Cruising with Scooter the DJ- November 12-19,2016

Saturday morning, November 12,2016 we were up early and on the move. At 6:30am we were to meet a bus to travel to Port Everglades, Florida to get on the cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, for an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Bruce and Cricket, friends, picked us up and drove to the pickup location. The bus ride was about 4 hours long with a stop halfway at a turnpike rest area. Scooter the DJ, along with Jan Ramsey (a dance instructor in The Villages) planned and hosted the cruise. Scooter rode in our bus keeping us all entertained. We arrived in Port Everglades a little before noon and made our way through the lines to get on board the ship. Our room was not ready until 2pm so we made our way to a buffet dining area to eat lunch. The ship, Harmony of the Seas, is presently the largest cruise ship in the world (over 6000 passengers) and this was the first cruise, an Inaugural Cruise, in America.

By 2pm we were in our room but our luggage did not arrive until later. The room was very nice with a king bed and lots of closet space and an outside balcony.
Tom and I strolled around the ship in an attempt to get oriented to where things were. The ship left port at 4pm.

At 6pm we had our first dinner dining with friends- Bruce and Cricket McGinness, Anni and Jeff Albert and Kitty and Dave Snell- all Village people transported from Maryland.
Sunday morning (13th) we arrived in Nausau, Bahamas at 7am and by 7:30am we were allowed to go off the ship.

A tour on a glass bottom boat had been prearranged for the 94 folks from The Villages traveling with Scooter for 10am.

Many fish were seen as we traveled over the water. We had to be back on board by 1:30pm so there was little time for anything else besides the boat ride. Dinner on this night was to be in dress attire. In walking about the ship we came across a show that was to start starring a ventriloquist, Ronn Lucas which Tom and I went to and really enjoyed. The entertainment schedule had gotten changed from the schedule that had been planned prior to coming on the cruise due to the need of the entertainers to have a break after relocating from Europe to America.
Monday (14th) was a day of sailing. From 10:30am to 12:30pm a private dance party with Scooter and Jan was held in the Dazzles lounge for our group. Scooter did his usual antics and dances he is known for in The Villages and Jan taught a few line dances. A good time.

In the late afternoon we went to a performance of "Grease" which was well done.

Then in the evening Bruce, Cricket, Tom and I bar hopped around the ship.
Tuesday (15th) we arrived in St. Thomas about 9am. Tom and I caught a cab that took us into the town of Charlotte Amalie. Our large suitcase made the trip to our room but when unzipping the zipper gave away. We were looking to replace that piece of luggage or to get some duct tape to secure the old piece when traveling home. The weather had been beautiful the past couple of days but on this day it was cloudy with rain showers. We were unable to find either luggage or duct tape so we returned back to the ship and enjoyed a peaceful afternoon. At 7pm we were under sail once again. We saw a show with Tony Tillman, a singer from Las Vegas, who was very entertaining.
Wednesday (16th) the ship arrived in Philipsburg, St. Maarten at 7am. Jeff and Anni had arranged an excursion for our 4 couple group on a boat touring around the island with swimming and snorkeling. Unfortunately, Jeff, recovering from a bout of double pneumonia, was not feeling well enough to go so he and Anni stayed on the ship while the rest of us went. It was a fun day on a Scarab boat with three 300 horsepower engines that really flew across the water.

A stop was made for a nice lunch. Stops were made before and after lunch for swimming and snorkeling.

We were back on the boat for the 4:30pm departure. A voucher had been given to each of us in the Scooter group for a dinner at one of the restaurants on the ship so arrangements were made for the Alberts, Snells and us to dine at 150 Park Place. The McGinness' also ate there with another group of their friends. These meals were very elegantly served and delicious.
Thursday (17th) was a day spent at sea. We had another dance party in the Dazzle lounge with Scooter and Jan from 10am to 12:30pm. In the evening we went to an ice show "1887".
Friday (18th) another day at sea. Scooter and Jan had another morning party and then AAA, the booking company, had a farewell cocktail hour in the early evening. Columbus the Musical was a show that we went to prior to dinner. This was a ships production and a funny, entertaining show.
Saturday (19th) we were up and had breakfast before disembarking the ship a little after 8:30am. Our Cabin Steward had found some packing tape for us to use on our suitcase which held things together until we got home. Our group was a little late getting on the buses due to some missing pieces of luggage. Eventually we were bused up and traveling home. Bruce and Crickets friend Ed met us and returned us to our house.

Back Home- August 2, 2016

We were up and moving around early getting the motorhome prepared to be placed back in the storage lot.  After cleaning out the things we wanted to be taken home along with food items we had quite a car load.  So Tom made a trip to the house with that car load before taking the motorhome to the storage lot.  We were home a little after 11am.  It was good to be back home after an enjoyable trip.

Fort Chiswell, Virginia to Wildwood, Florida- July 31- August 1, 2016

Sunday, July 31, we travelled 319 miles from Fort Chiswell, Virginia to Walterboro, South Carolina.  We stopped for the day about 2pm at Green Acres RV Park.  A hot day and with a swimming pool in the campground, Parker, Gabi and I went swimming for a while until threatening clouds made us go back to the motorhome.  We had a few claps of thunder and a couple drops of rain but nothing more.

