McLobsters - July 22

Every year the Halifax Waterfront area hosts the Tall Ships Festival.  We had planned our trip – both the original and the amended – to make sure we were in the city for this renowned festival.  At the festival you can buy wristbands that allow you access onto the tall ships.  Not to go on a ride but to tour the ships, ask questions and see how impressive these massive ships are.  And impressive they were.  Using thousands of meters of rope and pure muscle to raise and lower the sails, these ships race in the waters every July.  Definitely a sight to see if you are in the area.

The Festival was also host to Taste of Nova Scotia.  A chance to try some local cuisine.  They also featured a culinary stage with their special guest Anna Olson.  We had to stop!  The kids love watching her shows on the FoodNetwork and were so excited to hear her share a recipe and some baking tips.  The autograph session was quite thrilling.  I knew my kids were foodies but Dad was a little weirded out at how interested the kids were in watching a cooking show.

The waterfront area is also home to Pier 21 or the Immigration Museum.  This is where millions of new immigrants entered the country, where thousands of soldiers left to go war, where lives were changed forever.  It was neat to see what a role this area played to so many new immigrants and it was a good conversation starter for the kids to ask Dad about his immigration experience.  While not as scary as some of the experiences discussed in these rooms, it was good for the kids to hear about our personal history as well.

By the time we closed Pier 21 it was already 530 and we had walked the length of the waterfront.  We still had to go back to the ferry terminal so we could head home.  On the way we decided to stop for a famous Sugah confection.  Hand churned ice cream with our favourite mixin' really how can you go wrong?

Then, we figured we may as well try the last delicacy we had heard about in the Maritimes - the McLobster.  This treat is only available in the Maritimes during a short period of time and the kids (especially Navras) really wanted to try it! 

As you can see he was NOT impressed.  After all the amazing lobster dinners we have been having the McLobster was a poor cousin and one that will not be invited back to our table again!

Peggy's Cove and More! - July 21

We left our campsite early in the morning with the intent of getting to Lunenburg, which according to the locals is over 2 hours away.  Our first stop – Peggy’s Cove.  This old lighthouse is an icon for Nova Scotia.  Any photo you see will feature this red topped lighthouse.  We had been warned by MANY people that Peggy’s Cove is always freezing cold and to be sure to bring jackets.  We packed our coats into the truck but when we got to the Cove the weather was AMAZING!  Even I, who is always cold, was OK without a coat on. 

This area is beautiful.  Granite rocks of all shapes and sizes, the ocean waves spraying onto onlookers who get too close and the sunshine.  It was a sight to behold.  I had been warned this was a place to give mothers heart attacks since the kids jump from rock to rock and sure enough that is what happened.  They loved it and I enjoyed sitting and soaking up the rays.  What a great way to spend the morning. 

From here we left and got to see a rare sight – a traffic jam!  There was an incident on the highway so we had to be detoured back onto the scenic highway which we then took to Lunenburg.  Lunenburg is quite famous for the Bluenose.  This is where the famous ship was launched and where the Bluenose II is currently being restored.  It was supposed to be quite close to finished (or already done) but it is not quite done.  We managed to find a little local shop that has photos and painting of the stages of restoration.  And, we managed to find a local distillery that makes local vodka and liqueurs.  With free samples it was hard to say no to the Raspberry Liqueur they were featuring.

Here I gave the kids an option – either have local food here or wait til we got back to Dartmouth and have it at the recommended restaurant near our campground.   They decided on a chips and dip tailgate party for now! 

We ended up stopping at the Micmac restaurant which was fantastic.  The service was great and the waitress managed to give us a couple platters which let us taste a lot of local fare.  Everything from local lobster, fried clams, and pan fried scallops.  YUM.

Medical Procedures on the Waterfront - July 20

It was an exciting day today – it was the day was I was suppose to get my stitches out.  We drove to Halifax and stayed at the campsite for a while to do laundry and check out the Shubie Beach.  The kids liked the chance to play in the water.

Finally, it was time to go to Halifax.  We decided to take the ferry to make it easier to find parking and not worry about taking the toll bridge to Halifax.  The ferry was fun!  We went to the top of the ferry and got our first glimpse of the tall ships in the Halifax harbour.

When we arrived in Halifax, we met Tara and Evan.  They are friends of my sisters who moved here a few years ago.  They suggested we come across to watch a movie on the waterfront.  It was so much fun.  They brought hot chocolate, snacks and blankets!  We watched Pirates of the Caribbean surrounded by tall ships and pirates!

After the movie, we went to a well lit spot and Tara expertly removed my 2 stitches.  Gotta love medical care in such sterile surroundings!  LOL. 

