Day 4: Freeport, ME to St. Stephen, NB and New River Provincial Patk

Our first night in the van and we slept like babies! First time in weeks. Must be the sea air.

Gorgeous morning. Breakfast was lattes, homemade cinnamon rolls and cheese.

Today we cross the border from Calais, ME to St.Stephen, NB. Our final destination is New River Provincial Park on the Bay of Fundy between St. Stephen and Saint John.

The drive up I95 was uneventful, a little more difficult when we headed east after Bangor. I started off driving today.

We arrived in St. Stephen about 1:30 pm not having eaten lunch. In reality it was 2:30 Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT), a time zone we don’t have in the US.

The claim to fame in St. Stephen is the Ganong Chocolate store and museum. We had a dear friend in times past who came from here and was related to the Ganongs. We thought we should visit, so we took a tour after finally having lunch at a PitaPit across the street.

St. Stephen, NB

St. Stephen is situated on the beautiful St. Croix River, which forms the border between New Brunswick and the state of Maine in the United States. St. Stephen is known for its historic architecture, picturesque waterfront, and vibrant community.

The town is home to the Ganong Chocolatier, one of the oldest candy companies in Canada, which has been producing sweets since 1873. St. Stephen is also famous for its annual Chocolate Fest, which celebrates the town’s sweet heritage.

The town’s proximity to the Fundy Coastal Drive also makes it a popular destination for visitors exploring New Brunswick’s stunning coastline.

The Ganong Museum

Established in 1873, Ganong has the distinction of being Canada’s original and longest standing family-owned and operated chocolate company, manufacturing all its products in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. On June 5th 1873, two brothers James and Gilbert (G.W) Ganong founded Ganong Bros., Limited. Ganong was the first to imprint their hand-dipped chocolates on the bottom by use of embossed celluloid pads, patented by Gilbert Ganong. Each pad is covered with the stamp: ‘GB Ganong’s’.

Ganong was the first in Canada to make lollipops and suckers using a butcher’s wooden skewers in 1885. Ganong introduced the first heart-shaped boxes to Canada in the 1930’s.

New River Provincial Park

Our campground for tonight is a Provincial Park on the shores of the Bay of Fundy between St. Stephen and Saint John. The temperature dropped 12 degrees from a comfortable 70 F to a decidedly cool 58 f. We bought firewood!

There is a seafood takeout restaurant in the park on the beach within walking distance of our campsite where we had fresh caught fish and chips. The beach is beautiful.

I need to get back into the habit of taking photos starting with the wild flowers in the campground.

I have our travel quilts with us for cool evenings. Brian’s is the Yellowstone quilt I made with fabric purchased on our first trip west in the van in 2021. Mine is the Canada 🇨🇦 quilt I made last fall with fabric acquired as we traveled west across Canada.