St. John, the largest city in New Brunswick at 70,000. Small for a city but still twice as large as the entire population of Yukon. It is raining by the time we arrive but with the fog you would swear it is snowing outside. Except that it’s about twenty above with huge humidity. We need to do a grocery shop and laundry so it’s pull in at Lancaster Mall, unhitch the trailer and hit the town.
First stop, the Old City Market, one of the oldest farmer’s market in Canada. It’s a great little place, the home of Pete Locket, of Pete’s Frootique fame, but man is he expensive. The vegetable place at the other end is quite reasonable and we load up on fresh vegetables and fruit.
Laundry has our attention. It is quite the experience driving around St. John, what with twisty and one way roads, wildly crazy intersections and relatively poor street maps. Despite all we manage to find our laundromat and load up. Four machines! In between loads we manage to scoot across the street into the Moosehead Brewery store. And then right back out, way too commercial for us (there wasn’t even any beer to sample). Several handfuls of quarters later, our laundry is done. A few things at the drugstore, some gas and the pit stop is over. Oops almost forgot. Before leaving we take a trip to the Carlton Martello Tower and the Reversing Falls.
The Martello Tower stands tall on St. John’s highest point and is a type of circular fortress. It was built by the British at the start, what for this, of the War of 1812 to protect the rather strategic St. John’s harbour. By the time the tower was finished, the war was over. The tower was abandoned until 1845 when it was pressed into service as a munitions storage depot as there was some friction developing between the good ol’ U.S. of A. and Britain. The tower had the roof removed and another two small stories added, as it was used as a battery control tower (again to protect the harbour from enemy attack) during World War Two. Except for these times, the place has stood empty, never once in its entire history having fired at an enemy.
Nevertheless it is quite a remarkable structure and affords a great view of St. John.
Final resting stop for the next two nights is Fundy National Park, and we arrive just in time to snag the last serviced lot at Chignecto North Campground.