Category: Nova Scotia

The morning light shining through the ferry windows woke me up. A scattered group of people with groggy faces clutched their morning coffee with comical desperation. The ship was just coming into the harbor, a rocky land appearing in greater detail as we drew closer.

Soon we’d arrived and I made my exit into a new land, I’d arrived in Nova Scotia. Having entered the province quite early I had a full day ahead of me to decide what I wanted to do. I made a stop at good ol Tim Hortons to grab some food and set about finding a campground with wifi to catch up on the blog. It wasn’t long until I was setting up my tent, weighting my options for what to do next.

With blue skies and perfect weather I simply had to explore somewhere. I finally decided I’d drive the Cabot Trail, a famous scenic drive I’d read about. It wasn’t long until I stood there looking at the sign that began the lengthy winding road.

In elated excitement I took to the trail, eager to see what it had to offer me. Like a serpent weaving through the grass, the roads zigzagged themselves across the land, sharp turns appearing everywhere. Oh, what a view though! I found myself stopping constantly to take in the picturesque landscape before me.

Eventually the Cabot Trail entered Cape Breton National Park, adding even more stunning views to a day already overflowing with beauty. Tall cliffs and a sparkling ocean continued to reveal themselves in abundance, now with vast forests that covered the mountains like a garment adding to the composition.

I made sure to take a few detours off the Cabot Trail every now and then for a closer peek at a village or lookout. One of those stops being White Point, a place recommended to me by the locals.

The sun had begun to set, the blue skies now adding a fiery touch to their palette. I continued driving along until I found the perfect perch on a cliff to watch the flaming sphere dip below the watery horizon.

With the sun having taken its daily rest, I continued pressing on beside an array of warm colors glowing in the distance. With the ocean so close I simply had to take a walk on the rocky shores. Finding a nearby beach, Winnie and I exited the vehicle to get a closer look at the waves as they crashed against the plentiful pebbles. For quite some time we stood there, appreciating nature in it’s ferocious beauty.

Night was drawing close so I returned to my car and pressed on down the road. I found a nice little restaurant to ease my hunger along the way. With a full belly I continued back to the campground I’d pitched my tent in that morning. Soon the days exhaustion finally brought my face to the pillow like a magnet. A day of incredible adventuring came to its close.

While I loved being able to shower and access wifi at the campground, the only place to set up my tent was an open field, which I knew would haunt me in the morning. Sure enough, as the sun rose I was cooked out of my tent. Being up early did have its perks and I started my day catching up on the blog. I’d though about staying another night but decided I’d head south to Halifax instead.

I took to the roads just before noon, making a short stop at a restaurant where an incredibly friendly waitress served me up some breakfast. It was a welcomed start to the afternoon and I returned to the roads again feeling cheerful.

Much of the drive took me alongside sparkling lakes that spread themselves out across the land. With the sun shining brightly above most of the day, the nature that surrounded me brought forth it’s color in vibrant beauty.

I tried to keep my stopping to a minimum, admiring the majority of the scenery as I drove by it.

As dusk was arriving I entered the city. I parked for a bit and sat there relaxing, the long drive had definitely taken its toll on my stamina. My goal of making it to the city was accomplished and I could do my exploring the following day. I found a campground just outside of Halifax. With wifi available, I was able to catch up on my blog at last before heading to bed.

I was awoken throughout the night by a torrential downpour falling rapidly on my tent. Despite the heavy droplets making their noisy arrival, I managed to fall asleep once more, waking to a damp yet much calmer morning. It was time to pack my things and head into Halifax, a city I was eager to explore.
Having camped only 25 minutes outside the city, I soon arrived and began my exploring. As I drove throughout the area I came to a what looked like an old military post high up on a hill. Figuring it might be worth taking a closer look at, I quickly found a place to park and took to the path leading in.

