One Perfect Day In Nova Scotia…Nude Beaches, Ice Cream & Beer! Part 1

Peggy’s Cove

Day 72    August 20   Part 1    Nova Scotia, Canada

Prior to checking out of The Ovens campground near Lunenburg, we took a hike along the coastal path. It was a nice easy hike, and we were rewarded with great views of the rocky coastline, the caves (the “ovens”), and the crystal clear water.

Our campsite @ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

On the hiking trail @ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

Mark, going downstairs @ The Ovens

Cool geology @ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

@ The Ovens

Nice campground pool @ The Ovens

Trixie. Dog-tired after her hike with us @ The Ovens

When we left the campground, we were drawn to follow the road sign that clearly stated “No Exit.”  Ends up there was no exit, but there was more beauty, nice houses, and a nude beach (or so said the sign!). We turned around when the pavement ended, and headed back on the main road.

On the dead end road. Cute mailbox.

And here it is…the nude beach?!! Canadians are funny! Sign says, “Nude Beach, No Photography”

Our next planned stop would be in this very cool little fishing town, Chester. But, we discovered that in tiny, narrow little Chester, there is no place to park an RV, so we just kept on driving right on out of Chester.

Look what we found on our way out of Chester! An old Airstream trailer that’d been turned into a fish and chips food truck! Of course, we stopped and had fish and chips. And we bought some strawberries from the mother & daughter that were selling fruit and veggies out of the back of their car.

Fish and Chips from a cool old Airstream.

Fish and Chips from a cool old Airstream.

Mark, ordering lunch.

Fruit, veggie, and flower stand next to the fish and chips trailer.

Back on the road, we made our way towards Peggy’s Cove. On the way to Peggy’s Cove, we discovered the most amazing memorial site for the crash of Swissair Flight 111.

Swissair Flight 111 crashed off the coast of Peggy’s Cove on September 2, 1998. This was probably the most beautiful and profound memorial I’ve ever seen, paying tribute not only to those who perished in the crash, but to the local residents who welcomed and housed the victims’ families during the recovery effort.

The crash site memorial grounds

The crash site memorial

The crash site memorial grounds

The crash site memorial grounds

The crash site memorial grounds

Onward, to Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove turned out to be both beautiful, and completely overrun by tourists. Still, I’d recommend stopping there to have a look around. And the crowds did thin out later in the day, which was nice.

We had a climb on the rocks by the lighthouse, and then walked around to look in some of the art galleries. I bought a cool necklace at one of the little galleries, made special by the fact that I actually got to meet the artist that made it.

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Art gallery where I bought my necklace

Mark, as a pirate, @ Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

Peggy’s Cove

There is one more compelling reason to visit Peggy’s Cove….the ice cream at Dee Dee’s. It’s just a little walk-up shop, serving deliciousness! I got a two-scooper….one scoop of Haskap (a local berry), and one scoop of spicy Mexican Chocolate. Probably the best ice cream I’ve ever had!

Since we knew it would be impossible to top the ice cream experience at Peggy’s Cove, we left town. Next stop, Halifax, the capitol of Nova Scotia.

“The Dump Station Blues” And Other #1 Hits

On the coast, just south of downtown Lunenburg

Day 71   August 19   Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

Before we went into downtown Lunenburg, I had one little obligation to fulfill. The night before, our dinner hosts had been begging me to bring my guitar over to play for them, and I had refused. They finally left me alone when I promised them that I’d come over in the morning, with my guitar.

Since I never break a promise, my guitar and I (and Mark) went over to Steve and Janet’s motorhome for a goodbye serenade. And this is when it got weird.

Steve and Janet’s site was right next to the dump station. For you non-rv-ers, a dump station is where you dump the holding tanks in your rv. In other words, it’s where you dump shit, literally.

There I was, standing there with my guitar, talking to our friends, when a guy pulls his trailer up to the dump station. I’m standing right outside his driver’s side window. He’s staring at me with my guitar, and I’m staring right back at him. And that’s when I instantaneously made up, created, and performed for the very first and very last time, “The Dump Station Blues.” Yep, I just belted it out right there!

