We arrived very late into Grand Falls and could not find an open campground so we parked our bus on a quiet street that looked to be a farming road. We slept in until eight-thirty and were surprised the kids were all sleeping still. After looking at our watches we realized we had passed into another time zone and lost an hour again. We drove down the Trans Canada until we came to Grand Falls which is along the St. John river. We stopped into find the falls and came across a deserted park . All the kids explored the lovely rapids from above and then upon returning to use the bathrooms we noticed a shower. Everyone took turns and we felt refreshed for the day.
Covered Bridge and 1800’s Village
We drove to Hartland and stretched our legs at the worlds longest covered old bridge. At 1,282 feet it made a nice release of energy before heading on to Kings Landing. The kids loved the Upper Canada Village so much that we decided to explore this enchanting recreation of a Loyalist Town from the 1800s. It was fascinating to see that these houses were moved in the 60s from their original sites and rebuilt stone by stone up on higher ground. We loved taking horse drawn wagon rides and buying old fashioned candy sticks from the general store. Alyssa and I were enthralled with the village ladies who were busy making gorgeous crazy quilts. I love to see these old ovens that baked such amazing bread without electricity. I think the boys were most taken with actual water powered saw mill and flour mill. Orin was ready to join a young boy in britches hammering away in the field with his dad. For little Teyauna her favourite part was dancing to the Irish singers as they acted out their ballads at the old Kings Landing Inn. This was a wonderful and relaxing way to spend most of the day and give us yet a deeper look into a part of Canada’s past.
Waterslide at the Hampton Inn and Suites, Moncton, NB
We were quite tired and felt like finding a campsite with a pool. We thought a nice warm fire would be the perfect ending to our day and the kids were looking forward to making smores. We tried a couple of places and almost checked into one but upon arrival we learned that the pool was closed and we could not make a fire so we headed back on the road. As we were turning toward the highway we noticed a new looking Hampton Inn and Suites hotel right in front of us. We could see a big twirly water slide and pool at one end and decided to stop in. This more than made up for the lack of smores. The rooms were perfect and very spacious and the kids were thrilled with the pool. After playing on the waterslide and a refreshing dip in the pool we settled in for a peaceful nights rest. Norm stayed up late and worked on his website and got lots done. In the morning of course the kids were up early and we all went down stairs for their complimentary breakfast. It was very filling and everyone found something delicious. Before we checked out we spent another hour or so in the pool and on the waterslide. We probably made too much mess and too much noise but no one seemed to mind. The staff kept smiling at us and offering to get us anything we needed. It was a very family friendly place.
