Newfoundland, chapter 11

Road Trip to Newfoundland

Days 11 through 14 - My Nova Scotia Home

Chapter 11 is the final installment of the Newfoundland blog. This is not like Chapter 11 bankruptcy, though expenses have been draining to cover economy motels, average restaurants, over taxed gas, excursions, trinkets and that ever melting ice for the cooler. This is Chapter 11, the combination of days eleven through fourteen covering the final tour, passing through Nova Scotia on the way to home, Ontario. It has been a wonderful trip and there are still some great sights left to see in Nova Scotia.

After exiting the big boat in North Sydney, we traveled through Cape Breton toward Halifax stopping only once at the Farmer’s Daughter market for lunch supplies. Gas was significantly cheaper in Nova Scotia, and knowing that, I did not fill up before taking the ferry. So I filled up the tank en route to Halifax and continued on to Head of Jeddore, a sleepy town set in the hardwoods at the end of a long inlet. We checked into our cottage and then went to Martinique Beach just twenty minutes away. This was a nice beach, not quite as scenic or pristine as the beach in Newfoundland, but still very nice. There were very few people. We tested the water and to our delight it was dramatically warmer than the waters of Newfoundland. All four of us dove in and swam, then body surfed the waves for a long time. This was the only real attraction I scheduled for this day. We were very close to Halifax and that meant we could easily and quickly cover some chosen sights the next day.

The morning of day twelve arrived with a cool breeze. It was going to be a busy day. We headed straight for Birch Cove, the neighbourhood I grew up in on, what was then, the outskirts of Halifax. Back then that whole area was mostly undeveloped. In fact, I recall walking one mile to school everyday along gravel roads cut through the woods. Yes, it was uphill all the way, there and back. Today, it is all built up. At the crossroads of Kerney Lake Road and Broadholme Lane were big puddles where I used to stop and find tadpoles and frogs. Today this is the site of malls and gas stations. It was unrecognizable. I took the family up the street to point out my old house. It had not changed much, though large trees grew where none had before, and the forest that used to lie in back was now replaced by more homes. We followed the circuitous path from my old home to my old public school, Grosvenor Wentworth. It looked as old and run down as I recalled it looking so long ago. A couple of deer grazed on grass near the back door only metres from the car. This school holds many vivid memories for me. The short, abrasive principal's name was Mrs. Hollyhocket, though we unceremoniously called her Hollyhocker. How I remember that, I don't know. I remember catching snakes and salamanders in the grass and woods nearby. I recall collecting all of my hockey cards during "scrambles" in the school yard. And I remember earning participaction badges at the annual olympic competitions in gym class.

Sentimental moments relived, it was time to press on. We had a short drive to Peggy's cove, that rugged mound of white granite rock that outcrops by the sometimes violent sea. As a kid we came here to get away. Now it's as busy as a city. We arrived to find hundreds of people scattered over the white rocks and cars parked in every spare spot. We did not stay long, just long enough to snap some pictures and see the lighthouse. After being in real coastal fishing towns with real people over the past week, this seemed like an amusement park.

The next stop was a favourite childhood memory of mine; Lunenburg. This is the home to my favourite ships, the Bluenose and the Theresa E. Connor. Though I didn't remember what the Theresa E. Connor looked like, I did remember the smell of tar and timber. When we arrived, this small scenic town appeared much bigger than I thought it was. The museum, a building and several ships to explore, occupied much of the waterfront. We explored the museum and then the ships linked to the museum. On the Cape Sable, a large iron fishing ship, we met the former captain, George Pike, who sailed her back in the mid seventies. He told us stories of ice and storms and fishing back in a time when that was a rugged job in a booming industry.

After touring the Cape Sable and Theresa E. Connor, the Bluenose, which had been out on an excursion, sailed into port and we were able to board. The iconic symbol of Atlantic Canada, and all of Canada for that matter, was as beautiful as ever. Later after eating a seafood dinner from a porch overlooking the harbour, we checked into the stately old Bluenose Lodge and then wandered the streets to find interesting shops.

Day thirteen would find us tracking back toward Ottawa but with stops at Parsboro and Joggins. Parsboro is known as a rock and fossil collecting site. We dropped by the beach and hiked a short distance, but found nothing of interest. I suppose you have to know where to look. Joggins is a favourite place of mine. It is strewn with fossils along the shore. I'm all about the search. I like to find things. Sadly, a sign indicates that fossils cannot be removed, which for me takes all the fun out of exploration. It seems governments would rather see specimens remain locked in the earth than uncovered and shared. As the day grew on and we were still a thousand kilometres from home, I made the decision to stop at the new and beautiful Hampton Inn, Fredricton NB. With a pool and water slide, a 24 hour free coffee lounge, and free breakfast, I gained a ton of brownie points with the crew. I must admit, I was glad to remain on vacation another night.

The final leg of the journey home, day fourteen, was predictably quiet and mundane, completing the 7,171 km trip. We arrived to the ongoing construction on our street and to the drought ridden lawn suffering neglect and dust from road work. Waiting to greet us at home were cold beers in the fridge and my old familiar bed. As we sat at the dinner table that night, everyone spoke highly of the trip, recalling moments and sights that I know will be etched in the kid's minds for the rest of their lives.

Please note that the sole intention of this blog was to entertain you with my journey through Newfoundland. This information may or may not help direct you towards or away from experiences that I found good or bad. This is in no way an endorsement of anything other than the two brilliant novels which are outlined below. Did I mention they were brilliant? They are. Of course, that is just the opinion of myself, and many, many other smart people who have read and enjoyed them at a very reasonable cost. So, feel free to drift over to Amazon .com/.ca or Kobo.ca, or other online retailer to find an e-book or paperback copy. If you don't see them in your local bookstore, suggest to the manager that their collection is incomplete, and that they should stock them. And remember to say please.

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