Showing posts with label Nova Scotia. Show all posts

Day 43: Stellarton, NS to Fredericton, NB
A day of mostly driving as we left Nova Scotia and headed back across New Brunswick. Our goal today was to get closer to Quebec City, QC, which is our next destination. Along the way we found a couple of letterboxes and as we drove, we took time to reflect what we've learned in Canada so far. A sampling follows.
You have to hit the small potholes to avoid the big ones.

Sometimes one language isn't enough.

A toonie is always worth more than a loonie.

Even numbers may need to be translated.

Some of our favorite town names:
Tatamagouche
Pugwash
Whycocomagh
Sissiboo Falls
Washabuck
Capstick
Musquodoboit
Crows Nest
Ecum Secum
Mushaboom
Old Barns
Shubenacadie

Beaver town names we've seen:
Beaver Dam
Beaver Harbour
Beaver Bank
Beaver Brook
Beaver Cove
Beaver River

The beaver is Canada's official national animal.  In Canada's early history, fur trading was its major industry, and beaver pelts were Canada's primary export to the world. Today the beaver is widely used as the symbol of Canada. It appears on the Canadian nickel, Canadian stamps, and as the symbol for Canada's national parks. Editorial cartoonists commonly use the beaver to personify the entire Canadian nation, as Uncle Sam is used to represent the U.S.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 282
Letterboxes: 2
Crows scavenging by the roadside: 42
Bugs sacrificed on car hood & grill: 971
Gas: $3.558/gallon
High temp: 75° F (a heat wave!)
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Day 42: Ingonish, NS to Stellarton, NS
To ease the withdrawal as we left our little paradise in Ingonish behind, more beautiful scenery awaited us today as we drove south on the Cabot Trail to begin our journey toward Georgia. 
Completed in 1932, the Cabot Trail joined previously isolated fishing villages along a 186-mile loop around Cape Breton Island. Today the Cabot Trail connects eight communities with intriguing histories, ranging from the Acadian Region, to Irish and Scottish settlements.

Stopping at the Red Island hiking trail near Indian Brook, where the road makes a turn west, we planted a Cabot Trail letterbox honoring this spectacular highway.
In Baddeck, on the shore of Bras d'Or Lake, we visited the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, where we found two letterboxes and ran into a couple of women from Rhode Island who were searching for the same boxes. 

With our well-ingrained elementary school lessons about Alexander Graham Bell as a famous American inventor, we were surprised to hear that he was Canadian.  In fact, Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and moved to Canada at age 23 with his parents and other family members.  Twelve years later, he became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. but later built an estate near Baddeck, where he spent much of his later life and where he died.

With all his accomplishments, it's no surprise that in addition to Canada and the U.S., Scotland also claims Alexander Graham Bell as a native son.  Some other interesting facts we didn't learn in elementary school:
  • Bell is credited with the invention of the metal detector. Quickly put together in an attempt to find the bullet in the body of assassinated U.S. President James Garfield, the  device worked flawlessly in tests but did not find the assassin's bullet partly because the President was lying on a metal bed frame.

  • Bell was one of the first to develop hydrofoil boats and in 1919 set a marine speed record of 70 miles per hour.

  • The bel (B) and the smaller decibel (dB) are units of measurement of sound intensity invented by Bell Labs and named after him.

  • Upon Bell's death, during his funeral, every phone on the continent of North America was said to be silenced in honor of the man who had developed the means for direct communication at a distance.

  • Bell designed a piano, which, by means of electricity, could transmit its music at a distance.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Yellow Cello Cafe in Baddeck. All the decorations in the cafe are yellow, of course, and some clever art work on the theme was on display. After lunch we were feeling so mellow, we began singing Donovan's song from the sixties, with a new title, of course.
Sticking with the color theme, we made a short visit to a rail museum in Orangedale, where we found another letterbox.  Then we logged the miles to Stellarton, NS, where we're spending the night.  Tomorrow we'll say goodbye to "New Scotland" (Nova Scotia) and briefly say hello again to New Brunswick before making our way to Quebec.

