knows how HE pronounced it) Ericson (also spelled Erikson) and the 35 men who landed there around 990 called it Vinland, owing to the many grape vines they found. The flat marshy land they lived on until approximately 1050 was called L'Anse aux Meadows (I don't know what that means, so tell me if you know, but just don't show off). Actually, they were not supposed to land there, as in attempting to sail from Norway to Greenland their ship got blown off course. Serves them right for saving money by not buying a Garmin. And why go to Greenland, a God-forsaken icebox? Because back then it was much warmer there, so much that agriculture was practiced. My question is: who got the blame for that "global warming," as the use of fossil fuels was minimal then. I'm not taking sides on that issue, just wondering why it was not the icebox of today. That, and what did the polar bears eat if the Arctic Ocean was likely ice-free in the summer and it was far harder to hunt seals.
Overlooking the settlement of Leif Ericson and the other Norsemen
Reconstructed sod houses of the Norsemen
The walkway passes through the remains of the Norse village.
The raised ground areas were foundations of buildings.
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
In 1979 our whole family visited these maritime provinces, so I figured it was time to return. I noticed just one change: the residents no longer speak with a strong Irish brogue. The countryside is as beautiful as ever, thank heavens.
In 1979 our whole family visited these maritime provinces, so I figured it was time to return. I noticed just one change: the residents no longer speak with a strong Irish brogue. The countryside is as beautiful as ever, thank heavens.
Along a road in New Brunswick
Halifax Public Garden in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Famous Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic coast
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is an old fishing town on the Atlantic coast
City street in Lunenburg
 Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, on the Bay of Fundy, which have the highest tides in the world at 50 feet |  |
Upper New England
I entered New England at the New Brunswick and Maine border, then went north for a long way before turning south and going as far as New Hampshire. Then I went back north, then west into Vermont before ending up in Burlington, Vermont to fly home. The fall colors were incredibly beautiful, but my camera was on the fritz, so I got no great photos.
I entered New England at the New Brunswick and Maine border, then went north for a long way before turning south and going as far as New Hampshire. Then I went back north, then west into Vermont before ending up in Burlington, Vermont to fly home. The fall colors were incredibly beautiful, but my camera was on the fritz, so I got no great photos.
Mt. Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine, at 5267 feet
Lobster lunch with friend Bob in Maine
American Stonehenge, a 4000-year-old settlement in NH with many rocks lined up for astronomical alignments
Canterbury Shaker Village, NH, founded in 1792, whose last member died in 1992, has 25 buildings.
At Mt. Washington, NH, at 6288', the highest mountain in the Northeast
The highest wind speed in the US, 231 MPH, occurred here.
A cog railroad takes passengers to the top.
Epilog
Well, that's one more trip finished. The next GT will be of my favorite Utah plus eastern Arizona, which I did in November last year. I also spent three weeks at the end of December and early January in Louisiana, but that will not be posted.
I leave on February 8th for Brazil, and on the 15th I fly to northern Argentina with a new friend. There, mountains, deserts, salt flats, and wineries beckon us.
Well, that's one more trip finished. The next GT will be of my favorite Utah plus eastern Arizona, which I did in November last year. I also spent three weeks at the end of December and early January in Louisiana, but that will not be posted.
I leave on February 8th for Brazil, and on the 15th I fly to northern Argentina with a new friend. There, mountains, deserts, salt flats, and wineries beckon us.
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