Sunday Oct 7, 2018

Map and road video – Saint John, NB to Bangor, ME

Today seemed like a good day to return to the U.S. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in Canada and most things are closed whereas tomorrow is Columbus Day in the U.S. and most things are open. However, the final Canadian spot that I wanted to visit is not directly accessible from Canada at this time of year (the seasonal ferries stopped running a week ago) and I had to drive through part of Maine to get there, necessitating the three border crossings.

After visiting the Roosevelt Library and Home in Hyde Park, NY earlier in the trip I wanted to visit the Roosevelt’s summer cottage on Campobello Island, NB. The area, officially called the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, is on Canadian soil but is jointly financed, administered and staffed by the Canadian and U.S. governments as a symbol of peace and friendship between the two countries. It seemed a fitting way to return to the U.S. The “cottage” is actually an airy 3 storey, 34 room house designed to accommodate a large entourage. Most of the rooms are bedrooms. It was here, at age 39, that FDR developed the first symptoms of polio although it is believed that he contracted the disease at a boy scout jamboree he had attended in New York. Admission and the guided tour was free.

After leaving Campobello I made a quick stop at West Quoddy Head which is the easternmost point of the U.S. and has a delightful lighthouse.

The Roosevelt Cottage on Campobello Island.
Just after he was elected president for the first time his mother bought Franklin and Eleanor a special new stove as a belated wedding gift.
The Roosevelt children were home schooled until the age of 14 and had to study with a tutor six mornings a week, even in the summer.
Although you can barely read it, the stone I’m standing behind confirms that West Quoddy Head is the easternmost point in the U.S.A.