Bristol, Connecticut- July 26, 2016

243 miles to the southwest today and we are now in Bristol, Connecticut at the Bear Creek Campground. We have been retracing the route that we had taken going up to the Maritimes.  For some reasons campgrounds are not in great abundance through this area.  I believe most campgrounds are located along the coast but we wanted to stay away from those cities along the coast- Boston and New York.  We have hit the heat.  Not sure just what the temperature is but our air conditioners have not shut off since we got here.

After eating lunch and chilling out for a while Tom and I did some cleaning out of some cabinets.  Terrible how much unused stuff we can accumulate although I do believe we are getting better at pitching out brochures and pamphlets after being in an area.

Tomorrow we continue on.

Freeport, Maine- July 25, 2016

We continue moving south, homeward bound.  We drove 157 miles this morning to Freeport, Maine.  I wanted to stop here to see about buying a couple of items.  We are staying in the same campground that we had stayed in on our way to Canada, Cedar Haven Campground.  So after getting into our site we went into the town of Freeport.  We first got lunch at Jameson Tavern.  It was another beautiful day to eat in the outside patio dining area.  Then we shopped at a couple of stores but didn’t spend a lot of time as Tom was having some problem with a pain in his foot.

Tomorrow we are continuing south.

Hello U.S.A. - July 24, 2016

We were underway at 9am Atlantic time(which is 8am eastern time) from Oak Bay, New Brunswick. Less than 20 miles we were at the border crossing. The inspectors came inside the motorhome and removed most of our fresh produce- plums, tomatoes, green pepper and apples Lettuce, onions, cherries and garlic were left. We then continued on our travels(117 miles) through .forested mountains of Maine to Bar Harbor. We are again at the Bar Harbor Campground. Being Sunday we are seeing lots of vacancy signs. The traffic is fairly heavy so people are on the move, probably lots are leaving to get back home.

After getting set up in our site we drove into the town of Bar Harbor. Lots of folks were on the streets and in the restaurants. But then we saw that there was a cruise ship in port so that explains it. We had lunch at the Stewman’s restaurant where we had eaten when here on the way to Canada. Both of us had the lobster roll which came with cole slaw and fries (we had the sweet potato fries). Tom had a bowl of clam chowder and I had a cup of lobster bisque. Good meal in a covered patio area right on the water.

After lunch we walked into the stores along the street as we headed back to the car. A trip to the grocery store was in order to replenish our confiscated produce at the border.

It is an absolutely beautiful day with temperature in the low 80’s and bright sunshine. tomorrow we move on down the coast to Freeport. Crossing the border changed our time from Atlantic to Eastern time.

Good-Bye Prince Edward Island - July 23, 2016

At 8:15am today we were pulling out of the Marco Polo Campground headed south. Just about an hour later we had crossed the Confederation Bridge ( the 8 mile one) paid the one way toll of $61.00 (Canadian) and were back in the province of New Brunswick. Our plans were to return to St. Andrews and the campground along the bay that we had stayed coming into Canada. Not all plans come together. When we arrived at the campground we saw it looked fairly full and there was a caravan beginning their check in. So no room for one more and on we moved. Another campground close by had been recommended but when we saw it from the road RV’s were crammed in there so tight that it appeared more as a storage lot than campground. We passed on that one. Then we spied a sign for Oak Bay Campground a little farther along near St. Stephens. So we went looking for that one. Well, before finding Oak Bay we saw a sign for another campground and off on a road that turned into a dirt lane. And we drove for what seemed like miles but probably wasn’t more than 2 miles. What we found was what looked like an abandoned old campground. But there was also an area that after unhooking the car that we were able to get turned around. The owner of the place did check to see if we wanted to stay which we declined. So then we returned out the dirt road and on to the Oak Bay Campground which was much better. Our poor Jeep was well dusted from that dirt road. This really was our first problem with full campgrounds this trip. St. Andrews is an entry/exit destination from the U.S. and also is popular spot along the Bay of Fundy.

We are running the air conditioning this evening, the first since being in Canada. It was partly sunny most of the day but then this evening we had a couple of showers with a few rumbles of thunder. We have been hearing about the heat that we will be facing as we continue south.

Last Day on P.E.I. - July 22, 2016

Today, being our last day on Prince Edward Island, we stayed around this Cavendish area. Spent some time browsing the souvenir shops and spending some money. Paid a visit to a seafood market and spent some money. And then went to the town of North Rustico for lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf – and, yes, more money spent. This restaurant says they have the longest salad bar on the island. All we know is that it was a nice salad bar but also the only one we have come across in our travels. As we entered the restaurant we had to choose our entrée from a list of seafood and steak and then we had all the seafood chowder, mussels, salad, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages we so desired. We chose to have lobster since we have not eaten any aside from an occasional lobster roll. A very nice meal that we both enjoyed.

