2024 Bigger Truck across Canada day 7

Day 7 started with a bittersweet goodbye to Bay of Fundy and West River Campground, as it was time to pack up and head into Nova Scotia for the next leg of our trip. This portion would be one of the more challenging drives so far, with twisty, winding roads that definitely were not constructed with a rig like ours in mind. Several white knuckle moments - if there wasn't a curve, there was a hill, and often both combined with frost heaves and potholes that would make a Michigan governor green with envy. It would also seem to be one of the least efficient ways of getting from point A to point B, but regardless it was still worth it.

Along the way, we encountered a few interesting vehicles, which we will feature due to a special request (Hi Speedy, hope your sons enjoy!). First, this older Jeep with a military era trailer on the highway.

Next, this fully outfitted GS - saw quite a few of these so far, this gentleman was riding from Ottawa on a trip with his 2 brothers.

Then, while pumping gas, I heard the distinct braap of a 2 stroke, only to locate the source - this dude on a bicycle with a homegrown setup just ripping around the parking lot. Gotta admire the ingenuity, probably gets 70mpg on that hog...

Finally, once we arrived at our camping destination, we rolled past these 2 adventure van setups, which seem to be everywhere up here.

Forgot about this one - we took about an hour to relax, recharge, and get ready for our trip into downtown Halifax for the evening. Once we got on the road, we encountered this rolling billboard for Harley accessories. I know I've made my thoughts known on this subject in this blog before, but I will never be able to understand the leather tassels - nothing says biker tough guy better than fringy leather (RIP Glenn Hughes).

Once in Halifax, we headed to the waterfront to check out the boardwalk. It did not disappoint. We found a spot to eat (hadn't eaten an actual meal yet today, we were starving) called Sea Smoke. Food was decent, it took 2 hours, but the setting was perfect so we weren't complaining. It also had fires at each table and came equipped with a blanket that might as well have been a Comfy. These two were happy.

This kiddo tried her first ever sushi - it went well until she tried the wasabi. Mistakes were made...

The restaurant was pretty aptly named, as by the time we finished dinner, this was the view of the harbor.

From there we wandered the boardwalk, which had a whole bunch of interactive exhibits, photo ops, and Jordan's favorite - pigeons.

It also had this dude - a cross between Paul Blart and Lt Dangle. He was owning the boardwalk on that Segway - not quite new boot goofin', but regulating with flair.

Before the sea smoke got too heavy and turned into rain, we stumbled on this war memorial to the Nova Scotia soldiers who served in WWI and sailed from this harbor over 100 years ago.

On our way back to the campground, we crossed the harbor (harbour?) on the Angus L MacDonald bridge, which was pretty cool all shrouded in fog.

A bit of a late one tonight - tomorrow, we plan to explore the coast and head down near Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove on some recommendations from locals (Thanks RJ for the tips!). Cheers!

2024 Bigger Truck across Canada day 6

Day 6 started off with a blood oath from the previous day, that Kimberly and Jordan would be awake by 8am to achieve a 9:15am low tide hike. We shall not nitpick as to whether or not 9:15 was attained, but let's just say that we were as close as we've ever been to being on time. (editor's note - we were not on time).

Our starting point was Dennis Beach. We snagged a quick photo, then fumbled around for a while trying to figure out how to get down to the beach. Luckily Jordan spotted a trail as we were leaving the parking lot, so we re-engaged and found our path.

Jordan became our fearless leader, and led us down the hill using the ropes - it doesn't look that steep, but it is. Once we made it down to beach level, we were basically on the ocean floor and had the entire place to ourselves. I tracked just under a half a mile that we walked before encountering any water at all, and I bet we could have walked another half mile before the water got above waist level. Absolutely mind boggling.

While we were wandering around, we discovered a few sea creatures uncovered by the receeding tide.

We explored for several hours, and could have spent much more time there. We found a little waterfall that was key in washing off all the mud from our shoes,

then we found a spot for Jordan's penchant for climbing on rocks. This time Kimberly joined her!

we wandered out to the water one more time, and on the way we encountered these seaweed covered rocks. They immediately reminded me of the the rock trolls from Frozen, so much so that Fixer Upper popped into my brain. Don't judge me, I'm a girl dad and this is my life.

We were ready to wrap it up, and like the true nerd that I am, I proposed a quick experiment. I marked a series of lines on the beach at roughly 10' increments, then asked Kimberly and Jordan to time the water crossing the lines so we could see how quickly the tide was advancing. Unfortunate that I didn't have Excel at the ready to chart the data, but it proved to be quite repeatable. I'll let you know when the full lab report is available, but data suggested that the tide was advancing at approximately 6 feet per minute. Approximately.

We finally decided to head back to the Jeep, even though everything was saw was more interesting than the last thing. We then hightailed it into Alma for some gas and a quick lunch. It turns out the gas station is right across from the restaurant we wanted to go to for lunch, so we filled up first and of course I was captivated by the old school Gulf logo. It conjured several classics wearing that signature livery.

From there we headed across the street to Tipsy Tails, which had an amazing view of the Alma harbor. We snagged a quick 'before' pic

In the meantime, while waiting for a table at Tipsy Tails, we checked out the gas station/convenience store across the street. We discovered some product and flavors that I do not believe are available in the US.

I'm not sure the last time I've seen Tang in a store, but I certainly remember the commercials.

After lunch, we wandered down the dock to watch the lobster boats head out to sea. It was remarkable to see how quickly the harbor reached a point that the boats could launch, especially since they were all stranded when we arrived for lunch.

From there we headed into Fundy National Park to grab a quick glimpse of one of the beach overlooks, and Jordan was not down with this program. As we stopped and walked up to the overlook, we learned that even the local settlers were not impressed with this exhibit.

As we were deciding what to do next, Jordan let us know that she had reached her limit. Again.

Finally, we returned to the campground so these two could have their downtime, and I could explore. They shut it down, and I hopped on the fatbike and started to explore.

In order for me to reach the beach, I had to get a bit creative, and cross the stream that I had wanted to with the Jeep earlier. It worked out quite well, except I immediately soaked my shoes during the crossing. It was worth it, as the beach ride was incredible.

The jersey got a couple of compliments during the ride, which was impressive considering I only ran into about 10 people total. Not sure if this thing made me look more American or Canadian.

Once I got back, it was time for a quick shower and an attempt to minimize the horrendous sock tan I had generated.

As we headed into town for a quick nightcap and a sunset cruise, Jordan decided she needed a latte. Few things are more entertaining than watching her try to figure out how to drink this thing.

The last thing on our list was to catch the sunset, so we started hauling ass to the private property beach we had seen before, and as luck would have it we arrived not a moment too soon.

We finally made it back to the campground, and Jordan had been talking about playing basketball for the last few days. We got in a pretty solid session before a family took over, but we felt pretty good about it and were ready to call it quits.

The wifi/cell signal in these parts is horrendous, so please do not judge the contents of this blog since tonight's entry has taken roughly 3 hrs and many expletives. It would seem that there is a inverse relationship between how interesting the travel destination is vs the quality of wifi/cell coverage. Either way, it has been an amazing run and we can't wait for tomorrow. Cheers!