After a week driving through Canada's Maritime Provinces, I came away with a few observations:
New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia may be Canada's smallest provinces, but it's no short hop to reach the eastern end of them. Plan on a 2,000-mile round trip.
There may still be some separatist sentiment in neighboring Quebec, but strong Canadian patriotism is obvious in the Maritime Provinces. Maple leaf flags are everywhere.
Tim Hortons shops are everywhere, too. Dunkin Donuts? Not so much.
In Halifax, a big city of 400,000, there are no longer any stations on the AM dial. To someone who grew up with AM radio, that was strange.
If you think Maine has "lobstermania", it's even more prevalent in Atlantic Canada.
While Canada never developed a nationwide limited access superhighway system dating back to the fifties like our interstates, they seem to be making up for it with massive highway construction throughout the Maritimes.
Even with big box retail sprawl, city centers seem to be filled with stores. Can Connecticut claim that?
Gas is still about a buck a gallon more there than here. That's still a bargain compared to a year ago when I went to Montreal and Ottawa.
For scenic vistas, historic destinations, all kinds of food and friendly people, this part of Canada was well worth the drive. I only wish I had the time to go to take the ferry to Newfoundland.
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