Tim & Jan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Posts
- 175
This thesecond log of our 2005 Martimes trip.
6/21/05, high of 70?, sunny and windy. We took the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia and checked in at the Harbor Light Campground in Pictou NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?.
Pictou became the ?Birthplace of New Scotland? when displaced Jacobite Scots landed aboard the Dutch built ship Hector in 1773. An awesome replica of the Hector can be seen at the Hector Heritage Quay on Pictou?s waterfront. We thought the museum was well done, depicting life on the ship during this voyage. A walk around the site includes a carpenter?s shop, blacksmith shop and you are able to board the ship and look below where 200 people lived together on this crossing. We stopped at the Salt Water Cafe near the ship and enjoyed a very good haddock dinner on a 2 for 1 special! Our table on the deck overlooked the Pictou Harbour and a nice view of the boat. Across the harbour is a picture postcard landscape if you could just erase the paper mill there with billowing smokestacks.
We took a day trip to Truro. The Tidal Bore in Truro is a natural phenomenon that puts on a show twice daily. We viewed the event from two different areas only a short distance apart. There were rafts floating along just waiting for the rush to happen. Judging by the wetsuits they were wearing we can only assume they were going to get wet at some point. It was a nice sunny day so after the tide came in we walked around Truro to view the Tree Sculptures along the downtown streets. The loss of many of the towns elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease prompted the idea to make lemonade out of the lemons. Sponsored by local business and community organizations, sculptors were commissioned to create the statues from the tree trunks. The overall theme is the celebration of Truro?s heritage.
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6/24/05, high of 74? and sunny. We moved to the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a two bar cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net? for the first two days. The third day the phone showed a one bar analog signal and we were able to do email using the Ositech card.
This is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the waterfront view from the motorhome. We drove into Antigonish, home of St. Xavier University since 1853. There is a strong Scottish heritage and a thriving Acadian community in the area. The Highland Games take place in July to celebrate highland music, dance and culture, this event dates back to 1861. From Antigonish we drove part of the Sunrise Trail to Cape George and around to Melmerby Beach. To access the beach you must drive a rocky causeway and continue on a narrow road to a small rocky beach. Looking to land from the 3 mile peninsula were picture postcard views.
The weather has been sunny and is getting a little warmer so we drove the eastern shore around Chedabucto Bay to Canso and then circled back to Havre Boucher. It was a pretty drive through the countryside and at some points near the water. Canso is one of the oldest fishing villages in the Maritimes due to an abundance of codfish in the early 1600?s. The town was quiet on this day but they are expecting great numbers of visitors for the upcoming folk festival in July.
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6/27/05, high of 75? and sunny. We moved to the Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground in Baddeck NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?.
While here we took a back road drive along Bras d?or Lake, visited the town of Baddeck a couple of times and enjoyed the waterfront boardwalk. There are sailboats in the harbor preparing for a race to be held here on Canada Day.
It took a full day to drive the Cabot Trail, taking time to enjoy the views as we passed the Acadian villages, and of course Joe?s Scarecrow Village. Many colorful fishing harbors dot the trail, twisting roads, deep gorges and wilderness everchanging all along the way. Passing by Cabot?s Landing Provincial Park we were thinking we should have packed a lunch, could have enjoyed the view where John Cabot landed in 1497 and claimed the land for the King of England. We instead found the Chowder House and had very good chowder and fish. A small place but a great spot to watch for whales and the fisherman were all returning with fresh fish that you could probably buy right there. It was a long enjoyable day, the weather changed from sunny to overcast and rain in some places as we traveled.
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7/1/05, high of 60 ? and cloudy. We moved to the Arm of Gold Campground in LittleBras d?or NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?
St. Ann?s is home to The Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts. We went to see the Highland Dance Competition which draws contestants from as far away as Manitoba. Young people from under 6 years to 16 and over compete. We enjoyed watching the optimistic dancers go through their paces with anxious parents standing nearby. Around the campus were pipers piping and drummers drumming keeping the Scottish heritage alive.
