O Canada

7/18/2018 Wow what a day. I left the Bangor / Holden KOA campground and headed North with my first stop at the Quoddy Head Lighthouse which is the easternmost point of the United States . The current lighthouse tower was erected in 1858 is also, believe it or not, the point closest to Africa from the continental United States. The view from the lighthouse point was emblematic of the New England coast, specifically Maine, with the cold unencumbered waves crashing upon a dark rocky shoreline. 

With the lighthouse and the picturesque landscape I unquestionably knew I was in New England.

I then proceeded to Lubec, Maine that upon arrival I spoke to a local named Derrick who referred me to Becky’s Seafood for lunch.

Becky’s is a small roadside stand that serves the freshest lobster that I have ever had. I ordered the ubiquitous lobster roll which I cannot overstate was extremely delicious. To add to the wonderful culinary satisfaction was the absolutely incredible view.  I consumed my food on one of the picnic tables located directly behind her small little kitchen and among her lobster pots that are strewn about on a classic small rocky Maine inlet that made for me an absolutely wonderful experience. 

After lunch I proceeded to Calais, Maine where, unencumbered by other travelers, I advanced directly to the Customs booth and was soon across the border, crossing swiftly, without incident, into Canada. 

Without a campground reservation for this night, shortly after my Canadian entry, I stopped in St. John, New Brunswick and called several RV parks until I found an opening for the night at the Century Farm Family Campground in St. Martins, New Brunswick. Within an hour drive I arrived at the Century Farm Family Campground there upon I readied the trailer for tonight’s bedtime. I then drove to the Caves Restaurant for dinner that upon my arrival I found closed. The Caves Restaurant closes at 8:00pm Atlantic time and in my opinion is too early for the prime vacation period. I settled on the idea that I would construct something in the mobile residence so I stopped at Huttges General Merchants on Main Street of St Martins.

Fascinated by this small Canadian store with its beautifully varnished thick wooden doors I wondered around until by chance I met the owner, Peter Huttges who then personally assisted me with my purchases. I asked Peter about the Donair shaved meat in his meat case and he explained that it is a very popular snack in Canada. It is similar to a gyro but with a garlicky Donair sauce, purchased separately, and like a gyro is on a pita with tomatoes and onions. I purchased everything to make a Donair and Peter threw in a half a kilo (1 pound) of Canadian breakfast sausage. After grilling Peter about the St. Martins area I went back to my traveling home and made a Donair. All I will say about the Donair is that I prefer it without the sauce. After dinner I met my campground neighbors, Alice and Bob, from Florida and together we watched the local fireworks display then talked until time for retirement. Wow, what a day.

7/19/2018 After my breakfast that included the Huttges Canadian breakfast sausage, I left New Brunswick without, once again, any reservations for this night. I headed for Nova Scotia, specifically somewhere close to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Around lunchtime I stopped in at a Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill which is not a Swiss restaurant but a chicken restaurant. I also discovered that the Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill is a large chain of restaurants in Canada noted for their fried and rotisserie chicken. I had the fried chicken with poutine. Poutine is the Canadian version of French fries upon which cheese curds and beef gravy are deposited.  Before leaving the

Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill in Moncton, New Brunswick I found and reserved several nights at the Dollar Lake Provincial Park about 53km (33 miles) northeast of Halifax. Upon leaving Moncton after lunch, and within one hour, I crossed over into Nova Scotia and had finally reached my destination. Another 2 hours and I would be camped in Nova Scotia with the realization that I had finally achieved my quixotic objective.

7/20/2018 I awoke refreshed at the Dollar Lake Provincial Park after a cool night's sleep and with the satisfaction that I had, at last, reached Nova Scotia. After breakfast I worked on the much needed updating of the Blog then took an account of provisions needed. I found the closest supermarket in Elmsdale, NS about 22 miles from my campsite. Upon my arrival at the Atlantic Superstore I found it to be fascinating in its size and its inventory. I walked around that store for a couple of hours exploring its food products supplied from within Canada, the US and other parts of the world. I also walked around the attached Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation or NSLC store which is the Government owned and operated liquor purveyors in Nova Scotia. Surprisingly their liquor prices are quite reasonable for being a government operated retailer. I purchased my needed items at the Atlantic and some not needed items then went back to camp. That evening I drank all my whiskey (one glass) and ate all my steak (one steak). What a nice evening it was for a cookout.