My foot is getting much better.   It still swells if I do too much but it’s much better.  At least I have been able to do everything we have wanted to do – climbing stairs, walking waterfronts – not letting a small thing like a broken foot get in the way of my holiday!  THANKS TARA!

Hopewell Rocks - July 19

We left early in the morning so we could ‘do’ magnetic hill in Moncton and get to Bay of Fundy by the high tide.  I have to say I was a little disappointed at Magnetic Hill.  It was a neat spot to see and try but can you say commercial?  They sure have done a great job at marketing the area.   I wish we would have had time to enjoy the water park that is there because after 5 minutes we were ready to hit and road again.

When Dad had come to the Bay of Fundy about 8 years ago there was very little in the area.  Nothing to eat, few places to stay etc.  We decided we should grab some picnic items but in the end it wasn’t necessary.  The Bay of Fundy area is so developed.  They have fantastic walkways, a shuttle service for some of us who can’t get around too easily, and a nice little visitor centre area.  It was amazing.  We got there in time for high tide and got to see how high the water was in the area.  The rocks were covered and there was a group of kayakers taking advantage of the high waters.  By the time we walked to the other side of the park the water had already started to come down.  And, even though it wasn’t safe to go far onto the ocean floor the security chain as opened and we got to step out to the bottom of the Bay of Fundy. 

How amazing, the kids stepped into the water, Arjun started picking rocks and I started snapping photos of the Hopewell Rocks! Even in the ½ hour we were down at the Bay of Fundy the water receded quite considerably. We decided to take an hour, get our picnic lunch and then come back to walk the ocean floor. In just that one hour, the water was gone so far out. We walked almost to the other side of the park on the rocks and the sand of the ocean floor. This is so amazing to see the tidal bore. Both Shanti and Arjun loved playing in the mud and it was so funny to see Navras, the exact opposite, avoiding the mud and washing it off ASAP if he did get any on him! By the time we left again the tide was almost at it’s lowest level. What a fantastic site to visit.

 

On our way home, we decided to stop at a local pizza shop – Zio's Pizza.  WOW!  Yummy pizza, nice people and great cannolli. If you get to Moncton it is worth a stop!

VR Here! - July 17

We decided this morning would be a good day to walk around downtown St. John’s and just check out the local shops, get some tourist shopping in and maybe grab some traditional lunch.  We managed to find parking quickly and start hitting the shops.  The kids like a few things there but I have to say I found a favourite item – the row house mailboxes.  These colourful tall houses are a sight to see in St. John’s.  Originally, they were made so fisherman would look up and see their homes through the fog and the rain.  Now, they are an attraction in the city.  Many local shops feature locally crafted items showcasing the colours.  I couldn’t resist and had to have one of these pricey little souvenirs to take home!

We also decided to stop at a local fish and chip shop – the Celtic House – for an early lunch.  We tried a very Newfoundland dish – the Jig’s dinner.  It was GOOD!  It is basically boiled vegetables and meat and is made in many homes on Sunday evenings.  Now, I need to find a recipe to cook it at my house since the kids loved it.

After lunch, we had to move the trailer into overflow parking in the campsite.  We wanted to leave it plugged in as long as we could since the ferry is quite long.  That’s the sort of thing you have to keep track of when you are with a trailer – parking in certain spots can be harder to find and then making sure you get service.  

We likely would have found parking at our next destination the Geo Centre.  It is a science centre which is built into a bowl shaped creation which they just covered and developed into a science centre.  Some interesting exhibits on the rocks of the area.  Arjun has really gotten into rocks and learning about them so he quite enjoyed the whole thing.  We also got to watch 2 3D movies as part of our admission which were quite neat too.

Once we left the Geo Centre (yes we did close it down as well) we decided to do a stop at Cape Spear.  The Cape is the most easterly point of North America.  As we were driving there the fog started to roll in and we were worried that it would start raining and hamper our visit.  Luckily, it was just fog. But, as we were told by the Parks Canada staff, Cape Spear is always colder and foggier than the city.  We walked the over 200 steps to the old lighthouse and got to hear the new fog horn warning nearby ships about the dangers.  We couldn’t see Signal Hill but knew it was there in the distance!  And, here I think I can safely answer the question RVTHEREYET? with a firm YES!  A few years ago we went to Powell River where the TransCanada literally disappears into the Pacific Ocean.  Here it may not be the official start of the highway but it is the official start of Canada!  We made it to the other side of the country literally!  From here it will the trip home.

I know I have said so many times that I will likely never come back to this part of the country again and that is true.  I will likely never do it in this fashion again.  Not that I wouldn’t do it in a trailer – really it is so much cheaper than getting a hotel room or B & B’s but never again with the kids in tow and Dad driving us around!  I would love to come back again but we will see where life takes us.

