Letter 23: Nova Scotia I

Harrington Travels East 2009
Letter 23: Nova Scotia
Monday, July 27: We landed at Whycocomagh Provincial Park and experienced a hard time parking in the big spot provided. It was on a tiered level with a drop off to the right of the road. To top it off it started raining. The provincial parks do not have hookups so we dry camped two nights. Set amidst rolling hills, this park was picturesque. It adjoined one of the big Atlantic Lakes called Bras d’Or. They bragged about over 200 pairs of Eagles nest here. We only saw one.

Tuesday, July 28 was a much better day as we drove the Cabot Trail. This is a large peninsula on the northwest end of Nova Scotia. As we started across the peninsula a sign advertising the Larch Wood factory caught our eye. We stopped and saw their beautiful chopping boards in their outlet store. Max (the owner, we think) took us on a tour showing how they dry the wood in a huge kiln, then select the strips of wood to make the various patterns all with the grain ends as the top of the board. There aretwo gluing stages. a>To finish the boards they coat heavily with two coats of mineral oil and finish with bees wax. They also make whole counter tops, tables and flooring, as well as custom milling.

We were amazed at the beautiful patterns these strips made. When asked what tree they used, it is the Larch tree, which is not a pretty tree. When it grows by itself it is crooked and ugly. If in a cluster it grows straight. It is a deciduous and coniferous tree. It has needles that turn in the fall and sheds. It only grows along a narrow band in the far north near the latitude for this area. Olivia eyed the scraps to use for crafts and could have taken a box full if there had been room in the trailer.

Although they sell throughout North America, including a store in Salado, Texas, it is a small shop with less than 10 employees.

Back to the beautiful drive and around the next swerve was a
garden of Scarecrows. Blaire posed with Annie and we saw all kinds of scarecrows,
children, weddings, and politicians. This farm started in 1984 when a man decided to plant a garden on this land. He resided about three miles away and neighbors told him he was crazy because the deer and rabbits would eat everything. However, if he erected some scarecrows maybe this would help He built three scarecrows 6’ high, dressed them to the teeth and tied strips of plastic on the shoulders, wrists and waist so the noise would scare the animals away. The next morning when he was tending the garden two buses and several cars stopped to take pictures and tourists suggested he forget the garden and add more scarecrows. By the end of the summer he had twelve. The next year thirty, now about 100. Now donations and even old clothing are sent to assist him.

Back to the Cabot Trail, the scenery was breathtaking. The sun had come out for us and we enjoyed the views, beaches, clear water and looking back.

Toward the end of the peninsula we entered Cape Breton Highlands National Park known for its spectacular highland and ocean scenery. Steep cliffs and deep river canyons cut into a forested plateau bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The cool, maritime climate and rugged landscape permit a unique blend of Acadian, Boreal and Taiga (coniferous and sub artic) habitats. This special mix of northern and temperate species is not found anywhere else in Canada. Several dozen species of rare or threatened plants and animals can be found. Small populations of Arctic-Alpine plants left over from the last ice age are located here. We walked along a boardwalk and saw
orchids, fuzzy flowers, more orchids, bladderworts (coniferous) and lilies. There are suppose to be lots of moose, but they didn’t show themselves to us.

At another stop we saw an old growth forest of international importance, in the Grande Anse area was the largest old hardwood forest in the Maritimes. Sugar Maples dominate this forest by their huge size and sheer numbers. Making up 97% of this forest, some towering maples are over 350 years old and 25 meters tall. Sheltered in this rich bottom land, they prosper in the moist deep earth. Their roots grow all winter in the thawed soil beneath the deep snow. Sugar maple seedlings easily grow through the thick layer of dead leaves and the deep shade where other trees have difficulty. Maple saplings
can tolerate this shade for decades. Protected by the National Park, they wait for an old tree to fall so they can take its place in the sun.
A creek ran through this forest with water so clear we could see the multicolored rocks in the bottom.

At the end of the trail was “The Lone Shieling” which is a stone shepherd's hut commemorating the Scottish heritage of nearby Pleasant Bay. Expelled from the highland on the Isle of Skye, Scottish immigrants settled this virgin forest in the early 1800’s. They farmed, fished and hunted, clearing the forest edge. They made maple syrup, cut firewood and lumber.

This sign shows where we have been and how the Maritimes fit into the area. We started at the end of the tip of river on the left and were now on the tip of the large island of Nova Scotia. Completing the bottom arc of the St Lawrence Gulf.

Wednesday, July 29 we headed for Halifax via the shore road with intensions of seeing their Eastern Shore. Immediately upon turning on this road it was rough, but we felt it would get better, WRONG! The scenery was beautiful, but Fred could not enjoy it because he was constantly looking at the road. It was hot topped but wavy, washboard, bumpy, and cracked down the middle of the lane where Fred said there was grass growing. Only occasionally did we get up to 40 mph. for long stretches it wasn’t safe to drive over 25 mph. About one-third of the way we started seeing ferry signs. This was not expected but sure enough at the end of the road was one passenger car and a motor home bus waiting for the ferry. We ventured out onto theferry and compared notes with the other participants. All agreed we had taken this road to see the scenery not available from the big roads, but were certainly disappointed in this road itself. Then the ferry was a big surprise. Yes, it is on the map, but not clearly marked.. The motor home folks said when they arrive home they were afraid their rig would collapse due to the shaking caused by the roads! About this time Olivia wrote on the Nova Scotia map, “ BIG ADENTURE! BAD ROADS!” This map will probably be passed on to someone else traveling this way. We wondered where the few people living along this road had purchased gas. We had to hunt for it. There were very few pullouts so we only had to take pictures from the car. It was very pretty, but such a bad way to see it. There should be a huge sign at the beginning of this road, “Not recommended for travel trailers and motor homes because of bad roads.” We would have been better off without the trailer. This was the biggest shake down of its career. Every time we opened the trailer door was another mini disaster—doors opened and items strewn about. We took in stride. Its part of traveling. Adventuring is unpredictable. Our small table found it’s way all over the living area, the mattress moved to the front, the broom across the room, clothes out of the closet. We hope there is no structural damage.

