Sunrise Interrupted
In
the romantic suspense novel, Sunrise Interrupted, the film set for the fictional
movie Retribution, co-starring Alexandra Martel (the female lead), is located
on Belleisle Bay, New Brunswick, Canada. That’s also where the story’s male
lead, Dr. Beau Remington, has his veterinary clinic, at Hatfield Point, also on
the Bay.
I
chose this setting for the book because of its natural beauty, along with the
fact that most of New Brunswick’s Queens County area holds many fond childhood
memories for me. Belleisle Bay, a fjord like arm of the Saint John River, is about
as pretty as they come.
Now
about the river that created the bay. At 673 kilometres, the Saint John River
is the largest river in Eastern Canada, and it’s not like it’s is all ours
either. It began life in two separate streams, one in the State of Maine, USA, the
other in the Canadian province of Quebec, and joined forces to form the eighty-mile
international border between the US and Canada (at that point). It’s also the
boundary line between the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, but the latter
province is where it really comes to life.
The
Saint John River was originally known as Wolastoq meaning “the beautiful and
bountiful river”, aptly named by the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) First Nation – the
original inhabitants of the Dawnland area, along with the Peskotomuhkati Native
American/First Nation, prior to European colonization. It’s still a cultural
centre of the Wabanaki Confederacy. “The Wabanaki people are a group of five
First Nations that are geographically located in the Eastern North America.”
(asdeast.nbed.ca) However, on June 24, 1604 French explorers Pierre Du Gua,
sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain found themselves in the area and upon
seeing the river, mistakenly assumed they had to give it a name. Since it was
the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, they decided it would be fitting to call
it Riviere Saint-John or Saint John River. A request was actually filed in 2021
by the Wolastoqiyik to have the traditional name of Wolastoq recognized.
Often
called the Rhine of North America, the river is indeed a bountiful waterway in
many respects. The Saint John River Valley is lush and fertile, its gently
rolling hills home to countless farms and agricultural interests, as well offering
some of the most beautiful scenery in the province. Those breathtaking
landscapes are certainly befitting Canada’s “Picture Province.”
The
river and the people who look to it for an abundant way of life, take time from
their labours every year to enjoy seasonal celebrations. There are any number
of popular festivals, including, but not limited to: River Jam Fredericton,
National French Fry Day, Diner en Blanc (Dinner dressed in white), Rendez-vous
des artistes, and the Larlee Creek Hullabaloo.
People
on the river know how to have a good time.
But
while the locals like to make merry on occasion, the river itself is for the
most part pretty laidback, although it does kick up its heels from time to time.
Just such an occasion is the surging cataracts at Grand Falls, the largest
waterfall east of Niagara Falls with a drop of seventy-five feet. As the river
thunders headlong through this deep sheer-faced gorge it provides a prime source
of hydroelectric power, the mighty roar of white water properly harnessed for
our benefit. (There are three hydropower dams on the river with Mactaquac being
the largest hydroelectric generating station in the Maritimes.) And then,
somewhat spent it seems from its uncharacteristic show of vigour, the Saint
John River relaxes into tranquility once again as it continues eastward,
widening as it meanders along.
It’s
during this journey to the Atlantic Ocean that it gives us Belleisle Bay. Still
with a trick or two up its sleeve, at this point it acts like a glacial valley
lake cradled by the St. Croix Highlands of the Appalachian Range that serves as
its backdrop. Recreational fishers love this little bay where a days angling
could offer up a whole host of goodies -- everything from pumpkin seed sunfish
to southern channel catfish, the latter being “a very rare catch in Canada.”
A small portion of Belleisle Bay at
Hatfield Point
Stately
riverboats once plied these sparkling waters, and the last of the old riverboat
hotels is still in operation a little further along at the village of Evandale
on Belleisle Bay, known today as the Evandale Resort & Marina.
Onward
the Saint John River flows on its way to the sea where it finally empties
itself in the world-famous Bay of Fundy – that is unless it encounters a coastal
high tide. Then you can literally watch the powerful Atlantic Ocean push this
673 kilometre river backwards to create the phenomenon called the Reversing
Falls as it reverses against the prevailing current. Then, until slack tide six
hours later, salt water flows upriver an amazing thirty-six kiilometres, under
a covering of fresh water to Oak Point. There, having reached the limit of
saltwater infiltration, the show is basically over and the river is … well,
just a river again. Back down toward the coast, when the tide recedes, the
river goes about its original business of outward flow into the ocean. Mission
accomplished.
That’s
a nutshell look at the Saint John River, and when the movie producers were
scouting for a suitable location for Retribution, they chose well. Who better
to play such a genial host than this celebrated river.
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