Volunteer Bio: Spirit_of_Fundy
This newly minted TNMCorps volunteer, wanting a geographically based username, soon found the proper inspiration in memories of Downeast Maine and Maritime Canada!
“My spouse and I, several years ago, were visiting Washington County, Maine, and decided to make an island-hopping daytrip by driving to one of the border crossings at St. Stephen, New Brunswick; taking the car-ferry from L’Etete to Deer Island; then a further car-ferry to Campobello Island; then driving the island’s international bridge back to the U.S., at Lubec, Maine. On a map, the succession of points makes a tidy loop. “Tidy”? The pun was not intended, yet there it is: The Bay of Fundy is of course renowned for its tidal bore, resulting in such regional landmarks (watermarks?) as the ‘Old Sow Whirlpool,’ near Deer Island Point, New Brunswick, and the 'Reversing Falls’ at Pembroke, Maine.
“The summer weather that day was ideal, the scenery, spectacular. While on one of the ferries, this future TNMCorps volunteer briefly got out of the car to snap a photo or two and for a few moments more directly enjoy the sights, sounds, and sensations: the fresh air and lustrous sunshine; the soothing sound of the water rhythmically smacking against the hull; the pirate’s-eye views of the pine-topped, little islands scattered about…and splash! Your narrator was gently doused, across one shoulder, by a wavelet tossed over the prow. Instead of being irked, the recipient grinned and considered it an investiture for the ages.
“A good-natured debate with an acquaintance, still not settled, is what constitutes having ‘been’ somewhere. The subject is hotly contested in certain travel circles: Staying in the car, versus stepping out of the car; pausing at a rest‑stop, versus eating a meal in a restaurant; passing through a location, versus lodging overnight; etc. Such deliberations are why this writer resolved, when at such special spots, to have direct, pedal contact with the soil -- or the water, in this case. No shoes, no socks, no doubt about it: Been there!
“Hence, on the beach at Deer Island Point, and at Campobello Island at Friar’s Bay and Raccoon Beach, my feet were blissfully immersed – despite the ankle-encircling seaweed (love it!) and the presence of several Lion’s Mane jellyfish (love them, too, but only from a safe distance). That day was indeed one for making connections with the Bay of Fundy region.
“Geographical adventures such as those are why, when signing up for a brand-new, still-unfolding, adventure with The National Map Corps, the concept of ‘Spirit_of_Fundy’ encompassed all of it, whether tangible or intangible: the rocks, the trees, the moss, the lighthouses, the majestic sweep of history, and the eternal forces of time and tides.
“Although now moving throughout the TNMCorps database, in search of those important red points, and more, ‘Spirit_of_Fundy’ remains firmly rooted in a special day of fresh air, radiant sunshine, unexpected discovery, and even an invigorating splash of saltwater or two.”