The Force Of Nature

The other day it was still looking like a brown Christmas, but it was about to change. Today we have a white Christmas, but it’s not of the pretty quiet variety. Oh no, we got a winter storm blowing snow out of the north-east, causing a high surf on the beach. I took the van and headed down to the beach where the NIKON caught these images. Storms are part of life at the coast. They make us aware that mother nature is still ruling. Of course, everybody likes the days with blue skies and plenty sunshine. But in between we are witnessing the other wild side of nature

The Wind And The Sea

It’s always there for you, the wind and the sea. Not to mention the long beautiful and natural beach of Herring Cove. Come on over and let us show you this beauty.

Campobello in December

I always thought that beaches are for summer visits only, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Beaches are beautiful regardless of what time of the year you are visiting. And the best proof of that we can find along Herring Cove Beach. Here, where the sandy seashore is meeting the fresh-water Lake Glensevern with the forest of the Herring Cove Provincial Park as a backdrop, you will find a great variety of different types of landscape. Eagles are soaring high over rocky coastline, sandy beach, lake and forest. Not far from here one can wander along Eagle Hill Bog where rare plants are getting their nutrients out of the water, instead of the soil. A nd have you ever seen Gibraltar Rock, halfway over to the Roosevelt Natural park area? The trail can be started on either end und once you walked the entire length, you might want to return along the beach. Winter is such a wonderful time here. You will find beautiful clamp shells and the rocks are soooo smooth, - you will fill you pockets in no time. Of course, if you give us a call ahead of your visit we will be happy to guide you along, not only here at Herring Cove, but over the entire island. And remember, you can stay overnight at the Peacock House B+B in lovely Lubec and even get full meals there. Why not try it out? Come right over in the new year and enjoy the island.              Above: View to Herring Cove Golf Course Restaurant On the hill: Herring Cove Golf Course Below: Outlet of Lake Glensevern                             Grand Manan on the horizon

A Little Town South Of The Border

There is no doubt about that the heydays of Lubec,ME are long gone, and there is no better time for that realization than if you walk Water Street on a chilly day in December. This street, once lined with big salt-shacks, smoke houses and fish canneries, is appearing almost empty. A few remnants are still reminding the visitor of the town’s past. Speaking of visitors, there are none today, that is if you don’t think of us coming across the bridge from Campobello, being visitors. But the town has kept its seaside appeal alive. The style of the commercial buildings long Water Street, speaks of the good old days, and Lubecers are genuinely proud of their pretty little town. Below: Frank’s Dockside Restaurant great place to eat, but closed today.                       On Water Street However, once being in town, I am swinging my camera here and there. The row of buildings, some containing souvenir stores, seem to be in a state of hibernation, awaiting the next warm summer with scores of visitors to fill the parlors and stores. However, the Lubec Brewing Company is open though and a few beer enthusiasts might be coming along to quench their thirst. Lubec used to have a lot more residents, but that was while there was still fish to catch and to process. When the salt-shacks, smoke houses and canneries closed, people lost their work and left town in search for a better life in a bigger place. What they left behind was boarded-up buildings and a sense of despair for those who remained in residence, mostly the older population. Prior to the decline, there were 20 smokehouses in Lubec producing 50 to 60 thousand boxes of fish annually, bringing employment and prosperity to the town. In 1797, Daniel Ramsdell cured the first herring by smoke, a process of preserving fish he had learned in Nova Scotia. Lubec would become the national leader in smoked herring production. Smokehouses and the many brush weirs that supplied herring lined the shore. Weir construction also brought a measure of prosperity to area farmers who cut the necessary stakes and brush needed to build and refurbish the herring traps. So great was the demand for the large herring preferred by the smokehouses that Lubec began sending vessels to the Magdelen Islands in the quest for fish. The 1855 Maine Register reported: “During the 1850s it was said that the smoked herring business employed every male resident over the age of 10 in the Washington County town of Lubec.” It’s hard to believe but due to increases in retail activity, fishing and fish processing employment opportunities, shipping and farming, Lubec’s population grew to 3,000 by 1850. The town boasted three post offices, four churches, several fraternal organizations including Freemasons, and a ferry connecting Lubec and Eastport. People migrated to the town in search of work and, with money to spend, shopped at the growing number of stores on Water Street.             Ferry boat in 1936, Below: same place today Following a period of decline during the Depression, World War II revitalized the industry with factories on both the east and west coasts working at capacity to supply the Army and Navy with three million, one-hundred can cases per year. Seven new factories were built in Lubec. With the end of the War demand for canned sardines decreased sharply and the overbuilt industry began to decline. By 1976 there were only two factories operating in Lubec. The last cannery was closed as late as in 2001.                             American Can Company 1935 Tourism can be credited to have kept the town alive. The establishment of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park and the construction of the FDR Memorial Bridge was incidental to bring visitors to the region. B+Bs, souvenir stores, and restaurants have opened since, providing much needed services for summer visitors. As we reach Cohill’s Inn facing a cold wind off the water, we are overlooking the boat launch. The parking area is filled with trucks, belonging to the fishermen who are still out trying to get a good catch before Christmas. They are part of the current remaining population of about 300 fulltime residents, less than a tenth of what it was in 1910, when Lubec’s population reached its peak with 3364 residents. We conclude our cross-border visit with a stop at the local IGA to get a few weekend goodies.        The Tavern, another great place to have a meal

