Driving to the Maritimes during a pandemic
Michael Peterman shares what’s it’s like to travel to the east coast
Every year in the late spring — usually about the end of May — we look forward to driving east to our ocean-view home near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We’ve been making the trip for over 15 years. This spring with COVID-19 fears still at the forefront and distancing restrictions firmly in the saddle, we stayed put in Peterborough for nearly four weeks, closely watching the daily travel bulletins from eastern Canada while enjoying the splendid June weather in the Kawarthas.
Given the vulnerability of our health as 70-somethings, we were cautious at first about making the trip at all; then more practically we calculated when we might attempt it. Finally, spurred by positive news from the Maritimes, we felt it was time to make the trek. We settled upon a June 22nd departure, fully aware that once we arrived in Nova Scotia, we would be obliged to self-quarantine for 14 days. Having already been quarantined in mid-March, we knew the routine, but saw it as a penalty we had to accept in order to salvage our summer months by the ocean.
As it turns out, we were far ahead of the travel curve. Having stocked up with masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer, we spread our trip over two and a half days. Our travelling companion Mac, an amiable, longhaired miniature dachshund, is game for any outing by car, short or long. He eagerly leaps into his travelling crate and pops out after three or four hours on the road, having made nary a peep in between. We stopped overnight on Monday in Ottawa for a family visit. Then on Tuesday we got into the serious driving; after bypassing Montreal we drove past Levis and Riviere-du-Loup, taking advantage of a few very clean Quebec rest-stops. We stayed at the Auberge Marie Blanc on the shore of Lac Temiscouata near Cabano. The Auberge was not serving dinner but offered us a lovely basket of breakfast goodies on Wednesday morning. We did local takeout for dinner.
Our longest drive then followed — it took us through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and involved two stops for gas. Just before 7 p.m. we arrived at our summer home overlooking Lunenburg Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. While travelling through New Brunswick on the Trans-Canada — over 600 kilometres of excellent highway — we kept a close eye on cars heading east like us. We were surprised to see only two Ontario license plates — one was a car and the other a rental truck. We were indeed ahead of the curve.
There were two government checks in the Maritimes. The first was just inside the New
Brunswick border where trucks and cars were divided upon arrival. There was no wait. We showed our drivers' licenses and proof of property ownership to a pleasant provincial employee who told us that we could stop in the province for gas and take-out food but not stay overnight. Recognizing sadly what a loss this rule was to all New Brunswick motel owners, we pressed on to Nova Scotia. Our only surprise along the way was to find the Murrays’ Restaurant at Exit 191 near Woodstock full of lunchtime diners, many of them elderly. We settled for gas and take-out at the adjacent Tim’s.
As we crossed the Tantramar Marsh we were stopped at the Nova Scotia checkpoint. Here we were advised, again by a good-humoured official, that we were required to observe a 14-day quarantine once we arrived at our home; we were handed a list of rules for selfquarantine, but, surprisingly, she did not ask for our Nova Scotia phone number or proof of ownership. We expected to supply them, but no matter; at least they had recorded our Ontario license number.
When I asked if we could stop at the Masstown Market (near Debert) to do a little shopping, the guard suggested with a wink that we might as well visit a Walmart. Duly advised, we drove past Truro and Halifax, then down the 103, bypassing Chester and Lunenburg. After a long sunny day on the road we arrived in a thick heat fog at “Eastove.” Tall waving lupins greeted us wherever we turned.
While it was a relief to unpack and a pleasure to drink in the view of Lunenburg and Blue Rocks across the bay, it did not take long to realize that things were not the same down our way. For the next few months at least such differences would persist. Our road is much quieter than usual. A lot less dust is being raised by cars and trucks. Sadly, many of our summer friends are not here yet. Couples from Britain, the U.S., and Ontario have either had to stay home or have chosen to do so.
The travel ban on American citizens is being sorely felt economically as July approaches; they spend generously and typically enliven many social gatherings with their high spirits. The recent cancellation of the ferry service from Bar Harbor, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia will further devastate the economy of southern Nova Scotia.
However, even if our friends were here, we would have to miss seeing them for a while because, given the quarantine affecting the newly arrived, we are property-bound and out of touch with the passing scene in Rose Bay and Lunenburg.
Not to complain, though — we have our view, our comforts, and our modest acreage to allow little Mac and us to wander down to Lunenburg Bay.
Our closest neighbours are shopping for us and have provided a special bounty appropriate for a lobsterman’s family. Having filled our freezer with cooked lobsters and fresh scallops, they welcomed us with a thick seafood chowder which we eagerly consumed. Another neighbour is providing homecooked meals as part of her catering business.
How does the rest of the summer look down here? How much will tourism founder? Will our American friends be allowed (as property owners) to come north before September? Will any of the cancelled events this summer be refigured once Nova Scotia opens up its range of services?
How many local restaurants and stores, once-opened, will do enough business to make ends meet?
On the positive side, we have heard that Steve Chapin (Harry Chapin’s youngest brother and the owner of the nearby Ovens Provincial Park) is already here from New Jersey and will be playing music outdoors at the Ol’ Miner’s Diner. We won’t be able to talk to him for another10 days but we are hopeful that his brother Tom and other family members will get here in August to participate in the annual Chapin Family Concert.
Sadly, there won’t be the annual Canada Day Parade and Volunteer Firemens’ fish fry in Riverport. There won’t be the celebrated Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. Such losses! but, alas, because of quarantine, we couldn’t have attended Canada Day anyway.
Time will answer a lot of questions, but at least we are here to witness what we hope will be positive mid-COVID changes. In the meantime we are delighted to be enjoying the ocean breezes, morning fogs, sunny afternoons on the patio, plenty of seafood, and occasional rainy days.