The day started out very windy, cloudy and cool. About 2:30pm or so the clouds cleared and the sun was out and the temperature went to about 81 degrees. But the wind continues to blow. We sure hope it calms down by morning as we leave here and have to cross that 8 mile bridge

Points East Coastal Drive, P.E.I. - July 21, 2016

With calm winds and warmer temperatures, we drove about 250 miles of the Points East Coastal Drive. This drive on the eastern side of the Island goes around the coastal areas that has many bays and beaches. Getting to the coast we passed fields of those bright yellow canola flowers. Elmira has a railroad museum with a historic train station and a model train exhibit. At East Point, the northeastern most point on the Island, had a lighthouse and a visitor information center. Souris is a small town on the eastern end of the Island and a ferry port. The Clam Digger restaurant, in Georgetown, was were we had a nice lunch on the outside patio overlooking the bay.

We made a stop at a National Historic Site called “Roma”. Jean-Pierre Roma, a French entrepreneur, found the first trading post at this location in 1732. It survived for 13 years when the British and New Englanders burned the settlement. A reconstructed group of buildings have tour guides dressed in costumes of the time and talking in language of the period tell about the village.

We did cut the drive short so we returned driving through the city of Charlottetown, the capital of the province and arrived back to the campground about 5:30pm.

The temperature got to 81 degrees today and the folks up here were saying it was hot. We thought it comfortable- I guess it’s all a matter of how one is conditioned to the environment. We will be here until Saturday.

Summerside, P.E.I. - July 20, 2016

We were a little slow moving this morning after our full day yesterday and the chill in the air. It was in the mid 50’s this morning with a fierce wind and clouds. We had to put on warmer clothes before venturing out. We planned to drive south about 22.5 miles to the town of Summerside to attend a Lobster Festival. Along the way we pass by an Aqua Farm that we stopped but the only opened area was a retail store. We continued on to the town of the Lobster Festival. Well, what a disappointment! No sign of a lobster anywhere. A street was blocked off and what appeared to be stores along the street had moved wares out on the street like a sidewalk sale

Summerside PEI Lobster Festival

Food being sold at 2 places consisted of sausages and burgers and hot dogs. We did grab lunch at a restaurant along the bay but that also was not great. French fries are served with every meal and if you are lucky there might be a tablespoon of cole slaw. Seldom is there an option of substituting something in place of the fries without an additional charge of more than $3.00.

After a stop at a grocery store (there are only small convenience stores in Cavendish) we continued toward the campground. Along this route between Cavendish and Summerside there is a large processing plant called Cavendish Farms. We have been curious about just what is processed there. We were looking for factory tours or visitor center but had to settle for a little retail store. We detected the smell of potatoes driving by so we weren’t surprised to find packages of frozen various cuts of French fried potatoes. No wonder there are so many fields of potatoes on this island.

North Cape Coastal Drive, P.E.I.- July 19, 2016

The North Cape Coastal Drive is a loop 217 mile drive around the westernmost third of P.E.I.   Today we took the drive making for a fairly long, but enjoyable, day.    Much of the trip was scenic either along the coastal regions or the inland farmlands.  The landmark Our Lady of Mont-Carmel Roman Catholic Church was worth a stop for picture taking.  Edouard Arsenault, the creator of The Bottle Houses,  impressed us with his creations as we walked through the beautiful gardens and the unique structures ( a house, a chapel and a tavern) made from bottles that he left behind in his memory.  Wind turbines are in a couple locations along the coast but North Cape is the home of the Wind Energy Institute and Wind Energy Interpretive Center.  North Cape also has the longest natural rock reef in North America.  The west coast is known for the red cliffs along the shore line.  There are beaches which are covered with brick red  sand and some folks were brave(?) enough to be swimming.  The air temperature was in the low 70’s today.  Lennox Island is home to the largest native Americans,Mi’kmaq, community.  We had lunch at Catch Kitchen and Bar in West Port.  We did not get back to the motorhome until after 9pm.

Prince Edward Island- Cavendish- July 18, 2016

We left Nova Scotia behind as we journeyed north to Prince Edward Island.  Actually, we had a small amount of our travels in New Brunswick before crossing the 8-mile bridge across the Northumberland Strait to P.E.I.  The town of Borden-Carleton was the Gateway to the Island.  We made a stop at this very welcoming site of souvenir shops, restaurants and information center and musicians playing .  We felt a difference in this province from other provinces we have been, in fact, we said it felt as if we had entered a different country, not just a province.

