Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
Point of View RV Park 7/25-28

The Fortress of Louisbourg- is celebrating its 250th anniversary of the 2nd and final siege between the French and the British. This evening under heavy fog there was a “A Parade Through the Centuries” military from 1750’s to present day army. Each started from opposite ends of town and met in the middle and marched down to the water together and met with the British Army who fired 5 shots from the cannon. There are over 1000 costumed re-enactors they come from all over the world to participate and become the town residents. There will also be a re-enactment of a night-time siege with 18th century fireworks.

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/Louisbourg

We took a drive into Sydney and found this huge fiddle at the Visitors center.

Hello Cape Breton
St Anns Campark 7/20-25

We had a nice leisurely drive from Pictou about three hours we arrived the weather was perfect- the folks here at the park are very friendly we were invited over to a campfire this evening- good thing because we have no satellite we are in a valley with mountains and lots of trees in the middle of nowhere and the dish can’t get out, its not because John didn’t try. I guess he was out there so long trying that half the campground guys came out to give their expert advice- its not going to happen, luckily we get two very snowy Canadian channels. Gosh we are so spoiled with all our amenities - I think we will survive tho- Woke up the next morning to fog and rain according to the weather reports it should remain windy, foggy and rain- since we are on the Cabot trail most of our touring is driving the trail and seeing the spectacular views- this isn’t good driving conditions- we are hoping Wednesday and Thursday the weather is suppose to improve. Since we needed something to keep us busy while we wait for the weather to clear-

Monday we drove over to Baddeck to see the lighthouse above and visit the Alexander Graham Bell’s Museum it was very interesting- he invented so much more than the telephone. He was born in Scotland, and taught at a school for the deaf in Boston, while on Vacation in Nova Scotia he love the Cape Breton area because it reminded him of his home in Scotland - he built a home and continued with his inventions which are to numerous to mention. He did a lot of work with the deaf and that is what he was most proud of. Then we took a drive over to North Sidney to stock up on some groceries came home and made fish chowder.

Tuesday we drove over to Glenville to the Glenora Distillery- while the distillery and the grounds were beautiful- the tour was not very good it lasted about 10 min and ended with a tablespoon size taste of their 10 year old single malt whiskey for this we paid $15 just a tad bit overpriced. Oh Well, would have been worth the stop if passing by, but not driving over an hour to get there. We have our fingers crossed the weather will improve and we can do the Cabot Trail soon.

Steph this moose picture is for you!!


YIPEE- Thursday- the weather was great finally the sun came out and by early afternoon the fog had lifted. Cape Breton National Park from one end to the other is 105 kilometers of winding narrow and very steep road with some of the most breathtaking scenery we have ever seen. We were able to do some pretty nice hikes one in particular took us thru a grove of 350-year-old sugar maple trees, we hiked to some waterfalls, and we saw the biggest moose I have ever seen and a black bear.



On the way to the park we passed Joe’s Scarecrows- Very interesting a big field of about 100 scarecrows all imitating different lifestyles and political figures. A couple that caught my attention was the tour bus driver and a wagon master for an RV caravan it was a delightful stop.

Next stop Fortress of Louisborg for a reenactment of a nighttime siege with 18th century fireworks!

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/CapeBretonCabotTrail

Hello Pictou & Antigonish
Harbor Lights Campground July 17-20

We left Digby this morning, but, not without getting a couple of pounds of their fabulous scallops for our freezer. We had great weather for traveling we traveled 465 kilometers very easy drive mostly two lane- as we left the Bay of Fundy we noticed the hills were getting a little steeper and more often and more trees and very green in fact several shades of green- very beautiful. We arrived in Pictou at the Harbor Lights Campground it’s a very nice campground and a passport America park- perfect- after we checked in we were taken to our site and given info about the area and ice cream bars – what great hospitality!

We are making Pictou our base for few days to do some touring and attend the Scottish Highland Games that are being played in Antigonish this weekend. The Highland Games are the oldest and continuous games outside of Scotland since 1863 this is their 145th. We will leave Pictou on Sunday and our next stop will be St Anns where we will make our base for a week or so and travel the Cabot Trail and other areas. Then it will be back to Pictou and take the ferry over to PEI stay in PEI about a week or so then do the Bay of Fundy from the New Brunswick side then into Maine and start heading west to California

We went on a very scenic drive on Friday we took route 337 which is nicknamed the mini Cabot trail and the scenery was spectacular. We found a nice overlook for a picnic lunch, the weather was pretty good a little warm but the sun was shining and that is we cared about.

