About Mabel

We are traveling with our laptop loaded with Microsoft Streets & Trips. It works pretty well most of the time. Celeste started calling its female voice Mabel, because she was always able. But we have found that Mabel is not perfect. Sometimes she tries to take shortcuts. And sometimes these are little more than cart paths. Sometimes she hangs up a bit and gets a little behind. This is not much of an issue if we are on a long stretch of highway, but a bit of an inconvenience when you need to make decisions about which way to turn! Nonetheless, Mabel is probably a little better than a map. It is amazing how much she knows about locations of hotels and attractions. But we have to stay on our toes and not follow her blindly. Although, a couple of times when we didn't believe her, she turned out to be right after all.

Halifax to Sydney

Today was mostly driving, so there is not too much to tell. The weather began cool, overcast and breezy. By mid afternoon, there were some sunny breaks, and by early evening in Cape Breton there were only scattered clouds. It never really warmed up though, probably not above the mid teens.


We drove about three hours to Sherbrooke Village, another historical village with costumed interpreters. This one was an original village that was being gradually deserted. People convinced the provincial government to save it as a museum (and make work project, no doubt). A few of the residences are still in use by private owners. It would be kind of like living in Disneyland. It was a very good park though with many artisans practicing their crafts, producing articles for the store, including a $600 rocking chair made with 1850 technology. Our planned two hour stop lasted about four, including a very nice late lunch.


Approaching Cape Breton, we noticed signs advertising McLobster at McDonald's. Even though we had just eaten at 2:30, we stopped at 5 to split one, just to try it. The lobster salad was pretty good by itself, but it was stuffed in a stale, crumbling hot dog bun that had first been stuffed with lettuce so there was very little room remaining for lobster. It was a bit of a disappointment. Afterwards, we figured out the trick - eat the lobster and lettuce with the fork provided and leave the bun. Hopefully we will remember that if we try it again.


We checked in to our hotel about 7, too tired to do anything else.

When we first entered Nova Scotia from New Brunswick, we observed a lot of agriculture all down the west coast. In fact, by noon on the first day we saw more agriculture than we had in all our time in New Brunswick. About the only place we noticed extensive agriculture there was south of Moncton. In both provinces, the newer, higher traffic highways are built through the bush in fairly virgin territory. Nova Scotia actually looks a lot like northern Saskatchewan with thick, but not real tall forest on rolling land. Except that NS has more soil and less bare rock than the shield landscape of Saskatchewan and there are more deciduaous trees and less coniferous.

Some thoughts on Halifax

We didn't see much of Halifax and it rained most of the time we were there, but it seemed like a nice city that we could live in. Kind of a Vancouver light. The old downtown had many old, interesting buildings. Here is a view of Bedford Basin from across the street from our hotel as we were leaving.

One of the people on our brewery tour was also from Regina. He was a young fellow visiting a friend that was working on his Master's degree here.

Around Halifax again

We started our day with a drive through VERY THICK fog to the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum. At least it wasn't raining, windy, or cold, but it eliminated any scenic vistas for another day. The museum is similar to the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg in that it is a volunteer organization. Unfortunately, that limits its resources. They had a decent collection of airplanes, but they were crammed pretty tightly into the limited space and there is nowhere to add new acquisitions. Nonetheless, it was an interesting morning absorbing the Maritime perspective on aviation history. And Celeste was able to take a short flight in this aircraft.


We went to Point Pleasant Park to check out the Prince of Wales Tower National Historic Site, but it does not open until July 1. However, it was a very pleasant walk in a very large and beautiful natural park. It is somewhat like Stanley Park in Vancouver. Unfortunately, most of the larger trees were badly damaged by a hurricane in 2003.

One of the main attractions of Halifax is the Citadel, the fortress that protected the city. They are not doing such a great job now though as here is Celeste sneaking past one of the guards. It is still in remarkably good condition. We arrived at 1:30 and grabbed a couple of bowls of soup before the guided tour at 2. I had a seafood chowder and Celeste had split pea and ham. They were both excellent homemade soups worthy of special mention in our story. After the guided tour we wandered the grounds a bit, took in the Citadel museum, and then hastily browsed another Army Museum also on the grounds. We could have spent more time, but the Citadel closed at 5, so we rushed through the last stop. We got a sub near the hotel at 6, picked up some dessert at a nearby Sobey's, and were back in our room by 7. By late afternoon the rain had started again.

