Travel with the Hendersons: Marine Drive July 18-July 22

We left the campground fairly early and stopped at a market in Bedford. The parking lot was full so we parked the RV in the back lot which was actually the roof of the mall where the grocery store was located. It was a nice mall with specialty shops and the grocery store at one end. There were kiosks of prepared foods so after we got a few groceries we ordered corned beef pannini’s and potato salad.

We got back in the RV and headed up the highway and down to Marine Drive which was on the southeast side of Halifax.

The drive was pretty as we crossed over rivers and drove through harbor towns along the scenic drive on Route 7.

We stopped at Clam Harbour up the coast a ways and it was foggy and a light rain was coming in. I took TY for a walk with me on the boardwalk and beach. There were only two other cars there and it was windy and chilly but we enjoyed the walk to stretch our legs.

We continued driving along the coastal route and came to Sheet Harbour, a small town where the east and west rivers meet and tumble down a gorge and into the sea. We stopped at the visitor center and got some information on the area. They had a nice boardwalk along the water so we took Ty and walked down.

We met a young couple who happened to be from Tampa, Florida and they were on a two week trip in a rented RV. They took a picture for us and we too their picture.

The guy had put his plastic cup from the RV on the rail and Bill accidently knocked it off. I had to hold back the laughter at his reaction but the couple said "Oh no….that was part of the RV package and they will charge us $20.00 for it!" Bill felt bad and tried to recover it but it was in pieces and some of it was in the river. We walked back to the RV and Bill gave him a glass tumbler we had at least for them to use on their trip since they only got two of everything in the way of kitchenware.

We continued on and drove through several interesting towns and over the east river

We arrived in Sherbrooke Village, an Acadian Lumber Village and popular attraction that you could tour for a fee and also had a campground right on the river. It was small and not much room to pull in so we decided to turn around and go up the hill to another campground.

We stayed at Nemrod's Campground in Stillwater. Our view was good looking at the lake.

We took a quick walk around the campground with the dogs and spoke to an older lady and her son who had an older model BORN FREE RV. She loved dachshunds and couldn’t get over Ty and Lucky. As we were standing there we were getting eaten up by the black flies. They bit me all around the scar on the back of my neck and Bill wherever they could get him. Poor Ty had bites underneath where he has no hair. Needless to say we stayed in the RV the rest of the evening.

The next morning was clear and the Lake was like glass. The loons were up early calling out across the Lake.

We prepared the RV for travel and were on the road by 9:00 am. There were a lot of elevation changes as we traveled along route 7 and one minute we were in the clouds and fog and the next we were in sun and the temperature was a lot higher.

We got to the end of the highway where we had to catch the Country Harbour Ferry across the River which was a cable draw ferry (the boat pulls itself along a cable) . It cost $5.00 and we were the only ones on the Ferry.

We got out of the RV and Bill talked to the harbor master while I took pictures. The air was cool going over but the sun was out and there was a light breeze…great weather at the moment.

After we drove off the ferry, the bottom of the dolly scraped the road and made a really loud noise and we saw the harbour master looking down and Bill assumed he was assessing the damage and how he would have to paint over it. We continued on our way up Marine Drive and came down to this pretty little cove and stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view. There were Terns diving for fish in the water and were everywhere around us.

After about ten minutes we continued up the coast and came to the turnoff for Tor Bay Atlantic Park. This Park was right on the Ocean and the view was beautiful with the waves crashing on the rocks and the water was shimmering.

The boardwalks took us through marshes and forests and ponds and then down to the beach.

We walked up on the rocks reading the signs about the history of the area and ran into an older couple who now lived on Prince Edward Island and were visiting the area in their RV. He asked if we wanted a picture taken of us so we said sure and he took one looking out at the beach.

We continued our walk on the boardwalk and there were a lot of pitcher plants in the marshes.

This was called Dead End Pond

After what seemed about an hour we left the park and got back on the main route.

We drove through a town called Larry’s River where on one side of the road was a stable with a horse and her colt

and on the other side was church, graveyard and a playground on the river. I was starting to realized how many churches there were in Nova Scotia even when there was not much else in a town there was always a church and graveyard next to it.

