October 2015 - RiverValley Vettes' members tour tourists

Started by HATE2W8, January 28, 2016, 03:47:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

HATE2W8

On October 1, 2015 Anne and Ron Gould, Peter Wood, Dawn and John Garwood and myself, met and introduced ourselves to fellow Corvette enthusiasts and tourists from the Province of Ontario and the States of Connecticut and Tennessee.
Our group of 8 Corvettes departed from the Amsterdam Inn on a cool Thursday morning for a little guided tour of the capital city of Fredericton (pop 56,000) and the surrounding area.
(bit of Corvette related trivia Donna- there are approximately 100 Corvettes in close proximity to the area.)

Our first point of interest was the University on New Brunswick (UNB) and the adjacent St.Thomas University. St.Thomas is unique in Canada for its sole focus on liberal arts and its commitment to social justice. (I believe) UNB is the second oldest university in Canada. The Old Arts building built in 1829, is the oldest university building still in use in Canada. (I read that) New Brunswick holds the distinctions of having the first English-language university in Canada and the first public university in North America.

Next up, we travelled down along the St John River, nicknamed the "Rhine of North America. It's approximately 418 miles long, located principally in New Brunswick but also in and arising from the province of Quebec and the state of Maine. It forms part of the Canada–United States border in two different places along its length. Along that portion of the Atlantic shoreline of North America that lies between the St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River, the Saint John River is the second longest waterway; only the Susquehanna is longer.
Passing by the Fredericton Research and Development Centre it was noted that New Brunswick is a recognized world leader in potato production and potato research.
The Maritime Flight College based out of the Fredericton Int. Airport was pointed out along the way. This campus focuses on delivering international training contracts for airlines and is approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of China to train Chinese student pilots.
Next was a Tim Hortons coffee break and a visit at the adjacent Canex Military Store on the CFB Gagetown complex in Oromocto. Base Gagetown (opened in 1956) was the largest military facility in Canada and the British Commonwealth at 436 sq miles (1129 sq km) until CFB Suffield in Alberta opened in 1971.
Heading back to downtown Frederiction we parked alongside the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and a portion of the trail system that made the capital one of the "Best Walking Cities in Canada".
Across the street we toured the (Anglican) Christ Church Cathedral. A little bit of history: The Church of England arrived with English settlers and American Loyalists in the 18th Century.
The service of consecration marking the official opening of the Cathedral took place on August 11, 1853. (163 years ago). On July 3, 1911, lightning struck the Cathedral and the resulting fire gutted the spire and destroyed the choir when the bells melted and fell to earth. It took over a year and $100,000 to rebuild the Cathedral. On August 12, 1912, Bishop Richardson led a rededication service for the restored building. The newly constructed spire rose to 198 feet.
Returning to our cars, driving through the downtown core, we pointed out the current Legislative Assembly Building which has been the seat of government in New Brunswick since 1882. (134 yrs ago) The original was destroyed by fire in 1877, Crossing the St. John River we made our way towards the Mactaquac Dam and Generating Station.
Opened in 1968 and rising 130+ feet in height above the river level, the reservoir (referred to locally as the "head pond") covers 87 square kilometres (33 sq miles).
The reduced lifespan of the spillway and dam was first brought to the attention of government in 2000 when projections at that time had placed the dam's end-of-life at 2028, instead of the original 100-year lifespan of 2068.
Portions of the dam (namely the spill-ways) are experiencing a problem of expanding concrete. When built, locally quarried greywacke was used as the aggregate and is responsible for an alkali-aggregate reaction expansion. The dam is being monitored and extra maintenance work is being performed, although the original 100-year lifespan of the spillway has been reduced by almost 40 years
A decision will have to be made to either restore or decommission as follows:
1.Re-power the dam by replacing the spillway and the powerhouse;
2.No continued power generation, maintain the headpond by replacing the spillway but not the powerhouse;
3.Remove the spillway, powerhouse and earthen dam and restore the river to its original state.
The anticipated cost is $2 to $5 billion, depending on the option.
Experts, scientists, researchers and engineers from around the globe have an interest in this issue as other dams are experiencing the same problem.
At the conclusion of the photo op and chat session, we made our way to the Irving Big Stop for lunch.
Our last stop with friends Dave and Donna Case, Steve and Shirley Case, Joe and Pat Paganini and Jack and Carol Kinney, brought us to Clarks Chevrolet in Fredericton, for a peek into Canada's Oldest Chevrolet dealership
And with that, our afternnon with friends came to an end, as we escorted them back to the Inn and bid them a safe journey on their way back home.
All the best to you folks in 2016
Carman Schwartz
Fredericton, NB
January 20, 2016

Powered by EzPortal