7/21/2018 I decided to go to Halifax today, oy vey. I got all cleaned up and even shaved for this outing into Halifax that I envisioned as this great city to visit with its long revered history. Originally inhabited by the French, the British settled and named Halifax in 1749. During its existence, there were numerous conflicts for it and great immigration into Halifax creating an amalgamation of influences on this very metropolitan city. I just happen to arrive in Halifax during the Halifax Pride Festival which created a horrendous traffic congestion. Nevertheless, I was able to find parking within close proximity to my lunch objective at The Five Fishermen Restaurant. There I had great seafood chowder accompanied with a freshly baked baguette; just what was needed on this drizzly cool day. Thereafter, I walked around the city then stepped into a pub for ale. I sat inside the tavern people watching for about an hour while finishing my ale then I walked down to my truck. On the way back to the Dollar Lake Provincial Park I stopped to get a pizza and found a fellow traveler from North Hollywood, California. He was visiting with family in the Halifax area and was leaving that evening back to the States. As I left we bade each other safe travels.

                                                                                       

7/22/2018 Today, I relocated closer to Halifax at the Laurie Provincial Park. Only an hour's travel, this park seems to be closer to civilization and businesses. After orientating myself to the campground and relaxing around camp I then drove to the nearest settlement area where I found a McDonald’s restaurant located within a service station. Curious as to what this very adaptive eatery would have on its menu I went in to find out. The only menu item I found unique to Canada was the Poutine which I ordered. Surprisingly it was fairly flavorful with good gravy and lots of cheese curds. On a roll, literally, I went across the street to the Subway sandwich shop and found it to have the familiar lobster roll on its menu. Not wanting to press my luck, I ordered the BMT and left. 

7/23/2018 Laundry day and what a day into the next day it was. Requiring new underwear I drove to several nearby stores but was unsuccessful obtaining my necessities. At the third store I approached a gentleman, who seemed about my same age, and asked him where he would go for such items. His reply was, surprisingly, “Costco”. I located a Costco within 6 km and was soon there locating my garments. My next challenge was locating a laundromat which the Halifax area is decidedly short of. I eventually located the Deluxe Laundromat & Dry Cleaners in Dartmouth where upon entering I met Kim the very nice and helpful counter person. Kim provided the much needed loonies (in Canada, the one-dollar coin is known as the loonie) for the washing machines and dryers with instructions regarding each. I soon discovered a pub down the steps to the rear of the laundry and went, with Kim’s permission, to have a beer. Inside Monte's Bar & Grill I ordered ale and soon met Dave Burgess, a retired local and frequent customer at Monte’s. He too found Monte’s while using the Deluxe Laundromat. I asked Dave where to visit in Nova Scotia and he then gave me quite an itinerary around Nova Scotia, specifically the Bay of Fundy which has the highest tidal actions in the world. To quote http://bayoffundytourism.com/:

The Bay of Fundy is one of the 7 wonders of North America. The highest tides on earth, the rarest whales in the world, semi-precious minerals and dinosaur fossils; all this convinced an international panel of experts in 2014 to choose the Bay of Fundy as one of the natural wonders of the world.

He also enlightened me with interesting details about Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland including their predominant areas to visit. After a few ales it was decided that we should not drive so he called his wife to pick us up. Once at the Burgess’s home, Dave soon prepared the two of us dinner; wine was also offered and consumed with the hamburgers. It was determined after two bottles of wine that I should stay the night at which I agreed. Dave and I spent some of the night discussing, with similar viewpoints, our two countries politics and politicians. We then played several  games of pool in his man cave; afterwards the extra bedroom was offered and utilized. 

