Grand Manan Island | Exploring a Different Side of New Brunswick | RVing the Maritimes Ep 2

On this episode, we load the RV onto a ferry and sail to Grand Manan Island to explore fishing communities both new and historic, discover landscapes far more rugged than we expected, as well as one of the most unique and picturesque lighthouses we've seen. Oh yeah, and we'll also tell you where you can find one of the best lobster rolls in the Maritimes. The suspense is killing me. Apparently she makes her own buns here too. 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. It was cold, gray, and windy as we departed St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, headed for Black's Harbor and the ferry to Grand Manan Island. After 350 meters, turn left, New Brunswick Provincial Highway 1 East, then take the highway. It was only about an hour's drive before we reached the small coastal community and the ferry terminal. After 300 meters, you have reached your destination. Good morning, how are you doing? We do? O'Keefe. Okay, we'll do. Is it busy today? It is. What's the name of this one? The Adventure. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. The woman who checked us in explained the ferry was fully booked, in a large part because it was lobster season, which brings a lot of commercial traffic to and from the island. So if you're planning to make this trip, reservations are a good idea. We should also note you need to arrive at least 45 minutes before departure or risk losing your reservation. After shutting off the trailer's propane, we had a little time to explore the terminal area. The terminal itself has a small seating lounge and washrooms. Outside, the Grand Manan 5 sat tied to the dock. This ship helps handle the additional traffic during the busier summer season, alongside the year-round ferry, the Grand Manan Adventure. That's a really nice one of our blankets on the back seat. What's that for? Well, he's going to be in the car when you cross on the ferry. You want him to be warm. Oh, look at you. Are you going to be warm enough in there? Yes. Yeah, there's no pet-friendly cabins on this ferry. What? Right on time, the Grand Manan Adventure appeared in the picturesque harbor and made her way toward the wharf. As a roll-on, roll-off ferry, unloading didn't take long, and before we knew it, it was our turn to board. It is absolutely beautiful here. Just want to get your tamper on the wall. Okay, I'll meet you at the stairs over there, okay? The stair B. The ferry crossing is 32 kilometers and takes about 90 minutes. This is not a short island hop, and if the waters of the Bay of Fundy kick up, it can make it very apparent that this is the ocean. The Grand Manan Adventure was purpose-built for this run. She's 85 and a half meters or 280 feet long and can carry up to 360 passengers and 82 vehicles. And one of the interesting abilities of this ship is its configurable deck with hydraulically operated hoistable sections that allow the crew to arrange the layout depending on what's traveling that day. Once aboard, you'll find plenty of seating, nothing too plush, mind you, and a full-service restaurant. Electrical outlets are wired for North American plugs, making phone charging simple. And pets are allowed on the outside decks or, like Ranger, can stay in your vehicle. There's a higher seating area. And just speaking of the outer decks, there is a small seating area on the upper deck where you can take in the sun, well, not on this crossing, obviously, or watch for whales or fishing boats. You very much get a sense of the rise and fall of the ship lengthwise from up here. After about an hour, Grand Manan filled the horizon and the Swallowtail Lighthouse, the island's most iconic landmark, greeted the ferry's arrival. Rounding Swallowtail Lighthouse, we made the sharp turn into North Head Harbor. That's when you really notice just how maneuverable the adventure is, something she needs to be to handle the small harbors and 30-foot tides. So when she makes a tight turn like this, you definitely notice the lean. Passengers with the vehicles may now proceed to their vehicles in preparation for disembarkation. Ranger! Hello! You have a sleep? Good boy. Just about as soon as you land, you realize that Grand Manan is a working island. This is not staged for tourists. Yes, tourism is important to them, but the towns, the harbors, the lobster boats, the communities, the dulse harvesting, this is genuine New Brunswick. The Anchorage, 16 kilometers. There are just two campgrounds on Grand Manan, the privately operated North Head campground near the ferry terminal and the Anchorage, the island's only provincial park, which is where we were headed. Ranger, arrived at the Anchorage. There, completely level. Once we had camp set up, we began our exploration of this 24-kilometer-long island. Our first stop, not far from the campground, was Seal Cove. For more than 150 years, a center of Grand Manan's fishing industry, today is home to two very different harbors. Now a National Historic Site, the Old Harbor preserves some remarkable reminders of that past. Its weathered smokehouses and sheds date largely from 1870 to 1930, the heyday of Grand Manan's smoked herring industry, when the island was one of the world's leading producers. Today, most of these former herring smokehouses serve as repair and storage sheds for the community's commercial fishers, and the rustic buildings and narrow roads provide a streetscape any photographer will love. Just outside the Old Harbor's break wall, the new harbor brings Seal's Cove story into the present. It's home to a sizable working fleet, and these aren't just