On Saturday we went to the Highland Games this was a first for us and we both thoroughly enjoyed the games. The morning games were; Braemar Stone throwing, 56 lb weight for distance, there was piping and dancing competitions, tug o war that was very exciting the men’s division was 1700 lbs, my favorite was the Caber competition it was pole tossing the object was to get the pole to flip in a straight line, then the 56 lb weight throwing for height was thrilling and a little scary- I thought the athletes should be wearing a hard hat! I took a couple of videos I am going to try to get them to upload later

Next Stop Cabot Trail

For more pictures of the Highland game;

http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/AntigonishHighlandGames

Touring Digby, Yarmouth, and Annapolis Royal

These boats are scallop boats at the wharf

We have spent three nights in Digby home to the world famous Digby Scallops- they are very big and very tasty. The weather has been absolutely perfect sunny days with a slight breeze and no fog who could ask for more.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in this area very beautiful scenery and interesting places. On our drive to Yarmouth we passed thru small fishing villages and coves, one in particular we really enjoyed was Gilberts Cove there is a lighthouse that is over 100 years old. It is not a working lighthouse anymore there is small a museum and tea room. The best is the “light keeper” he had so many stories to tell and he was just a charming as the lighthouse itself. We had wonderful visit with him. We have decided to give the scenery a rest and will head to Antigonish for the Scottish Highland Games.

For more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/DigbyYarmouth

We are on the Move….

We woke up this morning to rain, fog, and wind such a dreary day we decided it would be a perfect day to fuel up the motorhome- :) We also changed our route no sense taking the scenic route with limited visibility so we took the most direct route into Digby. It was nice drive on a well-maintained two-lane road thru the countryside. We passed thru an experimental Christmas tree farm-not sure why its experimental- couldn’t find out because the interpretation center was closed. We also passed thru Berwick, which claims to be the apple capital of Nova Scotia. There sure seem to be a lot of self-proclaimed capitols of something or other. Nova Scotia sits between the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean. We are now on the Bay of Fundy side. We arrived this afternoon at the campground the weather did improve enough we could walk the wharf and downtown area. Digby is the capitol of Scallops. What I find very interesting is that the scallops are $2 higher here than anywhere else in Nova Scotia!! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAPITOL should be cheaper- I would think! Oh well! This is going to be our base for a few days while we take day trips to Yarmouth and Annapolis Royal.

This was our view for most of the way



This picture was taken from the same spot about 6 hrs apart. The tides in Digby are about 40 feet.


this is a view of the campground we are staying

Out n About in Halifax

Today we visited the Halifax Citadel. The citadel was built in 1828-1856 to defend the city and harbor. It was occupied by the British until 1906 then by the Canadian Military until after World War II. The parks department took it over and restored it and give tours by period costumed guides Very interesting tour and like the others we have been to this citadel has never been under attack.


this was our tour guide


After touring the Citadel we decided to walk the harbor front its a nice boardwalk with lots of shops and pubs. We went to Pier 21 Museum - this was a fascinating museum. Pier 21 is where all immigrants came thru coming into Canada. Personal stories are told thru videos of immigrants including war brides, displaced children, and military troops. Excellent 30 min multi media program history of the pier was told thru the eyes of a immigrations officer.


Thought this was a cute tug boat and a cute way to take kids on a boat tour.

Peggys Cove & Lunenburg

Web album
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/PeggysCoveLunenburg

After a few days of fog the sun finally came out and we have had a beautiful few days and should continue thru the weekend. We have been out enjoying the sunny weather. We drove to Peggys Cove and it is "the" most beautiful place I have been- the best way I can find to describe Peggys Cove is- you feel like you have walked into a watercolor picture. Peggys cove was founded in 1811 and today there is a population of 80 and I could easily make it 82!


After we left Peggys Cove we drove to Lunenburg which was established in 1753. The town of Lunenburg is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a great walking tour of the town with historic homes from 1760 to 1905 all beautifully restored nice waterfront area. The picture below was taken from the golf course accross the harbor.


