St. Andrews, New Brunswick | This Small Town Surprised Us | RVing the Maritimes #1

There are lighthouses, picturesque fishing villages. There are dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, and stunning coastal drives. There are historic sailing ships. And stories that help shape a nation. There are places you know you must visit and others you never knew existed. And there's the world's highest tides and some of the precious seafood you'll ever taste. So join us over the next 14 episodes as we explore the Maritimes, the Magdalene Islands, and Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula. A journey through beautiful landscapes, fascinating history, intriguing places, and experiences that continually surprised us. And along the way we'll stay at some of the most unique campgrounds we've come across anywhere in North America. Often in settings and with views that were pretty hard to believe. So let's get started with episode one where we'll begin our journey to the small seaside town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, where we'll find a campground with a front row seat to the Bay of Fundy Tides, drive across the ocean floor to a national historic site, visit one of Canada's most haunted buildings, and enjoy high tea at a legendary resort. We are Terry and Cindy O'Keefe and we've been camping together for more than 45 years. And we invite you to join us on a 14-episode adventure as we explore the Maritimes, the Magdalene Islands, and Gaspésie. Well, it is May 23rd and the sun's trying to shine. And we're all hooked up. We're ready to head to the Maritimes, right Ranger? The lilacs were just reaching full bloom as we pulled away from home and set out for St. Andrews, a three days drive away. We'd intentionally left on a Saturday to try and avoid at least a bit of that notorious Montreal traffic. Boy, that is tight in here. Whoa, the mirror just cleared. And even though it's a toll highway, taking A30 bypass helped. Quebec's Route 20 stretched out before us as we headed for our first stop, a harvest host fruit farm and winery. Just east of Quebec City, we left the highway and headed for Le Ricanau. And the change was almost immediate. The traffic disappeared as we found ourselves traveling quiet country roads through the farms and small communities of the St. Lawrence River Valley. This was actually our very first harvest host stay and it couldn't have been a better introduction. We spent the night at Le Ricanau, a family-run berry farm and winery in Quebec's Belgian region. Bonjour, how are you? Doing pretty good, what about you? Very good, thank you. I have an inkling that's for our harvest host for today. I am? Yeah. You see the two panels? Yes, the two signs right here, yeah. In the grass? Yeah. You can take either one of these and get yourself comfortable. Wonderful, well thank you. So this is our first time at a harvest host and it looks like a lovely spot. So I'm just gonna turn around here so I can back in where Cindy's standing over there. If you go straight, you're good. Okay, that I can do. So what do you, what do you, what do you think so far? Oh my god, it's beautiful. Better than I came away. No, it's absolutely gorgeous, I mean look. Gorgeous farm and it's a nice way to support a small business too. Yeah, absolutely. Well let's go check out the store. You bang? Oh, I forgot my wallet. Hello again. Hello again. What a beautiful spot. Yeah? Beautiful, yeah. And you came with the unessentially perfect weather as well. Yeah, we brought it, we brought it. So we make wines and alcohols made with berries, mostly raspberries and strawberries. And so we'll have the whole range right there of essentially products that will cover everything from the aperitif to the digestive. After learning about the winery's offerings, we had a quick tasting. By the end, a seven-year-old fortified wine, Portageur, proved to be our favourite, with rich berry flavours and a subtle hint of maple. Terry can't resist anything maple. Oh, look who's talking. After the tasting and a walk through the orchards and trails, we were reminded that these RV adventures really are about the journey, not just the destination. When we camped at a horse farm in Georgia, this is the first time camping at a at a berry farm winery. Yeah, very cool and such beautiful farms and they're huge. You feel like you're in the middle of nowhere, but Quebec City is not too far away. Oh, this was our first Harvest Host, and other than of course the fee to join Harvest Host, this day, this stop tonight, didn't cost us anything. But you are expected of course to do some business with the host. Now, on our way to the Maritimes, we are doing one more Harvest Host. It's our next stop and it's at a brewery. Don't get the wrong idea, we're not. But really enjoyed it here. We rose early the next morning as the sun poured across the valley, somehow reinforcing the tranquility of this farming region. Good boy, come on. Then, back on the road. Is that