This was a funny picture Bill wanted me to take of a Seagull sitting on the chimney top and there was originally two seagulls starring down at the fake Owl up on the roof.

A few yards after this there was John’s Village Grocery and this sign….

We continued up and over a bridge around the river

People have the quirkiest decorations in their lawns....

We were climbing to a higher elevation to Port Felix where we were again in the clouds

then on through Whitehead

and finally Canso Bay where we planned on staying for at least one night.

There were two campgrounds in the area, a large one with a nice beach or a smaller one in the marina. We choose the smaller one and we were very happy with our choice.

Canso was a small fishing village with a lot of history. It was also known for a music festival they have here each year that we had just missed called "The Stan Rogers Folk Festival". The campground office sign said pick a sight and set up and we will catch up with you later so we found one available that had what they call a 3-way hookup…water, electric and sewer. We could not ask for a better view as we looked at the beach where the boats were going in and out of the harbor and the view of the town behind us.

This is the small marina in Canso

Cute name for a boat

We set up and Bill decided to wash his car which needed it badly.

The breeze was cool but the sun was shining with very little clouds so I sat outside and looked over the tourist information we had picked up along the way. The very nice campground host came by and said glad to see we were all set up and he would come back later with the paperwork and for payment. So we locked up the RV and took a ride up along a dirt road on the coast and came to a camp they use for scouts. It was empty but had a nice view of the ocean. There was a lighthouse off the coast that we found out was falling apart and no longer accessible because the foundation was so unstable and the years of waves crashing on the little island had made it that way.

We went back down to the town and drove around to see what they had in the way of a grocery store. As we were driving around we came across this house with dolls dressed up and in a semi circle in the yard....strange

We came across this old building that looked really ancient but there were not any signs around it.

We drove up to the top of a hill in a residential area and I liked the multi color houses in the distance

Statues like this one were very common in most of the towns we had driven through

There was a co-op and Bill went in for a few items for dinner. We went back to the RV and while Bill was making dinner the host came by and we decided we would stay two nights and paid up. After dinner we took a walk along the Harbourview Walkway trail the town had erected with some signs about their history. We walked from the marina a few blocks up the road past houses like this one....how nice they offer to let you stop and rest.....

And this one with all the wood carvings in the yard and on the deck of the front of the house

It was a little cool out and I am sure the water was quite cold but the town children were swimming in the water by the Visitor Center….brrrrrr….

We walked on the trail by the Bay and read the plagues they had along the trail. Canso Harbour is the most easterly point in Nova Scotia.

Canso Island eventually became the headquarters for the New England Fish Trade. In 1728 the Governor described a harbour scene of 150-200 ships anchored at Canso Island and 2,000 men working in the area. The English built a fort on the Island but in 1744 the trade came to an abrupt stop when the French attacked and burned down the Fort.

It was not a very long trail so we turned around and headed over to the Visitor Center to see what the times of the tour of the Island took place.

We found the hours of the visitor center but not the hours of the boat tour of the island so we decided we would come back tomorrow and find out. Everything in Nova Scotia was in both English and French.

Crab traps on the dock at the visitor center

We headed back down the street to the campground and back to the RV for the night.

The next morning we took our time getting ready to go to Guysborough, about 45 minutes up the road which was supposed to be a bigger town with a bigger grocery store and some hiking trails. We were about to leave when our host came by with a bag and in it were snow crab or queen crab legs as he called them, caught that morning and cooked. There were six sets of crab legs in the bag and he said he used to freeze them but they are not as good that way and he preferred to share them.

We thanked him and were amazed at the generosity of this stranger. He asked us if we were going to take the boat tour over to the Canso Island and we said yes but were not sure what times they go. He told us anytime you want to go they will take you. So we decided to go do the boat tour first then come back and have some crablegs for lunch then save the rest to make a crab salad.

When we got to the visitor center off in the distance was this ship that now looking at the picture looked like a ghost ship because of the fog around it.

At the visitor center and were greeted by a friendly almost grateful host who said the captain was over on the island waiting for a group of people to finish their tour of the island then he would be back if we were interested in going. We said we were and she said while your waiting you can see a nine minute video about the history of Canso and view the museum. We did so and it was interesting how the New Englanders had come over by the thousands each year to fish.

