Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada - Part 1

In September of 2013, I went on my last adventure with my "big black van", my destination Campobello Island which is located in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.  I initially was going to return to Cobscook State Park in Maine - very close to Lubec where you cross a bridge onto the Island.  I gave this way too much thought going back and forth on whether or not to go to Cobscook, made and cancelled my reservations at this park four times and finally decided not to do it.  The primary reason for my decision not to go to Cobscook was no electrical hook-ups.  September up in that area of Maine, the temperature can go down into the 40's.  The year before when I camped at Cobscook with Jill, I used a small propane heater and discovered using propane in my van gave me anxiety even though I only used it when I was awake.  If I was to camp in that region of Maine, the Bold Coast, I had to find another campground that offered electric hook-ups making it possible for me to use my electric heater. As I searched for campgrounds in the area, I found my choices were limited primarily because I'm very picky - only a certain kind of campground appeals to me, I need privacy and nature and decent site size.  I finally found exactly what I was looking for and it was in Canada on Campobello Island at the Herring Cove Provincial Park.  Jill and I spent a half day exploring the Roosevelt "Cottage" and grounds on the Island in 2012.  I was familiar with the Island, it had impressed me and I decided this was a good option and  made a reservation.  On September 9, 2013, I was sitting in my van, sipping coffee, at site 28, Herring Cove Provincial Park ready to experience one of my best camping adventures ever!

I've been rereading my Campobello journal and have been doing research on some of my favorite Island landmarks and reaquainting  myself with some of the people I met during my stay. While doing this, I found there's just too much to write about in one post and so, in the end, I'll probably divide my Campobello trip into 3 or 4 separate entries.
Maine seems to be a real destination favorite for many people.  It's a beautiful State, offers many kinds of adventures, from woodlands, mountains and popular parks and cities to the wonderful coastline that extends from York right up to Lubec.  Personally, my favorite part of this coastal area has been north of Bar Harbor.  I've already written a post called, "My Maine" detailing my travels in this area and my favorite sights to see.  If you're going to visit Maine and especially if you're going to the Bar Harbor area which includes Acadia National Park, you should think about extending your trip north to Lubec and then crossing over to Campobello Island - you won't be disappointed - I promise!
The trip from Bar Harbor to Lubec takes about 3 hours if you go straight through (you won't).  I'd advise you to stay at least one overnight near Milbridge as you travel up the coast on Rte. 1.  Really nice area and offers a variety of fun activities and of course, lots of lobster.  Once you reach Lubec, you'll cross over to the Island via the Roosevelt International Bridge.

You are entering Canada which is a foreign country - sometimes hard to remember when living here in Michigan so close to the border - you'll need your passport or an enhanced driver's license and if taking a pet you'll need shot records including rabies certificate.  You'll also need a permission slip if taking a child without a parent present - check into that requirement and also requirements for pets - could change.  The time on the bridge is, my guess, about 3 minutes - it's very short.  You also need to add in possible wait times getting onto the bridge in the peak summer tourist season and also, whatever time it takes to get through customs which should not be a problem.  The island is small, about a 20 minute drive, end to end.  There are only about 800 full time residents and the actual name for the community is Welshpool.  The Roosevelt Campobello International Park includes 2,800 acres, Herring Cove State Park has a campground, golf course, hiking trails and over a mile long sandy beach.

  There are a few motels and you can rent homes through VRBO.  There are many "only found here" sights to see and many adventures like whale watching tours, great hiking trails, etc.   Most of my information comes from my 2013, 2 week camping experience and also 2016, when I returned to the Island with my daughters and grandkids for a day visit.
There's absolutely no way to include all I saw and did on the Island in this post unless you want to continue reading for another hour.  Two of my very favorite adventures ever took place on Campobello and each will be found in their own posts.  So, as I frequently say, I'm alive today, onward and upward and looking forward to another day when I continue sharing my love affair on Campobello Island with you.

Along Came A Spider...

Last October I went to Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio to try out my Transit Camper van.  My first morning at the campground Mitzi and I took a walk down a nearby service drive.

 I saw a sulfur butterfly float slowly in front of me - I watched to see if would land and then take a picture but instead of landing, I saw it thrashing around in the weeds next to the road.  I went over to take a closer look and saw that the butterfly was tangled up in a spider's web and the spider already had its legs around the  butterfly ready to do what spiders do to unsuspecting insects - "suck the blood". 

This immediately brought to mind, "Along came a spider, who sat down beside her..." but in this case, the butterfly flew in to sit beside the spider - bad luck for the butterfly. I began taking pictures from every angle but was hampered by the wind which caused the tall stalks of  the weeds holding the large web to be in constant movement. Many of my photos ended up blurry but I did end up with some dandies. I especially like the picture of the silk visible as it came out of the spinnerets.

