Tim & Jan
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2005
- Posts
- 175
This the third of three logs of our 2005 Maritimes trip.
7/31/05, we crossed back to Nova Scotia from Newfoundland today on the Marine Atlantic Ferry. It was mostly sunny, about 70?, little wind, a nice crossing back to the mainland. Newfoundland is now one of our favorite places to visit.
We checked in at the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher NS , where we had stayed last month.
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8/1/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to Woodhaven Campground in Hammond Plains NS. Located close to Halifax and Peggy?s Cove, and other interesting towns. We took a loop drive to see Peggy?s Cove. It?s a very popular tourist stop and shouldn?t be missed. Most of the 50 residents are shopkeepers there for the seasonal crowds. The lighthouse stands on a massive granite ledge and is surrounded by huge granite boulders worn smooth by the water.
It took a couple of trips to Halifax to see just some of the highlights of that area. The Maritime Museum was a step back in time and a history lesson about shipbuilding, shipwrecks and treasures. There was a section devoted to the 1917 Halifax explosion when the Mont Blanc munitions ship collided with the Imo.
Halifax has a very busy waterfront, a variety of tour boats including the tall ship Silva and the Bluenose II when in town. The CSS Acadia, one of the museum artifacts is berthed at the wharf and can be toured as part of the museum fee. We got to see the Bluenose II and do a walk on tour. We saw it out on the water a couple of times but never with the sails up. (You can fill in the nautical word.) Quite an interesting history dating back to the early 20th century when a friendly rivalry existed between schooners of the fishing fleets. The Bluenose was built to replace a Lunenburg ship that had lost the race to a ship from Gloucester, Mass. This new ship brought home the trophy for the next seventeen years including the final race in 1938. The ship was sold and used to carry freight in the Caribbean, in 1946 it struck a Haitian reef and sank. The Bluenose ll was built to the exact specifications of the original and is now a sailing goodwill ambassador.
The Halifax Citadel the principal British naval station in North America it stands watch over the city. A self guided tour of the Fortress covers it from top to bottom. Panoramic views and some restored rooms show the full scope ot the Citadel. We did see the piper piping and the changing of the guard.
Just a few blocks from the Citadel we visited the Chapel of our Lady of Sorrows. It had just closed for the day so we never got to find out why this small chapel was built in one day by 2,000 men in 1843. One of the stained glass windows dates back to 1661.
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8/5/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the Oakhill Pines Campground in Bridgewater, NS. We visited the tourist information center in town for local information. From there we toured the nearby towns, all nice little places, some art stores, craft and souvenir shops and restaurants. The Lighthouse Route follows the coastline past several very popular sandy beaches and neat little towns.
The next day we drove a short distance to Lunenburg. it is the annual Folk Harbour Festival weekend and they seem to have a good crowd. Since the event takes place at three different venues in town it was easy to get around to see the sites. We arrived early enough that we found a parking place within walking distance of anything we wanted to see. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic was most interesting. Once you pay your admission you can wander in and out all day. Part of the museum is located on the wharf next to the museum. A couple of boats can be toured, explore the scallop shucking house, and watch the launching of a model schooner. While here we had a delicious meal at The Old Fish Factory Restaurant, with an outstanding harbour view. Within a few blocks of the harbour are interesting shops and houses. Here the original layout of a planned Colonial settlement established in 1753 has been preserved.
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8/8/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the Camper?s Haven Campground in Yarmouth, NS. Nice place to relax as our trip begins to wind down. We did a short tour of Yarmouth, enjoyed some wonderful fish chowder at the Colony House Restaurant near the ferry terminal in town. Jan found a great recipe for chowder, only drawback is you need to make stock from fish heads and tails. Pretty good chance we will not have homemade chowder.
A short drive through Yarmouth to the Cape Forchu Lightstation. This lighthouse has an unusual shape, the locals call it the ?apple core? style. The tide was out and there were many people digging for clams, and a couple of men in boats harvesting Irish moss. When processed the Irish moss can be used as a gelatin in some medications and other uses.
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8/10/05, high of 80? and sunny we moved to the Dunromin Campground in Granville Ferry, NS. While here we ?stopped to smell the roses? at the Historic Gardens. The gardens are well done representing historical and innovative aspects of horticulture. Just a few blocks away we visited Annapolis Royal to see the waterfront, walk about the town and then stopped for lunch at Ye Olde Towne Pub.
Having heard about Digby and the wonderful scallops we knew we needed to go there. We drove out the Digby Neck and then back to Digby. The town has one of the largest scallop fleets in the world, reflected in the local restaurants, scallops prepared many ways. An interesting town, in addition to the busy wharf area they have art shops and craft shops. Painters and potters are drawn to the area.
In this area we also visited Bear River ?The Village on Stilts? because of the Bay of Fundy tides ebb and flow here. We stopped at Port-Royal, one of the earliest European settlements on the continent. In 1939 the Canadian government reconstructed the compound and named it The Habitation: 1605-1607 to preserve this history. A trip to the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station and watching the sailboat races from our campground completed the stay here.