We continued north through P.E.I. to the resort town of Cavendish, a total of 154 miles today.  Beautiful country of fields of potatoes and grains, small towns and just peaceful, quiet appearing green countryside added to our feeling of a different provinces.  Cavendish is on the northern coast nearly centrally located.  After making a wrong turn (thanks to Tom’s navigator) and getting into and then out of a Provincial Park, we finally got to the Marco Polo Campground where we be staying for 3 days at least.  This province is small enough that we should be able to get around it from this location. 

Cavendish is the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of “Anne of Green Gables”and other “Anne” books.  We drove around the area some this afternoon and found in the shops numerous dolls, books and other souvenirs related to these books.

The island is divided into 3 areas with Visitor Centers having maps that show  driving tours for these areas.  We plan to take these tours during the next 3 days. 

Elm River- July 17, 2016

We departed Cape Breton Island this morning and travelled west to the Truro area.  We had hoped to get back in this area to see the beginning of the Tidal Bore.  I had misread a tidal schedule thinking that the bore would hit here at 1pm.  We pushed the 166 miles in order to get parked in a campground and then go to the area of the bore.  In spite of a prolonged stop for fuel enroute of more than 30 minutes, we did get to the Elm River Campground before 12 noon.  As I said I had misread the schedule and we found that the tidal bore had already made its way before 12 noon.  A little disappointed but that’s the way it is sometimes.

I wasn’t the only one that goofed.  It seems that when we were in Annapolis Royal this past Monday and Tuesday we had stopped at a seafood market and purchased several packs of frozen scallops.  When we returned to the campground Tom brought the bag of scallops into the motorhome and we put them in the freezer bag and all.  The last 2 days when we got in the Jeep we began smelling something unsavory.  One pack of the scallops had fallen out of the bag sliding under the front seat, no wonder we were smelling an odor.  A little upset over loosing a pack of scallops but again stuff happens sometimes, doesn’t it?

We have been seeing pizza restaurants advertising ‘donair’.  What is a donair?  We had never heard of a donair.  This evening we drove to a pizza place to get a donair.  What we had was warm,  thinly sliced, spicy beef topped with chopped tomatoes and onions wrapped in a whole pita bread and topped with a sweet creamy dressing.  We both thought it was quite good.

Tomorrow we will be going to Prince Edward Island by way of a bridge. 

Louisbourg- July 16, 2016

About an hour and a half drive from Baddeck is the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site and that was our activity for today.

  This fortress ( a town is enclosed as opposed to a fort that does not enclose a town) is the largest historical reconstructed site in North America.

  The fortress was built by the French with French people being sent over from France to inhabit it.   A battle between the British and French finally brought the end to the French living here when the British won the battle.  The original lighthouse was built in 1734 to aid the ships coming into the busy harbor.

The fee of about $15.00 (Canadian) per person included entrance into the Fortress that was gained after a short shuttle ride from the visitor’s center.  We did our own touring of the numerous buildings and exhibits.  Guided tours and various activities were available at an additional cost.  We had lunch at one of the two available sites in the fortress, Hotel de la Marine.  We had a choice of salmon, turkey or trout- we chose the salmon and were served in the style of the 1800’s.  A vegetable soup,( rice, carrots and other root vegetables in a clear broth) was the beginning course.  Then the salmon along with root vegetables, steamed rice and bread and butter was served.  Dessert was bread pudding with rum sauce and raspberries. A nice meal but a little pricey at nearly $28.00 per person.

We spent about 5 hours at the fortress and then returned to the campground.  Tomorrow we are returning to Truro as we are headed for Prince Edward Island.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park- July 15, 2016

By 9am I had a picnic lunch packed and we were on our way on the Cabot Trail.

The Cabot Trail is an 186 mile circular scenic route along the eastern and western shores of Cape Breton Island.  We travelled along rugged, forested slopes much of the way.

About the top 1/3 of the Cabot trail is Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

To continue on the trail and through the park a fee is charge ($6.80, Canadian, per person).  The Atlantic Ocean is on the east side and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the west side.  Along the west side is steep mountains of more than 1100 feet.  The east shore is rocky with coves and some sandy beaches.  Unfortunately for us, it began raining before we had gotten up this morning and continued off and on until mid afternoon.  We even had to eat our packed lunch in the car at a picnic area. We did stop at a shop along the road which also had ice cream- dessert!   We did have a nice day getting back to the campground a little past 4pm.