I didn't see the silk coming out in real time but instead first noticed it when I had my pictures downloaded to my Picasa - pretty amazing.  This whole event was a nature lover's dream.  I went back to the web four times and was able to capture the whole process from the beginning when the butterfly was first caught in the web till the end of the day when all that was left was the empty shell and then disappeared. The first time I left the area, I made an arrow with leaves and a stick and it pointed toward the web area. When I went back, the grass had been mowed and no more arrow.  Fortunately, I made a path in the weeds around the web when I took my first pictures and because of that, I found it.  The spider stood on-guard above it's prey all day - head down about an inch above it.  By morning of the next day the spider was again on the butterfly, possibly eating a little left-over butterfly "soup".

I went over for one last visit that afternoon and found that the spider had repaired the web - added a zig-zag pattern and the remnants of the butterfly were gone.

The whole experience had been great for me and the spider but not so much for the butterfly. For many years I've loved finding orb webs in the barn and if I find one and a child is nearby, I tell them it was made by one of Charlotte's grandkids .  The last morning at Maumee, Mitzi and I took a walk and the fields were full of webs covered with dew - beautiful. 

Recently I reread my journal entry and looked through my pictures and then did a little investigating.  The spider was a common garden spider also known as a black and yellow garden spider or simply, yellow garden spider.  It's not harmful to humans and generally if approached the spider will jump off the web and hide in the weeds.  The orb web might be as large as 2 feet in diameter and the zig-zag in the middle may be there to attract insects or possibly to warn away birds that might fly through and destroy the web - this still isn't known.  One thing for sure, this spider is a writer like Charlotte but never going to see "Hi Farm Lady" in its web.  The process of eating insects doesn't involve "sucking the blood" as stated in Charlotte's Web but is really interesting.  You can read an explanation by googling - Charlotte's Web - How Does Charlotte Eat?  - AwesomeStories. I love the part when the spider "literally vomits digestive fluid over the prey".   Great reading.

One Morning In Maine

My first morning in Maine.  My first sunrise.  I waited in anticipation. Gradually I sensed the black of night shifting toward the new light of dawn - and like the title of a song we sing in our church, "Morning Has Broken".
The sky in the east didn't appear promising when I looked out my van window at 5:45 AM on that Thursday in September but I grabbed my coffee and camera and went out to sit on a rocky ledge directly behind my campsite.  This campsite is situated on an entrance to a small inlet in Birch Harbor, Maine.  The ocean pounded the coast about 1/4 mile away where I camped last year but this year I'm in a calm, quiet place  Maybe this was meant to be, I need calm, I need peace.  I need to sink down in quiet  for at least small periods of time during this vacation.
I waited and my waiting was rewarded with a magnificent sunrise.  Slowly the sun rose from the ocean.  The sky changed from soft pale shades of lavender and pink to vibrant, almost overwhelming shades of purple, orange, pink and yellow.
I ran cautiously over the rocks trying to capture it all with my camera.  I wanted to preserve it and savor it for years to come.  What I saw in those moments were gifts. They were additions to my basket of treasured Maine memories. The rocks in front of me led to the water which was lit by a path of gleaming sunlight  A loon played in that path - he would sit, then dive and then sit again.  The path of light, beyond the loon, bounced off a point of land - land with rocks and tall, broad, stately jack pines.  Lobster boats crossed back and forth across the path - they would stop, check a trap and then move on.  The path led out past another finger of land and then to that amazing ball of fire, the rising sun.
I realized that, as I sat absorbed in all the splendor of this sunrise, another natural phenomenon was taking place.  The sea was also beginning to rise.  The tide was coming in - coming in with grace and with a visible determination and strength.  The sea climbed the rocks toward my toes.  The seagulls called, the crows yelled, the loons sang and the water quietly began to cover the huge granite ledge that was my vantage point.
I could see the homes that are a part of Birch Harbor.  I could see the seaweed swaying as it was moved by the gentle waves - seaweed that would soon be invisible - hidden by the slow movement of the rising sea.
The tides have intrigued me during my visits to Maine and watching this tide come in and watching this sunrise and watching all that was before me belonging to this coastal environment - I sat in awe, amazement and peace.     Written in Birch Harbor, Maine 2007

My Sit Spot

I want to make something very clear, that's not me in the tree - don't know if I can even climb trees any more and it's been a long time since I've had brown hair (a really long time).  The book, "My Year Without Matches", is one I read awhile ago - actually I only read half - the author became very philosophical and I found it boring and I put it back on my bookshelf.
I did come across an idea I liked, finding or creating a "sit spot" - a place you go to everyday and sit quietly and observe nature and be part of it.  I decided I would try it out and at first thought my shelter in the pasture might work.

I recently added a room to the shelter and when I'm sitting in it, I have a good view of our woods so I sat out there for awhile and remembered I hate being cold and scratched that idea.
I was talking to my friend, Betty Nick, and she told me about her own "sit spot".  She has her rocking chair by a large window and can sit there and look out at her bird feeders and enjoy the quiet and peaceful scene in front of her.  She showed me a picture and it looked very cozy and more important, warm.
I decided to create a Betty Nick style sit spot.  My office, on our second floor, has large windows and with some physical effort moving furniture, I created a space for a chair right next to them. I  thought my childhood rocker might work but the springs are shot and so is my back  and so, it didn't.