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8/14/05, high of 75? and cloudy we moved to Highbury Gardens in New Minas, NS. After setting up the motorhome we decided to visit Grand Pre National Historic Site. The first Acadians settled here in 1680, Grand-Pre preserves the history and is a tribute to their ancestors. Longfellow and Evangeline are remembered here as a big part of Acadian history.
The next day we drove part of the Eastern Evangeline Trail. We travelled through small towns, at low tide we saw some dramatic mud flats and a fantastic view of four counties and the Minas basin from a point north of Canning. We will leave the Maritimes with many pleasant memories of the land and it?s people.
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8/16/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the KOA in Upper Sackville, NS. We came here just to be close to a Suzuki dealer to have some work done and to an RV dealer to have an oil change done on the MH.
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8/18/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to Camper?s City in Moncton, NB for an overnight. This was the most expensive campground that we stayed at while in the Maritimes and what we got was a site that was badly out of level from front to back, with mud at the exit of the site.
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8/19/05, high of 80? and sunny. Our border crossing back into the States was painless, we had to give up one apple with a BC origin stiicker. Good thing Jan had made an apple crisp the night before. We didn?t think it necessary to declare ?cooked fruit?. We moved to My Brother?s Place in Houlton Maine. Very nice campground, 100? pull thrus and a couple of short walking trails. We are just doing an overnight here, looks like a neat town with large gas stations and a Wal-mart. This would be a good stop to stock the motorhome with paper products before entering Canada. When we could find paper cups and plates in Canada they were very expensive.
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Final thoughts
All campgrounds had 30A service except Woodhaven and Highbury Gardens, which had 50A.
We would visit the same general areas again, but would suggest not staying in Bridgewater, try to stay in Lunenburg. Also we wish that we had known about the Cove Oceanfront Campground in Parkers Cove, which is about 10 minutes north of the Dunromin Campground. It has terraced sites with all having a great view of the Bay of Fundy.
We couldn?t get DirecTv in Newfoundland, but had it back in Nova Scotia except in Bridgewater and Highbury Gardens. We had a good digital voice signal in every campground that we stayed at and were able to connect to Verizon using Quick to Net.
The weather, since crossing into New Brunswick 6/2 until crossing back to Maine on 8/19, has overall been great, with only a few days keeping us in the campgrounds.
We have decided to end our Maritimes trip a couple of weeks earlier than planned and will head to Florida, Alabama, Illinois, Nebraska and finally Arizona.
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 August 2005
7/31/05, we crossed back to Nova Scotia from Newfoundland today on the Marine Atlantic Ferry. It was mostly sunny, about 70?, little wind, a nice crossing back to the mainland. Newfoundland is now one of our favorite places to visit.
We checked in at the Hyclass Campground in Havre Boucher NS , where we had stayed last month.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/1/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to Woodhaven Campground in Hammond Plains NS. Located close to Halifax and Peggy?s Cove, and other interesting towns. We took a loop drive to see Peggy?s Cove. It?s a very popular tourist stop and shouldn?t be missed. Most of the 50 residents are shopkeepers there for the seasonal crowds. The lighthouse stands on a massive granite ledge and is surrounded by huge granite boulders worn smooth by the water.
It took a couple of trips to Halifax to see just some of the highlights of that area. The Maritime Museum was a step back in time and a history lesson about shipbuilding, shipwrecks and treasures. There was a section devoted to the 1917 Halifax explosion when the Mont Blanc munitions ship collided with the Imo.
Halifax has a very busy waterfront, a variety of tour boats including the tall ship Silva and the Bluenose II when in town. The CSS Acadia, one of the museum artifacts is berthed at the wharf and can be toured as part of the museum fee. We got to see the Bluenose II and do a walk on tour. We saw it out on the water a couple of times but never with the sails up. (You can fill in the nautical word.) Quite an interesting history dating back to the early 20th century when a friendly rivalry existed between schooners of the fishing fleets. The Bluenose was built to replace a Lunenburg ship that had lost the race to a ship from Gloucester, Mass. This new ship brought home the trophy for the next seventeen years including the final race in 1938. The ship was sold and used to carry freight in the Caribbean, in 1946 it struck a Haitian reef and sank. The Bluenose ll was built to the exact specifications of the original and is now a sailing goodwill ambassador.
The Halifax Citadel the principal British naval station in North America it stands watch over the city. A self guided tour of the Fortress covers it from top to bottom. Panoramic views and some restored rooms show the full scope ot the Citadel. We did see the piper piping and the changing of the guard.
Just a few blocks from the Citadel we visited the Chapel of our Lady of Sorrows. It had just closed for the day so we never got to find out why this small chapel was built in one day by 2,000 men in 1843. One of the stained glass windows dates back to 1661.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/5/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the Oakhill Pines Campground in Bridgewater, NS. We visited the tourist information center in town for local information. From there we toured the nearby towns, all nice little places, some art stores, craft and souvenir shops and restaurants. The Lighthouse Route follows the coastline past several very popular sandy beaches and neat little towns.
