After getting acquainted with our fellow travelers and celebrating at a welcome dinner with all the trimmings, we leave Houlton, Maine and start our trip north. Crossing the Canadian border together, we visit the longest covered bridge in the world near Woodstock, New Brunswick. We spend quality time at King’s Landing Historical Settlement to see how a 19th century New Brunswick family lived. Next is a walking tour in the city of Fredericton to see Officers Square where a reenactment of the “Changing of the Guard” by British Soldiers is held. We see the Bay of Fundy with the world’s highest tides and the famed "flower pots" rock formations at Hopewell Cape near Alma.

We cross the Northumberland Strait on the new bridge to Prince Edward Island (PEI) and enjoy four delightful days including a city bus tour of Charlottetown one day and a PEI bus tour including lunch at the famous PEI Preserve Company on another day. While in PEI we tour the New Glasgow Country Gardens and Butterfly House, enjoy a Lobster Fishing Demonstration and visit the Green Gables home that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery to author the novel “Anne of Green Gables” and then stop at the earthenware factory that produces “Anne of Green Gables” figurines. Then relax and enjoy the live play “Anne of Green Gables” at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Prince Edward Island is famous for its warm hospitality, mouth watering seafood, striking red soil, warm waters, fine white beaches and deep cut coves. Enjoy the endless beauty of this Island and then highlight your visit with an included lobster dinner at the famous Fisherman’s Wharf in North Rustico.

Crossing back over the Northumberland Strait, we head to Hilden, Nova Scotia where the local Fire Brigade has a fantastic private dinner planned for us. We visit the Tidal Bore Interpretation Centre and then you have the opportunity to participate in an optional tidal bore rafting trip up the Shubenacadie River or just cheer your friends on and be an observer.

The next day we stop to see “Gran Pré,” the area written about in Longfellow’s “Evangeline.” Next is Annapolis Royal where we see Port Royal Habitation, Fort Anne, the Tidal Electric Generation Station and the Royal Historic Botanical Gardens where we enjoy a delightful lunch. Annapolis Royal is the second oldest city on the North American continent. See houses dating back to the 1700’s. All of Louisiana’s Cajun ancestors originated from this area. Also there is great fishing here with no license required. Forty pound striped bass have been caught right from the dock at the campground where we stay.

The beautiful and charming city of Lunenburg is one of everyone’s favorite places. We have two days to enjoy this exquisite area and to visit the Lunenburg Fisheries Museum in addition to touring the Bluenose if it is in port. The Bluenose is the undefeated champion of the North Atlantic fishing fleet and winner of four international schooner races; her likeness is on the Canadian dime.

Heading east we spend three days in the Halifax - Dartmouth area. Enjoy a guided city bus tour where we see the giant stone fortress of Halifax, Citadel National Historic Park, Province House, Old St. Paul’s Church, dazzling public gardens, historic waterfront properties, the National Harbour and much more. See the Titanic Memorial and Burial Grounds plus the White and Red Lighthouse at the point of Peggy’s Cove which is an actual post office. After we enjoy a great luncheon at the restaurant, we can mail letters or postcards and have them post marked “Peggy’s Cove.” A staff prepared breakfast is held in the clubhouse while in Halifax.

At Auld’s Cove, we drive across the world’s deepest causeway to Cape Breton Island and Baddeck, Nova Scotia. While there we tour the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and enjoy a fabulous bus tour (including lunch) of the Cabot Trail named for new world explorer, John Cabot. It is one of the most beautiful drives in North America with its elegant fishing villages and picturesque coastline. On this tour we also visit the village of Cheticamp, Joe’s Scarecrow Exhibit, the Highland Links and Flora’s Gift shop which is rated #1 in the Maritimes.

For those who have been with us on the 23-day Mini Vacation, we say our good-byes at a caravan included Lobster Dinner Party on the Wharf in North Sydney, Nova Scotia. This is a beautiful setting for us to enjoy the ambience. For a description of the Newfoundland and Labrador portion of this tour, please see the next page.
For those joining us on the 28-day Classic Vacation, we welcome you to a special Lobster Dinner and “Get Acquainted Party” at Rollies on the Wharf in North Sydney. For those who are with us on the 49-day Ultimate Dream Vacation, enjoy the dinner and party, it is our special treat to you.

The next day we board the ferry with our rigs for our trip onto Newfoundland. The ferry is a 14-hour, 280-mile trip leaving early morning and arriving in Argentia that evening. We can rest and relax as there’s good fun and great fare aboard the ferry. Enjoy a full course dinner in pleasant surroundings, relax in the lounge featuring local entertainers or watch the latest movies in the video theatre. On our journey between the mainland and the island there’s so much to see: The wide open sky, diving whales and soaring seabirds. We have an opportunity to tour the ship’s control room where the friendly Canadian crew is always on hand to answer any questions that you may have about the ocean or the ship.