Baddeck, Nova Scotia- July 14, 2016

Moving on this morning, we travelled 133 miles to Cape Breton Island and a campground near Beddeck, Nova Scotia.  It was a nice drive over better roads than those we were on yesterday through forested mountains.  We are along the shoreline now that we are settled into a campsite at Bras d’Or Lake campground.  Bras d’Or Lake is a large body of water that is not entirely cut off from the ocean as there is several places that the 2 bodies of water connect.  We arrived here a little before noon so we went into the town of Beddeck for lunch.  A beautiful day allowed us to enjoy lunch on the Bell Buoy restaurant’s patio.  After lunch we walked about town to find an ATM to replenish our Canadian cash.

Alexander Graham Bell National Site in Beddeck was our afternoon activity.  Bell and his family spent his summers up here.  This site is a museum with pictures and artifacts. Displays of his inventions and interests made us realize that he was involved in more things than inventing the telephone. 

Today was a gorgeous day with bright blue skies and lots of wind.  Tomorrow we plan to travel the Cabot Trail

Pictou, Nova Scotia- July 13, 2016

We moved from the Annapolis Valley to the Northumberland Shores to a little town of Pictou.  The 200 miles traveling northeast was mainly through the central areas of the province of Nova Scotia.  The roads were in a real serious need of repaving as the many patches were wearing out.  Most of the scenery along the route was tree covered mountains.

Pictou is a coastal town called the birthplace of New Scotland.  In 1773 a cargo ship with 179 passengers from the Scottish Highlands arrived here which began the emigration of thousands from Scotland to Canada.  We visited the Northumberland Fisheries Museum.  Three young people were minding the museum and gave us a guided tour- we were the only ones in the museum.  Pictou is one of the largest lobster fisheries in Nova Scotia so the museum had a exhibit of rare live lobsters on display- an 8 pounder, an albino, and another with 3 claws.  Fishermen catch these rare lobsters and then bring them to the museum.  In the fall when the museum closes for the season the lobsters are returned to the fishermen who then return the lobsters back to where they were caught.  There is also a fully operational lobster hatchery that after hatching and reaching the size of a large ant they are released back into the ocean.

We are camped at the Harbor Lights Campground, the cheapest campground we have been in Canada at $28.00 for the night plus we were given ice cream bars and a local newspaper when we checked in.  We have 30 amp electric, which is prevalent up here, but full hook-ups otherwise. Occasionally, we have not had sewer hook-ups but dump stations are available.   Most camping up here has been $40- $45 a night.  Prices are in Canadian currency.  At  present the exchange rate is $1.23 Canadian to $1.00 US.

Tomorrow we continue northeastward to Cape Breton.

History in Annapolis Royal- July 12, 2016

This morning we went to the Historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal.

These gardens overlook the tidal river basin and is situated on 17 acres with over 1800 plants on displayed.

  The highlighted garden is the Rose Garden where there were hundreds of rose bushes in full bloom.

  A dykewalk was a nice walk along dykes that were built here in 1700’s to prevent flooding from the tides in order to farm the land.  There were other gardens as a Victorian Garden and an Innovative Garden that would be used for urban gardening.

From the Gardens we went to Fort Anne. 

This was an area of colonization in the 1600’s and 1700’s.  The French called the area Acadie and these people are referred to as Acadians.  The British named it Nova Scotia.  The French and the British had their colonial capitols here and several forts were built for protection.  The fort is the oldest national historic site in Canada, established in 1917.  Within the fort the fort structures are gone but the earth walls are still there- steep grassy earth walls that a remote controlled lawn mower was being used to mow the grass on the hills.

We walk about the town of Annapolis Royal checking out some of the shops, nothing there to excite us.  We grabbed lunch at a German restaurant.  (We were tiring of fish and chips).  The bratwurst and potato salad tasted good.

In the afternoon, we went to another National Historic Site, Port Royal.

Located across the river from Annapolis Royal, the Habitation is a reconstruction of a 17th century French compound.  Interpreters were located  in the compound adding additional information.  Outside the compound in a wigwam an interpreter from the Mi’kmaq reservation talked about her tribe of native Americans that lived in this area forming a friendship with the French. She sang a song in the native language then had us beating a drum and singing another song. Interesting!

Tomorrow we will be moving eastward.