Several prosperous families had built homes on the island and the Governor had a fort built as he feared the French would attack the little island at some point which they did as mentioned earlier.

We soon got word that the boat was back at the harbour and we should head over there for the tour. We left a donation at the visitor center as there was no admission fee charged.

We arrived at the boat and Tom, the boat captain gave the little speech about safety and we put on our life jackets.

The ride over to the Island was uneventful and the tour guide, Michelle did not speak much unless we asked a question. When we got to the Island we had a choice to do the tour on our own or have Michelle go with us and explain each stop along the way. We chose for her to take us around and so we walked up the walkway and started the tour.

There were several stops where the houses had been originally and the wells were still there but no other foundations. She explained which families had their homes in which spots and about the vegetable gardens they had planted and where they had been located.

The view from the island of Canso and of the surrounding islands were really good and clear. I asked who owned the surrounding islands and she pointed out one that the guru Yogi that the Beatles had followed at one time had bought one island and they were going to build a big compound on it for gatherings but he died after he bought it in 2008 and his followers or heirs haven't done anything with it.

This Willet was yelling at us and circling around our heads and we figured it was because it had a nest close by.

Tom was waiting for us at the dock so we finished up the tour and got back to the boat to head to the mainland. Tom is a birder and says every year in September they have birders come from all over the world as this is where a lot of migrating birds will stop for the plentiful fish in the area. He said their logo is "Expect to see the unexpected". He himself has one of the colorful houses (I posted a picture earlier of these houses) on the hill and he has seen many different species.

On the way back we could see the RV from the water

We arrived back at the RV and Bill started to crack open the crab legs for lunch.

I took Ty over to the beach and he had his nose to the ground smelling all the crab legs shells that people had left after eating them there. He went in the water even though it was cold but it was a hot day so I guess he was cooling off.

The weather was perfect, clear skies and the water was blue as could be. We enjoyed our crab meat and saved enough to make a crab salad for later.

We made the decision to go to Guysborough the next day and stay in Canso a third night. We got ready and went to Chapel Gully Trial, a popular birding trail up a hill not far from the Marina.

It was a little windy which was good because if you stood still too long the black flies would get you. We started the path through a boreal forest.

There were bird houses all along the trail

The extensive foot bridge went over a tidal flat and an extensive flood plain habitat.

A good part of the trail was boardwalk due to the marshes and mudflats we were going through

This lookout was about 36 feet up and you could see for miles on this day

We finished the trail before dark and the black flies were unbelievable at this point, again going after my neck. I had several swollen bites and they took several days to go away. Bill was smart and kept his long shirts, pants and hat on at all times.

The following day we headed to Guysborough and along the way was this small museum and lighthouse.

Here in Queensport we spotted a lighthouse on an island of its own in the bay

We got to Guysborough and saw a sign for a hiking trail along the water so we turned off and saw this train car by the water....a railroad track was nowhere in sight.....

We decided not to hike the trail for now and headed into town.

We stopped at the visitor center which was also a museum and Bill went in and got some information on the area.

We then found the Rare Bird Pub and went in for a bite to eat and a beer of course!

It was nice inside and there was dining outside above the Marina also. It was warm inside and finally someone who worked there opened the front door to let the breeze in.

When we were finished we drove down the road a bit and stopped at a park to walk the dogs.

It was a nice park with a bridge crossing over to a small island with a walking path around the whole thing. I think it took a total of 30 minutes at most. Afterward we went to the grocery store there which was bigger than the one in Canso. As we were leaving it started to rain. We got back and for dinner we had the crab salad Bill had made earlier on top of some lettuce.

The next day we left Canso to finish up the Marine Trail and head for Cape Breton. We stopped at this park and I walked down towards the water and again was attacked by the black flies....we were sick of them already!!!!

We continued on and up the road a bit we could see Port Hawkesbury across the water and the windmills there.

Then we saw an amazing sight according to Bill something you won't see every day. These offshore supply vessels (OSV) were pulling a jack-up offshore Oil platform out of the sound out to sea.