Across the Country to the Maritimes: Day 16 - Dune de Bouctouche and Shediac

Well, it looks like the end of our family visiting days and late nights is coming to a close… today is our last night camping here at L and J's Waterside Resort. They have been great campground hosts! We've spent lots of time at the campground office chatting with them. They're pretty good folks after all! We did have to lodge a few complaints with management. They advertise free wifi (weefee as they pronounce it here in the Maritimes) at their campground, but I'm disappointed to say that there was none to be had right at the trailer! What kind of a shoddy outfit… oh, don't get me started! Anyways, imagine that, all these posts I've done in the last few days… I've had to go to the office to catch weefee! Anyways, all in all, even despite that aspect, I'm going to give them a good rating on trip advisor. Their great personality and hospitality made up for it. Plus, they served me some great coffee while I was on weefee!

Parked at L and J's Waterside Resort

Anyways, I was at the campground office for a good part of the morning and early afternoon, posting days 12, 13, 14 and 15. Nice to get caught up on our "homework"! By the way, it's early morning and my official poster (Suzie) is still sleeping, so I'm writing this one. Usually, she writes the post, I organize the photos and put it all together from there. I'm going to try to keep up on my homework more diligently, so that I don't have to "catch up" for hours every so often. We're glad that some of you are enjoying these posts, and we are glad that we are keeping a trip diary for ourselves this way too.

So anyways, late start… Went to the beach at les Dunes de Bouctouche again (where we had walked with Michel-Claude and Patti). Suzie and I walked together for a short while, and then I left for the beach run that I had been craving for days! We have been a little slack during the last week since we've been here. No running or riding, but lots of awesome family time! A fair amount of walking however. Anyways, I took off running. Suzie had my iPhone and was going to turn around after 20 to 25 minutes. I was going to run for 45 minutes total, so turn around when I thought it was about 20 to 25 minutes… BIG mistake! Some who know me know how accurate I can be at getting to places on time. As I was running on the 12 or so km beach, I was enjoying it so much that I felt like Forrest Gump… I think I would have kept going forever until I was running in the ocean! It was so nice to run on the beach! I kept going. At one point, when I thought it must be about 20 minutes, I told myself: "OK, I'll just keep going until I can see the lighthouse at the end and then turn around." No lighthouse at the next point… That went on for a few points. Finally, I had to stop, climb the dune, and at least see the lighthouse, get back on the beach and run back. I got back an hour and 20 minutes later. I went for a quick ocean dip to cool off and then Suzie and I left to go meet Jeeps and Lise, who we were meeting for a nice supper together in the Shediac area.

In the distance, Forrest Gump is off!

We stopped by the amazing Irving Park on the way home! So many types of trees planted in this huge, beautiful park, with a rock wall around the park that is self-standing! No mortar was used to hold the rocks together!

No mortar!

At Irving Park, Bouctouche

In Bouctouche...

We then got ready and left for an awesome restaurant about 20 minutes away near Shediac. Outdoor patio… beautiful evening… just before sunset… incredible seafood platter of shrimp, scallops and lobster tail… great company… What an incredible evening!

Suzie and Lise

What a night!

The only bad thing, on the way home, Jeeps was captured by the world's largest lobster in Shediac! I tried my best to save him. Oh well, I'm sure Lise will manage the campground OK on her own.