For a truly remarkable vacation and a little learning thrown in for good measure, why not consider whale watching in Atlantic Canada, with a little geography and history on the side.
Whale Watching:
The size of whales means they must eat a great deal of food. They eat in summer to develop fat reserves in preparation for the mating and calving migrations of the winter: higher latitudes in summer and lower latitudes and warmer water in winter (see image below).
In the spring, the whales leave calving sites such as the Caribbean (e.g. Dominica) and head north on the Gulf Stream seeking cooler water and food. The best feeding sites, according to D.E. Gaskin are at the meeting places of ocean masses (e.g. the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador Current), areas of upswelling, and around dynamic or topographic eddies where contrasting water masses meet- the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador Current, fresh and salt water.
Atlantic Canada abounds with such sites, although two, Brier Island and Tiverton at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, and Tadoussac at the mouth of the Saguenay River in Quebec are world famous.
One place to start from is St. John’s, Newfoundland. Get there any way you can- I’d suggest fly in and rent a car. After you’ve checked out the sites and perhaps walked a section of the rugged East Coast Trail high above the city, you can take a leisurely drive along the South Shore Highway- Route 10- to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where Humpbacks come to eat. Check into a B&B such as the Whale Watcher and then, for around $50 per passenger, take a puffin and whale watching boat tour.
The Trans Canada Highway:
The United States has its Route 66 but Canada has the Trans-Canada highway. As Trans Canada Highway points out, it is the world's longest national highway with a length of 7,821 km (4,860 mi.)…(and) the midpoint…at Batchwana Bay about 65 km north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It starts in St. John’s, but remember, as pointed out in The Monograph, when you travel in the Maritimes, while the highway system is there, the lack of a complete network because of interruptions by water crossings lowers a person’s ease of getting around.
St. John's is on a section of land called the Avalon Peninsula. As part of the second oldest geologic region in North America after the Precambrian shield, it is indented with coves and inlets with headlands in between. Drive the 600 miles west along the highway in a great curve around the top of the island. The route traverses the Central Plateau, composed of gently rolling hills and valleys. Be sure to have registered ahead and at Port-aux-Basques connect with the Marine Atlantic ferry to Cape Breton Island, a trip that takes up to 6 hours.
Cape Breton Island:
Cape Breton Island is beautiful. All about you are forested, rounded, and flat-topped hills that rise abruptly from the sea. The Cabot Trail, you’ll discover, winds along the edge of the Highlands that rise up from sea level to close to 1500 feet in the north. En route you can stop at numerous camping, picnicking, and lookout areas and come to appreciate why, in spite of the fog, the trail is considered “one of the world’s most scenic destination areas” according to Cabot Trail Travel. With no stops the trip takes five hours but a stop at Pleasant Bay harbor on the north-west tip of Cape Breton Highlands National Park and a two-hour Zodiac Whale Watching tour are recommended. The tours run every two hours in July and August and cost around $25 per person. The most common whales spotted are Pilot, Finback, Minke and Humpbacks.
From the island you can cross the Canso Strait to mainland Nova Scotia by way of the close to a mile long Canso Causeway, a combined road and railway transportation link.
Lunenburg Harbor:
To reach historic Lunenburg, leave the Trans-Canada Highway at highway 102 and head south to Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax and then onward around the bay for 57 miles to historic Lunenburg. You might want to spend a day there.
Every morning, at 8:30 a whale watching boat leaves the Lunenburg waterfront, a World Heritage Site, for a morning tour but wait until later to avoid the fog. Most cruises, at a cost of around $50.
Evangeline Trail:
Leaving Lunenburg, drive to Bridgewater and then north over the peninsula, with its hilly uplands composed of resistant igneous and metamorphic rocks, to Middleton, a central point in the famous Annapolis Valley. This valley is bounded by North Mountain and South Mountain and extends for some 110 kilometers between Annapolis Royal and Wolfville with an average width of around 7 to 8 kilometers. The valley is interesting: it is part of what is known as the Evangeline Trail because of the tragic heroine of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem about the expulsion of the first European settlers of Nova Scotia, the french, in 1755. From Middleton head west to Annapolis Royal, the historic heart of old Acadia and the cradle of Canada. Take some time to look around.
Next, head for Digby, the home port for one of the world’s biggest scallop fleets. If the fleet is in you’ll see clouds of gulls whirling through the skies. Take it all in, then head off for the best thing about Digby, a 30 mile splinter of stone jabbing into the Bay of Fundy called the Digby Neck. Continue south to Westport and Brier Island; and whale watching. For $50 each, a boat cruise- or for $60 on a Zodiac- of 3-5 hours will allow you to watch for, depending on the season, Finback Whales, Minke Whales and Harbor Porpoises, Humpback Whales and Whitesided Dolphins. According to Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises Ltd., by mid-July all five species are commonly sighted and remain in the area until late fall.
New Brunswick:
One of the neat experiences is to ride for three hours on the Princess of Acadia Ferry from Digby to Saint John, New Brunswick. From June to October the price is around $40 per person with a vehicle, plus a $20 fuel surcharge per vehicle.
The Saint John River leads north from the city of the same name. Follow the valley. The upper valley is quite narrow with steep and forested slopes. The Trans Canada Highway cuts through the Central uplands of New Brunswick headed for the town of Riviere du Loup on the south shore of the St. Lawrence estuary.
Quebec and Tadoussac:
For around $40 cross to the St. Lawrence River’s north shore on the Saint Siméon ferry and drive north along the river’s north shore to Tadoussac, the oldest village in Canada and stay overnight. The smell of the water and fresh air and the site of the mountains will invigorate you.
Plan to take your booked whale watching cruise the next morning. It starts promptly at 9:30. You’ll see beluga, minke, humpback, fin and blue whales gathering at the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers. A great deal for a little over $70, it ends at 1:30. By evening you can complete the 130 miles drive to Quebec City, drop off your rental at the airport and catch a flight home.
Sources:
- Trans Canada Highway Overview. Trans Canada Highway
- About the Cabot Trail. Cabot Trail Travel
- Crossing Times. Marine Atlantic
- James Gibson. Accessibility Lab and Analysis. The Monograph.Vol. 61, Issue No. 4, Winter 2011.
- D.E. Gaskin. The Ecology of Dolphins and Whales. Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. London. 1982
- John Schaumburg. The Biogeography of the Humpback Whale. SFSU. 2005
James Gibson - James Gibson is a retired teacher and small business owner. He is a published writer and has a wide spectrum of interests.
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