Jedi-run Ferries

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Deciding to vary our route from land to sea, we choose to take ferries back to the states, via Deer Island and Campobello Island. My lost sunglasses delays our departure and we arrive at the pier just as the ferry pulls away from shore. Not to worry, the experience is the journey not the destination right? So we pull out our books and folding chairs, oh wait, no folding chairs, we took those out at home; we pull out our books and sit down on rocks by the shore to read in the sun.

We are first in line (obviously) for the next ferry, so when it arrives we have no example to follow. The outbound cars quickly unload; we start our car and pull forward. The car behind (which not surprisingly has local plates) doesn’t follow us. Interesting.

Okay, so we’ll wait.

No sign comes from the ferry. No movement behind. Three minutes pass. Still no sign. We inch forward to ensure we’re seen; no one in line behind us moves. Hmm.

Then a loud horn blast. Ah ha—a signal. Cars behind us start up and move. We head down the long, steep ramp (after all this is the Bay of Fundy and it’s low tide).

I think that the ferry operators are all Jedi. They use no words, only subtly outstretch their right pointer and middle fingers to our left (their right as they are facing us) to indicate stay to the left. Their two outstretched fingers raise slightly which we interpret as stop. When we land on the opposite shore the two outstretched fingers move ever so slightly forward—proceed. Men who have discovered an economy of motion.

One of the benefits of taking two ferries is that it supports my newly hatched plan to do things in twos when on vacation. Or pretty much anywhere. You see, rather than try a large variety of places, hikes, restaurants, and events while traveling and remembering few if any, I am trying to work with my memory I find that the more times I visit a place, see a person, eat at a restaurant, the better I remember the occasion. So if I eat 2 times each at 3 different restaurants rather than at 6 different locations, I will actually remember all 3 restaurants rather than have no memory of dining out at all. This is a new plan, so I'll see how well it works.

Working with my memory, we visit both the West Quoddy and East Quoddy lighthouses. Both are set in spectacular and quite remote locations; both are red and white. The West Quoddy lighthouse has nearly deserted hiking trails along the cliffside with stunning views. Both are worth the journey.