a train ranger? Oh, what's the train doing there? You like trains? Are you gonna get it? Get that train? Where did it go? And when Ranger was done admiring the train, we made it back to Highway 20 East, New Brunswick bound. Here, the flat landscape was interrupted by a series of Monteregian hills, ancient volcanic intrusions that unexpectedly rise from the surrounding lowlands. Before long, we turned south, leaving the St. Lawrence River behind, as the road began climbing into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. On our way to another Harvest Host stop, Big Axe Brewery. Hey, we're officially in the Maritimes. And just a quick note here, the Maritimes is made up of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. If you want to add Newfoundland into the mix, that larger region is referred to as Atlantic Canada. By mid-afternoon, we rolled into Nackawick, New Brunswick, home to the world's largest axe, headed for the Big Axe Brewery. There it is. There's where the Harvest Host parking is here. Oh, this is really nice. Nice views. Nowhere else in here. It's fairly level too. Let's go find out where they want us. This is another beautiful spot. Harvest Host, Big Axe Brewery. Beautiful sites across the road, right on the banks of the St. John River. So let's go see if the beer is just as good. Once we got seated, our server told us Big Axe Brewery is very dog friendly. So Cindy hopped back to the trailer and brought Ranger to join us. Mine's called a Lizzie Borden. Yours is called a Roll in the Hay. Cheers. That's nice. Light beer, citrusy, perfect for this kind of weather. This is really chocolatey. Yeah. Want to try each other's? Nice, but I would never drink that in the wintertime. Yeah, and I prefer this one. Okay. Like the winery, some of the brewery's fairs joined us on our adventure. The first two days of driving sure made a mess of the nose of the trailer. Look at the bugs on here. Wow. You all ready, Ranger? You all ready, Cindy? All ready. All righty, here we go. We were planning to check out the town's famous Giant Axe before leaving for St. Andrews, but the rain was coming down in buckets, so the axe visit ended up on the chopping block. Take the exit right, 258, then keep right. According to Google Maps, this wasn't going to be a long drive, so we decided to take what we thought might be a scenic route cutting across the southwest section of New Brunswick on highways 3 and 127. Highway 3 provided just what we'd hoped for, and despite the weather, the forests and small towns were very scenic. After 500 meters, turn left, route 127. I wish we could say the same thing about highway 127. Hard to believe the last time we saw this was a 90 zone. We've been doing 50 through parts of it. It's letting them go by. I can't drive the speeds they're doing on this road. GoPro cameras have excellent image stabilization, so the video does not even come close to showing how bad this road is. The shaking and rattling stopped as we arrived in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea. Just 30 kilometers from the U.S. border and situated on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, St. Andrews is one of Canada's oldest and best preserved seaside towns. After 300 meters, you have reached your destination. It is on your right. It was still pouring as we arrived at the Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping, but that wasn't going to dampen our enjoyment of this well-maintained campground with front row seats to Passamaquoddy Bay. And it's funny, this is us here. I'm getting wet. Yeah, but you know tomorrow when the sun's out, that view is going to make it all worth it. Let's take a look. Oh yeah. By late afternoon, the rain finally stopped and we were able to walk across the road to explore the ocean floor before the tide could reclaim it. Hello, Ranger. The tide will be all the way and it'll be right up to where we're standing now, which is right here. We go up these steps, there's our trailer right there. The Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground is just a short walk from downtown St. Andrews, but with the iffy weather, we decided to drive in. Looks like the big harbor jetty right there. This was a Monday in late May, so the town was still pretty quiet, but it gave us a great opportunity to wander the wharf. That's where everyone comes to walk their dogs. Yeah, this is a time to come here before it gets crazy busy this summer. You can see the Algonquin Hotel off in the background there, Cyn. By the time we got back to our site, the clouds were clearing and the tide was in. So the tide has actually come up over the first step, Ranger. If we were down there, you'd be swimming. Subtle pink hues reflected off the calm ocean waters the next morning. You can sit here right at the campsite and watch for whales. So far, nothing. If there's an upside to driving in all that rain yesterday, it cleaned all the bugs off the front of the trailer. So walking on the ocean floor