Grand Bara-Chois New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island

We arrived at Gagnon Beach Campground in Grand Bara-Chois New Brunswick on 10 July 2024.  We noticed it was considerably warmer here than our last place in Nova Scotia.  It brought us back to the reality that it is in fact the middle of July and Summer!  It was also humid, so really not inviting to be outside.  We took care of our chores and errands the first couple of days, and drove into Cap Pele, the town right outside our campground, but didn’t do any site seeing the first couple of days we were here between the heat and rain.  On Saturday the 13th, we drove 1.5 hours to PEI (Prince Edward Island).  We went to Charlottetown for the day.  It was a beautiful day and wonderful to be outside! They have a Farmers Market on Saturdays so we checked that out and then we walked around the town.  We went inside a couple of historic churches, the St. Dunstan's Basilica and the All Souls Chapel. We walked by a "LOVE" art piece and we noticed it was covered in locks. It reminded Anita of Pont des Arts in Paris AKA the Love Lock Bridge. We really enjoyed the people and the town with music being played every few hundred yards.  We saw that the Basilica has a mass Saturday at 4pm, so we planned to attend.  We decided to sit and listen to a band while waiting for the 4pm mass and we met a nice couple from Montreal.  Hillary and Val had just arrived that day and were very nice.  They were going to see a play called “Dolly” that night all about Dolly Parton’s life.  We hung out talking to them for a couple of hours and then it was time to walk over for mass.  We ended up driving back to Cap Pele for dinner so that we’d be closer to the campground and it would be closer to dinner time than 5pm.  It was my birthday, so a wonderful way to celebrate!

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

Visitors Center Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

St. Dunstan's Basilica Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

All Souls Chapel Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

All Souls Chapel Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

All Souls Chapel Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

All Souls Chapel Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

Charlottetown Prince Edward Island 13 July 2024

Reminded Anita of Pont des Arts in Paris with all the locks

The next day we went to Kouchibouguac National Park to do a couple of hikes.  We got all the information about the trails and set out to walk the first one, but found the mosquitoes to be ferocious.  We had sprayed ourselves with anti-bug spray, but any little spot we missed, we got bitten.  It was that way on all the trails we tried, so we barely got our walks in.

Kouchibouguac National Park New Brunswick 14 July 2024

Kouchibouguac National Park New Brunswick 14 July 2024

The next day we took a walk on the beach at our campground.  It was a very pleasant walk with a nice breeze and the tide still going out.  We walked way out on the wet sand and even waded some in the clear water of Northumberland Strait.  It was so nice and we were reminded about how different scenery is each day after the mosquitoes in the woods the day before.  We had a campfire after dinner that night.

Gagnon Beach New Brunswick 15 July 2024

On our last day at Gagnon Beach Campground, we learned about the pool they have for adults only. After going out to fuel up and to a fish market (Steve got a lobster for lunch), we went to the pool in the afternoon. It was refreshing with all the heat and humidity. Anita talked to a couple of ladies in the pool who are Acadian. It was fun comparing French last names that are common here and in Southwest Louisiana where Anita is from. Anita learned too that the Cajun cuisine didn't come from the Acadians, but was started after they were established in Louisiana. The ladies in the pool had not heard of Etouffee or Jambalaya.

Adults Only pool at Gagnon Beach Campground Grand Bara-Chois New Brunswick

We had no Internet at Gagnon Beach, so this is being posted from St. Jacques NB at Camping Panoramic where we arrived today (17 July). We'll only be here 4 nights and actually the remainder of our stays in Canada will be 4 nights. We head to Quebec next, then two stops in Ontario before we cross back into the US August 2nd.