Miscou Island ,Land of Lobsters,Rainbows,and New Friends

Remember our fellow Roadtrekker, Yvette ?  She told us about Miscou Lighthouse and thought we might be able to boon dock there.  But alas, they have posted no overnight camping on their sign now.  There is a dirt road outside of the fenced property that goes right down to the water so we asked at the lighthouse if it would be okay to boon dock there-you could tell they felt badly about saying no but camping was not permitted.

We still enjoyed the warm Canadian hospitality and decided to have lunch at the little cafe on the property.  They were so sweet to us, helping us decide on what beer and what sandwich to try.  We tried the cream ale that was on tap-very good with the lobster sandwich.  And the view was beautiful.

I could kick myself for not buying this at the cafe-it sparkled in the sunlight and I'm all about the sparkles !

As we were leaving the cafe Jim happened to ask where they got their fresh chives from for the lobster sandwich-they were so fresh and tasty.  The chef brought out a large chive wrapped in plastic and filled with a little water for Jim.  He then got a huge hug and kiss from the woman who waited on us.  We felt like part of the family !

After we left the lighthouse we knew we were going to stop at a little road turnout that we had spotted on the way and see if the owners would allow us to boon dock in front of their property. 

We also stopped at the little island church-it looks deserted but they still have services there on Sunday.

We stopped at the house I spoke of, and after the attack of the mosquitoes I experienced walking up the driveway, I spoke with the Doctor and his wife who owned the property about boon docking across the road.  They weren't comfortable with it as their fear was our presence would encourage others to camp there and they didn't want to have to spend all summer chasing people away.  But they did suggest the turn out down by the rocks just a 1/2 mile from them.  They said the house associated with the property was vacant and no one would be bothered by us camping there for the night.  So off to the rocks we headed.

It was a beautiful stop along the road and even though traffic was frequent until about 7pm we were well enough back off the main road that it didn't bother us. We knew there was a park a few kilometers down the road with a boardwalk over the bog area and thought that would be a good way to spend some time .

The bog was simply stunning with the tiny marsh areas surrounded by such pretty flowers and trees.
We walked along the boardwalk, took some pictures and quickly raced back to our Ruby.  We had forgotten our mosquito netting and repellent and a bog without either of those is not where you want to be.  I ended up with a dozen new bites on my hands since they were the most exposed while taking pictures.  Thank goodness for anti itch medication and aloe vera gel.

Once back at our boon docking spot we settled in for the evening and another beautiful New Brunswick sunset.

The next morning we were greeted by Claude on his riding mower.  It turns out he owns the property we were boon docking on.  He asked in a very polite way if we were leaving soon and we told him that was our plan.  Well, after speaking with him for a bit, he invited us to stay and make ourselves at home. He and his family have lived on the island for 200 years and we listened with awe as we heard about 11 feet of snow, the challenging life of a lobster fisherman and how most of the family has spread out on the island from where we were to the center of town.

His son , Claude Jr came by later and extended an invitation to us to come and camp on their property for the next few days and they would provide hook ups for us. What wonderful welcoming people.  Claude Jr also sold us 4 lobsters freshly caught that morning for $10 Canadian-we feasted like kings that evening. Turns out that when Claude Jr. isn't on the island in the winter he is working as a personal chef to the Mohammad Ali family in Scottsdale, Arizona.  What a crazy wonderful world we are experiencing in the variety and personality of people we meet along the way.

We awoke the next morning to a beautiful sunrise and when I looked across the island there was the most astounding rainbow I had ever seen. From one side of the island to the other.  We were leaving that day and took that as a blessing on our travels for the day.

We said out goodbyes to Claude and his son and left behind some Washington Red wine for them. We still shake our heads in wonder at the warmth  and welcome that his been extended to us from every corner of Canada have visited. Thank You Claude and Claude Jr, Miscou Island New Brunswick and Thank You to all our Canadian travelers and friends.

Happy Trails and Safe Travels and my wish for you is to experience the warmth and welcome throughout all your travels.