Daily Stats
Miles driven:  199
Letterboxes:  3F (found), 1P (planted)
Gnat & Mosquito Bites Itching:  8 (all on Dianne)
Lotto tickets purchased:  5
Bald eagle sighting:  1 (really!)
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Day 41:  Cape Breton Highlands National Park, NS
Tearing ourselves away from our seaside hideaway this morning, we set out to see the wonders of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Highlands National Park, beginning with a hike on part of the Franey Trail, a steep and strenuous five-mile loop. We battled clouds of gnats to find a good hiding spot for a letterbox.
After planting, we headed back down the trail to explore other parts of Cape Breton park, which covers most of the northern part of Cape Breton Island.  Bounded on the west by the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, the park protects 366 square miles of highlands and coastal wilderness.
The first national park in the Atlantic provinces, Cape Breton is said to bear a striking resemblance to the Scottish highlands. Cabot Trail, a scenic drive around the perimeter of Cape Breton Island, winds along the edge of the park's rugged and forested slopes.
Small fishing villages dot the coast throughout the park, providing picturesque scenes. Something about the sun here seems to intensify the vibrance of colors.
This was without doubt one of the most beautiful drives we have experienced.  The California coast, one of our favorite spots for natural scenic beauty, came to mind as we traveled on the Cabot trail, though the Atlantic waves certainly are no rival to the spectacular power of the Pacific as it rolls in to shore.
Tomorrow we leave our paradise by the sea and begin our trek back toward Georgia, heading west through New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario before we turn south and prepare to face the heat and humidity once again.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 158
Letterboxes: 2 planted
High temp: 66° F
Gas: $3.806/gallon
Snakes on hiking trail: 1
Gnats:  67,439
Moose warning signs:  22
Piles of moose scat:  2
Moose:  0
Beautiful vistas:  45
Spruce trees:  423,568
Steep grade signs:  14
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Day 40: Ingonish, NS
We finally stopped, really stopped, for a day. We dug in our heels and relaxed on this beautiful beach. Temps were refreshingly cool; the sun played hide and seek all day.
The northern part of Cape Breton Island has no letterboxes, so we have no hunting to do here, giving us the opportunity to plant some boxes ourselves. That called for a bit of stamp carving today.
We told our host today that we'll be staying an additional night tomorrow. And maybe another. Hmmm... wonder if she'd like to sell this little cottage.

Today's Stats
Miles driven: 23
High temp:  55° F
Rocks on the beach:  34,901
Contented sighs:  238
Stamps carved:  7
Piles of moose scat:  2
Stanley Cup final game:  Chicago 4, Philly 3 (OT)
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Day 39: Sydney, NS to Ingonish, NS
What a difference a day makes! We awoke to beautiful blue skies and puffy cumulus clouds today in Sydney.  As we were packing to take our leave of this fair city, our hotel room window provided a view of a Holland America Cruise ship sailing into the Sydney harbor-- er, harbour.
Having never partaken of a cruise ourselves, we are astounded at the size of these behemoths. The Maasdam, dedicated in 1993, is 715 feet long with a capacity of more than 1,250 passengers, served by 580 crew members. It's like a floating town!
And the locals were taking advantage of the economic injection the cruise ship was delivering. As passengers disembarked for a day in Sydney, signs near the port offered an arts and crafts sale, a lobster dinner at a local church, and many more activities obviously geared to these visitors. What a boon to the local community when 1,000 extra people arrive in town for a day!

After finding a couple of letterboxes in Sydney, we set the GPS for Cape Breton Highlands National Park in northeastern Nova Scotia. Everything we've read and heard suggested that this was a land with a heart-stopping view around every corner. Our trip across the Seal Island Bridge told us that the hype might not be exaggerated.
Highland hills towering above the clear blue Atlantic provided the backdrop for a spectacular ride, with the sun contributing beautiful blue skies.
Our destination, the village of Ingonish, was simply icing on the proverbial cake. With the summer season still a couple of weeks away, we were able to rent a fabulous two-bedroom seaside cottage on a private beachfront for a fraction of what it would cost in season, except that they're sold out for the entire summer season beginning the first of July.
Only one other cottage of this little village of beach homes is rented, so we have both breathtaking beauty and peaceful quiet. A walk of a hundred feet takes us to the sandy beach.
And as the sun sets over this little slice of paradise, we're wondering whether we'll want to return to Georgia or not.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 101
Floating dandelion seeds:  89,251
Roadside wildflowers:  23,137
Oohs:  45
Ahhs:  56
Letterboxes:  2
Englishtown Ferry:  C$5.00, 5 minutes
High temp:  66° F
Special cousins with anniversary today:  2
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Day 38:  Louisbourg, NS & Glace Bay, NS
Since our van has been kind enough to carry us 4,805 miles on this trip, we owed it a little TLC.  The local Honda dealer in Sydney administered the service this morning, and we were soon on our way again.  Yesterday's rain continued today with a few lighter patches of almost sun.
The drive down Nova Scotia's east coast produced one scenic vista after another.  Picturesque Acadian fishing villages dot the rugged shore. 
In addition to the fog that rolled in mid-afternoon, the only impediment to enjoying the coastal drive was the deterioration of the road.

