The Last Month of Our Adventure Begins
On Monday July 2nd we had a short drive to our next campground near Lunenburg. Our RV park located on a small river had numerous ducks who obviously have been fed in the past by previous RVers. Colleen is persistent and her efforts paid off. They came closer and closer but we didn't get a picture of the moment one ate from her hand!
Mahone Bay and Lunenburg
Mahone Bay is a wonderful little town with many beautiful old homes and churches along with a picturesque bay. Mahone Bay was originally the home to the First Nation Mi’kmaq people. It was easy for us to see why Mahone Bay was voted one of the best small town destinations in Canada.
From Mahone Bay we had an easy drive to Lunenburg, the home of the Bluenose, a fishing and racing schooner built in 1921 in Nova Scotia. This celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and an important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. In 1921 Bluenose won her first Fisherman’s Trophy and never lost the trophy again neither to other Canadian vessels nor American. She also served as a working vessel until she was wrecked in 1946.
In 1963 the Bluenose was commemorated by the Bluenose 2 which serves as Nova Scotia's sailing ambassador and an enduring symbol of the province’s living history under sail. Three times each day the Bluenose 2 takes a short cruise with tourists aboard. We found it ironic that this splendid vessel can back out of her berth but needs the help of a Zodiac to make the initial turn into the Bay.
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| The Bluenose 2 |
Lunenburg itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with many beautiful homes painted in some amazing and different colors to say the least. We walked around town and saw numerous examples of creative house painting colors. We also saw a gentleman who was braver than most. He was attached to the ladder that was also attached to the house.
The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic on Lunenburg's waterfront is a wonderful museum which includes a tall ship, the Theresa E. Connor, that visitors can board. The Theresa E. Connor is an authentic reminder of an age of schooner fishing that lasted for almost one hundred years in Atlantic Canada. The schooner was launched in Lunenburg on December 14, 1938. This vessel is open to the public and offers a great deal of information about life at sea on a sailing fishing vessel.
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| Theresa E. Connor |
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| The crew ate fairly well on this vessel |
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| The main mast had to be shipped in from British Columbia because the trees in Nova Scotia were not tall enough! |
On to Yarmouth
Our next stop after Lunenburg was Yarmouth where we followed a walking tour of some of Yarmouth's historic houses, visited the Cape Forchu Lighthouse, toured the Firefighter’s Museum, and made our regular stop at a Walmart Superstore and because Walmart is not as popular in the Maritimes, we also make regular stops at the Atlantic Superstore.The historic homes are appreciated by the community and act as residences and museums.
Cape Forchu was named by Samuel Champlain in 1604. It is home to the first 'Apple Core style' lighthouse in Canada which stands 75 feet tall.
The Yarmouth shoreline is thought to have been discovered in 1007 by Leif Ericson, son of Eric the Red. The Yarmouth County Museum has a four-pound stone discovered at Cape Forchu which is believed to translate to " Leif to Eric Raises ". The authenticity of this "Runic Stone", discovered in 1812 by Dr. Richard Fletcher, cannot be completely confirmed because in the 1930s Rev. Gordon T. Lewis had the markings re-chiseled to make them more prominent, of course by doing this he made it impossible to make an accurate dating. Substance is added to the claim that the "Runic Stone" is an original because foundations of Norse houses were found 6 miles outside of Yarmouth in Tusket. There is also a short walking trail at the lighthouse that is believed to be the landing sight of the Vikings.
Our next stop was at the Firefighter’s Museum. This museum, although small, was packed with old fire engines and firefighting equipment used throughout Nova Scotia from the 1800s to the 1930s. Canada’s oldest horse-drawn steam engine and the 1863 Amoskeag Steamer. Much of the old firefighting equipment was made in the United States and specifically in New York state.
We also saw an old wooden water main pipe installed in Yarmouth between 1870 and 1885 that was used to distribute water around the city. When the firefighters needed water from one of these pipes they drilled a hole in the pipe. When they were finished they put a wooden peg in the hole and called it a plug and to this day many fire hydrants are still often called fire plugs.
