Rob-n-Hild, Eastward Ho!

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Saint John - Grand Falls 368.4 km. 4:19 hours. Elevation maximum 260 metres)

Here we are in Grand Falls and we can see blue sky! After the rain and fog in Saint John the weather has brightened up a lot - we hope in Saint John as well and not just up here! It wasn't a long drive today, but we had a couple of stops which made it an interesting route and we are hoping that the weather will be good tomorrow as we have a walk planned along the river.

The first stop was in Nackawic to see the "World's Largest Axe". This is monument to recognize the role that forestry plays in the local economy and not only is there a big axe, but it has been placed in a lovely park at the side of the river. It is a popular park with a group of children playing while we were there and there is a beach and a marina where you can rent aqua-bikes. We were thinking that we could try them out - but then we didn't know if this should be added as cycling or sailing so we decided it would be much too complicated and we drove on!

Next up was "The World's Longest Covered Bridge" in Hartland. The original bridge built in 1901 rotted away so quickly that when it was replaced in 1921, it was given walls and a roof to protect the main structure. This was a very common approach and many covered bridges were built around this time - they even helped to calm the horses in crossing as it looked like they were going into a barn! The structure is still mostly wood, even though there is some structural support in metal and the road is laid with asphalt. We had a nice lunch at the park alongside the bridge and walked it - both ways - before we carried on to the next stop.

And the next stop was the "World's Largest Fiddleheads". Fiddleheads are the young shoots of a fern which are reckoned to be a delicacy in Quebec and the maritimes. They can only be eaten when young - and only after washing three times and boiling first - so perhaps that's why they are popular: you can get pretty sick eating them wrong! The town where biggest fiddleheads are is called Plaster Rock because there is a source of red gypsum and they were preparing for the Canada Day celebrations by trimming the grass around the fiddleheads and a model of a Voyageur - trappers who travelled the rivers and lakes in canoes.

Now that Hild has got her document delivered (yesterday) she could settle down and get on with her plan to make a reminder of Labrador! We have got various mascots for the other Provinces (Tammy, Pelle, Gulliver), but the thing we remembered from Labrador were the wooden bins. OK, they are all over Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well, but it was in Labarador we first saw them and Hild made a collage on the Stranger Things page. We have looked all over for a baby one, but when we couldn't find one, Hild decided to build it instead! As the commonest model is octagonal, this is what Hild built from bamboo garden fencing. Amazing what you can do with a multi-tool. Please say hello to Laban!

Coming up: Grand Falls

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