Though the province does an admirable job with primary roads for which it receives federal funding, many secondary roads are in severe need of repair or reconstruction.  Normal wear and tear is exacerbated by a climate where the average high temperature is in the 30s (F.) for four months of the year.  In addition, Nova Scotia's secondary roads are said to be 50% older than the those in the remainder of Canada. 

Rough Section Ahead signs are a familiar sight on secondary roads, and usually the rough condition is not intentionally caused (by grinding for resurfacing).  Some of the roads have been patched and left unrepaired for so long that a gravel road can seem an appealing alternative.
Local railway museums have become a popular use for old train depots which are no longer in use. In Louisbourg, as in other towns, volunteers in the community took the initiative to organize a museum committee.
A few samples of obsolete, unwanted rolling stock were obtained, and retired rail workers and others in the community donated rail-related memorabilia.  This museum has some fascinating exhibits of old equipment used in the depot.  But we could not find the letterbox that is supposed to be located there.
We did locate a box nearby that had been unfound for four years. The clue involved a series of seven compass readings with instructions to go a certain number of steps, then take a new reading and walk x steps in that direction. It was an expansive open area on the shore and we didn't think there was a chance we'd end up in the correct spot with so many opportunities for error. Our compass readings could be a little off, our steps longer or shorter. When we finally took our last reading and went our final steps, we discovered, exactly as the clue stated, "The box is hidden at the base of the large boulder closest to the path." What a rush!

Today's Stats
Miles driven: 100
Van service:  146,250
Fishing boats:  74
Letterboxes:  2
False sightings of bald eagle: 1
Osprey sightings: 1
High temp:  57° F
Rain:  yes
Fog:  of course
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Day 37:  Halifax, NS to Sydney, NS
Time to leave Halifax this morning and we wanted to catch a few photo ops.  Of course, it was foggy when we went up to the Citadel, an 1856 fort overlooking the harbor, or rather the harbour.  We were able to catch a shot of the Halifax Town Clock. 
The tower was built in 1803 for the British army and navy garrison on the orders of Prince Edward, commander of British military forces in North America, as part of his efforts to rectify the tardiness of the local troops.  As a Halifax icon, the Town Clock has been featured in many works of art and literary works set in the city.

In an unprecedented meteorological phenomenon, the fog followed us across Nova Scotia today.  We drove up the scenic (if potholed) drive alongside Bras d'Or Lake on our way to Sydney.  Between the rain and the fog, we had to overlook the scenic overlooks (that's look-offs in Canadian).  As we passed through Ben Eoin on the lakeshore, conditions cleared enough for us to see the throngs who had come to stay at the Ben Eoin Beach RV Resort and Campground.
Located on a peninsula in the lake, the campground appears to be a very popular spot.  We thought of checking in ourselves but couldn't find the cord to plug our van up to the power outlet.  There was also our objection to the campground's mandatory $58.00 "tipping fee."  So we motored on to Sydney.

Along the way, we paid a visit to a local McCanuckDonald's.  We were stunned to see an advertisement for the McLobster! McDonald's restaurants in Georgia certainly don't sell such haute cuisine.  The Big Mac is about as close to fine dining as Mickey D gets in the Peach State.  To McDonald's credit, they actually are quite adept at tailoring their menu for the local culture and have done so in many places around the world.  The McLobster is sold seasonally in eastern Canada and parts of New England.  It's basically McDonald's version of a local favorite, the lobster roll.  Maybe McGrits are coming to Georgia!

