NOVA SCOTIA

May 28th we made it toNova Scotia!!! 

We don't have a clue what or where to begin 

BUT we'll figure it out

Here's our summer place !! Lets go in & meet our new friends!!

What a great back yard!!!!

The Village of Baddeck..Let's check it out!!

First stop...grocery store

WOW this isn't Costco...$10.99 a chicken!!!!!!!

                                               Fish prices fresh from the Sea...not to bad

                                                                   Town Parade
                                              First time we've seen a Zamboni in a parade

Time to hit the liquor store for Dan!!

OK I know the picture is blurry but I was in shock on the beer prices

12 pack- $28.99

24 pack- $51.99

PLUS .10 deposit BUT you only get .05 back on returns

Baddeck light house

 While sitting on the pier I was able to catch it 

while the sun was going down

CANADA DAY  JULY 1st

                                                                 BLUENOSE VESSEL
                        It was launched a fishing & racing schooner in 1921 in Lunenburg, NS
Their sights were set on the International Fishermen's Race. For a working fishing schooner, speed was a tremendous asset. Those who made it to port first fetched the best price for their catch.
In 1921 she took home her first trophy & continued for the next 17 years!!
In 1946 she struck a reef & it was destroyed. In 1963, Bluenose 11 was launched. It was gifted to the Government of Nova Scotia in 1971. It continues to serve as their sailing ambassador.
It happen to dock in Baddeck & we had the opportunity to see it first hand

                                                                  BBQ RIBS COOK OFF
                                                                 Alabama was the winner

                                                                       We chose Texas

                                                           But they were all GOOD!!

         Our new Canadian friends Cathy & Karl said we had to have a "Beavertail"
Its like an elephant ear BUT the name got Dan to stand in line for a half hour to get his
                                                              FIRST Beavertail



                                                   R & R at the beautiful beaches

                                                             Little yoga on the beach

                                                   New Canadian Friends! Great people!!!

We took a mini vacation to Halifax area

First stop; Peggy's Cove

AWESOME!!!

It's one of the most popular stops in Atlantic Canada

Our time in Halifax

These little boats were docked while we were visiting!! Rumor has it that the middle boat belong to the Miami Heat coach. Poor thing it was the smallest yacht! 

Got up early to hit the Farmers Market! I still think Seattle's Pike Market is still number "1"

It was very nice! We got a cup of coffee & people watched!!!

Titanic Cemetery located in Halifax

On April 14,1912 the Titanic stuck an iceberg, in less than 3 hours the loss of 1500 lives were taken

Of the 328 recovered,many were buried at sea.

The company that owned the Titanic, the White Star Line, purchased a section of land in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery & paid for small Black Granite headstones engraved with the name, number of the victim, & the date of the tragedy. The cost of any additional engraving or more elaborate stones was assumed by families, friends, or other groups

 The numbers on the gravestone is the number assigned when the body was found. In many cases, there were no distinguishing marks or personal belongings that enabled a positive identification of the body so there isn't a name on the stone.

This cemetery located downtown Halifax. The Old Burying Ground  served Halifax from 1749 until its closure in 1844. In the 95 years of the cemetery's use, it received burials of approximately 12,000 people.

Canada Post Collection Boxes! Very colorful

PRIDE PARADE!!

We had a great time!! It was 3 hours long, filled with great music, friendly people, full of energy, & very colorful. We had a great time. This was their 25th year celebration!!

Views on our way back to Baddeck

Dan found a Buddy in town!! He looked like our friend Ottis back home!

FORTRESS OF LOUISBOURG

Built 1720

In use 1720-1758

Reconstructed 1960-1970's

Difference between fort & fortress????

Fort houses military only

Fortress houses military to protect the colony that occupies it

Founded by the French  & developed over decades into a thriving center for fishing & trade. The British invaded the colony twice! The first time they gave the French time to gather their belonging. After time the French returned but invaded again by the British, this time they left with nothing. It was destroyed in the 1760's

Local Brewery

Music in the clubhouse. SWEET

Our time has come to a close in Nova Scotia. What a journey....

BUT time to move on

Going back to MI to hug the grandkids

Our next stop after MI will be AZ for the winter!!!

NEWFOUNDLAND VACATION

WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND

The Great Northern Peninsula is the northernmost visible extension of the Appalachian Mts. The Viking Trail-Route 430 & its side roads snakes along its western coast through Gros Morne National Park, fjords, sand dunes, &small communities 

We had to take a 6 hour Ferry from North Sydney to Port Aux Basques which also transports your vehicle. The route to the right is 16 hours long!! Your charged per passenger & per foot of your vehicle$%&*

Here's our ferry!!

Okay time to load up!!! Here we go!!!