Around Halifax

First stop today was York Redoubt, for many years the primary defensive position protecting Halifax Harbour. They did a good job of explaining the different eras and how advances in weapons technology encouraged renovations to the fortress in each era. There was no interpretive centre, just interpretive panels outside, and it rained steadily throughout our stay. It was a large area that took quite some time to cover, but we stayed pretty dry with our umbrellas.

Next stop was Pier 21, where immigrants landed when they arrived in Halifax. I was a little bit disappointed because the displays only dealt with the period 1928 to 1971 when Pier 21 was in operation. I was more interested in the immigration when our ancestors came around 1900, but this period was not covered at all. They singled out several themes in the 1928 to 1971 time frame and dealt only with those. They had an elaborate multimedia theatre presentation, but I thought it was a little over-dramatized. There was a cruise ship at the wharf just outside. By coincidence, it was the Holland America ship Maasdam, the same ship we cruised on for our 25th wedding anniversary.

The most entertaining stop of the day was at Alexander Keith's Brewery. This was not your ordinary brewery tour. Four young actors played the parts of brewery and tavern employees in the 1860s. We got a history of Mr. Keith and the brewery and a tour and explanation of the brewing process. Then, of course, we got some samples. But this was no ordinary case of sitting at a table and drinking a beer. The cast sang traditional songs, told jokes, and played a card game. It was all very entertaining and, as the beer lightened the mood, lots of fun to play along with.

Last stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. This is a great place, especially if you are interested in ships. It was a little less exciting for us prairie folk, but still very good. They had a Titanic exhibit with many artifacts, another exhibit about many Nova Scotia shipwrecks, a section about the 1917 Halifax Explosion, an area devoted to tug boats, an exhibit about the WW II Battle of the Atlantic, a section about the age of sail, and numerous models of all kinds of ships. We spent a couple of hours and closed the place down at 5:30, but we could have spent longer. Here is Celeste taking a tug boat for a spin.

We found a much cheaper hotel for tonight. It is a little older, but very well maintained and updated. We got there about 6, then grabbed a quick bite and were settled in by 7.

The weather today was the worst we have had so far. It was cool and overcast all day, but the wind wasn't bad. The worst thing was the rain. Other than an occasioanl letup to a light drizzle, it rained steadily and moderately all day. After York Redoubt, we decided to do indoor tours all day. Our other three stops were all within a couple of blocks of each other.

Liverpool to Halifax

Today dawned cool, cloudy, windy, and wet. The high in Halifax only reached 10 degrees. Fortunately, it never really rained, just the odd sprinkle of drizzle.


First stop for today was LaHave, where Champlain and de Monts first landed in 1604. A settlement and fort were established there in 1632, but in 1636 the population was moved to Port Royal. Later the town and fort were destroyed. In the late 1600s the site was used as a base for fishing and eventually it was resettled. It became the site for an early lighthouse. Over the years, the site of the fort and original lighthouse have eroded into the bay. A newer lighthouse and the keeper's house today form the museum.





We stopped in Lunenburg which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is full of ancient character homes painted bright colours, much like St. John's Newfoundland. We walked around for a while and discovered the famous Bluenose II in her berth before moving on.


From Lunenburg we drove up the coast through Mahone Bay, a very pretty and picturesque town. But we did not stop for pictures.

Last stop for the day was Peggy's Cove. It is a bit trite, since every tourist in the Maritimes goes there, but how can you not go when every other tourist in the Maritimes goes there? It certainly is a very picturesque place. This is where our timing really pays off as we almost had the place to ourselves. The light was, unfortunately, less than perfect for some of the pictures, but worked pretty well for some others.



We checked in to our hotel in Halifax at 6 PM. They were pretty full and the only rooms they had left were kidsuites. We said that would be OK. So here is our room. It seemed like a regular room except that they had built in a little bunkhouse for the buckaroos complete with bunk beds and cowboy themed decorations. It was pretty cute, but a little crowded. In the picture you can see the opening for the bunkhouse window and some of the decorations in the hall, including cowboy boots, a horse bridle, and other paraphenalia.