Campobello In November

A little chill is in the air, as I am looking across the dry brown gras along Herring Cove Beach. But the sun is out and warming just enough for me not to shiver. Besides, I am wearing a thick jacket. From where I stand, the dark blue sea is just visible above the brown grass. Except for the lapping waves along the beach, no other sound disturbs the peace of this Thanksgiving Day. And like the first American settlers gave thanks about their arrival in the new land, I am thankful for finding this paradise, called Campobello Island.

Being Overwhelmed On Campobello

It’s coming from our many visitors. They have been overwhelmed with the beauty and history of Campobello Island. When are YOU coming to be overwhelmed? We are now open all year round. We will give you a tour you will never forget. Simply call (506 752 1901) or use the contact form from this site. Walk over to the Head harbour Lightstation and enjoy an amazing experience. For accommodations please contact the Peacock House in Lubec, ME.

We Are Stretching The Season!

Are you one of those working throughout all summer and must take your vacation when everybody else is back at work? Or do you simply enjoy the quieter time of the year when accommodations are just waiting for you, and wait lines have vanished?

Either way, Campobello Island and neighbouring Lubec are looking forward to your visit this late fall and winter. Campobello Sightseeing has teamed up with the Peacock House B+B in Lubec and together we will make your visit memorable. The Peacock House, a stately historic building in central Lubec overlooking the Bay of Fundy, is an ideal location from which to explore Campobello Island and the near-by West Quoddy Lighthouse. For their off-season guests the B+B is offering 3 delicious meals a day!

Your days can be filled!

Our activities include wonderful hikes along lonely beaches, visits to our lighthouses, talks about history with locals, photography trips and sometimes local events.

                                  Discovering old trails in coastal forests

Nature Walks

                     View towards Ragged Point. Below: “Frog Rock” in March

                         Above: Mulholland Point Lighthouse

                     Light snow has turned the Roosevelt Cottage into a Winter Wonder Land

   CAMPOBELLO WINTER SUNSETS  

                                       A cold day in January

Tours are going to be tailored to your personal wishes. Just give us a call and we will arrange everything for you.

Summer Days

After many rather hot summer days, the weather changed today. Still, it was foggy in the morning, but when the wind switched to west, all fog and mugginess disappeared. While picking the first raspberries, a fresh breeze sprang up rustling the raspberry vines. Was this the very first feeling of a beginning fall season? Was this a warning that the warm and calm days would be over? Looking across the Passamaquoddy Bay the air was crystal clear. SEPTEMBER, I thought, but we only had August the 6.! This had been the last day of  FOG FEST and many weekend visitors would already have left the island. It had been 5 days of increased traffic and excitement. The attendence had been way up from last year. Down at Friar’s Bay, Jocie’s Porch had been a major fog fest venue with cars lined up on both sides of the road. People had flocked to the Whale Watch Tours at Island Cruises and we had been busy with giving van-tours. And now it wouldn’t be long until the end of summer vacations. Over the last 2months we will see the seniors coming on to the island. The gardens at the Roosevelt Park will be blooming with the giant Dahlias again. It’s all about Roosevelt’s “Beloved Island”.

