I grew up going to Canada in the summers with my family. It's part of why I love summer as much as I do. We got to escape the Virginia heat to head to the beautiful Eastern shore of New Brunswick. The town we live in is called Alma, and it is right next to Fundy National Park. This summer, my boyfriend and I headed up North for TWO weeks. We worked the first week from home and then took the second week off. We left early on a Saturday Morning and stopped in NYC for breakfast.It only added about 40 minutes to our trip and was well worth it. We hit NYC at 9:00 am and I think the whole city was asleep still We got a parking spot for free no problem and walked a few blocks to stretch our legs. Then we drove the rest of the way to Maine!We got Bob's clam hut for dinner and did some shopping in Kittery. We got ice cream too in Well's. It was a really relaxing night in the car after a full day.Of course, we stopped in LL Bean before leaving the area in the morning. It's a whole compound of shops and there are live fish in the store. It really is a MUST do once in your life, especially if you are in Maine.The roads up in Maine are clear and empty. You can go for miles without running into another car. The speed limits in some spots are slow but everyone just flies through them. It's hard not too on sunny days.The drive took two days and as soon as we got to Canada we stopped at Ossie's! Every single time I drive up, we stop here. They have great Poutine and it's the first place you can snag some that is authentic.The first day we were there, we went on one of my favorite hikes to Laverty Falls with my family. It was the fourth of July so we just missed Canada day, but the park was still filled with people.We were glad to get there when there were still some flowers out too!Here is my dad at the top of the first falls.And the slow gliding water at the top of the falls. I crawled out on a ledge to get this picture.I was clearly so happy to be there. I love this hike in particular because you get to see so many different parts of the park on one hike.Here I am on the ledge. My dad snapped this of me watching the water. I got tons of sap on my hands as I crawled out there from the trees.And here are shots of the falls! The one on the left is the top by where my Dad has been standing and the bottom is where I was looking down on from the top.This is me at the base of the larger waterfall.And unfortunately, this picture makes the waterfall look so much smaller than it actually is.Then, as per tradition, I went swimming in the pool underneath. This water was pretty cold, but not nearly as cold as I remember it being. Right when you are under the fall, the water pounds on your shoulders like a massage.Instead of walking straight back, my boyfriend and I headed down the Moosehorn trail which runs along the river.Along the way you get to see giant smooth stones.And of course another falls. This one is NOT swimmable. Its much more forceful and terrifying!Sorry for the blurry picture, but we did prop up my cell phone on a log to get ONE of us together on the hike.Afterwards we headed to get dinner in the town. Alma is a fishing village with a tiny population. Less than my office back in Virginia!I got fish and chips and my boyfriend got some chowder and a lobster roll (of course). I am not a huge lobster fan, but did my best to try a few bites of each of his throughout the trip.After dinner we walked the beach of Alma. The tides there are amazing. They go in and out over a mile a day and up and down 30 feet or so! It's amazing to watch. The bridge in the background is so far above the water, but in just a few hours it will be close.The beach is covered in rocks and a thick heavy sand. You can see great textures on all the rocks and the colors are incredible.The next morning, before work, I took a little walk with my mom and got this picture of our house. Isn't it cute? The porch up top has a great view.There are wildflowers line the road to my house.We spent the week driving to Moncton (the local "big city") to use faster internet for work. We ate out there having amazing Buffalo cheese curds and went to a wine bar.It was nice to visit because I hadn't spent much time in Moncton. We also went shopping and got some warmer clothes because it was so much colder than anticipated that week.The next weekend we drove around to see Cape Enrage and explored the surrounding coast line.The day after these pictures were taken, we signed up for rappelling from these cliffs.We stopped at a few outcoves on the way and had some quiet time. It was grey and cloudy but relaxing.My toes in the ocean. It was so chilly.On the way back home that night, we stopped at a winery and sampled blueberry & rhubarb wine! We bought a bottle or two to bring back home. That night we had dinner out and saw a musician play in a local cafe.The next day we woke up and did a mini hike to see Dickson Falls. It's a really quick walk down some stairs so its very accessible to all hikers.The temperature from the parking lot to the falls drops 15 degrees or so! Its truly straight down. The falls are gorgeous and the whole area was covered in moss.The lack of sun made a great day to practice with my camera. Even my boyfriend had some time to play with it since it was just the right shade.All along the way we got photos.Here are the large falls at the end of the walk.They cascade so beautifully and give off the perfect sound echoing through the trees.Here is a quick selfie with the falls behind me and my boyfriend trying to capture a spider he found with the camera.After the walk around, we went to Cape Enrage for rappelling!It was a much clearer day than the one before it so it made for gorgeous views of the light house.The clouds provided a great backdrop for the day.I hand't gone off these cliffs in a long time but it was easy and came right back to me. We had to wear the silliest hairnets under our helmets and it was a little cold, but once our adrenaline started rushing, it warmed up.We have tons of pictures of us going over the ledge but this one was by far the bestThe next day we headed to Prince Edward Island. You can follow along with the second week of our vacation in the next post!

Travel: Canada Part I

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