Right now, life was taking us to Argentia – to the ferry back to North Sydney and on our way home.

July 18

That was a LONG ferry.  We left the port at midnight and didn’t get off the ferry until after 330.  We didn’t book a cabin since they only come in 4 berths and are quite pricy but it was a long ride.  The other ferry was much more comfortable but this was just so much more convienent.  We drove as far we could with the intent of making it to Moncton by the 19^th and ended up stopping at the Gateway Campground in Amherst.  Unless they do some major upgrades, i would not recommend it.  Still, it was a place to stay and leave the trailer so we could enjoy the Moncton area.

I Think VR Here - July 16

A friend had told me that if I have questions about what to see in Newfoundland to just ask – most Newfies brag about their local sites and that was certainly the case!  The campsite owner told us to skip Elliston – the road was not great to get to it – but to head to Cape Bonavista instead.  As well, they told us to stop and drive through this little community called Trinity.  They also offered to let us leave the trailer behind since we would have to drive right by their campground on the way back to the highway!  What nice people and what good advice.

You might be wondering why did we want to stop in this little community of Elliston in the first place?  Well, it is one of the few places to see puffins!  This area of Newfoundland is one of the few places in North America to see the cute little birds.  And, it was one of things the kids and I had talked about seeing on this trip.  It was quite coincidental actually Elliston was planning their annual puffin fest later this week so we knew we were on the right track.

Cape Bonavista did not disappoint.  We walked over a few rocks and right up to a chain link fence which overlooked a rock just a few meters away full of puffins.  The birds were flying around, you could see them so close.  Plus, we were right along the ocean and even got to see 2 whales in the water!  What a thrill for all of us. 

And then, as a bonus, we got to see the local lighthouse.  They have the original lighthouse restored to the 1860’s and have many things inside from that time period.  We climbed up the steps and watched how they had to lift the weights to the top of the building and then as they slowly went down the rope the lights of the lighthouse would turn.  We also learned about the different colours and timings of the lights and how those were like early GPS coordinates for ships.   The Cape is also home to a working lighthouse and we met the lightkeeper.  A nice man who had just started his 28 day shift!  He was kind enough to show us some of his photos and paintings which is what he does in his spare time at the lighthouse.

From here we took the road back to the campsite, picked up the trailer and headed off to St John’s.  We made pretty good time getting into the city by 5 and had already reserved a spot in the only campground within city grounds – Pippy Park!  It gave us enough time to go to Signal Hill.  It was breathtaking to see the view and the history that happened on this hilltop.  Hard to believe the first wireless communication took place just over 100 years ago.  As we were on the hill I was receiving texts and it is hard to believe how far we have come from those first few words heard by Marconi.

Standing on the top of the building the winds picked up.  I felt like Arjun would be taken away any minute that’s how strong the winds were blowing.  Apparently, this is not an unusual occurrence.  In fact, they have closed the building in the past because the winds are dangerously strong.  A reminder to anyone who plans to visit the area to bring a jacket and good shoes.  There are beautiful trails that you can walk but that are not really recommended for energetic kids (a nice way to say not very good listeners)!  I don’t know if I would have been up to doing the trails even with 2 good feet but it was definitely out of the question with a boot on.  RV There Yet?  It sure feels like it.  Edge of the world.  All the worries are far away.  A true understanding just how big our country is.....  Priceless feeling.

Driving to St John's - July 15

We left our campsite by 930 and went to the James Cook Historic Site.  It was so quiet on the streets of Corner Brook.  All the stores were closed, no restaurants seemed open, there was only a handful of cars on the road.  So quiet.  So peaceful.  We got to the Historic Site and it was beautiful.  We were quite high on the mountain and could see the whole town.  The mountains reflected in the water made you feel small and insignificant in the world.

The Historic Site itself was quite small but a good little stop.  It talked of the history of Captain James Cook who mapped the area around Newfoundland.  His maps, made with older technology, are so accurate.  Very impressive to see what was done and how.  I have to say I was very glad Dad was driving – the steep hills and pulling a trailer.  It was a little daunting!

We left Corner Brook and headed towards the Elliston area.  This is a little off shoot from Route 1.  All the little communities in Newfoundland are built like that.  One main road from one end of the island to the other, with little roads to get you other areas of the province.  They all have named trails and for most it is one way in and one way out.  We drove through the Terra Nova National park and took the road heading to Cape Bonavista.  Our campsite was great – right along the water.  The people had just purchased it this year and were still getting set up.  They had done a nice job with the campground.  No Wifi again but it was a beautiful site to stop at for the night.