7/24/2018 Still at the Burgess’s, I awoke early to find Dave downstairs who offered then made coffee; after coffee he made us each a great smoothie. We then unsuccessfully tried to locate his cellphone after which he drove me down to Monte's Bar & Grill where my truck was still located. Before departing ways, I stated my desire to return and play golf with Dave after I had accomplished my counter-clockwise jaunt around the shores of Nova Scotia. I then drove directly back to the trailer in the Laurie Provincial Park where I slept off the previous night’s foray into the Burgess’s life. After my nap, I went swimming in the Shubenacadie Grand Lake on which Laurie Park is located. Feeling hungry and lazy I drove to the True North Diner where I had dinner consisting of good seafood chowder and a terrible Sheppard’s pie. I then bought whiskey and tequila at the nearby NSLC then went home and stayed there. 

7/25/2018 Moving day. With reservations at the Blomidon Provincial Park only 108 km away from Laurie Provincial Park, my current site, I stayed until the very last minute before checkout at 1:00pm. It was an easy undemanding drive on Highway 101 East for the first 77 km the last 31 km of which were on city and rural roads. Taking the Greenwich off ramp from the highway I went on through Canning, NS after which the motorways got rather narrow with the added complexity of an active 4 km repaving work prior to the Blomidon Provincial Park entrance. Having first sighted the Minas Basin, about 50 km from the Park, I found Blomidon Provincial Park located at Cape Blomidon with views of the Minas Basin from 600 foot high cliffs. Please read the attached link regarding the Bay of Fundy. I had obtained my campsite through the Nova Scotia Provincial Parks Reservation Service that gave 3 pictures with limited information regarding each site.

The site I picked through the Parks Reservation Service was in an open field surrounded by dense vegetation in which individual campsites are cutout. I wanted a site with abundant sunshine for the solar panels and received that, but I was conspicuously the only camper in several hectares of open area. No problem, I like standing out, which I did at my Blomidon Park campsite. A great benefit was the openness made for an easy drive into and setting up of my travel trailer. I soon found Blomidon Park to be quiet, with a cool breeze that continued when the evening fog rolled over the small surrounding hills encompassing the field and my encampment. 

7/26/2018 A day that began cloudy with a slight rain inspired me to drive to the wine country of western Nova Scotia particularly to the Le Caveau Restaurant in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia. After lunch I toured the Grand Pré National Historic Site which is the area around the town of Grand Pré that identifies and commemorates the center of an Acadian settlement from 1682 to 1755. The area is significant to Acadian history because the British came through and deported, for political reasons, the Acadians during the French and Indian War. The Grand Pré National Historic Site is listed as a World Heritage Site for Acadian settlement and the reclaimed marshland that was created via the aboiteau farming method they utilized.

The touring of the Grand Pré area took me to an area on top of the dyke, originally built by the Acadians, that overlooks the Minas Basin where I watched the notoriously wide-ranging Bay of Fundy related tide rapidly recede from the shoreline 50 feet within 30 minutes. 

7/27/2018 Even with the fog that had been lingering from daybreak I decided to take the approximately 6 mile round-trip hike to the Cape Blomidon cliffs for the widely professed astonishing view of the Minas Basin. Imagine my incredulity that, after my journey down the twisting narrow heavily overgrown trail, I arrived at the first fog shrouded overlook and could not see the Bay water below. Onward I hiked to overlooks two, three, and four with barely a vision of the shore below.

It was still a nice hike with all of the extensive forest growth surrounding the pathway I amused myself by imagining Bilbo Baggins popping out from behind a shrub at any moment.     

7/28/2018 Move homing day so off I went on the two hour, 95 mile, transport of me and all my belongings to the Raven Haven Beachside Family Park. The Raven Haven County Park is 24 miles east of Digby, NS on Sandy Bottom Lake with a campground, swimming and canoe / kayak rentals. After setting up the trailer then settling my account in the front office I drove over to Digby for dinner. I was in search of the celebrated Digby scallops (watch the video) and, after stopping a couple from Kentucky, I soon found the target restaurant for my mollusk gratification. I went to the Shoreline Restaurant and was not disappointed with my selection of sautéed scallops along with, Sherry my waitress suggested, mashed potatoes; the potatoes being from Prince Edward Island. 

