September 2012 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Part 1 of 3

Peggy's Cove

Mercey River, Kejimkujik

Grand-Pre NHS

Glooscap

Our first stop in Nova Scotia was Halifax. We visited the Pier 21 Immigration Museum and found it interesting with many firsthand accounts from people who entered Canada through that facility or who worked there. We traveled back in time to visit the Alexander Keith Brewery. Some of their 18^th century workers gave us a tour, entertained us and provided generous samples of their beer. The Maritime Museum had a Titanic display along with a lot of other maritime historical stuff. We also learned about the Halifax Explosion, the largest man-made explosion before atom age. A ship full of explosive, headed for Europe in 1917, collided with another ship in the harbor. The explosion leveled 2 sq miles of Halifax, killing 2,000 and injuring 9,000.

Not far from Halifax is Terence Bay, the site of the greatest maritime disaster prior to the Titanic. The SS Atlantic headed for an unplanned stop in Halifax to load extra coal. They missed the entrance to the harbor and wrecked near Terence Bay killing 535 persons.  In 1998, Swiss Air Flight 111 (a.k.a. The UN Shuttle), crashed in the water near Peggy’s Cove, and a memorial for the 226 lives lost is nearby. Clearly this is a dangerous place!

Sept 2012 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Part 2 of 3

In Lunenburg, we spent a day at the Fisheries Museum, but missed seeing the Bluenose II. Needing a break from museums, we went to Kejimkujik Seaside NP. We did a great coastal hike here, saw lots of seals and managed to get completely soaked by a downpour before we got back to the RV. We moved inland to Kejimkujik Park and spent 5 days hiking, biking and canoeing. Then we headed back east along the Fundy coast. Unfortunately, the three times we stopped at a National Historical Sites, they were closed on the day we arrived. Apparently recent budget cutbacks caused them to reduce their hours. We did find the Nova Scotia Provincial Museum open; the best of these was Sherbrooke Village, where costumed interpreters provided tours of each of the buildings.

Porcupine

Eastern Coyote

Dickson Falls, Fundy NP

Too much time on the beach for Bigfoot

We met Eldon and Lois at their place near Isaac’s Harbor. They had a spot for our RV (water, electric and sewer) just like being at a KOA except for the lack of screaming kids. The first day was fine, but a storm moved in. Eldon was anxious to start working on his shed and dock, but the weather delayed his start. Unfortunately we had to move on, but Eldon got lots of help from his neighbor, Art, and others. The dock got completed and a good portion of his shed. 

Sept 2012 Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Part 3 of 3

Salmon Fish Farm

Gibraltar Rock

Roosevelt's Cottage

Mulholland Pt Lighthouse

We started our final leg back to Maryland. We stopped at Fundy NP before heading to Campobello Island in NB. It took too ferries to get there from Canada’s mainland, but it was worth it. There are lots of trails on the island, but the main attraction was Roosevelt’s Cottage. FDR spent his summers growing up on this island and so did his children. We learned more about Eleanor’s involvement in humanitarian causes during our “Tea with Eleanor”. Before we left the island, we stopped at Mulholland Pt. Lighthouse. From the point we could see dozens of seals fighting the strong tidal current, but feasting on the incoming bounty of fish. We crossed the Roosevelt Bridge to enter Maine and ended our 12 week tour of Canada.