Annapolis Royal to Liverpool

First stop this morning was Fort Anne, just a stone's throw from our B&B. Several years after the failure of the first Port Royal, the French returned to the area and built a fort on this new site naming it Port Royal. The fort was expanded over the years and changed hands a few times until the British finally gained control for good in 1710. It was the capital of the Maritime possessions of the French and then the British until the capital was moved to Halifax in 1749. There were very good interpretive displays explaining the purposes of the various design elements of the fort and the earthworks are still pretty much intact. Another interesting and worthwhile stop.

Next, we went to Port Royal. This was the site of the first French settlement in this area in 1605. Parks Canada reconstructed the settlement in 1939-40 based on drawings by Champlain and historical accounts of the site. It was very well done and very interesting. I remember hearing all these names of people and places from my high school history classes, but how they all relate to each other was kind of murky. This tour is helping to straighten out all these details about the beginning of our country.




Shortly after Port Royal, we made a brief unscheduled stop at the Melanson Settlement which was on the same road. This was another Acadian farming site that was excavated by archaeologists. It was a minimalist site and only took us about ten minutes.


We debated skipping our last planned stop at the North Hill Museum to try to gain some time, but decided to squeeze it in anyway. And we were glad we did. When the interpreter met us, she asked us if we wanted the tour or just to look around. We almost said we would just look around, but we were glad we didn't. The building was among the very oldest houses in the area. It was purchased many years ago by an antique collector who restored the house and filled it with interesting items, leaving it to the province in his will.

From the museum, we went to a German restaurant for lunch. We over did it with schnitzel sandwiches, potato salad, and turnovers for dessert. It was very good, but we sure were full!

We had planned to follow the coast from Annapolis Royal to Yarmouth, then back to the LaHave historic site and overnight in Lunenberg. But we were running so late that we decided to short cut directly overland to Liverpool, just south of our destination, and go on from there. We probably would not have made it before closing at the LaHave site anyway, but a couple of construction delays totaling 45 minutes or more sealed the deal. We decided to stop in Liverpool, checked into our hotel around 5, and went for a long walk around the centre of town and the river. I made a short stop to do a little unpaid construction work.

Today was probably the nicest day yet. It was sunny with a light breeze. It started out cool in the morning but warmed up nicley. By late afternoon, it had clouded over and the wind had come up, but we were in the car and didn't care.

Some thoughts on New Brunswick

They don't seem too concerned with speed limits here. Whether the limit is 80, 90, 100, or 110 doesn't seem to matter. I try to aim for 5 to 10 kph over the limit. (Hard to manage when you don't have cruise. I didn't know they made cars without cruise control any more.) I don't pass many people, but lots pass me. Today, (although it was just into Nova Scotia) I was passed by an RCMP cruiser, without lights or siren, doing 125 to 130 in a 110 zone.

Road conditions here vary widely, just like at home. Whether it is a local road, a secondary highway, or a major expressway, they vary from new and modern to not much better than a cart path. And there are plenty of km of the latter.

We are all familiar with the four lane, divided, controlled access highway. But out here in NB and today in NS I experienced something new to me - a two lane, undivided, controlled access highway. I guess the impetus for these comes from all the secondary highways that are almost like city streets with all the houses and driveways and speed limits of 70 or 80 kph. You build a new highway to get cars off of those roads and allow higher speeds, even if the traffic volume doesn't warrant four lanes.

As we drove down these secondary highways lined with houses on both sides, we often asked oursleves, "What do people do here?" On the coast, many people fish. In the interior, many people are in forestry. But we just can't believe that explains all these people.

Moncton to Annapolis Royal

Our first stop today was at Truro, NS. We had not planned anything there, but we were about ready for some fuel and snacks and Celeste had read about the tidal bore there. That is a wave that runs upstream when the high Fundy Tide comes in. At low tide the river is basically a mud flat. We learned that we were about three hours early for the next event, so just moved on.

Next stop was Grand Pre National Historic Site. Grand Pre was the largest Acadian settlement area at the time of the expulsion in 1755. They had an excellent Interpretive Centre with a very good audio-visual presentation, but there wasn't much to take pictures of.