lobster boats. Boats based here work fisheries including scallop, halibut, and sea urchin, while others support Grand Manan's salmon aquaculture industry. We continued following Route 776 to its end at Southwest Head, where we expected a lighthouse to be the attraction. The structure itself, meh, but the coastline it overlooks, well that surprised the heck out of us. Very Newfoundlandish, that's a long ways down. Well, you can see the seaweed and then the dark band above it. I'm going to say that's where the high water is. From Southwest Head, we backtracked, eventually reaching Grand Harbor and Newton's Mercantile and Cafe. That's a lot of lobster traps. The chickadee is cute too, eh? Yeah, I'm not sure the favorite bird. It's a really nice gift shop, but for us, the baked goods were the star. I'll be your waiter today. Thank you. There's your coffee, ma'am, and your ginger snap cookie. It was getting late, so we headed back to the campground, arriving with just enough time to explore the beach. Don't you just hate it when you've got a beach to yourself? It's the joy of traveling this time of year. Ranger, come on you. Come on, you're getting salt water in your mouth. Yeah, that didn't taste very good, did it? That is some sparkly water, and that's a lot of fishing buoys. The next morning, we set out for North Head, where two of Grand Manan's best-known attractions are located. Perched high above the entrance to North Head Harbor is perhaps Grand Manan's most recognizable landmark, Swallowtail Lighthouse. Even the walk out to Swallowtail is worth taking your time with. This is a lovely trail here. And even though you know they're right ahead, the lighthouse, the keeper's residence, and the Bay of Fundy itself almost surprise you with a sudden appearance at a crest in the trail. First lit 1860. The wooden cedar shingle tower is 17 meters or 55 feet tall, but because it sits high on the rocky point, the light itself is roughly 148 feet above the water. Swallowtail was built 166 years ago after the three-masted merchant ship Lord Ashburton was driven ashore on the adjacent cliffs during a blinding storm with the loss of 21 crew. And sitting on such an exposed point came with its own challenges. Powerful Fundy storms batter the light station, so the tower is secured to the bedrock with heavy steel cables. The original light burned porpoise, yes, porpoise oil, and the station eventually included a fog bell to warn ships when Grand Manan's notoriously thick fog made the light impossible to see. I've seen lots of buoys that have bells on them, but I've never seen a fog bell. And that was, this was actually here on Grand Manan for quite a while. More than 166 years after it was first lit, Swallowtail remains a working lighthouse and active aid to navigation. And just a quick note here, our May visit put us there too early for the lighthouse tour season, but the small gift shop was open, and that's where we found one of the two lobster trap markers that made their way home with us. Just a short drive from Swallowtail, another trail follows the rugged coastline at North Head, the hole in the wall, a natural sea arch carved through the cliffs by the relentless waters of the Bay of Fundy. Look up. This way then. So the trail started out nice and easy, but it's gotten a lot more rugged. And because Cindy's nursing an injury today, she and Ranger are going to walk back to the truck. I'm going to continue on and try and show you the hole in the wall. I like the ropes to hold on to. That makes it a little easier for those of us with crappy knees. It is rough out there today, but I think we have actually made it to the hole in the wall. And if you are a lot braver than me, you can go paddling through there when the tide comes in and the water comes down. Barking, huh? What went down must go up. Oh, no, I know I'm going the right way. And we made it. So what'd you think of the hole in the wall? Well, it makes me remember how old I am and how bad my knees are. But no, the hike, you know, the hike itself, I'd call it moderate. But hole in the wall was really pretty. Yeah, I'm sorry you missed it, but I understand why. After Swallowtail and hole in the wall, we explored more of the island, visiting a few fishing harbors. And along the way, nearly everyone we met told us we had to visit Sunrise Seafood for a lobster roll. And let's just say Grand Mananers know their lobster rolls. Sunrise Seafood. Not the kind of place you think is going to have the best lobster roll on the island, eh? You just never know. Here it is right there. Order here. The tide is out, but our appetites aren't. Lobster roll, clams, halibut, scallops, not available. Fisherman's platter, clam roll, fish burger, fish burger with fish and chips, and gull's nest. What's a gull's nest? I don't know. You'll have to look that one up. And no worry about the scallops. You shall get them and no discussion. Wonderful, thanks. Fries. This is a good part. We want to see the good part. The suspense is killing me. Apparently she makes her own buns here too. That's just, that's just solid lobster meat. You gonna try the first bite or you want me to? Catch. You shouldn't talk with your mouth full, I know. That is amazing. So delicious. And yes, this is only episode two, but the entire trip is behind us as we're recording this. And we can say, without a doubt, that we had a lot of lobster rolls during our eight weeks in the Maritimes. And that was absolutely one of the very best. This trip is starting to remind us a little bit of our trip to Newfoundland. It is chilly this morning. You can hear the wind is blowing. Right now it's seven. It went down to four last night with this wind chill. Yeah, it's actually a lot colder than seven degrees right now. That's not going to stop us. This was our last full day on the island and we still had more to explore. I guess I should stop and pick up some dulce if we're going to try it. Oh, they're all spread out to dry. And how long did it take to dry? A day, like in the morning until four o'clock in the afternoon. Yeah, and where's your best spot for collecting? Dark Harbor. Have you been out there yet? That's where we're headed right now. That's where the famous dulce is. We're the capital of the world, actually. Dulce is very important to the remnant. It provides about 100 people a summer. