A Walk, A Monument And Endless Empty Beaches

While there are numerous examples of beaches being totally filled to the brim with sun-hungry people  even just south of us in f.ex. New Hampshire, Campobello is the total opposite. Our beaches are empty and ready to provide solitude for our visitors.   New Hampshire                                                          Campobello But I’m getting ahead of myself. After a long day of rain the sun was out again and made this a memorable beautiful summer day. And that was also the reason that I persuaded Bea to join me and Molly on a walk to the Sunsweep Monument at Ragged Point in the Roosevelt Park. But hold it, what is the Sunsweep Monument?   Sunsweep Campobello                       Right hand print showing It is a three-part art project made by David Barr. Left: Sunsweep Point Roberts                                  All three parts are made out of the same slab of Canadian black granite. As mentioned, part #1 is located right here on Campobello on an eastern promontory right at the Bay of Fundy. Part #2 consisting of 2 wedge-formed stones, is located on American Point Island at the Lake of the Woods in Minnesota and finally Part #3 is placed at Boundary Bluff at Point Roberts,WA.             Above: Ragged Point with Sunsweep on promontory                                   low tide beach Sunsweep was designed and given to the people in these communities as a symbol of international friendship. It portrays the path of the sun rising in the east crossing the entire continent and setting in the Pacific Ocean. It is also symbolic for the long peaceful border between our countries.                                            looking south             40 miles across the Bay of Fundy….NOVA SCOTIA Personal associations lay behind Sunsweep: Barr’s mother is from Canada and his parents met there. And because Barr is a Detroiter, Canada has always been his close neighbour. The 2 stones on American Point Island are roughly 28 degrees from both the eastern-most and the western-most point of Sunsweep.    Liberty Point with Grand Manan in background                White Asters on Ragged Point Each of the two outer points have their geographical ironies. While Campobello is part of Canada but cannot be reached without crossing the American border (except during summer) Point Roberts is an American enclave extending south of the 49th parallel attached to Canada (opposite of Vancouver Island) and not reachable without crossing through Canada. And indeed, most of the needs of this small American community have been met by Canada. And there has even been –more or less serious—to make Point Roberts part of Canada. The survival of both communities is based on the cooperation of both governments. And this cooperation is also evident in the governing of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, where Maine meets New Brunswick just below the 45th parallel. All parts of the monument are showing a “hand print”. The one on Campobello showing the right hand and the one at Point Roberts showing the left. The hand print is also the international sign for “I was here”. It is found in Native American art, both recent and ancient.                        Sunsweep American Point Island The two wedge-shaped stones, facing each other, are oriented north-south pointing to the atypical run of the U.S.-Canada border. The flat sides of the stones are facing each other but are off-set showing hand prints of someone facing Canada.   We started our hike at Liberty Point, from where it is only 0.6 miles to Sunsweep. It is our most scenic hike and the views from the trail are nothing short of stunning. Whenever I am on this trail I feel being part of nature. We met a single couple coming the other way from Sunsweep and like old friends we felt compelled to start quite a conversation rooted in our beautiful surroundings. I wonder whether we would have talked to these people if we had met them in a shopping mall. Most likely we wouldn’t even have “seen” them. Nature brings people together. The markers, each 1.5m (6ft) high are the conceptual ends of an arch, anchored on each coast like a rainbow, being the results of water droplets in the sun’s light.

A Real Quiet Place On Campobello

Maybe except for the border station, there are no loud and noisy areas on Campobello but some places are especially quiet. And co-incidentally I happened to visit one of these exceptionally quiet places. It is at the very end of the Head Harbour Inlet, with only a few fisher homes along a short dead-end road. The peacefulness of this place is highlighted by the old wooden shipwrecks which have found their last resting place  here. Forgotten and abandoned are they lingering towards their complete disappearance, once all wooden parts have rotted away or been eaten by worms. And like nature was trying to make a point of its dominance the beautiful wildflowers were flowing in a slight summer breeze. A lobster fisherman uses the place for storing his lobster traps. Thanks for being along.

North Road Harbour

It’s a place not commonly seen by visitors. North Road Harbour is located on the “Passamaquoddy Bay-side” of the island while Head Harbour is opening up directly into the Bay of Fundy. I re-visited North Road Harbour on this foggy morning when colours had faded into shades of grey. Foggy island days are having the ability to make you turn into yourself, re-thinking life and experiencing a different side of island-life.