I looked for another solution and found it at the nearby Sears Outlet.  I bought a very comfortable recliner and it's working out just great. 

I can look out at a nearby, big maple tree and see nuthatches searching for tidbits of food hidden in the bark.  I have a suet feeder close to the window and frequently a downy woodpecker lands on it and stays for awhile.

I can sit here and read and for now, during this holiday season,  I can sit after dark, lights out, music playing and look out at a light show.  We bought one of those small "Star Shower" machines and little red and green lights dance in the maple tree - very peaceful - quite beautiful.  

This little area I've put together is going to help me get through winter. Right now there's light shining in on me through the big windows, I'm listening to Carole King while Mitzi sleeps on my lap and I write this post for my blog.  I'm just doing my thing in my own little world and am content.

So, for now, Grandma isn't having solo camping adventures but she's enjoying her sit spot and dealing with winter in a positive way - onward and upward.

Command Central

I went to Maumee Bay State Park and camped for 5 days.  It was my first trial run with the Transit.  I realized right away that the bench seat behind driver's seat had to go.  It really took up way too much space.  Fortunately Maumee is close to Novi so I returned home and Steve and Larry removed the seat.  This made a huge difference - finally room to spread out.  Unfortunately, also during this first camping trip, I found that I had to do too much bending especially in the morning when I made coffee and cereal. Everything was spread out and moving around the van bent over created back and neck issues.
I thought about my black van and remembered I could reach almost everything I needed while sitting in my chair.  I called the area "Command Central" and realized I should create a similar space in the Transit.  Since I returned home I've been doing just that and think it's now about perfect. 

All my coffee necessities are under the chair.  My microwave is next to the chair sitting on top of my wood box that has a variety of supplies and my cooler is in front of me. I also fixed a better "Mitzi Gate" which you can see on the right - easy to pull across the door opening and hooks to cooler handle. 

In the back, beside my bed, I also added a cabinet with 3 big drawers.  I can put my clothes in two of the drawers and maybe food in bottom drawer. Also, I don't need a "Mitzi Gate" down there - no way for her to get out the backdoors which are now blocked by the cabinet and the bed.

Finally, I was able to secure my table and chair for outdoor use to the cabinet and bed frame and now I have easy access to my screen house supplies under the bed.

I've camped in my black van, a tent and the popup and I know it takes time to get organized and feel comfortable in the space.  I think this time I've been able to draw from my other experiences and changing the Transit from a 15 seat church van to a well-organized camper van has been relatively easy.

So, I'm ready to go camping whenever that might be - probably not till late winter when I'll head South.  Looking forward to it! Now, I just need to come up with a name for this camper - calling it the "Transit" isn't very descriptive - pretty boring.  I have a few months to figure this out and then it's onward and upward and AWAY we go.

Ugh!!!

I'm sitting here thinking about leaving home for my first camping adventure in my Transit

tomorrow and ugh - don't even know if I want to go and don't know where I want to go.  I have "no plan man" and this is so unlike me.  I generally am excited, know exactly where I'm going and have researched the whole trip.  As someone once said (over and over), "sad".
I think my trip to Alaska is weighing in heavily - it was so wonderful that everything else seems to be just "everything else" holding very little excitement.

Also, this is my first trip with Transit so there's a little bit of the unknown in this new beginning.  The last issue - I love my 1000 mile camping trips and definitely can't do that now - saving money for a winter trip.
Right now, I need to get over this case of the "blahs", pack up and go wherever.
Here's the thing - I don't need to have a specific plan.  I have a lot of flexibility with the Transit - if I don't like my destination I can just move on.  My thinking at this moment is head down to Maumee Bay State Park for a first experience and then maybe over to Indiana.
This should prove interesting - an adventure into the unknown, experiencing the unexpected and going with a mindset that is hopefully open to a new kind of travel, being flexible in my thinking and just "going with the flow". So now, I need to get out of this chair and get moving. 

Wish me luck - onward and upward.

Photography

This morning I saw a comment on one of my blog posts.  The comment included a question about my camera - what did I use.  For years I had a nikon d50 and I loved it.  So many of my good Maine photos were taken with my d50.  I finally upgraded when the camera developed a problem with color.  I bought a nikon d7100 but after a short time realized it was too heavy and sold it.  Now I have a nikon d3400 and am fairly satisfied with it.  I primarily use my 70-300 lens.  I use the Picasa program on my computer to primarily crop and highlight or shadow.  This program is no longer available for downloading.
Believe me when I say, I know practically nothing about my camera and keep it on automatic - really no technical skills.  In spite of that, I manage to take some good photos.  I think my biggest assets are patience and persistence - an example would be my robin photos.  I spent hours in a chair watching this family and was rewarded with some good photos.  When I am in nature, with my camera, I can get lost in the moment and that's when I find peace.  Photography is more than a hobby for me, it is therapy - quiets the mind and soothes the soul.