Much More than a Trail!

I get up really early and today while sipping my coffee I was looking for another hike for us to take. I found what sounded like a nice trail on Minister’s Island just under 40 miles from here. Investigating I found you need tickets to get on the island, but opening and closing times depend on the tides; you drive to the island at low tide.

When Bud got up I asked if he was interested. If so, we had to leave by about 7:35 as today’s tides had the island open from 8:30 until 11:15.

He was, so we threw ourselves together and took off. Here we are driving across the gravel part of Bar Road that crosses Passamaquoddy Bay. It was 8:23 AM. In the distance you can see other cars waiting at the entrance to the island.

The tide had just drained away. Some people were out there clamming.

We did find some nice paths to walk.

There were old stone fences…

and parts along old carriage roads. (The white blob in the road is Matey enjoying a roll in the soft grass.)

We glimpsed Chamcook Harbour through the trees.

I loved this part; two ruts filled with conifer needles worn through a roadway of moss. Soft!

Toward the end of our walk we passed this stone gate. This whole island is now a National Historic Site. It was the summer home of Sir William Van Horne and his family. Van Horne was the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The estate operated as a self sufficient farm, but hardly an ordinary farm. This is the three story barn built in 1898.

Behind it was the ice house and creamery. The barn, with its iconic turreted silos was designed by an architect. The milk was cooled in the barn and then piped directly into the creamery.

Everything in the barn was state of the art and immaculate. This is the basement of the barn where the prize bulls were kept. Manure was removed by an overhead rail system and taken to the composting garden.

After touring the barn and hiking we got back in the truck and drove close to a mile to Covenhoven, the 50 room “cottage” built in 1891. You approach from the back.

The front of Covenhoven faces the sea.

Pretty nice view from the front porch.

There’s also a bathhouse…

with its own close-up view of the water.

To support the house were a windmill which pumped water from a well and a gas house where carbide gas was made to light the house.

Inside the carriage house they had one of the original carriages from the estate.

The inside of the house has been restored and has a lot of the family furnishings.

When the property was acquired by the government this pool table was the only thing left in the house.

All of the furnishings in this nursery, built for Van Horne’s grandson, are things that were here originally.

I guess this is dining casually if you were a Van Horne.

We definitely could have spent more time seeing this amazing island.

But time and tide waits for no man and the waters were rising as we drove back to the mainland at 11:23.

We drove into the nearby village of St. Andrews; very pretty but very congested. Before leaving we came back to Bar Road. At 12:07 the water was coming across the road. At high tide the water over the road will be 14 feet deep.

As they say in their promotional material, this is an island like no other!