In our travels in three provinces, we have seen significant evidence of Canada's Zero Waste movement.  Throughout New Brunswick, PEI, and Nova Scotia, the usual garbage cans have been replaced by waste-sorting receptacles, such as this one in McDonald's.
They've gone beyond just recycling in an effort to eliminate waste and the landfills it requires. No, it isn't a perfect solution. And yes, we have seen items placed in the wrong containers, but we certainly applaud the effort and would love to see a similar campaign in the U.S.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 277
Letterboxes:  1
Dogs at Point Pleasant Park:  93
Windshield wiper slaps:  8,629
High temp:  61° F
RVs:  134
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This morning we woke to a cloudless blue sky, first we've seen in Halifax. It looked like a perfect day to visit some of the "Great Photo Spots" mentioned in the provincial travel publication. But first we had some planning to do.

Our intention to keep this trip spontaneous with a completely flexible itinerary would not work in Newfoundland, we've been told.  Except for two cities of significant size, hotels and other accommodations are quite literally few and far between.  And often these lodgings have a limited number of rooms.

This morning's research revealed that our putting Newfoundland-- and, optimistically, Labrador-- on our list of places to visit on this trip was not very realistic. We also discovered that we were ignorant regarding the size of this province.  Newfoundland and Labrador together are about the size of California but with fewer miles of paved roads than Connecticut.  Because of the limited number of roads, distances between towns are not what they seem.

Port-aux-Basques in southwest Newfoundland is the only city with ferry service from Nova Scotia until late June.  As the crow flies, it is about 300 miles from the ferry terminal to St. Johns, Labrador's capital and tourism center.  By the TransCanada Highway, the only paved road traversing the province, the distance is almost doubled with a trip time of nearly 12 hours.

Obviously a driving trip across Newfoundland would not be something we could accomplish without thorough planning and several weeks of travel time.  The summer season is beginning there and some hotels are already fully booked.  When we tried to reserve passage on the six-hour ferry trip to the island, we found the dates we wanted to travel sold out.

Finally after several hours of research, we realized that our visit to Newfoundland and Labrador needed to be postponed until another time.  Great!  No more work to do on reservations and planning, we can go back to winging it.  Let's go take those photos.
Oops! Too late. We're still in Halifog, after all. Tomorrow we'll head out to Sydney on Nova Scotia's east coast and from there to the scenic Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
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Truro, NS & Noel, NS
Heading out from Halifax this morning, our top priority task before we did any letterboxing or sightseeing was mailing a birthday card to our niece Whitney.  We were driving toward Truro, our first destination, when we saw a sign indicating that the town of Stewiacke has a special claim to fame.
Located at the 45th parallel north, Stewiacke is said to be halfway between the equator and the north pole.  Sounded pretty cool, so we stopped at the local post office and mailed the card with the special "45th" postmark.  Later we realized that there are also quite a few communities in the U.S. that share this distinction (as well as in the rest of the world, of course), but Stewiacke just made it seem really special.

At the head of the Cobequid Bay, Truro calls itself the hub city because of its central location in the province and the confluence of roads and rail lines that crisscross there.  Scattered through the downtown area are a collection of 36 unique sculptures depicting the figures important in the heritage of the town.  The sculptures were carved from diseased trees when Dutch Elm struck and many fine specimens had to be chopped.  They turned an environmental disaster into a tourist attraction!

The jewel of Truro has to be the 1,000-acre Victoria Park in the heart of the city.  The park was developed by the citizens of Truro in 1903 as a memorial to Susan Lynds who donated some 25 acres of land to the city including two waterfalls and valley below. Since then, the park has been enlarged by gift and purchase to nearly 1,000 acres.
Bisected by a dramatic gorge, the park is heavily wooded with old growth trees.  A network of challenging hiking and walking trails through the forest include extensive boardwalks and stairs to prevent visitors from falling down the steep hillsides and to protect the ravine from from pedestrian-induced erosion.
Leaving the park, we spotted a local mushing on his scooter.  When he saw me taking a photo, he told us that his dog, a Bouvier des Flandres, is just a pup.  The breed originated in France, where they were used as herding dogs and for general farm work, including pulling carts. 
This puppy currently weighs 100 pounds, which will increase to about 175 when he's fully grown.  We forgot to ask the man whether Fido has been fitted for a saddle.