Digby and the Whales
From Yarmouth we drove to Digby which is advertised as “the scallop capital of the world.” We plan to spend 5 days in Digby because there is a fair amount of stuff to see from Digby: whale watching, Annapolis Royal, and Port Royal. On Saturday we walked around downtown Digby and bought some fresh scallops which Lalia cooked for dinner and they were delicious. Quite a feast.Sunday was our whale watching day. The weather was very nice and we were not disappointed in our cruise. We saw a lot of whales and had a great time. Cross this one off your bucket list Colleen!
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| The Captain of the Mega Nova has been working with scientists since 1984 before whale watching was as popular as it is today! |
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| On each trip the crew records the specific whales we see most often determined by the tale markings which are different for each whale. |
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| In a Zodiac whale watch folks put on wet suits |
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| This one headed under our boat-the white flippers are easy to spot under the surface |
Port Royal and Annapolis Royal
The Port Royal National Historic Site features a reconstruction of an enclosed wooden compound built in 1605. This site was one of the earliest European attempts at settlement in North America. Discovered by Samuel Champlain, one year after he discovered Cape Forchu, Port Royal is a wonderful example of life in 1605.
Touring the site you can explore a gentlemen’s quarters, trading and store rooms, bakery, kitchen and forge, filled with period furnishings and tools. They also claim that you can walk along the shore of the Annapolis Basin and gaze at the same horizon that Champlain experienced in 1605. It’s mostly true but if we looked really hard we thought we could see a house cross the bay. Even with that it was a beautiful view.
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| Kitchen |
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| Working men's quarters |
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| Gentlemen's Quarters |
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| Storehouse |
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| Store |
Our next stop was Annapolis Royal, a small town with a fine harbor boardwalk.
Fort Anne is Canada’s first administered National Historic Site established in 1917. This piece of land is one of the most hotly contested pieces of land on the entire continent. It was first built by the Scots as early as 1629 and later controlled by the French before falling for good to British troops in 1710. It would remain a regular scene of battles until the fall of Quebec in 1759.This area exchanged hands between the French and British at least 7 times before 1710.
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| Shaped in this star formation to offer the best options for defense. |
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| This is a replica of the officer's quarters at Fort Anne |
The displays included much about the Mi'kmaq who inhabited this area for centuries before the Europeans arrived.
In one section about the different troops which held the Fort, Colleen convinced Charles to show us what the well-dressed soldier would wear! He wears it well, as only a really good sport can do!
Our Last Stop in Nova Scotia - Wolfville
From Digby we drove 2 hours north to visit Wolfville, Grand Pre, Hall’s Harbour, and a few wineries, breweries, and maybe a distillery.Our 1st day we spent walking around Wolfville, visiting the shore and the mud flats.
The next day we went to Hall’s Harbour which is famous for being a great place to view the high and low tides in this area. The day we visited the tide difference was 38.3 feet. We went there around lunch time to see the harbor at high tide and then we went back around dinner time to see low tide. It’s amazing to see all the boats sitting in the mud at low tide. Some beautiful sunsets happen at the harbor but tonight the clouds blocked our view.
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| Notice the big rock to the left of the stairs |
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| The rock to the left of the stairs |
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| You can see the stairs in the background - we are sitting on the rock |
In the middle 18th century these Acadians were relocated out of this area by the British and with support from New Englanders. This was at a time when the British and the French were at war. This event is called the Expulsion by the Acadian people. These people were relocated to the east coast of the 13 British colonies and along the south coast all the way to the New Orleans area. Many of these Acadians eventually returned to the area and reclaimed their property but many more never returned.
Our final day here was spent sightseeing and visiting a few of wineries, a brewery, and a distillery. Great way to end our time in Nova Scotia. Tomorrow we head to Prince Edward Island.
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| Some fine Rhubarb Gin and Coffee Liqueur purchased at Barreling Tide |
If still in the area, the Annapolis Cidery has several great ciders !
ReplyDeleteOh, and great shot of Hall's Harbour at high tide with still water... beautiful.
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