Jul 7 - Campbellton, NB & Battle of Restigouche, QC
We returned to the campground and while Jen had her afternoon "re-charge her batteries" rest, I wandered off to the laundry.
While doing the laundry, a lady pulled into the campground in her Leisure Travel Van. I'm familiar with this Canadian manufacturer as they make a class C (maybe B+) motorhomes with some very interesting options. I especially like the Murphy Bed option.
Fran and I started chatting about her motorhome, our trailer, etc. Turns out Fran is from South Dakota. I couldn't help mentioning how much we enjoyed South Dakota. It's been one of the highlights of the trip so far. Anyway Fran has family all over the place and she was heading to her son's (if I remember correctly) in Burlington, VT. I gave Fran our card and wished her a safe journey. I enjoyed chatting with her – hope we cross paths again somewhere down the road.
Chores done it was back to the rig and wait for the rain to stop.
Tomorrow we continue our journey south towards the Confederation Bridge and PEI.
See you then.
Okay people, where has summer gone?? We awoke
to a cloudy and cool day again today. 14C isn't
exactly hot, but then again, we should not complain.
It is easier to warm up than it is to cool down. Or
another way to describe the weather, we have a
heater, not an air conditioner (yet).
After breakfast, we decided to venture across the J.C. Van Horne bridge into Campbellton, NB and visit the tourist information centre.
Life on board was pretty grim for the sailor and the soldiers.
Between 1969 – 1972, Parks Canada excavated (not sure if that is the correct term to use) the wreck of the Machault, a 26-gun military sailing vessel from the Restigouche River. The museum was a fascinating look at life in the 1760s on board ship as well as the battle between England and France itself.
Parts of the ship have been preserved and are on display.
Our tour "guide" at the info centre was fully bilingual and extremely helpful. Armed with books and maps of NB, we headed to Café Europa, her highly recommended coffee shop up the hill.
We mapped out our route to PEI when we leave here tomorrow. We don't have anything booked. We are just going to wander and stop where we feel like stopping. But we are booked into a provincial campsite in northern PEI next Monday (11th).
After a delightful coffee break at Café Europa, we went back to Quebec to visit Parks Canada's Battle of the Restigouche National Historic Site 3 miles down the road from the campground.
What a fascinating story. Do you realize that back in the 1760s, 10 days could have changed the history of Canada. It is a very intriguing story – take a look.
Here is a model of the ship. The detail was exquisite.
There are many artifacts on display - plates, dishes, pots, pans, personal items including tocques and shoes. The one that caught my eye was this sword hilt. Just look at the intricate work on the "chain" around the handle. Remember, we're talking the 1700s – there were no machines to make these items.