A few minutees down the road was Acadia University in Wolfville. They have a botannical garden sponsored by Harriet Irving, wife of K. C. Irving. It seeks to replicate various Nova Scotia eco systems and acts a gateway to miles of hiking trails. We took a quick spin through the garden and got back on the road.

We reached Annapolis Royal and checked into our hotel/B&B sometime before 6. What a neat old place! It was built as an inn in 1859. Among its guests over the years were Prince George of Wales (later King George V) in 1884, Governors-General Lord Lansdowne in 1880 and Lord Tweedmuir in 1937, Prime Minister W. L. McKenzie King, and the Lt.-Governor of NS recently stayed in our very room. It is furnished with antiques throughout. Very cool.



After checking in we went for a walk to get a bite to eat. On the way back we stopped at the "Historical Garden," presumably named because it features much local flora and because it has a replica Acadian 1671 house and garden. It is a beautiful garden, comparable to most that we have seen. I would certainly place it above the Kingsbrae Gardens we saw earlier in terms of esthetic appeal. It was very well laid out, vusually appealing, and well tended.

Weather today much the same as the last few, mostly sunny, close to 20 degrees, but with a cool breeze.

St. John to Moncton

Today's plan was to match our itinerary to the Bay of Fundy's tides. We wanted to catch the Reversing Falls at high tide around noon and the Hopewell Rocks at low tide around 5:30. The trick was arranging the trip in between.


We made it to the Carleton Martello Tower a few minutes after its 10:00 opening. From the outside, it looks pretty plain, but it has a very interesting story to tell. It was built during the War of 1812 to protect St. John from land attack from the south. Its design was copied by the British from a fortress that had held out for an unusually long time against them. They subsequently built more than 200 such fortresses around the world. A small force could hold out almost indefinitely in its hayday. A concrete command centre was added to its top to act as a fire control centre for defence of the port in WW II.


High tide was at 12:36, so we wanted to return to the Reversing Falls by around noon. It was a bit anticlimactic after observing the turbulence of the previous day. Because the water was much deeper, the rocks were covered and there was far less white water. But you could see a very strong current with strong whirlpools and eddies. The water would pile up in front of the islands, then spill around them. An interesting observation was that there were hundreds of cormorants and gulls feeding as the seawater flowed inland. They would drift with the current for a while, dive down for a meal, then fly back to where they started and repeat the process.

Next stop was the Fundy Trail Parkway. Here we found the beautiful coastal scenery we had been looking for. This is a multi-use park of hiking and biking trails, lookouts, and a scenic drive. It could easily be a destination on its own by hiking different trails or sections of the main trail each day for a week. Right now, it is a dead end road of about 12 km, but it is planned to continue another 20-25 km to link up with the road in Fundy National Park. Here you can see the fog rolling in off the ocean.

From the Trail, we set out through Fundy Park for the Hopewell Rocks, famous for their appearance as flower pots because of the erosion by the high Fundy tides. Along the way, we passed the town of Alma right at low tide and found the whole local fishing fleet high and dry.

We knew that the Hopewell Rocks site closed at 5 and we weren't going to arrive until after 5:30, but we were not sure what "closed" entailed. How could they block people from walking on the beach? We decided to just go and see what we found. What we found was this sign and about 25 cars parked outside the gate. We figured that if they could all go in, we could too. What danger could we face that was any different from when the gates were open?

After walking around the gate we passed through a few easily surmounted obstacles. You could tell that they had to put some obstacles in place to cover their bums, but they fully expected people to overcome them and didn't want to make it too difficult. We followed the path to the top of the cliff, meeting numerous people along the way. We navigated the steep path and 99 stairs down to the beach. I wouldn't say the place was crawling with people, but there were well over a dozen. It was quite interesting down there, but it was all in the evening shade which didn't help with the picture taking.

We had planned to get to Amherst, Nova Scotia tonight, but the day was just too full. We stopped in Moncton for a bite to eat at 7:30 and decided that was enough for today. We got checked into our hotel about 9.

Today started out cool, breezy, and foggy, which precluded some neat pictures from the Martello Tower. Although it warmed up to about 20 degrees again, it still felt pretty cool whenever you were open to the breeze.