Wow, what a ride! We are now back in New Brunswick, after completing a full figure 8 around the adjoining province of Nova Scotia. Previous posts have highlighted the Cabot Trail and some of the other fascinating features under our fun firmament along Ceilidh Trail, Marine Drive, Bras d’Or Lake Scenic Drive, Fleur-de-lis Trail, and Marconi Trail. We also drove the Sunrise Trail, the Lighthouse Route, the Evangeline Trail, and the Glooscap Trail. To record all our tales from these coastal trails would require a book – not just a simple blog post – so I’ll just touch on a few spots that were not previously mentioned:
As previously noted, along Marine Drive we had shaken loose one of the hydraulic reservoirs connected to an automatic leveler. I had bolted it back in place, but the leveler didn’t work. After a nice stay with Bridgewater Boondockers Welcome hosts Angela & Raymond, we stopped in at Bluenose RV, to see if they could fix our problem on short notice. They graciously agreed to take a look, but when I pushed the button, the leveler worked! It has worked fine ever since, both individually and in concert with the other 3 levelers . Bluenose RV refused to accept any payment for their time, and we were back on the Lighthouse Route.
Our next intended stop was Rissers Beach Provincial Park near Lunenburg,
but since the summer heat wave continued, the popular park was full and we were referred on to Thomas Raddall Provincial Park, further down the coastal road.
From Thomas Raddall we travelled the short distance to The Islands Provincial Park at Shelburne, NS. Our campsite (#54) had amazing
views across the channel to the historic town, both day and night, and at both high and low tides. From the dozens of pics taken, we are including just three, with many more saved for future reference.
Betty & I attended a unique Sunday evening drive-in church service at Shelburne, where a couple and their elderly mom in the truck next to us
extolled the virtues of their home community: Lockport. So the next day we went exploring and found one of the most amazing Nova Scotia beaches, with a wide swath of fine-grained sand. Before leaving, Betty’s eye caught a sign for “Becky’s Knit & Yarn Shop”, so we spent another hour while Betty and the owner spun a yarn about knitting. LOL.
At the end of the Lighthouse Route and beginning of the Evangeline Trail we toured the town of Yarmouth, noting all of the beautifully restored houses in their historic homes district. The Cape Forchu Lightstation marks the most westerly tip of the province, and was worth the trip to feel the crisp salty air and witness the powerful surf crashing against the rocky Atlantic coast.
The Evangeline Trail took us up the Annapolis Valley past a number of historic churches, two of which are pictured here. Our stop for the night
was intended to be a quiet former visitor centre in Digby, but as previously noted, the incessant roar of motorcycles at the “wharf rat rally” made Digby anything but quiet! Instead, we drove on the Waterville, where we stayed at a quiet Harvest Host location: Reimer Gardens.
Next came the Glooscap Trail, which led us to the most amazing campground in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia! For $30./night, Betty & I found
ourselves in a full-service campsite right on the banks of Minas Basin in the Bay of Fundy. The Diamond Shores Campground is a small park with a loyal customer base. It does little or no advertising, and we were lucky to find it by stopping in at the Parrsboro Information Centre, when we found our intended destination campground to be full.
Betty & I were directed to a tiny campsite, only inches away from our Saskatchewan and New Brunswick neighbours. We couldn’t help but meet them when we were that close, but it turned out everyone was enjoying the fabulous views as the Bay of Fundy continuously drained and filled from low to high tides. Since there was no room for picnic tables between
RVs, the tables were lined up in front, allowing everyone to better connect with their new neighbours. As we sat outside on Saturday evening, looking over the bay, we were treated to a number of bright and colourful fireworks displays on the beach, drawing wows and applause from the gathered community.
After church in Parrsboro on Sunday morning, Betty & I returned to an end-of-season celebration at the Diamond Shores Campground. All the tables had been placed in a circle in the field behind the RVs, and the campground owners were serving up a huge free lunch for all
the campers. Because we were literally the latecomers to the party, I was surprised when the owners insisted that we join in, and refused to accept a donation for the meal. They had collected all the refundable recyclables over the season, and said it was enough to cover the cost of showing their appreciation for their campers. We were extremely lucky to be there at the right time! What a nice group in a great spot!
Well, I see this post is now over 900 words, and I’ve been trying for a limit of about 600. There are many more tales to be told about Nova Scotia trails, but I’ll end this one with the old salutation from cowboys Roy Rogers and Dale Evans: “Happy trails to you, until we meet again!”
Cheers!