After dinner I walked along the waterfront when a woman appeared and soon began to play the bagpipes. It was very pleasant to hear the harmony of the bagpipes echo through a still harbour evening as the sun slowly withdrew. I extended my walk down to the Fundy Restaurant and Bar where, in the bar, I met Kirk.  Kirk, now retired, lives in Las Vegas but worked for the Pipe Fitters Union in Colton, California and has been to and through Lancaster on several occasions. He also worked out of the Pipe Fitters in San Jose about the same time I worked in that city. We talked over cocktails for several hours until my departure back to the Raven Haven. 

7/29/2018 Sunday is the day of rest and that’s exactly what on did on this day. The only item of note is I put a steak on the barbie and along with world famous PEI (Prince Edward Island) potatoes which I boiled for dinner. 

7/30/2018 There are two reasons that I am camped at the Raven Haven campground outside Annapolis Royal, NS. One is Digby, NS that I visited on July 28; the other is the town of Annapolis Royal, NS which I visited today. Annapolis Royal was settled by the French in 1605 but was attacked and won over by the English in 1710. At one time it was the capital of Nova Scotia and is the most fought over town in Canada with 13 attacks in total between the French and English.

The city is host to the current 1702 constructed Vauban earthwork Fort Anne that was designated as Canada’s first National Historic Site in 1920 and has been continually maintained and upgraded since then. In 1930 the Officer’s Quarters was renovated and now houses the museum that elucidates the history and activities surrounding Fort Anne and Annapolis Royal. I spent several hours reviewing the fort then walked down the Annapolis Basin waterfront upon the recently constructed wooden boardwalk. I completed my waterfront walk then strolled through the streets of Annapolis Royal where I completed my visit at the recently opened Annapolis Brewing Company. Amazingly I met a gentleman from Virginia in that brew house  that has driven through Lancaster on the way to rock climbing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I completed the day with a stop at the Beermiester suggested Tom’s Diner & Pizzeria where I ordered pizza to go. 

7/31/2018 I drove to Victoria Beach, NS which is across the Digby Gut from Digby, NS. I didn’t find a beach at Victoria Beach but I did find an absolutely beautiful view of the passage into the Annapolis Basin from the Bay of Fundy.  Each side of the 1/2 mile wide passage is filled with the deep blue waters of the Bay of Fundy and is bounded by completely forested 500+ foot towering bluffs.

As I left the Victoria Beach area I found a Pony Express historical marker along the road. The monument outlined the short-lived Nova Scotia Pony Express that was used for transport of Associated Press European news dispatches and predated the American Pony Express by over a decade. 

Still traveling along this side of the peninsula, which is opposite Annapolis Royal, there are two significant Canadian historical sites. One is the Port-Royal National Historic Site where the original Arcadian habitation was started; the other is the Melanson Settlement National Historic Site. The former is where the Acadian Melanson family lived, developed and prospered until 1755 when during LeGrand Dérangement the Acadians were deported from the Canadian Maritime provinces by the British Government. The latter is referred to as the Port-Royal Habitation, it was one of North America’s oldest European settlements and is now setup similar to Williamsburg, Virginia. For a fee, he or she may tour the replicas of the former homesteads and observe the farming methods of that period. Similar to Williamsburg, L'habitation is a cluster of adjoining hewn timber buildings with an enclosed courtyard and was reconstructed in 1939 using early 17th century building techniques. Additionally, the guides are dressed in period wears and explain this incipient settlement during the 1600s. The two Canadian National Historic Sites I toured on this day were both very interesting and allowed me to recognize the significance of these early Canadian colonies.

As a side note, I do not know how anyone could get lost in Canada with road signs like these.