Annapolis Royal, Digby and Sunshine- July 11, 2016

We left the South Shore of Nova Scotia driving north to the Annapolis Valley and Bay of Fundy region.  It was a 90 mile trip over more bumpy, rough roads.  We are camped at Dunromin Campground in Annapolis Royal.

After eating lunch we went to the Annapolis Royal Tidal Generating Station which was nearby.

  Opened in 1984 this station is the first and only tidal power plant in North America and only one of three in the world.  Electricity is produced by the harnessing of the tide waters from the Bay of Fundy.  In the interpretive center, a very knowledgeable man was giving out information and answering questions. 

We then drove through some areas of the town of Annapolis Royal but then decided to drive west about 20 miles to the town of Digby.  Digby is the known for scallops.  We walked through the downtown and then drove to a fish market but didn’t buy anything.  Seafood is not any less expensive here than at home so we are finding out. 

The highlight of today was that the sun finally was shining and warming things.  Started out being cloudy but by noon the skies cleared to a bright blue.  We will probably be here for 2 nights before moving on again. 

A Second Day in Lunenburg- July 10, 2016

We awoke to the same gray skies of yesterday.  By noon it was raining and very chilly with temperature not getting out of the 50’s  We are being told by locals that this is unusual weather for this time of the year.  A change for the better is being predicted for tomorrow.

We started out this morning going to the Lunenburg Festival of Crafts, an indoor event.  It was a fairly big show of mostly nautical themed crafts.  We then stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few groceries which we took back to the motorhome.  Returning to the Lunenburg harbor we went to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic which is housed in the old fish market building that we had eaten lunch yesterday.  Unbeknownst to us yesterday, what we thought was a small museum that the restaurant had was really a part of this museum that we had to go through to get to the restaurant.  Today we entered the museum through the proper entrance and paid our fee ($14.50 for both with AAA discount).  On the first level there are aquariums with the various fish that are caught in the Atlantic.    A demonstration of a launch of a model schooner was done in the outside area.  Launches are never done on Sundays or Friday 13ths.  We listened to a talk about “Bluenose”, a working schooner that won  the working schooner race between the U.S. and Canada for many years and became a celebrity eventually honored by being on the Canadian dime.  Unfortunately, an aged Bluenose sank .   A Bluenose II was built in 1963 and then rebuilt in 2012.  The Bluenose II was in port yesterday and then set sail early this morning for Cape Breton.

The highlight of the museum for us was a talk/ tour on the salt-banks schooner, Theresa E. Connor.  The gentleman conducting the tour had worked on the fishing and scalloping boats, beginning in 1967 after the era of salting fish as a way to preserve the catch. The salt –bank schooner is so named because they fished along the banks and then salted the fish.  Fishing was done for a variety of fish but mainly cod.  This guide had many interesting stories and seemed to enjoy telling us about the fishing industry. 

By noon today it was raining and is continuing this evening.

Lunenburg- July 9, 2016

We made a 15 mile move this morning since we were unable to extend at the previous campground.  We are in Lunenburg, N.S. at the Lunenburg Board of Trade Campground.  Since we were coming in on Saturday we did make reservations and we will be here for 2 days.

Lunenburg is another town situated on a hill, a very steep hill.  We drove to the downtown area where a festival was going on.  The festival amounted to sidewalk sales and a couple old guys playing guitars and singing.  Really nothing to get excited about. 

 

We then went to the harbor area where there seemed to be a lot more activity.  There was a tour on a sloop in the afternoon that we wanted to go on.  A certain number  needed to go and they were unable to secure that number, so no tour.

We had lunch at the The Old Fish Factory Restaurant on the wharf.  We were sitting next to windows along the waterfront and between each window were panels with mirrors on the side of the panels.  As we looked out toward the front we could see a big boat but then we saw the same boat behind.

 

  Before being told about the mirrors we were perplexed about what we were seeing.  This building had been a fish factory some years ago.   There is also a small museum in this building about the fishing of the area in the past.

Toward evening we drove to a nearby town called Blue Rocks because of the large shale colored rocks along the shoreline.

  A group of kayakers were preparing to take a tour with a guide.  It was another chilly, windy, damp day that going out in a kayak did not even look like something we wanted to do at 6 or 6:30pm.

Peggy’s Cove- July 8, 2016

This morning we had to leave the campground near Halifax as our site had been reserved and we didn’t want to move to another site within the same campground.  So we drove the motorhome 67 miles southwest to Mahone Bay, N. S. and the Ray Port Campground. 

We were parked and ready to sight see before 11am.  We were hoping to be here for 2 nights but again we could only be accommodated for 1 night.  It is Friday so I guess weekenders are filling up the campgrounds.