Getting acquainted with the area we decided to drive into Sydney.The tourism information is located at the Port of Sydney. A cruise ship was in port, that brings out all the local crafters to display and sell their wares. Beautiful artisan crafts for the buyer. We just needed information. Symbolic of Cape Bretopn is the fiddle. On the dock here is a fiddle 42? high, the bow is 52?, quite a sight to see. In the tourism center is a movie showing how the artist fabricated the fiddle out of steel plate.
We drove in to look around North Sydney, there are plenty of places to shop if you need supplies before crossing over to Newfoundland. Also checked out the library and found they have wireless available, this is where we will upload our log and pictures.
Several sites to see here, first stop was the Marconi National Historic Site taking us back to 1902 and the beginning of telecommunications. Many thanks to Guglielmo Marconi. Next we drove a short distance to the Miners Museum. They have wonderful displays of the equipment used and others tell the story of the industry in this area. A movie takes you back in time to see the trials and tribulations these families went through to put food on the table. A walk through the Miner?s Village home is a step back in time. Houses were nice for the time but they were shared with multiple families and probably a bit cramped to live in. A replica of the ?company store? and a restaurant complete the village. It was very interesting.
Moved on to the Fortress of Louisbourg. After being questioned by the guard at the gate we were granted entry to the complex. You have to be able to earn your keep if you live in the colony at this time. The idea here is to take you back in time to experience colony life in the 1740?s.
It was a great day to wander around the fortress and take in life as it was. A very busy time Musket shooting, cannons blasting, lace making and normal daily chores being done. We did discover the bakery has really good apple turnovers. After a busy day we stopped at Jake?s for dinner of delicious salmon.
We will get on the Ferry to Newfoundland 7/5/05 from nearby North Sydney.
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What we would do differently?
We would stay in St Andrews for two nights instead of four and just see the several attractions that are in St Andrews.
We would next stay in Saint John at Rockwood Park for a minimum of three nights. One day we would go to Fredericton to mainlyvisit the downtown waterfront area, a weekend day would be best. Another day we would take a ride to St Martins, to mainly see the sea caves at low tide. You should be able to fit in seeing the reversing falls at both low and high tide sometime during those two days. The downtown market area shouldn?t be missed.
We would move to Moncton and stay two nights. That?s a convenient spot to take a day trip to see the Hopewell Rocks at both low and high tide. There is about six hours between low and high tide and use that time to go to the town of Alma and right next to there, Fundy National Park. Alma is a good place for lunch or dinner.
We would then cross into PEI by going across the bridge and stay just outside of Charlottetown at either Holiday Haven or Southport for at least five nights. We stayed at Holiday Haven, but would recommend Southport if they have space available. They are both waterfront campgrounds, but Southport is better located. Do two days to both the East and West areas of the island and a day in the Cavendish area. Make sure that you take the bypass route around Charlottetown with your RV.
We would take the ferry from PEI over to NS and if time is limited go right to the Baddeck/North Sydney area. If you have a couple of extra days. stay at the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher, take a costal drive and just relax. There is a really nice museum and replica ship ?Hector? that?s worth seeing in Pictou. We stayed at Harbor Light in Pictou and didn?t like it and we suggest that if you are going to stay around Truro at some point, you could take three hours and see the Hector from there.
We stayed at two places in the Baddeck/North Sydney area, the Baddeck Cabot Trail and the Arm of Gold for four days each. That worked out OK for us, but if you are going to stay in Baddeck, we suggest the New Bras D?or Campground. It?s a nice waterfront campground. If you want to stay in one place only, we suggest a KOA, which is half way between Baddeck and North Sydney, it has a great water view and is about 20 minutes from the Newfoundland ferry. Take a couple of days in the Cabot Trail and Baddeck area, a full day for the Louisbourg Fort, The Miners Museum and the Marconi National Site area and a day in North Sydney and Sydney.
These suggestions are based on our way of traveling and you should add extra time and places for extensive hiking, fishing, boating, poor weather or ???.