Help! Invasion On Campobello!

It’s time for the 3rd. International Marathon from Lubec to Campobello Island. The Marathon starts at the West Quoddy Lighthouse in Lubec,ME then going over to our own Head Harbour light Station and back to Lubec.                          Above: West Quoddy Lighthouse                            Head Harbour Light Station We have in excess of 700 registered runners and each has brought family members and friends. About 4000-5000 people are currently in the region and have taken up every single hotel room, every single B+B capacity and every empty RV-lot in an area of minimum 100 miles south and east of us. To get a hotel room you’d have to travel 3 hrs south to Bangor,ME. I intended to cross the border today, but had to turn around, as the waiting line-up of cars trying to get through Canada Customs was a mile long! It would have taken me at least 3 hours to get back to the island. I wonder what other island visitors must have thought when getting caught in that line-up. It was not a good day to travel to Campobello. And I had other things to do as neighours had asked me to build a garden staircase from their deck. I finished the project around 4pm and after a nice coffee with them I retired on our porch.

When The Fog Horns Sound

When the fog horns sound from Head Harbour and the American shoreline the world is lulled in a wet blanket and all other sounds have ceased. Each fog horn has its own frequency and while the rhythm between the two is irregular, it sounds like they compete with each other. The big maple leaves are dripping of the fog, and the edge of the forest becomes a secretive wall. I trudge along the street where nobody is out yet. The houses seem to be uninviting, like they have enough with themselves today. Farther across, the bay is cloaked in a grey mass. No ships are out there. Too dangerous for navigation. After a while the fog is lifting off and the world turns out its colours. Where it was grey before it turns blue and green and finally, through a hole, the sun peeks out, bathing us in warming rays. It’s gonna be another nice day.

CAMPOBELLO–Tourism Today And Yesterday

Sure, it is a long, long time ago since Campobello was a luxurious tourist resort. Campobello around 1900, large open fields where forest has grown up today Rich families from New England came to this island in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the Roosevelts were only one of these families making Campobello their favorite summer residence.                          Tyn-y-coed and Tyn-y-maes Hotels And even though the large hotels are long gone, they got a place in our local history. When they were dismantled high-quality materials were recycled into private residences.                       Historic ferry between Campobello and Lubec,ME But isn’t there a beginning renaissance of a new life on Campobello? Aren’t there new generations of visitors coming to discover a lost paradise?                           Old dock beneath Roosevelt Cottage (far right) Map of southern part of Campobello showing Roosevelt Park and Provincial Park areas. For years the Roosevelt International Park and the historic Head Harbour Light Station have been the main attractions and they are still attracting thousands of visitors every summer. But islanders have not been resting on their throne. New enterprises have been seeing the light of day.    One of the newest attractions is “Jocie’s Porch”. It started out as a coffee- and teahouse. Coffee is actually made here from raw coffee beans, roasted to make a full aromatic coffee you will not find anywhere else in any coffee house around the world. “Porch Coffee” simply is the best.          Eastern view from International Bridge towards Lubec shoreline But of course the place offers other delicacies as well, as f.ex. home-made cakes and pastries and something called “Friars Bay Fog”. We do not know what this is made of other than some tea is involved. It’s a trade secret you have to try out yourself. Every Friday Jocie’s Porch arranges for Java + Jam. Local musicians and folk who like to sing or play an instrument are gathering here to entertain a crowd of island enthusiasts for 2hours of social togetherness. And the crowd is International, with Americans from several States and Canadians from several Provinces. Tonight we saw license plates from Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Florida, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, even Colorado and Arizona.                                    Owners Angela and Bobby                                 Friday crowd listening to local musicians It’s informal and you go in whatever you just walk in. Owner Bobby and his mother Angela are taking care of you and after a few minutes you feel like you never belonged anywhere else. The place offers also wireless internet which is a great thing on Campobello for visitors as also locals who like to come browsing the net and checking their email.   If you just want to sit around for a few morning- or afternoon hours and read a book (they offer an interesting library as well) you can just hunker down on the porch having your favorite brew of coffee or tea.