Lunenburg Academy from 1894. The school opened in 1895 and has remained a school ever since. Elementary K-6th grade

Finaly back home after a long day of touring and we had a spectacular sunset

Hello Nova Scotia-

Wayside RV Park- Glen Margaret 7/7- ??

We arrived in Nova Scotia on Monday- perfect weather a little cooler. We stopped at the visitors center and loaded up with maps and tour books. We are staying in Glen Margaret on St Margaret's Bay. Somewhere around here I think the Swiss Air crashed. I will have to find out. The we have a great view of the bay out our window. I will get pictures later. About 4 miles from us is Peggys Cove.





Halifax International Tattoo 2008- "In the 1800s Military music was king." Each evening at dusk, tattoo was sounded telling troops to return from the town and tavern to barracks for the night. Today Tattoo transformed itself into a show of military music, drill and demonstrations. The performers come from the Caribbean, Holland, Scotland, and Germany. The music is fantastic with drums, bagpipes, bugles, pipes, marching bands and dancers. In the beginning it was called doe den tap toe then it became "taptoe" then the english shortened it to tattoo!!




Maritime Museum of the Atlantic had an interesting display on the Titanic. The deck chair in this picture is the only original chair left.



Alexander Keith's Brewery is like no other brewery tour we have ever taken. The entire 60 minute tour is done with the guide in the period costume of the 19th century. In the tasting room we were treated to plenty of tastes as well as a performance of music and dance and some tavern games.

For more pictures of Tattoo, Titanic, or the brewery
http://picasaweb.google.com/jcrobnik/NovaScotia

Welcome to Shediac- Lobster Capital
Parasol Campground July 4-7

What a fabulous traveling day we had- we couldn't ask for better weather!!
We arrived in Shediac just in time for the annual lobster festival! We met up with our boomer friends Martha and Gene Merryman and went to the festival together! It was nice to see them again. The festival was more like a carnival there were a lot of carnival rides and carnival games and music. There was a lobster dinner- however, we bought our lobsters from the lobster pound next to the campground and had a great dinner at home.

Next stop- Halifax Nova Scotia

Our lobster feast and yes it tasted as good as it looks



Martha was lucky to win a stuffed dragon at one of the carnival games- Way to go Martha!!



Even Murphy is getting in on the action

Caraquet, New Brunswick
Camping Colobri- July 2-4

We had great weather when we left Campbellton we headed east on route 134 the scenic Acadian coastal route which we will follow thru New Brunswick into Nova Scotia. We stopped in Caraquet to visit the Historic Acadian Village of 1770- 1889. This was well worth the stop. There are more than 40 authentic buildings each building had been dismantled from its original location and rebuilt all done by numbering each piece of wood or stone for the fireplace. There are houses, tavern, grist mill, school, church, general store, printing house, tinsmith, and cobbler shop each building has an interpreter in period costume to greet you and give you some background information about the family that occupied the home. You actually are living a day in the life of an Acadian each day a different event takes place when we were there the town was getting a new school teacher. Other events on the schedule were; childbirth, new preacher coming to town, marriage proposal, wedding, church auction, etc. We had great time we were told it takes about 1 hour to tour the grounds, I just don’t know how anyone could do it in an hour it took us 4 hours. We loved it!! The pictures below are from the Village.

Next stop- the Lobster Festival in Shediac- New Brunswick!

this fellow is making a broom from a log

Say la vie Quebec
Hello New Brunswick

We woke up this morning and I just new it was going to be a great day! The sun was shining and the sky was as blue as can be- something we have not seen since we entered Quebec. We took Autoroute 20 east until it became 132 then we had a decision to make to either take a 400-kilometer coastal drive around the Gaspie Peninsula or take the 120 Kilometer thru the valley of Gaspie. It was a hard decision to make- but due to diesel prices we decided to go thru the valley rather than follow the St Lawrence River. We were not disappointed we saw some of the most beautiful countryside I have seen. Lakes, rivers, farm homes, covered bridges, rolling hills and tall trees and the two-lane road was in good shape. We passed thru quaint towns. As we crossed the interprovincial bridge from Quebec into Campbellton, New Brunswick we stopped at the visitors center and loaded up with maps and tour routes and we found that we were just in time for the Salmon Festival. They had live music at the waterpark and of course the waterpark sits right on the Gulf of St Lawrence and FREE RV parking for the night or longer with a fantastic view and there was a spectacular fireworks show!!

I was right it was a fantastic day!!