the night before was cool. If only we could drive on it. Where is it? There? Yeah. Yeah, you can just see this. The road is still just under a tiny bit of water right there. Yeah. Well, that's exactly what we were going to have to do to visit Ministers Island. So the bar connecting Ministers Island to the mainland is under five meters or 16 feet of water at high tide. So it's really interesting looking at the hours of operation. It depends on the tide being out. So, for example, today is May the 26th, 1230, and then we have to leave by six. But if we were coming here on the Saturday, it would be 345 p.m. and out at 8 p.m. Make sure you stay away from the soft, sandy portion. You don't want to sink? No. Ministers Island is a fascinating national historic site. And the former summer estate of Sir William Van Horn, one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Pacific Railway. But you can only get there when the Bay of Fundy says you can. And when it was safe to cross, a truck from Ministers Island led the way. How's it feel driving across this? Well, we've walked on the ocean floor before. It's the first time we've driven on it. There's still water right here. Pretty cool, this is. Starts here, ends at the 53-room mansion on the opposite side of the island. Perfect. I recommend starting there first. Start at the mansion? And then work your way back in. Wonderful. Thanks, Brayden. Yes, no problem. Have a great day. You too. What Van Horn created here is remarkable. A sprawling country estate, working farm, and seaside retreat, all on an island that becomes separated from the mainland every time the tide comes in. 1891, construction began on the house named for Sir William Van Horn's father, which started as a somewhat modest summer cottage. After as many as seven modifications, became the 50-room residence you see today. It's a modest 50-room cottage. It is. Beautiful. Every 30 minutes, staff provide a quick overview of the island's history, and after that orientation, visitors are free to self-explore the estate and island. When the Loyalists arrived, they brought with them Reverend Samuel Andrews, and in 1790, he built his home here, which is how the island got its name, Minister's Island. So that is the small house over by the barn that you would have passed on your way up to this house. So it wasn't until about 100 years later that Sir William Van Horn discovered the island and thought it would make a good place to build his summer estate. A little bit about Van Horn himself. He's American-born from Illinois. He dropped out of school when he was quite young, around the age of 14, and he went to work for the Illinois Central Railway. And in 1881, he came to Canada as the general manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway. So he was given 10 years to complete this project. He was able to finish it in four and a half years, so under half the time. Because of this accomplishment, he was knighted, hence the title Sir William Van Horn. Another thing you'll notice as you step into the main room to your left is a big painting of the last spike. So the man driving the spike is Donald Smith. He got this honor because he funded most of the project. Beside Donald Smith, you can see a younger William Van Horn with the black roti in the top hat, and behind both of them, Sir Stanford Fleming, who was responsible for developing standardized time. When you go in to your very right, behind this wall, you'll find Sir William Van Horn's bedroom. It's on the main floor away from the rest of the family because he only slept about four hours a night. There's lots of his original artworks throughout the home. He was a self-taught artist. He much liked to paint. You'll find lots in his bedroom, a big one in the main room above the fireplace, and then one in the dining room, and a few in his studio at the end of the hall this way. The billiard room. Yeah. Look at how big that table is. Wow. Whoa, are you real? I think that's a caribou, isn't it? I think so. It's a reindeer, yeah. Oh, I would love to play a game on this table. It'd be very appropriate for a man's room. Yeah, yeah. It makes me feel like I haven't quite achieved everything I should have. This is the butler's pantry where things could be prepared and ready. Oh, and where's the kitchen? Actually, if this is the kitchen, it doesn't seem very big, does it? No. Considering the grandeur of the home, I thought the kitchen was going to be bigger. That is a heck of a stove. Yeah. This is probably the servants' room. We were talking about servants and staff. This is a sign, elsewhere in the house, that says it took 12 to 20 men to shake out this carpet. What a nice bathhouse. Wow, look at the views. Change rooms. It's incredible. What fascinated us about Van Horn was the scale of his curiosity. He may be best remembered as one of the key driving forces behind the Canadian Pacific Railway, yet he brought that same energy and vision to his farm, experimenting with crops, livestock, and