Grand Manan

This Fourth of July weekend we fled the country and spent our long weekend in Canada's Maritime providence of New Brunswick. Our main purpose of the trip was to camp on Grand Manan Island in the Hole-in-the-Wall campground. We were looking for an exciting place to visit and this seemed like the place to go. We left Boston Friday night and made the trip to Blacks Harbor ferry terminal with surprising little traffic. Having arrived there late, we spent the remainder of the night at the ferry terminal. Saturday morning we were the first car on board the ferry. With calm waters and cool breezes, the hour and a half crossing was an enjoyable cruise that included a seal sighting and some whales in the distance (sometimes it can be a pretty rough ride). As we neared the island, we spotted the cliffside campsites we were to stay in. Excited to claim a good campsite, we first headed to the Hole-in-the-Wall campground and set up camp. The rest of the day was spent driving along the coast, hiking along cliffs, biking to a lighthouse, and feasting on a fantastic dinner complete with freshly caught haddock. Sunday, we hiked out to Ross Island on a land bridge at low tide to see an abandoned lighthouse. We also took a hilly bike ride out to Dark Harbour, saw the natural Hole-in-the-Wall for which our campground was named after, and watched the sunset on the west side of the island. Monday morning brought a beautiful sunrise after a somewhat noisy night of what may have been whale singing. After our oatmeal breakfast we had to pack up camp, take the ferry back, and drive home to Boston. For more details of our trip, check out our pictures.