As we neared Halifax, Fred decided to take it on in to Peggy’s Cove for our stay. We did stop at a tourist information center to get directions through Dartmouth & Halifax. Thank Goodness! The lady was so nice to map us through these two cities with all the freeway interchanges and lane changes. A GPS would have really come in handy this time. While in the information center they noticed Olivia's map note about the bad highway and they asked us to send in comments to the highway dept. They had also heard the horror stories of that scenic highway. We found our way through Halifax to Peggy’s Cove and the Wayside campground.

Thursday, July 30 we crashed! That was too many miles, 305 in one day, and bad roads with two big cities! WOW! Way too much for us old folks and even Blaire was exhausted. We drove for over ten hours. We did take in the part of Peggy’s Cove we could see through the fog and visited their Information center where Erin helped us with info and helped Blaire get her flight info printed out. The information centers have been wonderful.

This area of gently rolling hills is full of granite slabs and boulders. The granite came first, then the ice age and glaciers. The glaciers carved the landscape so there are many fingers of land jutting out to sea. The coast line is very irregular and spectacular. Thirty miles from Halifax and nestled on the granite is Peggy’s Cove. The first land grant of 800 acres was issued in 1811 to fishermen and their families and peaked with a population at 300 by 1900. For many years it was self sufficient. Today there are fewer people who make their home here. Several families can trace their roots back many generations and some still earn their living from the sea.

How did it get it’s name? We were told two stories. “Peggy” is the nickname for Margaret and it seemed appropriate for this small cove located at the mouth of St Margaret’s Bay. The romantic tale is of a young woman named Margaret who after being rescued from a shipwreck, settled there and fell in love with one of her rescuers. People would come to visit this famous “Peggy of the Cove,” and the cove eventually became known as Peggy’s Cove.

Artist William deGarthe, was so taken with the beauty of the cove that he made it his home. Born in Finland he was one of many artists who helped create the image
of Peggy’s Cove as the breathtaking seaside community. One of his most popular works is not in a gallery, but in his backyard. He transformed an outcrop of granite into a monument to the fishermen of Peggy’s Cove. This ten-year project, working with power tools and hand chisels, he crafted striking life-size images of the fishermen, Peggy herself, all watched over by a guardian angel.

The homes here have
steeply pitched roofs, which resist high winds and also prevent snow build-up during the winter and have retained their original charm. The fishermen now fish for mackerel, bluefin and lobster. Lobstering is best along and near the coast. You don’t need to go far out to sea for lobster.

The community of Peggy’s Cove is surrounded by the Peggy’s Cove Preservation Area. This rugged, granite landscape has been declared a conservation area to protect this unique and sensate environment. It reminds us of the high mountain landscape seen in the Rockies. Since 1962 the Commission has been working to preserve the beauty, character and atmosphere of the village for all to enjoy and share.

We found fish and chips for supper at Ricardos. We selected the family order. It was about $22.00. It came in a large pizza box. Fries covered the bottom. Eight large pieces of fried fish were on top. We ate two meals from this one order. It was very good. This was the first time in several days we were able to have limited internet access.

Friday, July 31 we drove into Halifax, a progressive growing metro area of over 300,000. In town we visited Pier 21 which is like our Ellis Island. It was in heavy use from about 1920 until 1971, when airplanes took the place of ships. We walked on their boardwalk and saw a boat show, right there in the water, not like the ones we have in big show buildings. In an old building we sampled a maple crepe with whip cream.
Back to the car we drove around the Citadel where we also enjoyed the vista of the city from this high vantage point. This area is very tourist friendly. This is the beginning of a four day holiday weekend for Canadians (we didn’t know what they were celebrating) and camp spots and rooms are at a premium. We see license plates from all over Canada, as well as the USA. The weather has cleared mostly and temperatures are very mild away from Halifax. It was in the low 80s in Halifax, but in the 60s at Peggy’s Cove at mid afternoon.




On the way back to the trailer and while the fog was gone we went back to Peggy’s Cove to check for mail and take a few pictures. The Buoy Trap House was open and Fred enjoyed chatting with the man about catching lobsters.

With the sky clear the water was pretty and waves were splashing up on the rocks.

This was Blaire’s last full day. We wished all could see her pack! One huge suitcase and she was very organized about how she packed. She decided to call her mom, Teenya, to figure out how to pay for her extra poundage so she drove down to the office to use the internet and work out the details with her Mom on the phone. This was fine with us and we went to bed to read. About one hour later she was still gone so Olivia walked down the path stepping on lots of rocks. When she arrived at the office she didn’t see the Suburban, so she calmly walked around the area, still no Blaire! All this time she knew it was a safe place and Blaire was a responsible girl, BUT, all kinds of horror stories went through her mind. Finally she found the car. RELIEF! When she opened the car door, Blaire jumped a foot.
They were both glad to see each other.
Earlier that day Fred decided it was finally time for a haircut. So we got the razor out and off Blaire went, cutting her pops’ hair. And the good news is, he is not cut or totally bald. In fact it was a very good haircut!

This is only part of Nova Scotia, next chapter the rest of the story of NS.

We love comments, so let us hear from you at olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com

PC Lighthouse


Interesting foundation.