new agricultural techniques, simply because he believed there might be a better way to do things. How are you doing? Good, thank you. Oh my gosh, you've got a Shelby. Yes, I'm sorry, you're getting ignored for a minute. What's her name? Bodie. Hi, Bodie. Built in 1889. It's 150 feet long, and it was built by shipwrights. Unemployed shipwrights from St. John. I know whoever designed this building designed it for the animals. Pigs need heat. They have no hair on them. The horses were above the piggery. Drop the horse, lift up, and where do you put the horse poop? Happiest pig in the shed. This thing is huge. The rail system they had in here for moving stuff. And this was the piggery. So where's the little door that the poop dropped out of? Oh, right up there. Oh, it's a neat look. Look up. We're actually inside a silo where all the corn feed was kept. This is a spectacular barn, and to think it was built 130 years ago. Ahead of his time. Looks a lot different now. When we first arrived in St. Andrews, we mentioned it was steeped in history, and that includes a blockhouse erected to protect the town in the War of 1812. So this island right here, that's part of New Brunswick, but the land over there? Right. That's the United States. That's Maine. That's where they were battling. I don't think there was ever shots fired here, but obviously they put up defences. The blockhouse is just a stone's throw from the town centre, with a main street lined with quaint shops and restaurants. And while Cindy did some browsing, I set off to visit one of St. Andrews' most infamous historic sites, the notorious and reportedly haunted Charlotte County Jail. First stop was the old courthouse museum next to the jail, where staff couldn't have been more welcoming. Before it closed, it was the longest Queen's Bench court in Canada. Wow. Tours hadn't officially started for the season, but fortunately, Miss Demeanour, as she's appropriately known when touring the jail, was kind enough to make an exception and show me around. Four inches this way, maybe 12 inches that way. And that's a cell in there. There's a cell in there. So it makes you feel how cold it is. Yeah, I could feel the cold just putting the camera near there. These thick granite walls witnessed two of New Brunswick's most controversial executions. Thomas Dowd in 1879, whose sentence raised questions about whether justice had been too harsh, and Royal Air Force Airman Tom Roland Hutchings in 1942, following a controversial conviction that left plenty of unanswered questions. Now, Thomas Dowd was hung above this door for the murder of Thomas Ward. You're about to learn a lot of Thomases in a very short time. Is that why you asked me if my name was Thomas? So you open up, Terry. You be the jailer. And then to open the second door, pull the chain towards you, pull the whole door towards you, and then just unhook. There you go. It used to make the most wonderful creaking sound, but they oiled it. See how dark it is? Now, it's a nice sunny day outside. It's only got what? I've just got a Can you imagine what it would have been like in the fall when the time changes? This would have been, by today's standards, cruel and unusual punishment to keep people in these conditions. And this is Thomas Dowd, who was hung above the door, 16th of January, 1879, for the murder of Thomas Ward. However, Eliza Ward, his wife, was due to hang. She was in that cell, but the government kept the world first. Picked up such a storm about hanging a pregnant woman, because she was pregnant with Thomas Dowd's child, that they gave her seven years hard labour at the daughter's, the jail. Then another cell. Hello, Sergeant Thomas Hutchins, and this is Sergeant Tom Rowland Hutchins' cell. He was the gentleman who was hung in 1942. The gallows are here. Oh my gosh. Part of them. I don't like it in there. The hygiene cell is where they had a cold shower and a toilet, so good luck. What's that? Good luck. I'll hold the door for you. Okay. There's something you're not telling me. I just get away quickly, and anytime anyone's taking a picture of me in here, I've disappeared. Or I have a man standing at the side who really likes to kind of get, um, pull my hair. He doesn't mean anything by it, I just don't like it. You know when you sense something, um... So you're saying that this is definitely haunted in here? Oh, definitely. Why, why do you think this room, this particular, because it's not even a cell. I'd rather not say. Okay. This is a unique piece of history. It really is. You get a chance to come and check it out if you, uh, are into these kinds of things, especially the paranormal. It's definitely worth a stop. Lock them up for the night. You don't want them following you home. There you go. Thank you so much. No worries. The staff at the courthouse and jail were wonderful, and if this unusual kind of history interests you, stop by and ask about a tour. The town even has ghost walks. Here she comes. She's got something. What