New Novel By Campobello Author Bernard J. Bourque

MR. LOUIS Living on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada, Louis Pembroke is a scrawny and diffident twenty-three-year-old who believes that he is the reincarnation of Louis Howe, the diminutive, chain-smoking political advisor who became FDR’s secretary (chief of staff). Growing up, Louis Pembroke is psycologically and physically abused by his mother and, after her death, by an old aunt. At the Campobello Roosevelt International Park where he mows lawns, Louis has a chance encounter with eighty-five-year-old Richard Chresterton, an Englishman born in India who is rebuilding the Tyn-Y-Coed, a luxurious hotel that once existed during the glory days of Campobello’s resort era. Louis is given a job at the new establishment and develops a close connection with the owner. Accompanying Mr. Chresterton on a trip to India as his aide, Louis meets Aradhya in the slums of Dharavi. The complicated love they share and the trials they face lead to a process of renewal for Louis who must meet other challenges when he returns to Campobello. Mr.Louis is a story of adversity, love, death and rebirth. $13.95 available at Amazon or by contacting the author at bernard.bourque@nb.sympatico.ca The book has ISBN 978-0-9959301-0-0

Remembering A Late-Summer Day

A Hike through the Park It wasn’t quite 7.00am yet but first daylight filtered through the curtains. It made me aware of that we probably would have a sunny day, as otherwise it would be much darker with an overcast sky. Now, nothing gets me out of bed like a clear sunny day. Under circumstances like that, I just can’t find any peace under the covers anymore.                        From Campobello’s Fall Harvest sale At 10.00am I decided to make use of all this sunshine, grabbed the NIKON and Molly and took the van out to the park. No tourist had called - so I knew I had the day off. We went into the park’s natural area and parked at a place called FOX FARM. It is an open grassy area where there once was a fox farm. First I followed the main road towards Cranberry Point, but then I took the small hiking trail which goes parallel with the beach. I had a great view of Lubec with the International Bridge spanning across the Narrows. A last greeting from summer There were wet spots and small bridges over narrow creeks, lots of leaves on the ground and old withering mushrooms standing out of green mossy forest soil. The air had taken up all the smells of fall and forest and mixed with the salty ingredients from the sea. Molly was keeping herself a 30ft ahead of me and whenever I stopped to take a picture she stopped as well looking back as to say ”are you coming?” Yes, I was coming after her and since we were out of reach from the northerly wind I got pretty warm in my sweater and my jacket. Soon enough I had tied my jacket around my waist and was carrying the sweater across my shoulders. I had never been on this trail before, so it turned out to be a great discovery tour. Despite the fact that park personnel had kept this trail open and even fitted it with walking planks I doubt that many hikers had come along here during this summer. Everything looked very pristine out here. After being on the trail for about 1km I found a wooden bench where I sat down enjoying one of the most beautiful sceneries one can find around these parts. What a natural treasure we have here! A range mark stating the international boundary of Canada But I had to move on and then the trail came out to the road again, following it for a while, then led straight back into the woods again.  A sign said 1.3km to Fox Farm. So I trudged on between tall spruce and beech trees. Underway I caught glimpses of “Upper Duck Pond” which is really too shallow to stay flooded under low tide. It turns into a huge mud flat and the upper end is a salt marsh, a paradise for birds in the summer as many predators can’t get out there. Lubec and Campobello with connecting International bridge When I finally saw a lot of light appearing between the trees ahead, I understood that I had come to the end of the trail at Fox Farm and sure enough soon I could see our white van standing beside the road. The Lubec Light – commonly called “SPARKPLUG” Needless to say I could really feel my legs and it was just great to be able to sit down behind the wheel again. The total length of the hike was approx. 3.5km, (2 miles) not too much, but due to the varied terrain an almost 2 hour Sunday morning adventure. Upper Duck Pond View from Cranberry Point to the Gulf of Maine with Grand Manan in the background