It was just one of those perfect moments in time when all the stars aligned and an unforgettable moment just happened. I’m pretty sure that it’s the first time anyone’s ever been greeted by live entertainment at a dump station. It’s certainly the first (and hopefully the last) time I’ve ever performed at a dump station.

Sorry, but there are no pics of my dump station performance, however, here are some lovely pics of Lunenburg and the surrounding area……

Lunenburg Academy

Lunenburg Academy

Yippeee…found another graveyard next to Lunenburg Academy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quaint, colorful  buildings in downtown Lunenburg

Downtown Lunenburg

Downtown Lunenburg

Lots of old house renovations going on in the downtown area

Downtown. An electrical maze.

Building detail in downtown Lunenburg

 

 

Of course there were old, quaint churches in Lunenburg

The waterfront

The waterfront

The waterfront

After exploring downtown, we headed south on the coast, just outside of town. The coastline was stunning!

A cute shack on the coast, just south of downtown Lunenburg

Mark The Explorer

Beautiful coastline

Interesting rock formations 

On the coast

Local art, in a tiny shack, with an honor box to take payments

On the coast,

On the coast, just south of downtown Lunenburg

Beautiful coastline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were walking about, I spotted this very elderly couple taking a walk. They walked so slowly, that I was able to quickly catch up with them and talk with them. They lived just across the street from the water, in a house they had built for themselves 50 years ago. Lovely people! Lovely place!

Cute old couple taking a stroll.

Late in the day, we ended up at the campground at The Ovens Natural Park. Got ourselves an amazing campsite on the rocky shore.

The Ovens, campground

We made a dinner reservation at the very tiny on-site restaurant, ‘Ole Miners Diner, which proved to be a very cool thing. Not only did we have a delicious dinner, but we enjoyed live music by Steven Chapin, brother of the late Harry Chapin. We were later told that the Chapin family owns the campground, although I never did verify this info.. Either way, it was a wonderful way to end the day.

Earlier in the evening, Mark poses in front of the ‘Ole Miners Diner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How I Prevented The American vs Canadian War

Mark,  rockin’ the Modern Times Beer sweatshirt as we head to Nova Scotia

Day 70    August 18    Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia, Canada

What a mess!! We did it again. Left our chairs and stuff outside all night. And it rained. Once again, everything was soaked. Still, such beginners!!!

Spent the morning doing laundry. Almost got in a fight with a French Canadian dude who was pissed that I was using both of the washing machines. In the name of international relations, I acquiesced and crammed all of my laundry into one machine….the ultimate sacrifice. War was averted. You Canadians can thank me by sending me Canadian swag.

With everything clean, and dry, we set off for the ferry terminal, and caught the ferry to Nova Scotia. Turned out it was a good day to travel, as it ended up raining most of the day.

Low tide at the PEI ferry terminal

In line to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia

The space shuttle, all tucked in on the ferry to Nova Scotia

Last look at PEI

 

 

 

The ferry boat…

Goodbye, PEI

Goodbye, PEI

Ahoy…thar’s Nova Scotia

Mark, capturing the first site of Nova Scotia

Once we landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia, we headed south. When the rain finally stopped, we paused for a couple photo ops in Mahone Bay, and then made our way to Lunenburg for the night.

Crossing the bridge to Halifax.

Mahone Bay

We stayed at the Lunenburg Board of Trade Campground, which was not so much a campground as it was a gravel parking lot. However, the upside was two-fold. First, the “campground” was virtually right in Lunenburg, so, location, location, location! Second, we met a hilarious couple, Steve and Janet, from Toronto who were in Lunenburg for a wedding. Steve and Janet invited us over to their motorhome for dinner. Not only did they provide the best burgers I’ve ever had, but they also provided non-stop pee-in-your-pants humor all evening long! They were funny as hell, and we had a great time!