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Photos can be seen at ?lynchmobile.com?, click on June 2005
6/21/05, high of 70?, sunny and windy. We took the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia and checked in at the Harbor Light Campground in Pictou NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?.
Pictou became the ?Birthplace of New Scotland? when displaced Jacobite Scots landed aboard the Dutch built ship Hector in 1773. An awesome replica of the Hector can be seen at the Hector Heritage Quay on Pictou?s waterfront. We thought the museum was well done, depicting life on the ship during this voyage. A walk around the site includes a carpenter?s shop, blacksmith shop and you are able to board the ship and look below where 200 people lived together on this crossing. We stopped at the Salt Water Cafe near the ship and enjoyed a very good haddock dinner on a 2 for 1 special! Our table on the deck overlooked the Pictou Harbour and a nice view of the boat. Across the harbour is a picture postcard landscape if you could just erase the paper mill there with billowing smokestacks.
We took a day trip to Truro. The Tidal Bore in Truro is a natural phenomenon that puts on a show twice daily. We viewed the event from two different areas only a short distance apart. There were rafts floating along just waiting for the rush to happen. Judging by the wetsuits they were wearing we can only assume they were going to get wet at some point. It was a nice sunny day so after the tide came in we walked around Truro to view the Tree Sculptures along the downtown streets. The loss of many of the towns elm trees to Dutch Elm Disease prompted the idea to make lemonade out of the lemons. Sponsored by local business and community organizations, sculptors were commissioned to create the statues from the tree trunks. The overall theme is the celebration of Truro?s heritage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/24/05, high of 74? and sunny. We moved to the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a two bar cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net? for the first two days. The third day the phone showed a one bar analog signal and we were able to do email using the Ositech card.
This is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the waterfront view from the motorhome. We drove into Antigonish, home of St. Xavier University since 1853. There is a strong Scottish heritage and a thriving Acadian community in the area. The Highland Games take place in July to celebrate highland music, dance and culture, this event dates back to 1861. From Antigonish we drove part of the Sunrise Trail to Cape George and around to Melmerby Beach. To access the beach you must drive a rocky causeway and continue on a narrow road to a small rocky beach. Looking to land from the 3 mile peninsula were picture postcard views.
The weather has been sunny and is getting a little warmer so we drove the eastern shore around Chedabucto Bay to Canso and then circled back to Havre Boucher. It was a pretty drive through the countryside and at some points near the water. Canso is one of the oldest fishing villages in the Maritimes due to an abundance of codfish in the early 1600?s. The town was quiet on this day but they are expecting great numbers of visitors for the upcoming folk festival in July.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/27/05, high of 75? and sunny. We moved to the Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground in Baddeck NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?.
While here we took a back road drive along Bras d?or Lake, visited the town of Baddeck a couple of times and enjoyed the waterfront boardwalk. There are sailboats in the harbor preparing for a race to be held here on Canada Day.
It took a full day to drive the Cabot Trail, taking time to enjoy the views as we passed the Acadian villages, and of course Joe?s Scarecrow Village. Many colorful fishing harbors dot the trail, twisting roads, deep gorges and wilderness everchanging all along the way. Passing by Cabot?s Landing Provincial Park we were thinking we should have packed a lunch, could have enjoyed the view where John Cabot landed in 1497 and claimed the land for the King of England. We instead found the Chowder House and had very good chowder and fish. A small place but a great spot to watch for whales and the fisherman were all returning with fresh fish that you could probably buy right there. It was a long enjoyable day, the weather changed from sunny to overcast and rain in some places as we traveled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/1/05, high of 60 ? and cloudy. We moved to the Arm of Gold Campground in LittleBras d?or NS. We had a DirecTv signal. We had a strong cell phone signal and could use ?Quick to Net?
St. Ann?s is home to The Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts. We went to see the Highland Dance Competition which draws contestants from as far away as Manitoba. Young people from under 6 years to 16 and over compete. We enjoyed watching the optimistic dancers go through their paces with anxious parents standing nearby. Around the campus were pipers piping and drummers drumming keeping the Scottish heritage alive.