We wanted to visit an area south of Halifax called Peggy’s Cove so that is where we headed off to today. This area is the south side of Nova Scotia where the Atlantic Ocean is along the coast as opposed to the northern Bay of Fundy side.  And unlike the Fundy side the water is very clear.  Peggy’s Cove is a very picturesque town known for it’s many small art galleries.  The cove has large boulders around the borders.

 

There are 35 year round residents living in the cove but the town has many visitor’s.   Since it was another gray, chilly day we didn’t tarry very longer at the lighthouse or walking about the huge rocks.  The Sou’wester Restaurant is the primary eating place which is where we had lunch- and it was a lunch with baked potatoes and vegetables.

Most everywhere a meal is served with French fries and maybe a dab of cole slaw.  A Swissaire plane crashed near this cove September 2, 1998 killing all 229 people on board and a memorial has been established in the area.

 

Our drive back to the campground continued around the coastal line.  Many small fishing villages are located along this jagged coast.

Traveling in Canada is different than traveling in the states especially with phone service.  With our AT&T plan, we were able to get a service in Canada that if we made phone calls there would be a $1.00 per minute charge.  So we are not making too many phone calls to campgrounds to make reservations and then we occasionally run into some issues of not being able to get a site or to get a site for the number of days we would like.  But making short moves from one campground to another has allowed us to do and see what we want to.

Tattoo- July 7, 2016

Such a dreary, cloudy day with temperature not getting out of the 50’s.  And then in the afternoon it started to rain.

Fortunately, we had tickets for the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo for this afternoon and what a bright ray of sunshine that for us.  We were not real sure what we were going to seeing although we had seen a few clips on you-tube of the performances.  The venue for this show was the Scotia Center, an ice hockey arena in Halifax.  We got to Halifax after 12 noon to get a parking place and to get lunch.  Then we walked to the Center for the 2:30pm show which was the final show for this year.  It was absolutely a terrific show that just flowed from one performance to the next without interruption.  There was a 20 minute intermission during this 2 1/2 hour show.  There were precision military groups, bag pipe bands, military bands, acrobats, soloists, Irish dancers and a chorus of over 100.  Groups were from Canada, New Zealand, Germany and the U.S.  The group from the U.S. was a precision rifle drill team of the Air Force and were they ever sharp.  The finale had all the groups in the arena at the same time.  I would highly recommend to anyone visiting this area to arrange to be in Halifax sometime during the week  that this show is on which is in July.  There is nothing like this in the states that we have ever seen.

No pictures were taken of the show as this was not allowed.

A Stormy Start to a Day in Halifax- July 6, 2016

Early this morning we were awakened with the sounds of thunder and rain.  A couple claps of thunder even shook the motorhome.  When we got up a little past 7am the rain had stopped but the day remained mostly cloudy and the temperatures remained in the 70’s.

We visited the harbor area of Halifax today starting at the Farmer’s Market.  In spite of being told how wonderful this market was, we found it to be lacking in vendors- no fresh produce stands- and lacking customers. 

Leaving the market, we walked along the harbor to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

 

A nice museum about the ships that have and are traveling the Atlantic Ocean.  Of course, there was an area devoted to the Titanic.  The one exhibit that caught our interest was about the Halifax explosion that occurred in 1917 when 2 ships collided in the harbor.  A fire was started on a ship carrying explosives including TNT  which resulted in a huge explosion killing many people and destroying vast areas of property.

As we walked along the harbor there were 2 groups of German military men( Wachbattallion)  performing from the Tattoo show.  One group was drum and fifers and the other group a drill team with their rifles.  Tom took pictures which will probably be the only pictures of the Tattoo that will be taken as no cameras are allowed for the actual show.

 

  It was at this point that we needed to get some lunch.  The Bicycle Thief restaurant was our choice.  A very nice restaurant along the harbor with outside dining and we found wonderful food.  Both of us had a spaghetti with mussels, shrimp and scallops in a lemony herb oil coating.  Flavorful and a nice spiciness.

After lunch,  we next visited the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.  1928 to 1971 there were 1.5 million immigrants, war brides, displaced persons, evacuee children and Canadian military personnel that came through the doors of this pier from ships.  Tours are offered hourly which we took.  The guide walked us through the areas of the museum as an immigrant pointing out the immigration process.  Nice exhibits depicted areas of the ships these folks would have come to Canada on.  A movie was also shown with recent immigrants to Canada telling of their feelings and reasons to leaving their country.   There was also an area that we went to to gather information on any family that may have immigrated to Canada.  Tom had an uncle that he thought had immigrated through Canada before coming to the U.S.  August Van Poppel was found but not immigrating to Canada but through Detroit, Michigan.

