"Burning every bridge that I cross,
To find some beautiful place to get lost."
"Let's Get Lost" - Elliott Smith
Working the rat race can really make you misplace your perspective, and sometimes the only way to find it again is to get lost. And my much-anticipated first visit to the comparatively small Maritime provinces offered ample opportunity to do that.
I slashed my way into New Brunswick on Friday, August 13th, ironically leaving my horrifying French behind. I've made a point of avoiding cities, except where I have friends to reconnect with. At the risk of becoming a cliche, the land and the open road have really become my companions. It's as close to a spiritual experience as I come.
I'm not a great tourist as far as seeing specific landmarks; I prefer to watch people and check out the landscape to really get a feel for what that place is like. I've always believed going without a plan is the best way to get somewhere you've never been.
I dutifully checked out Hopewell Rocks along the Bay of Fundy, home to the world's most active tides. A hundred billion tonnes of water flows in and out every day, a differential of four stories.
To find some beautiful place to get lost."
"Let's Get Lost" - Elliott Smith
Working the rat race can really make you misplace your perspective, and sometimes the only way to find it again is to get lost. And my much-anticipated first visit to the comparatively small Maritime provinces offered ample opportunity to do that.
I slashed my way into New Brunswick on Friday, August 13th, ironically leaving my horrifying French behind. I've made a point of avoiding cities, except where I have friends to reconnect with. At the risk of becoming a cliche, the land and the open road have really become my companions. It's as close to a spiritual experience as I come.
I'm not a great tourist as far as seeing specific landmarks; I prefer to watch people and check out the landscape to really get a feel for what that place is like. I've always believed going without a plan is the best way to get somewhere you've never been.
I dutifully checked out Hopewell Rocks along the Bay of Fundy, home to the world's most active tides. A hundred billion tonnes of water flows in and out every day, a differential of four stories.
At low tide you can walk on the muddy ocean floor and see fossils, and hours later the tides erase any evidence you were ever there. It's a pretty amazing sight, but you do fight the crowds.
After leaving, I drove around aimlessly for a while, checking out this dirt road or that viewpoint, and this where I started to see the true Maritime character. Most of the time, when you tell people you're lost, they'll help - but you have to ask. Not here.A typical exchange:
"Are you lost?" a friendly local inquires.
"I'm trying to be," I grin.
"Oh. Okay." They smile, and back away slowly.
It sounds silly, but this is how I've been able to see some amazing, secluded spots that aren't on a map. I drove down an unmarked gravel road, and came upon a beautiful private beach.
Unlike much of the country, I wasn't warned about the risk of prosecution for trespassing. A sign simply said "Enjoy our beach, but please, take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints."
And that's the kind of thing a tour company can't sell. 
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