Today, August 1, we continued on south for a total of 333 miles to Wildwood, Florida.  We did stop in Brunswick, Georgia to get fuel and then to get the motorhome washed.  We really don’t have anywhere to wash the motorhome so we decided to give a commercial truck wash a try.  For $64.50 we had the motorhome and the Jeep washed and RainX applied.  We were very pleased with the outcome- both vehicles looked good.  A crew of men did the washing while we sat inside the motorhome as Tom was outside paying the bill.  We did stop at the Florida welcome center where Tom and the grandkids went into the center while I fixed some lunch.  We did eat out on a picnic table.  About 3:40pm we arrived in Wildwood, Florida at the Villager RV Park.  We are only about 15 minutes from our house but we opted to stay here tonight so in the morning Tom can take a loaded up Jeep to the house and then dump our tanks before taking the motorhome to the storage lot.  Today, being my birthday, we went to a favorite restaurant, Los Magueyes, for dinner and then another favorite ice cream store, Ollies, for dessert.  A good day but looking forward to being home tomorrow.  Parker is especially anxious to get to our house since this will be the first visit down here.

Gettysburg to Fort Chiswell, Virginia- July 28- 30, 2016

With a lot of distraction I have gotten a little lapse in doing the blog.  so to catch up here goes.

July 28, 2016 we were in Gettysburg.  In the morning we did some grocery shopping for our trip on south to Florida.  At noon we were in Frederick, Md. for lunch at a favorite restaurant of ours, La Paz, to meet up with Todd and our 2 little grandkids, Parker and Gabi.  Parker and Gabi returned to Gettysburg with us as they were going along to Florida.

July 29th we started an early day by going to Taneytown, Md. for me to get my haircut at a former salon. We then ate breakfast at the Country Kitchen and stopped by the senior center to say ‘hi’.  Returning to Gettysburg we drove about the battlefield stopping for some rock climbing at Devil’s Den and then to Little Roundtop.  In the evening we went for steamed crabs at Dave and Jane’s in Fairfield.  Boy, those crabs sure tasted good.  Florida has seafood but not Maryland crabs!

Today, the 30th, we started our travels toward Florida.  We were on the road by 8:25am and stopped at 2:30pm at Fort Chiswell Campground in Virginia, 325 miles.   Parker and Gabi did pretty good for the long travel day.  This evening the pent up energy is coming to the forefront.  we were only able to get a 30 amp site and it is quite hot out.  To keep heat down we have decided to go out to a local restaurant for dinner in stead of cooking.

Gettysburg, Pa.- July 27, 2016

We left Bristol, Ct. before 8am this morning and travelled further than we had planned.  We were going to stop in Jonestown , Pa as we had on our way north.  As we got in the area of Jonestown we were seeing road signs about Harrisburg and as we looked at the distance and the time- about 1:30pm- we thought we could continue to Gettysburg as we had planned tomorrow to do.  So a total of 340 miles we arrived at Artillery Ridge Campground at 2:45pm.  Since we had not eaten lunch we quickly set-up the motorhome and headed into Gettysburg to one of our favorite restaurants, Montezuma’s.  We love Mexican food and that was no where to be found in Canadian Maritimes.  After enjoying that lunch we went to a car wash for a badly needed wash job on the Jeep.  Then before returning to the campground another favorite stop at ‘Rita’s’ for a gelato (haven’t had one of these since leaving this area, none in The Villages).  We will be here for 3 days.  Tomorrow we will be getting 2 of our grandchildren, Parker and Gabi, to take along to Florida. 

After going to the Canadian Maritimes I am going to list some of our positive and negative aspects of this trip.

1.  The Bay of Fundy area is a very interesting area.  St. John has the Reversing Rapids, Truro has the Tidal Bore and Hopewell Cape the Flowerpots- all well worth seeing along with the rising and falling tides all along the coast of New Brunswick.

2.  The International Royal Tattoo performance was a highlight of the trip.  We changed our travel plans to go to this performance and are so thankful that we did.  A wonderful show of one performance after another for 2.5 hours.  Precision military groups,  bag pipes and drums, acrobatic acts, chorus of over 100 people- it was a show like no other that we have ever seen.

3.  Seafood galore but mostly always served with mounds of French fries and occasionally a small (1/8-1/4cup) serving of cole slaw.  The seafood fresh and delicious.

4. Campgrounds are available most everywhere.  Usually only 30 amp. electric, frequently just water and electric hook-ups.  Most had WiFi at no extra cost. We did encounter one place that charged $2.00 for wifi and only one device could use it and the quality of this wifi was the worse of any.

5.  The Halifax Citadel and the Louisbourg settlement were well worth the time spent.

6.  St. Andrews was a nice entry point into the Maritimes.  The Kiwanis campground is on the edge of town by the bay.  It is also used by caravans entering and leaving the Maritimes so can get filled up as we found out at the end of our time up there.

7.  St. John is a town built on a hill and it seemed to be tricky getting around but seeing the reversing rapids make it a worthwhile stop.

8.  We dodged the heat that the states were experiencing.  There were times it was chilly and a jacket was needed.  Also had some rain but nothing that we couldn’t work around.

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.