Day 10: Farewell, NS; Hello, NB
DAY TEN: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: MacLeod’s Beach and Campsite, Inverness, NS
Ending point: The Algonquin Resort, St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Starting mileage: 17,449
Ending mileage: 17,879
Daily total (miles): 430 (our most so far!)
Trip total (miles): 2243
Today was, by a longshot, our longest day of driving. Initially, we had planned to drive halfway from our site at MacLeod’s Beach and Campsite in Inverness, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to Murray Beach Provincial Park in Little Shemogue, New Brunswick. However, as the heatwave that was hitting New England made its way to the Maritimes, we decided we’d forgo camping in our non-AC van and instead spend two nights at our planned final destination, The Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews. That meant, however, forgoing a return visit to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park on the Bay of Fundy, which we would have visited on our way from Murray Beach to The Algonquin, but we decided two nights in A/C and an extra day to relax would be worth it. And it was.
Since Day 10 (July 4, if you’re curious), would be spent mostly driving highways, I had a chance to spend time researching our somewhat sudden decision to trade-in our van for a different model. Another post (probably several) about that decision is coming, so I won’t bog this one down with the details. Instead, I’ll start with baked goods: a return to The Dancing Goat in Inverness for cinnamon rolls before hitting the road at 9. By 12:30, we had crossed into New Brunswick, and shortly after, we stopped at MEC Moncton (similar to REI) to stretch our legs and check out the store.
By 4, we had arrived at The Algonquin; we were looking forward to this return visit, as we didn’t have time to really soak it in when we included the grand hotel as a stop on our 2019 trip. We had arrived later in the evening after spending the day on Campobello Island, and the next morning, we departed in a downpour! This time would certainly be different! Tired from the long day of driving (G) and passenger-ing (me) and a bit grimy from two nights of walking, exploring in the heat and camping in the van, we were excited for showers. And then for food. We decided to eat in the lounge area of the hotel, which ended up being a solid decision. G ordered a lobster roll with fries, and I had the mussels (enormous!!) with a side (again, enormous!) of parmesan truffle fries. So, so good!
And soon enough, the day was done; we caught up on news, on the World Cup (Canada had just lost), and I was able to take advantage of good wi-fi to write and post to the blog. And then, sleep. Glorious sleep.