Now that we're on the ferry we look for exit signs AND motion sickness bags!!

Found them!!!

We made it!!!! First thing we had to do was adjust to the time change. They have their own time zone-Newfoundland Standard Time- a half hour ahead of the other Atlantic provinces. When time zones were established, the Dominion of Newfoundland was an independent country with its own time zone. The government  tried to make the province confirm to Atlantic Standard in 1963, but the Newfies wanted no part of that! So they remain the first people in Canada to welcome the New Year!

First thing we noticed Moose signs every few miles..I'm sorry it's kilometers

The first introduction in 1878 involved 2 moose released to the Gander Bay area. In 1904 additional 4 moose were introduced. Moose on the island have no significant predator such as wolves.The moose population was allowed to expand without targeted hunting until 1935. By the mid 90's the population had increase to 140,000+!! It has decreased since then to about 112,000+ due to a decrease in available food resources.

How many did we see??? TWO..... a bull hit by a semi just minutes in front of us...dead & one on a hike. That's it!!!

Our view driving the highway " Long Range Mountains"

Stretching all the way from the southwest coast to the Northern Peninsula, a distance of about 400km(250 miles). They form the northernmost extent of the Appalachian Mountains.

                            We drove through beautiful green valleys  and then we saw this!
This is called "Tablelands", a unique rock massif that was forced up to the surface millions of years ago during a plate collision. It's rocks are toxic to most plants & have weathered to a rusty brown color. It provides a remarkable exposure of mantle rock, rarely seen at the earth's surface.

                                                  They say its like walking on Mars

So we did a 4km = 2.48 mi hike

  As we continue thru the day heading towards our B&B in Portland Creek, we stopped at "Arches Provincial Park". A geological curiosity, the park contains rock formations made million of years ago by wave action & undersea currents.

While there we saw the rock piles that you see throughout Canada. They are called " Inukshuk", meaning " likeness of a person". Purpose : to show directions to travelers. to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect. These days they are often whimsical creations built as a way of saying howdy or perhaps merely " I was here"!!

Our first sunset in Newfoundland facing the Gulf of Lawrence

Ok no resting here! We have to go do some hiking. We head towards the northern tip to St. Anthony which is on the Atlantic Ocean side.

As you can see we have choices on different hikes. We picked the RED one with the steps!!!

Daredevil Trail with 476 steps straight up!!! Elevation 550 ft

The middle left picture is at the bottom looking UP!!!

We're almost there !!!

We MADE it!!!!

Our view zoomed in

 Our view without it

Shrimp boat going out to sea

                                                              View of the village

Iceberg!! I would of had a better picture but we left our good camera back in the car....sooo that means that one of us(probably me) would have to go down the 476 steps AND back up the 476 steps. The total would of been 1904 STEPS!! So use your good eye! We also saw whales but we're back to 1904 STEPS! Trust me!!!

                                The cemetery below is the people who didn't make the steps!!

Okay which way should we go?????

Time to go down!!!

 At the tip of the peninsula, the Vikings established the first European settlement in North America a thousand years ago. Under Leif Eiriksson's leadership, the group of 60-90 people set up a sturdy camp of turf walled buildings as an over wintering base for exploring to the south.

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

We met a loving Viking couple Bjorn & Thora who welcomed us into their sod hut

Okay back to hiking another day in Gros Morne National Park

This one claims to be gentle, we can do this. Wait it's 9.2 km=5.71 miles!! 

After we saw this sign we saw a moose on a clear hill!! Yeah we saw a live moose!!!

Berries on the trail

We made it to the falls

Waiting for the bus to pick us up. WAIT... we have to hike back!!!!

WESTERN BROOK POND

A Canadian landlocked fjord

You have to hike 45 minutes (3km-1.9 mi)to the boat dock. Cliffs rise 2000 feet on both sides of the gorge carved from the surrounding plateau by glaciers. After the glaciers melted, the land rebounded & the fjord was cut off from the sea. Salty water was eventually flushed from the fjord leaving it fresh.

                                                                       BEAUTIFUL VIEWS

                                                           Views along our journey      

 

This was interesting! The land around the homes are limited so they are able to grow their gardens along the roads out in the middle of no where! They also apply for a permit to gather wood. They cut in the winter & bring it out towards the road on a sleigh. In the summer you go get it & take it home!

An old fishing camp but what a VIEW

Met a local man & told us about the fishing industry or should I say lack of industry.
                                                                He wrote this story

                                                            More views in our journey

Our trip from North Sydney, Nova Scotia via ferry 178km-110.6 miles
to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.
The Port to St. Anthony & in between back to the Port 2080.8km-1293 miles

                                                             Our last night sunset

Saw this on a menu & thought "what a proper ending to this journey"