As I arrived at the entrance I was pleasantly surprised to find out my parks Canada pass allowed me inside for free. I entered through an archway and into an open area. Guards in old uniforms stood at attention clutching their guns. The old military base had been turned into a museum of sorts, with most of the rooms now available to the public. A guided tour was being offered and I joined, eagerly listening to stories of a time passed when the base was busy and brimming with war activity.

With my parking about to expire, I returned to my car and continued exploring the city. This led me down to the busy but beautiful docks. I was soon walking beside a collection of shops that lined the waters edge. Strange and captivating art adorned the wooden path, bringing a greater blend of uniqueness to the impressive boardwalk.

My final destination for the day was Cape Breton Lighthouse. Being close to an hour away, I hurried on down to catch a glimpse of the site before the sun went down. I arrived and took to the rocky shores. As I stood there I was quite surprised at the deception of the waves. Often a powerful thrust of water would come along and sweep over the rocks that seemed to be safe from the roaring sea.

The sun began to set, granting a fiery glimmer to the crashing waves. I sat there and watched with excitement. Eventually the glowing fireball finally disappeared and all that was left was a crimson red illuminating the horizon.

With the last bits of light finally gone, I returned to my car and set off to find a campsite. It wasn’t long until I’d found a nearby campground nearby where a friendly owner greeted me with kindness. He led me to a spot right under a canopy of trees to help with the rain. I finally pitched my tent and called it a day, what an adventure it’d been.

It was a slow crawl out of bed in the morning. Having finally got my things packed back into the car along with getting in a quick shower in, I took to the highway at last. I had one main goal, drive to Prince Edward Island to meet my significant other who was flying down to meet me.
On the way north I discovered I was passing the Bay of Fundy and decided to take a little detour the see the tidal bore. Now what exactly is a tidal bore? When the tide comes in from the ocean it works itself inland, pushing forward with such force that it temporarily reverses the flow of the river. I chose to watch this phenomena in the town of Truro, where I set up my chair right beside the water in eager anticipation.

At last it began! In the distance a small wave pushed forward with such a strong force that it swallowed the river. The rising waters formed all sorts of waves and bumps as the currents clashed with one another.

Soon the rising tide had completely covered the lake bed, the water having risen dramatically in a very short time. I’d sat there admiring the phenomena for quite a while before returning to the road at last, venturing north.

I was making good time, passing by fields of windmills as I drove through the gusty region. Soon I’d made it to Prince Edward Island, where I immediately found a place to pitch my tent. Jenn’s flight was having constant delays so I had a little time to work on the blog before her arrival. It was getting quite late in the night by the time I finally drove to the airport to greet her.

There she was, sitting on one of the chairs waiting for me. She ran up and greeted me with an enormous hug, one of those things I’d been missing in my life on the road. We grabbed her luggage and walked to the car. Jenn had mentioned that she felt the dog might forget her, a statement that made me chuckle as I knew Winnie would never forget her. As soon as we got to the car, Jenn opened the door and Winnie went completely bonkers with excitement, hopping all over the place licking her face with boundless joy.

With an happy girlfriend and an overjoyed pup I returned to the campground where we all crawled in the tent together and called it a night.

With Jenn visiting, I’d let myself fall behind quite a bit on the blog. Today it was time to remedy that situation and catch up. I went to a nearby Tim Hortons where I spent my entire afternoon getting caught up on the entries.
I had a few more hours of daylight to take advantage of when I’d left the restaurant and decided I’d spent it checking out the town of Lunenburg, a world heritage site. As I entered the town I was greeted by colorful wooden buildings that lined up along narrow streets.

Despite the tourism attraction the city had a calm feel to it, as though the wheels of time had ceased their spinning and the buildings remained frozen in perfection.

My meandering took me to an old school academy that’d been converted into a library. I entered through the doors and explored for a bit, walking along old creaky floors that so many students had tread on before me.

The sun was beginning to set so I found a restaurant where I grabbed a bite to eat before returning to the car. Feeling pleasantly stuffed I took to the roads heading east to Kejimkujik National Park where I finally dozed off.