Day 4 - Saint Martins (Saint John) Part 2

Although I was looking forward to every port we were scheduled to visit, I was really looking forward to the excursion to Saint Martins from Saint John.  Earlier this year, I had seen an article on the CBC news site that mentioned the twin covered bridges in Saint Martins.  At the time one of the bridges had been shut down to traffic and my hope was that I would be able to walk across it.  Did I manage to do so?  You'll have to wait and see.

The bus trip took about an hour and 15 minutes, but Barbara kept us well entertained with interesting facts about New Brunswick and especially about Saint Martins where she resides.  The village was founded by Loyalists who left the U.S., and was the home of several shipbuilders who found the lumber they needed to build their ships right in their backyards.

I've since forgotten the details, but one of the stories Barbara shared was that of a shipbuilder who had gone out to sea, and was presumed as he was away from home for longer than expected. He was surprised when he returned that his wife and children had managed, without him, to finish the building of another ship.  What a story of resiliency and tenacity.

On the way through the village, Barbara pointed out some of the older homes but unfortunately I wasn't able to capture decent photos through the bus window.

Once we travelled across the covered bridge, we stopped down the road at the Caves restaurant.

We had a choice of seafood chowder or minestrone soup with a homemade biscuit or chicken strips and fries with dessert and a soda or coffee for lunch. I chose the minestrone which was wonderful...but the biscuit was even better!

On the way, Barbara had shown us a few rocks that had a line of color through them - she called them wishing rocks. 

At the beach we were told we could pick up as many as our pockets could hold (or six).  I found three that I thought I'd packed but I haven't found them just yet.

The restaurant is named for the sea caves nearby.  The lighting was not great but I did get a few photos.

Because the tide was rising we were unable to walk out to the caves.  Another reason to return!

I wonder if this little boat was anchored there as I suspect it would likely float by the time the tides were highest.

To the right is little waterfall...not certain at all it's source.






Finally (at least in my mind) it was time to board the bus and return to the covered bridges.  

 It was almost impossible to get the photo of the two bridges as there were so many of us attempting to get the same shot.  I wanted to yell at everyone to move but I didn't.

Barbara told us the second bridge and the little red house to the right of it had been featured in a Disney film.  She couldn't remember which one, and I've yet to find any reference to it.

 Both of the bridges seemed to be in use by vehicles, so I checked with Barbara as to which was out of commission.  It was the one we had crossed earlier that morning (the closest one in the upper photo).  At the time, they had to have passengers on the bus use the pedestrian walkway and the bus would cross empty, load the passengers on the other side and carry on.

So I didn't get a chance to walk across the vehicular portion of either bridge...though I did take the chance to stand on the roadway for this shot.  

What a scenic spot!  I can imagine it might look a less appealing in the winter when the snow flies.  Barbara assured us though that the Bay of Fundy never freezes.  As a result the snow that falls in Saint Martins disappears almost as quickly as it arrives.  

We were a little early for the fall colors, but I did spot this little bit walking along the path to the second covered bridge.

It was such a lovely day, the sun was warm with a light breeze.  So while my dream of walking the covered bridge was thwarted, I have such wonderful memories of the time we spent in Saint Martins.  

Next up - Halifax