Day 8 started with an unusual treat for any of our road trips - sleeping in! I can't do it, but Kimberly and Jordan might be able to sleep through an entire day if given the chance. I putzed around researching spots for the day, and talked to our boy Joe and the front desk since we needed to hop sites (they didn't have 2 consecutive nights available when we booked).
We're staying at the KOA West Halifax, and although KOA's are not our preference, this one has done very well in a pinch, and although moving to a site 100 yards away still required packing up everything, raising Jordan's bed, moving in the slides, etc, we were rewarded with a pancake breakfast at this quaint little hut.
Once we had the new site dialed in, it was time to prep for leaving. This place is huge, and they were extremely helpful and willing to work with us. The new site fit the Loaf (our affectionate nickname for the Bigger Truck, as it is shaped like a giant loaf of bread) perfectly, with the slideouts only slightly grazing the trees. I'm sure that sap will come off pretty easily at home.
Our plan was to make our way down to Lunenburg, home of The Ovens Natural Park. It was just under an hour and a half drive in the Jeep, and we were just getting started for the day. The park is cool, it is privately owned by a family, and also has an onsite campground and restaurant. Kimberly was really excited to see some caves, as we didn't get the chance in our travels at Bay of Fundy. The trail started out a bit slow, but then the hits kept coming.
Jordan has assumed trail leader duty, so she was reading off the points of interest as we reached them. The guide they hand out had numbers corresponding with markers on the trail - even if you didn't have the map, they are still highlighted on the AllTrails app if you happen to use that.
Once we descended into the caves, we had reached nirvana. I will digress for just a moment, and since Kimberly barely skims this blog to proofread anyway, she may not notice this. While taking this photo, I realized how fortunate I am to have married this far beyond my station in life, and have a travel companion that is game for anything and capable of rolling with any situation. Sometimes it just hits you, and this image did that for me. Sappy interlude over, but I know that I am extremely fortunate. Next time I'll hashtag the photo with #feelingblessed
The caves themselves were breathtaking. We could have spent a LOT more time here, but we were trying to be respectful of the other hikers. The sounds that the waves made, referred to as Thunder Cave, were hard to describe. You could feel it in your chest, like the opening drum salvo from Kingdom Come's Get it On.
One of the caves had this tiny chute, and it essentially acted as a blowhole if the waves hit it right. Seeing this from inside the cave was quite the experience, certianly not done justice on camera, but here is some footage nonetheless.
Now, the image dump to help put this place into perspective.
One tiny detail stuck out to me on the hike - this sign.
Given the location (right before a huge concrete staircase descending into the large cave from the video), the unlikeliness of someone (other than Dave Mirra (RIP) or Mat Hoffman) attempting to ride their bike down this staircase directly into the sea would seem to not require a sign. If there was a dire circumstance of someone actually riding on these stairs, would the urgency level rise beyond a sign that took a child 17 seconds or less to draw? I must have spent 10 minutes of the hike wrestling with this situation in my mind. Welcome to my nightmare.
After we finished the hike, Jordan and Kimberly set up shop on the beach for a bit as I wandered to another lookout.
We wrapped up after some more rock skipping, just waiting until Jordan finished her version of the Panama Canal on the beach. Then it was on to Peggy's Cove, which would turn out to be an amazing shoreline drive.
We were famished at this point, so we settled on Lightship Brewery in Lunenburg. This place turned out to be just what we needed. We rolled in with the Jeep in half convertible mode, since we had so much crap in it it was too much of a hassle to put the top all the way down.
We grabbed a table, a sampler, and some lunch. Try the wood fired pizzas, they are the best. The views of the Lunenburg waterfront, cape, and golf course from here are ridiculous.
As we were leaving, I learned a bit more about Canada's role in helping Americans smuggle booze during the prohibition era. Canada, enabling Americans since the 1920s.
We hopped back on 'Trunk 3' as Apple Maps described it, and got another heavy dose of the Nova Scotia shoreline.
We arrived at Peggy's Cove after the visitors center (centre?) was closed, but the place was still a madhouse, and turned out to be another trip highlight. Between the sea caves and climbing all over these rocks, today was a huge W for Nova Scotia in our books.
One thing I admire about Canada is their blunt approach to warnings. Rather than couch everything in PC lawyer-speak, they just let you have it. Hence these signs at the lighthouse, and the poor park worker blasting her whistle at all the tourists risking it all for the 'gram.
After checking out the lighthouse, we did what is turning out to be not only Jordan's favorite thing to do, but Kimberly's as well. We scrambled around on the rocks, reminding us of our trips to Maine and everywhere else that we can free range roam. We then snagged a few more glamour shots before heading back to the Jeep.
Upon leaving, we decided to stop by the memorial to the Swissair plane crash. It was a pretty powerful experience, and a moving tribute to the 229 passengers and crew that lost their lives in a tragic accident.
Another hour plus of driving finally had us back at the campground, ready to collapse and prep for tomorrow's journey to Prince Edward Island. I decided to get a campfire going as the backdrop to typing up this sweet blog, only to find out that the firewood at this particular KOA was even more waterlogged than the bundle from Alma, New Brunswick. And since Canada prohibited us from bringing our kiln dried firewood from back home, I was locked into a battle with this stuff and determined not to lose. This is after half a torch full of butane and every cardboard/paper item in the big truck. If an oil refinery were on fire, this firewood would quench the flames in a matter of minutes.
Tomorrow, I learn more about Ann(e) of Green Gables as we venture on to PEI.
Cheers!
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!