We had thought we might stay an additional day here but when we asked at the campground office about extending we would have to move the motorhome to another site for that day.  So we are going to move on Friday. 

Halifax, N. S. - July 5, 2016

This morning we moved a rather short distance of 58 miles to Upper Sackville, a small community to the west of Halifax.  We are in the Halifax West KOA.  Believe it or not, this campground  the less expensive campground of any that we have been in.  We will be here at least 3 days, maybe longer. 

After dumping our tanks, getting situated in our campsite and eating lunch we drove into the city of Halifax.  I think all the towns and cities in this country are located in hills.  We drove up the highest hill to the Halifax Citadel, a National Historic Site.  This citadel was active for 200 years.  In 1749 it was a strategic base for the British Navy.  Four citadels were constructed here over the years – the first 3 were constructed of logs and earth and served through the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.  In 1828 a new citadel of stone was begun construction and completed 28 years later.  It was never attacked.

Tours of the citadel are done hourly with guides dressed in period clothes and included in the admission fee.  The entire time we were there drills were being conducted with other period clad (kilts) folks.  It was a very interesting afternoon.

Since we were parked on the Citadel Hill we walked down the hill to the ScotiaCenter to see about purchasing tickets to The Tattoo, a show that is performed about a week each July.  We were able to get matinee tickets for Thursday, the final day.  It was extremely windy today.  As we were walking back to the Citadel my visor blew off and was blowing done the street.  I really thought it was gone but a young man ran after it and rescued it for me.

Tomorrow we hope to see more of Halifax

An Oopsie on the Way to Truro, Nova Scotia- July 4, 2016

Happy 4th of July fellow Americans!!

We left Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick a little after 9am this morning to make 146 mile drive to Truro, Nova Scotia.  It was a very pretty drive through hills and valleys covered in green, mostly pine trees.  Entering the province of Nova Scotia we stopped at a welcoming/information center.  When we tried to return to the Trans Canadian Highway 2 the way we had left it we suddenly found there was not a return ramp to do that and we were on a little country road.  There wasn’t anywhere to turn the motorhome around and the GPS kept repeating “make a legal u-turn when possible”- and she was quickly shut off.  Finally, after 2 miles we found a dirt road spurring off the road we were on.  There was no traffic on this road- what a blessing!.  So we unhooked the car from the motorhome and turned the motorhome around and then hooked the car back to the motorhome.  Sooner or later this scenario happens to most RVers and some more than once- isn’t that right Tom?  

About 12:20pm we arrived at Scotia Pines Campground a little south of Truro.  Checked in at the office was assigned a site but when we got to the site it was occupied.  Quickly, I returned to the office and was given the okay to occupy another site.  The occupiers of the first site were in the wrong site.  After parking the motorhome and connecting the electric and nothing else we hurriedly jumped into the jeep and headed to the area of viewing the Tidal Bore, the reason for this stopping point.   The Tidal Bore is another natural phenomenon that is caused by these high Fundy tides.  The incoming tides are so significant that they reverse the flow  of rivers (in this case the Salmon River) that flow into the Bay.  When the tides and rivers collide, a wave ( tidal bore ) forms and travels upriver.  The timing of this occurrence is according to the tide and today it was posted to be at 12:55pm.  It was about 1:15pm when we got to the viewing area.  We had missed the beginning of this event but still able to see wave movement and the rapidly rising tide.  This lasts about an hour.  We could see the wave movement abating with time.  We were told at the Interpretation Center at this area that the river empties out fairly quick but not as quick as the filling.  The water is very muddy- looks like a river of milk chocolate.  Seeing the mud filled river beds  and low tide mud flats, it is no wonder that so much mud is churned up with the incoming tides.

For lunch we drove into the town of Truro.  Murphy’s Famous Fish and Chips had been a restaurant pointed out to us by the lady working at the interpretation center.  It was a very good choice.  Although there were other items on the menu we chose the fish and chips special- 2 pieces of fish, fries and cole slaw.  These were the best and most reasonably priced we have had on this trip- nice thick crispy fried fish and even good cole slaw.

Hopewell Rocks and Cape Enrage- July 3, 2016

A little after 10am we drove the short distance from the campground to Hopewell Rocks.  High tide was due at 11:55am so we knew we would be seeing a rising tide and a different picture from what we saw yesterday.  The rocks were already surrounded by water and as we watched for about 45 minutes we could see the water rising around the tall rocks.  There was a small piece of the beach that was still accessible but was rapidly disappearing.  The water in this part of the Bay of Fundy is  most always muddy.  In the lower bay the water is blue.