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. That's where they dry it. Got a bag of it. Give it a whirl. With dulce in hand, we headed for Grand Manan's rugged western shore where a steep road drops through towering cliffs into one of the island's most unusual communities. It's quite the sandbar out there, eh? Oh my gosh, there's houses on it. Dark Harbor is little more than a handful of homes and cottages squeezed between the cliffs and the water with a narrow shoreline road that actually disappears beneath the Bay of Fundy at high tide. At low tide, rows of colorful dories rest on the exposed rocky shore. This is really rugged. Remind you of anywhere? No. Reminds me a little bit of Alaska. Yeah, a little bit. Maybe it's the weather. Yeah, probably. That bar with just rocks and old timbers but with buildings and houses. Behind the natural stone barrier, Dark Harbor Pond is home to something rather unusual. The world's first wild Atlantic salmon marine conservation farm. Endangered young salmon from the Bay of Fundy rivers are raised here in sea pens until adulthood before being returned to their native rivers to spawn. This unique community is another photographers will adore and it's also supposed to be a good spot for hunting sea glass. And look at that. Hold out your little paw. Oh, that's what I've been looking for. And you found it. Cool. From Dark Harbor, it was back to the campground and it's worth noting here that Anchorage Provincial Park has a few trails as well. I can't think of the name of what those are called. Are you giving Cindy grief? Good boy. Red Point Trail is an easy scenic coastal walk through a mix of forest and shoreline. It's a gentle hike and a nice way to experience the quieter natural side of the park. I'm just going to go check out this little overview. And the trail has a surprisingly poignant ending. Memory of those who have lost their lives in pursuit of their profession. They that go down to the sea and ships that do business in the great waters. These see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. So we're at the end of the trail. Back at the Anchorage Provincial Park beach. You want to go look for some more sea glass? Yeah, and maybe some more showers. Somebody's hiding here. I see ya. Yeah, I see ya. Go get Cindy. He doesn't know what to do. Who do I stay with? Ranger, go get her. Oh, you're gonna stay with me, are you? Okay, you're silly. Put out your hand. It's not sea glass. Today's surprises are... It's a giant's thumb. Doesn't that look like a thumb? Yeah, I don't want that. Oh, that's a great rock. Reminds me of the sour toe challenge I did in Alaska. It does. This park has a ton of bunnies. Again, I got the GoPro so it seems far away. A black one there. It's a brown and gray one up here on the path. Oh, he's pretending it's frozen. Yeah. Wow, he's letting us get so close. Oh, he's eating a carrot. Okay, well, there's one thing we have to try when we get back. What's that? We got to try the dulse. Yes, you are going to try it. I'm trying it? Yeah. Okay. I'm supervising. Green Sea Harvest Dulse. Talking with the gentleman, he says that the dulse from Grand Manan Island is considered the best in the world. Well, I had to check. So I looked it up on ChatGPT and he's absolutely right. This is considered the dulse capital of the world. And what can I tell you about this? It's packed with vitamins like B6, B12, and C. It's high in minerals, iodine, potassium, iron, and magnesium. It's good for your thyroid and got lots of antioxidants. And of course, it's all natural. So let's try. It's a very deep, deep burgundy color. And what's the verdict? It's also very chewy. Oh my goodness. Well, I want to say it's salty. Of course, it's salty. It's seaweed from the ocean. It tastes like the smell of the ocean. It's not just salt. I came prepared with some red wine. I think I'm going to be glad I did. Yeah, very different. But it's a delicacy and people around here love it. So some final thoughts. Yes, dulse is an acquired taste. Actually, I was going to say we really enjoyed our time there. But we have learned one thing that may be of importance for future visitors. New Brunswick has identified the Anchorage Provincial Park as one of several properties it hopes to divest itself of. So the campground is open while discussions continue about its future. But that future is uncertain. If you found this video helpful, please hit those like and subscribe buttons. It lets YouTube know that you value the content and you want to see more. Like our next video, where we'll visit St. John, New Brunswick's largest city and port, for some urban camping and to visit the reversing Falls Rapids. From there, we'll head to St. Martins and more oceanfront camping, covered bridges, absolutely incredible sea caves, and we'll drive New Brunswick's answer to the Cabot Trail, the Fundy Trail, with amazing coastal views. Isn't that beach beautiful? Waterfalls. And the Grand Canyon of New Brunswick. The Walton Glenn Gorge.