Our last stop of the day was Burncoat Head Park in Noel, NS. Like its nearby neighbor Fundy, Cobequid Bay experiences extreme tide shifts. In fact Burncoat Head claims to have obtained the endorsement of the world record keepers at Guinness: "Burncoat Head in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia has the greatest average tide at 47.5 feet and an extreme range of 53.6 feet."
At low tide, there's said to be great fossil-hunting along the rocky red cliffs. We arrived when the tide was high, so all we found was a letterbox near the Burncoat lighthouse.  As we arrived at the lighthouse, the official ambassador jumped down from his observation post atop a picnic table and came over to greet us.
Once he checked us out thoroughly, we were approved to enter the lighthouse, and he accompanied us inside.  The college student working as a summer intern at the park said that he is a "neighborhood" cat who hangs out at the lighthouse in the summer season.  Since the nearest houses were quite a distance away, he must be very dedicated to his work.

Today's Stats
Miles driven:  154
Letterboxes:  2
Working animals:  2
Waterfalls:  2
Gas:  $3.60/gallon
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Halifax, NS
With one of the world's largest natural harbors, Halifax's proximity to the sea helps dictate its climate, with cooler weather than cities further inland and a warm rather than hot summer.  Warm air moving across the Atlantic from mid-spring to early summer also means plenty of fog descends on Halifax.
Although mid-morning temperatures were in the low 50s, once the fog rolled in, the temperature dropped to a cool 44 degrees by afternoon.  This did not interfere with our enjoyment of this charming city.  We spent the day visiting two beautiful parks, the aptly named Point Pleasant on the harbor, and Hemlock Ravine, which also carries a descriptive name.
An extensive boardwalk along the harbor provides a pleasant place for a long stroll, even in the fog.  A fleet of tall ships docks in the Halifax Harbour including the Mar. This handsome ship was built in 1959 and remains available for tours and charters.
In one of the parks where we were hiking today, we came across a beautiful plant growing wild as groundcover in the woods. Upon closer examination we realized that both the blossom and leaves bore an uncanny resemblance to that familiar southern sight, the dogwood.
A bit of research revealed that this is indeed a dwarf dogwood.  Also called bunchberry, this perennial sub-shrub is a diminutive member of the dogwood family and is native to a broad area extending west from extreme southern Greenland across North America in Canada and the northern tier of the United States, across Alaska and even to northeastern Asia.  Sadly, the South is not a conducive setting for this appealing plant.

Daily Stats
Miles driven:  46
Letterboxes:  5
Fog:  543,712,680 cu.ft.
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Charlottetown, PE to Halifax, NS
Leaving Charlottetown this morning, we finally headed south, if only temporarily. Driving to Wood Islands on the southern coast of Prince Edward Island gave us one last opportunity to appreciate why the island calls itself "Canada's Green Province."
Before boarding the ferry for Nova Scotia, we had one more letterbox to locate on PEI.  Our search took us to Rossignol Winery in the community of Little Sands on the eastern coast of the island.
The pastoral setting could not be more beautiful and today's bluer than blue sky only increased the idyllic appeal.  This was a place that could easily lure visitors to linger longer.  In fact, we were at risk of missing the ferry so reluctant were we to leave.
We stayed long enough to find the letterbox and buy a bottle of one of their signature wines, which are sold only in Canada at present.   We haven't tried the wine but maybe it'll be so delicious it will provide just the excuse we need to return to this special place.

After an uneventful ferry crossing, we disembarked in Nova Scotia and visited the coastal village of Pictou.  In 1773, the Dutch cargo ship Hector arrived in the tiny settlement of Pictou, bringing 179 passengers from the Scottish highlands.
A replica of the Hector

On hearing tales from these first settlers, thousands of Scottish immigrants soon followed to this land of New Scotland.  This wave of Scottish migration would last for decades. As the first port of entry, Pictou became known as the birthplace of New Scotland, a title the town continues to celebrate.
Caladh Avenue, known as Avenue of the Clans, displays large panels on lampposts that depict clan tartans, buckles and mottos.  Stores sell Scottish related items. Businesses carry Scottish names. Everywhere one looks, tartan banners are proudly displayed.  Scottish heritage is clearly a matter of pride in Pictou. 

A local resident we met while walking about town told us that the great great grandfather of his great great grandfather had been a passenger on the Hector.  We were astounded to learn that he had grown up on Pictou Island, a 2 by 4.5 mile island in the Northumberland Strait between Nova Scotia and PEI.  How we would have loved to hear more about that, but he had run out of time to entertain us.
With its rich maritime history and enduring pioneer spirit, Pictou is definitely a town we'll remember.

Daily Stats
Miles driven: 175
Letterboxes: 3
Gas: $3.569/gallon
High temp: 59° F
Clan tartans: 21
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