The next day we drove a short distance to Lunenburg. it is the annual Folk Harbour Festival weekend and they seem to have a good crowd. Since the event takes place at three different venues in town it was easy to get around to see the sites. We arrived early enough that we found a parking place within walking distance of anything we wanted to see. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic was most interesting. Once you pay your admission you can wander in and out all day. Part of the museum is located on the wharf next to the museum. A couple of boats can be toured, explore the scallop shucking house, and watch the launching of a model schooner. While here we had a delicious meal at The Old Fish Factory Restaurant, with an outstanding harbour view. Within a few blocks of the harbour are interesting shops and houses. Here the original layout of a planned Colonial settlement established in 1753 has been preserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/8/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the Camper?s Haven Campground in Yarmouth, NS. Nice place to relax as our trip begins to wind down. We did a short tour of Yarmouth, enjoyed some wonderful fish chowder at the Colony House Restaurant near the ferry terminal in town. Jan found a great recipe for chowder, only drawback is you need to make stock from fish heads and tails. Pretty good chance we will not have homemade chowder.
A short drive through Yarmouth to the Cape Forchu Lightstation. This lighthouse has an unusual shape, the locals call it the ?apple core? style. The tide was out and there were many people digging for clams, and a couple of men in boats harvesting Irish moss. When processed the Irish moss can be used as a gelatin in some medications and other uses.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/10/05, high of 80? and sunny we moved to the Dunromin Campground in Granville Ferry, NS. While here we ?stopped to smell the roses? at the Historic Gardens. The gardens are well done representing historical and innovative aspects of horticulture. Just a few blocks away we visited Annapolis Royal to see the waterfront, walk about the town and then stopped for lunch at Ye Olde Towne Pub.
Having heard about Digby and the wonderful scallops we knew we needed to go there. We drove out the Digby Neck and then back to Digby. The town has one of the largest scallop fleets in the world, reflected in the local restaurants, scallops prepared many ways. An interesting town, in addition to the busy wharf area they have art shops and craft shops. Painters and potters are drawn to the area.
In this area we also visited Bear River ?The Village on Stilts? because of the Bay of Fundy tides ebb and flow here. We stopped at Port-Royal, one of the earliest European settlements on the continent. In 1939 the Canadian government reconstructed the compound and named it The Habitation: 1605-1607 to preserve this history. A trip to the Annapolis Tidal Generating Station and watching the sailboat races from our campground completed the stay here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/14/05, high of 75? and cloudy we moved to Highbury Gardens in New Minas, NS. After setting up the motorhome we decided to visit Grand Pre National Historic Site. The first Acadians settled here in 1680, Grand-Pre preserves the history and is a tribute to their ancestors. Longfellow and Evangeline are remembered here as a big part of Acadian history.
The next day we drove part of the Eastern Evangeline Trail. We travelled through small towns, at low tide we saw some dramatic mud flats and a fantastic view of four counties and the Minas basin from a point north of Canning. We will leave the Maritimes with many pleasant memories of the land and it?s people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/16/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to the KOA in Upper Sackville, NS. We came here just to be close to a Suzuki dealer to have some work done and to an RV dealer to have an oil change done on the MH.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/18/05, high of 75? and sunny we moved to Camper?s City in Moncton, NB for an overnight. This was the most expensive campground that we stayed at while in the Maritimes and what we got was a site that was badly out of level from front to back, with mud at the exit of the site.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/19/05, high of 80? and sunny. Our border crossing back into the States was painless, we had to give up one apple with a BC origin stiicker. Good thing Jan had made an apple crisp the night before. We didn?t think it necessary to declare ?cooked fruit?. We moved to My Brother?s Place in Houlton Maine. Very nice campground, 100? pull thrus and a couple of short walking trails. We are just doing an overnight here, looks like a neat town with large gas stations and a Wal-mart. This would be a good stop to stock the motorhome with paper products before entering Canada. When we could find paper cups and plates in Canada they were very expensive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final thoughts
All campgrounds had 30A service except Woodhaven and Highbury Gardens, which had 50A.
We would visit the same general areas again, but would suggest not staying in Bridgewater, try to stay in Lunenburg. Also we wish that we had known about the Cove Oceanfront Campground in Parkers Cove, which is about 10 minutes north of the Dunromin Campground. It has terraced sites with all having a great view of the Bay of Fundy.
We couldn?t get DirecTv in Newfoundland, but had it back in Nova Scotia except in Bridgewater and Highbury Gardens. We had a good digital voice signal in every campground that we stayed at and were able to connect to Verizon using Quick to Net.
The weather, since crossing into New Brunswick 6/2 until crossing back to Maine on 8/19, has overall been great, with only a few days keeping us in the campgrounds.
We have decided to end our Maritimes trip a couple of weeks earlier than planned and will head to Florida, Alabama, Illinois, Nebraska and finally Arizona.
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 August 2005
