Goin' For a Bike Ride: Ferry rides and the Fundy tides

I crossed into New Brunswick, Canada a few days ago at Campobello Island.

Campobello is a play on the name Campbell with a couple of Os thrown in to make it sound cool. The island was Franklin Roosevelt's summer residence during his childhood and before he became president. There is an international park there now including the Roosevelt cottage and grounds.

The tour of the cottage was a fascinating look at upper class life at the turn of the 20th century. This is the living room.

This is the schoolroom where FDR's children were taught.

This is the laundry room.

There is a special stove designed to heat flatirons.

FDR was very active all his life until he contracted polio at age 39 while vacationing at Campobello. I cannot imagine what a blow it must have been for him to lose the use of his legs. The name of the disease, infantile paralysis, probably just added insult to injury. That he was able to overcome his disability so well that he won four presidential elections is a testament to incredible strength of character and the support of his amazing wife, Eleanor.

From Campobello, I took a ferry to Deer Island. While waiting for the ferry, I met Bob and Allison, who drove me out to see the Quoddy lighthouse at the end of Campobello Island.

Thanks for the ride!

I rode across ridiculously hilly Deer Island and talked to some sardine fishermen who were repairing their weir nets.

The ferry came in.

After I rolled aboard, the ferry captain waved me over and invited me up to the bridge where I got to hang out for the whole trip. This is the view from the bridge.

This is Michael, the captain.

I've been on countless ferries but the Deer Island ferry has been the most unique, for sure.

After another 10 miles of constant hills, I finally got back to pedaling my old friend, the Trans Canada Highway sections of which I've ridden in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. They grade the highway, unlike other roads in New England which means the climbs are far more gradual. I couldn't believe how easy the riding was! I hauled an easy 20 miles to camp and another easy 35 miles to Saint John this morning.

I am now hanging out by the famous reversing falls on the Saint John River. This whole area is on the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world at over 50 feet. During low tide there is a set of rapids on the river but during high tide, the tide rises so much that the rapids are submerged and the river flows upstream.

This is low tide. The rapids flow from left to right out towards the sea.

High tide. The river has now reversed and is flowing upstream.

I honestly didn't think this would be as cool as it was.

Between low and high tide, I rode down to downtown Saint John and checked out the New Brunswick museum. Photos weren't allowed, which is too bad since the collection of whale skeletons was very cool. I got to touch baleen, which is made of a horn-like substance. It also has long hairs on it with the texture and length of a horse's tail. Filter feeding whales take huge gulps of water in their mouths and force the water through the baleen, catching the plankton on their baleen. They then lick off all the trapped prey with an enormous tongue. There was a juvenile sperm whale skull displayed, also. The skull is enormous, of course, but what I found amazing was how narrow the lower jaw was at less than a foot across. I also didn't know that sperm whales only have teeth in their lower jaws.

There are a number of sculptures by an artist named Hooper in the downtown Saint John area that I really liked.