Getting acquainted with the area we decided to drive into Sydney.The tourism information is located at the Port of Sydney. A cruise ship was in port, that brings out all the local crafters to display and sell their wares. Beautiful artisan crafts for the buyer. We just needed information. Symbolic of Cape Bretopn is the fiddle. On the dock here is a fiddle 42? high, the bow is 52?, quite a sight to see. In the tourism center is a movie showing how the artist fabricated the fiddle out of steel plate.
We drove in to look around North Sydney, there are plenty of places to shop if you need supplies before crossing over to Newfoundland. Also checked out the library and found they have wireless available, this is where we will upload our log and pictures.
Several sites to see here, first stop was the Marconi National Historic Site taking us back to 1902 and the beginning of telecommunications. Many thanks to Guglielmo Marconi. Next we drove a short distance to the Miners Museum. They have wonderful displays of the equipment used and others tell the story of the industry in this area. A movie takes you back in time to see the trials and tribulations these families went through to put food on the table. A walk through the Miner?s Village home is a step back in time. Houses were nice for the time but they were shared with multiple families and probably a bit cramped to live in. A replica of the ?company store? and a restaurant complete the village. It was very interesting.
Moved on to the Fortress of Louisbourg. After being questioned by the guard at the gate we were granted entry to the complex. You have to be able to earn your keep if you live in the colony at this time. The idea here is to take you back in time to experience colony life in the 1740?s.
It was a great day to wander around the fortress and take in life as it was. A very busy time Musket shooting, cannons blasting, lace making and normal daily chores being done. We did discover the bakery has really good apple turnovers. After a busy day we stopped at Jake?s for dinner of delicious salmon.
We will get on the Ferry to Newfoundland 7/5/05 from nearby North Sydney.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we would do differently?
We would stay in St Andrews for two nights instead of four and just see the several attractions that are in St Andrews.
We would next stay in Saint John at Rockwood Park for a minimum of three nights. One day we would go to Fredericton to mainlyvisit the downtown waterfront area, a weekend day would be best. Another day we would take a ride to St Martins, to mainly see the sea caves at low tide. You should be able to fit in seeing the reversing falls at both low and high tide sometime during those two days. The downtown market area shouldn?t be missed.
We would move to Moncton and stay two nights. That?s a convenient spot to take a day trip to see the Hopewell Rocks at both low and high tide. There is about six hours between low and high tide and use that time to go to the town of Alma and right next to there, Fundy National Park. Alma is a good place for lunch or dinner.
We would then cross into PEI by going across the bridge and stay just outside of Charlottetown at either Holiday Haven or Southport for at least five nights. We stayed at Holiday Haven, but would recommend Southport if they have space available. They are both waterfront campgrounds, but Southport is better located. Do two days to both the East and West areas of the island and a day in the Cavendish area. Make sure that you take the bypass route around Charlottetown with your RV.
We would take the ferry from PEI over to NS and if time is limited go right to the Baddeck/North Sydney area. If you have a couple of extra days. stay at the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher, take a costal drive and just relax. There is a really nice museum and replica ship ?Hector? that?s worth seeing in Pictou. We stayed at Harbor Light in Pictou and didn?t like it and we suggest that if you are going to stay around Truro at some point, you could take three hours and see the Hector from there.
We stayed at two places in the Baddeck/North Sydney area, the Baddeck Cabot Trail and the Arm of Gold for four days each. That worked out OK for us, but if you are going to stay in Baddeck, we suggest the New Bras D?or Campground. It?s a nice waterfront campground. If you want to stay in one place only, we suggest a KOA, which is half way between Baddeck and North Sydney, it has a great water view and is about 20 minutes from the Newfoundland ferry. Take a couple of days in the Cabot Trail and Baddeck area, a full day for the Louisbourg Fort, The Miners Museum and the Marconi National Site area and a day in North Sydney and Sydney.
These suggestions are based on our way of traveling and you should add extra time and places for extensive hiking, fishing, boating, poor weather or ???.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos can be seen at ?lynchmobile.com?, click on June 2005