have you got? Something different. Oh, that's a pretty color. What's it say on it? Probably St. Andrews. St. Andrews by the sea. Very nice. And there was one more item Cindy wanted to pick up, which required a stop at the camp store. What did you buy? Covered bridge potato chips, Atlantic lobster. Lobster flavored potato chips. Yeah, we shall see. Beautiful here. On our last day in St. Andrews, we had a definite change of speed and headed for the Algonquin. This grand resort seems almost a little out of place overlooking a small seaside town like St. Andrews, and that's part of what makes it so intriguing. Since 1889, it's welcomed generations of vacationers, prime ministers, presidents, and royalty. So dressed in our finest camping garb, we figured we'd fit right in for the Algonquin's spring garden tea. Oh, I gotta try Irish breakfast. So which did you select? I got the blueberry fruit and herb. Lovely color. And what do you have? It is the mocha rooibos. I don't know if you cheers with tea, but. But pinkies up. Pinkies up. Okay. So there's four sandwiches, but they referred to them salmon, chicken. I forget what the other two even were. And then there's three scones of blueberry and two cream scones. And then there's four desserts, a blueberry tartlet, a blueberry cheesecake. There's one of these for each of us. I'm not going to be able to eat all this, but we'll be able to take it home. That was absolutely delicious. Believe it or not, didn't look like a lot of food, but it was. We came to finish it all. So we are going to bring the rest of the dessert and one of the scones home for dinner tonight and enjoy it again. Even gave Cindy a cup for her tea she didn't finish to take with her. We're walking back carrying our yummy leftovers. What did you think? That was wonderful. Thank you for researching and bringing me here. It was wonderful. Besides the fact it was delicious, it was really unique. Yeah, it was. It was. Loved it. Feeling rather posh after tea, there was one last stop to make. Kingsbrake Gardens is a 27 acre garden just outside downtown St. Andrews. Good morning. And while it's 50,000 plus perennials are the main event, there's enough else going on that you don't need to be a horticulturalist or even a gardening enthusiast to enjoy exploring it. And we happen to have some kids along who doesn't like goats and alpacas. Hello there. We've got very noisy neighbors. The peacock is showing off his feathers for us. Don't you look stunning, eh? Wow, you look beautiful. Yes, you do. The spring blooms are just finishing getting ready for the summer ones. After doing a rock in a hard place. Reminds me of a lighthouse lens. And Kingsbrake Gardens also has what appears to be a very beautiful little cafe. But unfortunately, oh, it's not open yet. They said 10. I guess I'm a little early. So I know I'm here, it's late May. You know, some of the spring blooms are just fading and the summer flowers haven't hit yet. But oh my goodness, the peace and the serenity and the tranquility that you feel on these grounds is absolutely remarkable. Not normally a garden person, but really, really happy I came. And just before we wrap up our first episode, a few practical tips for our fellow campers. Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping has a good mix of sites, including full hookups and even a few in a small wooded area. And of course, it's got a laundry and a clubhouse. It's also only a short walk from downtown St. Andrews, so it's an easy place to park the rig and explore without having to drive anywhere. And Cindy found a great walking trail that runs right past the campground. Well, how cool is this? I'm just walking on the trail and I've come across a bike repair fix-it station. Never seen one of these before. What a great idea. And we also noticed that they tend to keep the nicest oceanfront sites available for travelers. The seasonal sites are more in the back. And we also had a great personal experience at the campground when some viewers from Utah, Colorado, Alabama stopped by to tell us that they were headed to Newfoundland with a caravan and that they had seen our series on going to Newfoundland. And there had been a lot of help, which was genuinely nice to hear. So if our pies ever cross in a campground, please come and say hello. Well, if you're wondering how far out the tide goes, you can see this. I'm only halfway. So a few final thoughts. We genuinely enjoyed our time in St. Andrews. It's a small seaside community, but lots of things to see and do. Yeah. And while we were there too early in the season for some of the things like whale watching, our days were still filled with some really unique experiences from low tides to high tees and history that ranged from remarkable and inspiring to dark and decidedly eerie. And we're not done with New Brunswick yet. On our next episode, we'll continue along the Bay of Fundy Coast, hop aboard a ferry, and head offshore to explore New Brunswick's Grand Manand Island.