Boreal Briers

Voyage sur la route en famille

Oh, Canada! Er … New France. Or Ireland. Or Scotland. Depending on which Nova Scotia coast you visit, there is a strong European vibe, and we all loved practicing our French accents and attempting to pronounce Gaelic words. Road tripping is pretty delightful in a country with an almost total lack of road rage. We started our journey crossing the border in Calais, Maine, and traveled through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia, then eventually ending on Prince Edward Island. We quickly fell in love with Tim Horton’s donuts and iced coffee, which is more like a dessert than a morning wake-up. We saw some of the world’s most dramatic tides, set against some equally dramatic light. So without further ado … here is the Brier Family Summer Road Trip 2022 Top 10:

10. Wandering across a deserted country highway from our hotel to Mother Web’s restaurant in Antigonish. Poutine baby.
9. The flyover greeting from a bald eagle as we picked a beach spot at Inverness Beach.
8. WARM ocean water. Not actually warm, but much more swimmable than our favorite Rhode Island beach! Loved out impromptu pull-over-and-swim at the magnificent Bras d’Or Lake.
7. Dragging Charlie across the finish line of a 5-mile hike to take in the views of Skyline Trailhead on the west coast of the Cabot Trail.
6. Only perfect potatoes. Canada has the optimal climate for potato growth, and the perfectly-manicured fields of spuds were a sight to behold (if you’re into that sort of thing:)
5. Random snow mobile converted into a swing at our AirBnB in Wentworth.
4. Totally clear moonless night in Cape North. Tried (and failed) to capture the majesty of the Milky Way, but the image of such a starry sky is now burned into memory.
3. Those aerials! Joe had a great time flying the drone almost everywhere, especially capturing the scale of high vs. low tide at Burntcoat Head Park.
2. Halifax. From the Titanic/Maritime exhibit to blacklit and neon indoor mini-golf to Peace by Chocolate (Maple Cream y’all) this city was modern and family-friendly 🙂
1. Relaxation. That was the theme this year. Our Canadian adventure seemed effortless and peaceful, and it doesn’t get better than that.