Leaving the rocks we drove along the coast on a scenic route stopping at St. Mary’s Point that had an old lighthouse and a replica of an old beached ship.  Driving on we came to Cape Enrage.   This area sits high above the Bay with a working lighthouse, since 1840’s.  It was a bright beautiful day but very windy and on this Cape the wind was wild and temperatures were in the low 60’s.  From the point we could  look across the Bay to Nova Scotia.  There is a fee ($5.50-senior) to this Cape.  There is also a zipline which we didn’t try- can’t imagine doing that in that wind.

Alma is a small seaport town that we went to for lunch at the Alma Boathouse Restaurant.  Both of us had the special of today- cup of chowder and toasted lobster roll.  The chowder was full of scallops, fish and shrimp and tasty.  The lobster roll was also very good along with the slaw.

Tomorrow we travel on into Nova Scotia and new-to-us territory to explore.

Hopewell Cape- July 2, 2016

We were on the road at 9:15am traveling east for 119 miles to Hopewell Cape, N.B.  The roads were in many places in need of repair.  We know the weather in this area is an issue with the roads but the repairs done seemed to be poorly done patching.  It was also cloudy, very foggy in spots and rainy.  After 2 1/2 hours we were at our destination of Hopewell Cape and Ponderosa Pines Campground.  We have a great site overlooking a lake.

After doing the setting up of the motorhome we drove a short distance to the Log Cabin Restaurant for lunch.  Then we drove to Hopewell Rocks.  There was an admission($8.00 each) to go on the walk down to the rocks which is good for 2 days.  These rocks are called flower pots as there are trees growing out the tops.  We were there a couple hours before low tide but the tide was low enough that these tall rock structures were fully exposed and we were allowed to walk down among the rocks on the seabed.  Tomorrow morning we will return to see these huge rocks surrounded by water at high tide.  It is hard to realize that the tide in this area will rise at least 45 feet during high tide or drop that much during low tide.  What an interesting world we live in!

NOTE:  Yesterday I forgot to mention that in a little shop in St. Martin the shopkeeper was bagging up dulse, an edible seaweed.  When we came in she explain to us what she was doing and offered a piece for us to try.  It was salty and fishy tasting, nothing that we are ready to purchase.  It was difficult getting the taste out our mouths even with using mints.  This dulse is a dried maroon colored flat leaves that were hard to tear in half.  One taste was enough although we understand folks here eat this as a snack and sometimes it is cooked.  We were told when cooked this plant turns green and the taste is very different

St. Martins and Fundy Trail- July 1, 2016

Happy Canada Day, Canadians!

This morning we drove to a little town east of St. John called St. Martins.  This town was once a prosperous ship building center in eastern Canada.  Today it is just a small picturesque town that is popular with artists and photographers.  We stopped at a touristy area that had some shops but it also had a lighthouse that now was used as an information center.  In the lighthouse we were allowed to climb the very narrow steps to the top level.  There were stacks of lobster traps sitting along the dock in this area that some men were loading up on a trailer.

The boats docked along the pier were freely floating on water. 

A restaurant advertising world famous chowder caught our eye so we though we would grab a cup before going farther.  When we checked the prices a cup was $8.00 and a bowl $12.00- we decided we really didn’t need the chowder, famous or not.

From St. Martins we continued eastward on the Fundy Trail. 

There is a fee ($6.50 for seniors) to go on this trail whether you drive or hike or a combination of both.  The drive presently is 10 miles but there is continuous work being done to expand the trail.  Following the northern coast of the Bay of Fundy, there are beautiful vistas of shoreline, beaches and a falls (Fuller falls).

  Many pull off areas allow for picture taking or picnicking.  We did not come with a packed lunch, unfortunately, so we grabbed a bag of chips and some water at an interpretive center to tie us over until we could get lunch later.  The trail ended at a beach that was preparing for Canada Day celebration events later today.

We had to make a return trip going back through St. Martins.  When we got to the area we had stopped this morning the docked boats were now resting on mud, not water, as the tide was nearing low tide level.

Returning to  Rockwood Park where we are camped we decided to eat lunch at a restaurant in the park.  When we stood waiting to be seated for several minutes with waitresses standing around barely acknowledging our presence we left and returned to the motorhome to eat.   Tomorrow we leave St. John moving east but not on the same route of travel as today.