St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-1920, 1920-07-28
CAMPING in
The LAND OF
EYANCELlNE
Interesting Letter from DR..
Kicker Describing His
Trip and His Camp
Editor Calcdonian-Record

do it at once, on arrivcl, but time
goes quickly in new place and there
has been so much of interest here,
which together with camp chores has
kept fellow busy.
1t is hard to describe Nova Scotia
it is so varied, although small in
area. You remember about the blind
men of Hindoostan who went to
"sce" the elephant, one finding him
like snake, another like wall, etc.
1t is the same here according to what
one sees. You may call this land of
rocky cliffs, OF of dyked meadows, OF
streams or apple orchards, Of poetic
romance OF of hardy thrift, Of high
tides, Of cod fish or of cherries.
We arrived a week ago Friday al
ter delightful trip across New Eng
land and New Brunswick of four
days. Thursday evening we loaded
the car and outfit into the Empress
and coursed the Bay of Fundy in a
dense fog Friday afternoon. The fog
was so heavy that we could see no
distance ahead until we were about
u mile off shore. Then we came into
clear sunlight and certainly nothing
could be more beautiful that the
coast as we came into Digby Gut, Il
narrow channel between two noun
tains leading into the Cunpotes basin
one of the several inlets of the Bay
of Fundy. The basin is about 20
miles long and five miles wide, and
at its inner edge lies Digby with its
unique docks so built that vessels
can land and load, raising and falling
with 25 foot tide.
One must see those tides to appre
ciate them. The basin almost emp
ties itself at low tide and one can
walk long distances along its bot
tom, one island in particular becorl-
ing peninsular, while at high tide
the banks are full. The piers are
Just above water and it becomes a
huge inland lake very much like the
meadows at st. Johnsbury in the
spring. But as one goes inland the
freaks of the high tides become more
striking. Even as far as so miles
from Fundy ore finds rivers full to
the banks, only to become small shall
low streams few hours later. Driv-
ing about in what one supposes is a
hilly farming country, you will go
down hill across bridge and sure
enough it is not river but tide
water again. One cannot come here
and go away again in day to APP
preciatc whit % foot tide on a
rocky, ru""ed coast really means.
One drives for miles and miles past
apple orchards, and is never away
from them, apple trees continuous
like a great forest.
The town of Digbv is small, its
shops are few and not attractive, its
churches are plain, its streets are
only gravel roads, but it is delightful.
You like to stay and stay longer and
longer and you hate to 60 away.
And yet you cannot tell Yhv 1t is
the same as any New England town
and yet it is entirely different. There
is really nothing to stay for, and you
want to come again and STAY longer.
We drove off the dock before noon
and circled about the town looking
and enquiring for a camp site. In Il
few minutes we found new mown
field on the edge of the village but
like any Yankee we had to look for
another site. But we returned,
looked up the owner, and asked for
permission to camp for few days.
We found Mr. and Mrs. Baxter most
charming people and they have done
all they could to make our stav here
pleasant. Our tents face the Basin
and we watch the tides and the hour
of their ebb and flow. We listen for
the whistle of the "Blue Nose" ex-
press and watch it until it crosses the
Joggin bridge. We see the wind blow
from the southwest and know it is
going to rain. When away we speak
of going back home, meaning Mr..
Baxter's field and our tent, and we
feel as though we belonged to Digby.
As our ter..,' went up all the chill
dren in the neighborhood gathered,
and the curiosity of older ones was
aroused. 1t was reported we were a
band of 25 gypsies, but two days Ia
ter it was pleasing to 90 down town
and be greeted by g dozen or so,
Good Morning, Doctor, how is the
camp? OF words to that effect. We
are staying here until we leave for
home. Why should we move.
We are meeting the 'eonle OF Dig
by and quite rood many drop in for
a chat, and we have had some pleas
ant calls from the hotel guests.
On leaving St. Johnsbur'' we had
an accident to the trailer due to de-
fective bolt which was fixed up and
then we got away before noon. We
lunched beyond Lunenburg and camp
ed the first night near Dixfeld, Me.
The next dav we went nearly to Ban
gor and made one of our best camps
in an apple orchard near farm
house with good water >and good
milk. The owner was one of the salt
of the earth who had seen real
trouble but who was as cheerful as
could be, and who did all he could
for us.
The third day was hard one. We
did too much, drove $50 miles passed
the customs at Calais, Me-, and at
St. Stephens N. B., and made camp
(Continued on page three)