Amsterdam Inn Sussex

Sulphurous water Fountain

by Bwana_Brown

Near the top of Church Avenue sits an old water fountain that has been there as long as I can remember. The story was that a drink of its waters would bring you good health and that was a good thing, because you certainly were not drinking the sulphur-smelling water for its taste! Another legend was that the source of this water was somehow used in the manufacture of the unique Sussex Golden Ginger Ale at their plant not too far distant from the fountain.

I do not know what the true situation is, but massive deposits of potash were found in and around the Sussex area in the 1970s, leading to the development of two underground mines (one of which had to be subsequently closed when it was flooded by accident after hitting an underground aquafer). Maybe the fountains waters are bubbling up from some other strange mineral formation!

A cluster of old barns

by Bwana_Brown

Not far from Sussex, atop Keirstead Mountain (not much more than a large hill in reality!) I pass by this cluster of old barns every time I drive down from Fredericton. They have been there as long as I can remember, even when I was just a child in the backseat of my parents car. On a 2004 trip, I got thinking about that and figured I had better get a photo of them before they disappear! The road beside these old barns used to be part of the original Trans-Canada Highway that was built through here in 1959/60, but it is now just a backwater since a new 4-lane superhighway was built in 2001. At least, it makes for quite enjoyable driving now without having to worry about camper-trailers and transport trucks!

Even though I say this is only a hill, it is amazing what a few hundred feet in elevation can do in winter. I have had cases where this part of the highway was covered in snow, but the lower elevations were not!

It was not long after I had come back down the other side of the mountain that I noticed a large bird flying toward me, quite low over the highway. From its ponderous wing beats I suspected that it was a 4-foot tall Great Blue Heron with a wingspan to match. Sure enough, it veered off before I reached it and from the 'S-bend' of its neck and long legs trailing behind, the identification was complete. That's the thing about bird watching, quite often a bird can be identified by its size and flying characteristics without even getting a good look at it.

More pics....

by marcoparco

Paying 1.10$ a litre because we are out in the boonies and we can't go without gas!hahaha

A little cabin we came upon....

It's all about getting a flat tire at 11pm on your way home!! It didn't help that the spare was like molded to the frame becasue it was so rusted!!!! i was able to break the studs with the aid of a trusty hammer and a crew driver!hahahaha An hour later we were back on our way!!