Newfoundland has much to offer the history buff. Leif Eriksson and his Vikings settled in L’Anse Aux Meadows and Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message at Signal Hill on December 12, 1901.

We travel across the Avalon Peninsula to St. John’s, Newfoundland - much to see and do here. In St. John’s (the oldest city in North America) we charter a bus for a guided city tour, which includes Quidi Vidi Village with lots of local charm, Cabot Tower, Signal Hill (scene of the last battle between the French and English for the dominion of the Atlantic coast) plus the Signal Hill “Tattoo.” After lunch at “My Brothers Place” we visit the famous “Veiled Virgin,” Cape Spear lighthouse (the farthest point east in North America) and Petty Harbour. Our final day in St. John’s we visit the Institute for Ocean Technology where we are in awe as we see them design, build and test new boats and ships such as the sailboats for America’s Cup.

In Gander we see the North Atlantic Aviation Museum with its interesting history and exhibits plus the Silent Witness Memorial where 248 American soldiers, plus eight crew members, lost their lives in the worst Canadian air disaster in history on December 12, 1986. You are in for a treat as we enjoy a great steak barbecue dinner with all the trimmings upon arrival and an authentic Newfi e breakfast the next morning prepared by local natives at the RV Park.

Next we really mingle with the natives as we head to the laid back scenic fishing community of Twillingate located along the Northeast Coast of Notre Dame Bay. Here we get the VIP treatment as local friends are our hosts, for three exciting days. The locals look forward to our arriving so they can show us their wonderful friendship and hospitality. They have a traditional local Newfie dinner planned for us the evening we arrive. Twillingate is definitely a highlight of this tour and the best place to experience the old down home Newfie traditions and culture you come on these trips for. Beside some very interesting tours, we enjoy the live local musical show “Split Peas”. We top this all off with a scenic whale watching boat cruise aboard the M.V. Daybreak. The boat tour covers an area where kittiwakes, razorbills, storm petrels, murres and cormorants can also be seen. This is a prime location to view whales so we should have an opportunity to see and photograph Humpback and Minke Whales in their natural environment.
Another highlight of this caravan is Springdale. This evening we sit down to a fantastic private dinner served and hosted by local natives. Then we take part in “Newfie Time” and a traditional Newfie “Screech-in Ceremony.” You will never forget this day as it is truly a unique experience. Enjoy the gorgeous scenery and learn how mussels are grown, followed by a fresh mussel cookout.

Then it’s on to Rocky Harbour where we are free to explore Gros Morne National Park and see some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Canada. Covering over 695 square miles, Gros Morne has many lakes and fjords with Western Brook Pond, the most striking having cliffs rising to 2,250 feet. Due to its outstanding geology, the park was proclaimed “A UNESCO World Heritage Site” in 1987. Our staff are the chefs and treat you to a Barbecue hamburger feast one evening.

Following the coastline north, we spend two fun filled days in St. Anthony. This is one of the most interesting and historic areas in North America. We tour the Village of L’Anse Aux Meadows where the Vikings landed about the year 1,000 A.D. Proof of their existence can still be seen at the original excavations as well as at the reconstruction of the original Norse village. Our bus also takes us to tour Norstead Viking Village, Grenfell Experience and the popular Jordi Bonet Murals. There are plenty of moose in this area so keep your eyes peeled for these magnificent animals. While in St. Anthony we enjoy a special Viking evening called “The Viking Feast.” After we are seated, the Viking activities begin along with a feast of delicious and varied Viking food. After the meal, everyone is encouraged to take part in the “Viking Yell-In” ceremonies, making everyone an authentic Viking. We are given certificates verifying that you have been inducted into the “Eternal Viking Family.”

From St. Barbe we take the passenger ferry to Labrador and the Northern Lights Inn in L’Anse Aux Clair. Here we enjoy a bus tour of the Labrador Straits, the burial grounds in L’Anse-Amour and the one time whaling capital of the world, Red Bay, Labrador. That evening we sit down to a fantastic Basque dinner, spend the night and wake up to a splendid breakfast buffet. After returning to St. Barbe by ferry, we travel to Deer Lake where we visit the famous Newfoundland Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion.

After a stopover in Grand Codroy, we take our rigs to the ferry for our four-hour return trip to North Sydney and then on to Louisbourg where we spend two fun filled days. We visit the Fortress at Louisbourg, where one quarter of an 18th century French Colonial Town
has been authentically restored. One evening we go to the Louisbourg Playhouse to enjoy a great stage show and live Ceilidh (Kaylee) entertainment.

After a night in Truro we stop in Saint John, New Brunswick where the Reversing Waterfalls will be part of our Saint John area sightseeing tour. We enjoy an exquisite farewell dinner party at the scenic “Reversing Falls Gardens Restaurant” on our final evening there. Then it’s on to the border and Bangor, Maine where we say our good-byes to all of the new friends we met on the caravan and remembering the good times and fun we all had on our Ultimate Dream Vacation to the Canadian Maritime Provinces.