Very cold and windy with some snow in higher pass on our way to Riviere de Loup – first day for a long time using the Trans Canada Highway. Drove along the south shore of the St. Lawrence but not on the scenic route as we wanted to get to North Hatley to visit Jane and Jean. Interesting to see the “long lots” coming off the river.

Saw a very large flock of snow geese on a very green field before we detourd into the countryside through Victoriaville – famous for hockey sticks – and along the St. Francis River.

Arrived to a great welcome from our friends and just in time for a live concert given by their band. Jane plays cello, Jean plays guitar, Paul plays base and Martin bangs the drums.

Fabulous cassolet for dinner, drinks and bed.

Norma’s birthday with clouds and rain in the forecast. Left Quispamsis and headed through St. John and then north along the St. John River all the way to Fredericton. Elegant mansions along the river on our way to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Very good permanent collection of Canadian and Maritime artists including the Pratts, Colville, Tom Thompson, Kreighoff, Emily Carr, Lauren Harris and a collection of photos by Ned Pratt.

Set off for Edmundston by way of Heartland, where we drove accross the longest covered bridge in the world at 1282′, and then proceeded to Grand Falls.

The Gorge is a natural wonder which was used to float logs down river to St. John before a dam was constructed.

Poured for the last hour into Edmundston and had pizza delivered for a late dinner.

Mary Dales’ birthday!!!

Lazy morning and then into St. John for a walk through City Market, a stroll around King’s Square and then down King Street to the harbour.

Headed out of town to St. Martin and the caves. The tide was just on the turn and in the 1-2 hours we were there the cave entrances were revealed.

St. Martins is a small town but boasts 2 covered bridges and a lighthouse as well as a small fishing fleet.

Back to Quispamsis and a short walk around Spy Glass Hill before a feast of lobster, corn and fixings.

Up early thanks to Norma sending an email including the tide chart for the Hopewell Rocks…home to the famous Flower Pots formations in the Bay of Fundy. Headed off after a very quick breakfast hoping to make it past Moncton and along to Hopewell Rocks before t he low tide was finished. Got there with 45 minutes to spare so were able to walk along the ocean floor and then watch the tide come rushing back in.

Went up to the restaurant for a quick lobster roll lunch while we waited for the tide to change from ebb to flow. We then watched a very informative talk by one of the senior guides for the park about the phenomenon that is the Bay of Fundy tides. They are the largest tides in the world and average 46′ between ebb and flow. The highest recorded tide was in 1869 and reached a whopping 72′.

After the talk we proceeded back along the trail to the Flower pots and stopped at every lookout point. At one of them we witnessed a breeding pair of peregrine falcons on the cliff.

Continued along the Fundy Coastal Drive to the lighthouse at Cape Enrage for a marvellous view of the tide change and the Nova Scotia coast in the distance.

Passed through a very touristic looking town of Alma and the Fundy National Park before moving inland for a lovely drive through rural New Brunswick with lots of winding roads and fall colours.

Arrived in Quispamsis in time for a quick beer and visit to our friends (Rick and Paula) marina to watch the sunset and have a look at their 36′ sloop.

Heavy dew on the tent so we had a leisurely start to the day. Walked on the Five Islands beach as the tied rolled in and then a quick stop at the Five Islands Lighthouse.

Drove on to Cap D’Or along a rugged road of 5 km to take a look at the lighthouse and see if the legendary dining room was serving lunch. Unfortunately it was closed.

We did have an exceptional lunch at the Wild Caraway in the village of Advocate Harbour – one of the best meals we’ve had. Beer and a slightly modified pasta “primavera” with shrimp, onions and broccoli.

Carried on along the scenic route to Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a UNESCO site with some of the fossils dated at 300 million years old.

Spent the night in Amherst and it poured once again. Last night in Nova Scotia.

Breakfast included in the room as well as interesting breakfast company. Met a young couple who are dairy farmers who could not wait to share details about their new barn which is fully mechanized with cow brushers, feeders and sides that adjust to the weather. The pictures we saw of cows lying in their stalls eating and brushing made them look very contented.

Norma and Scott left for Halifax and we headed into town to find the laundromat. The laundromat was attached to a bakery/cafe where it seemed that everyone gathered to discuss the political issues of the day – the election, climate change and all the rest of the usual stuff.

Hardly anyone dries their clothing at the laundromat as they all try to avoid power bills by line drying everything.

Took a scenic drive up to Meaghers Grant along the Musquodoboit River then along 224 to Shubenacadie (famous tidal bore) Stewiake and on into Truro. Had a picnic lunch in Victoria Park which is right in downtown Truro and then a hike up along the “river” to a pair of waterfalls.

Drove on to Five Islands Provincial Park on the north shore of the Minas Basin. Great campground but definitely not busy this time of year. Had a far from memorable meal of chicken wings, pie and beer at a roadside diner called Diane’s. The beer was the best part of the meal by far.

Wonderful star gazing as the sky was very clear.

Spent a calm but busy morning updating the blog and waiting for Norma and Scott and our infrequent friend…the sun.

They arrived to much smiling, hugs and laughter. Got settled and then we all went for lunch at a place called Uprooted (healthy food but no beer).

After lunch we went for a long walk along the longest sand beach in Nova Scotia…Martinique Beach. It is very popular with surfers and kite boarders.

Had dinner at the Salmon River Country Inn and met an lively woman, Megan “Mussels” who owns a mussel farm and commutes between Holland and Musquodoboit.

Went home in the dark and tried to name a few constellations…mostly correctly but then fog rolled in.

Up for breakfast and off in the fog and elfspit to Canso – the National Historic Site is closed. A fort offshore accessible by boat amongst 100 islands. Lots of signs protesting the proposed Canso Spaceport.

Lovely mosey along the Marine Drive which mostly follows the coast (and takes a lot more time) but provides stunning water views and an interesting cable ferry ride. Made a stop at Tor Bay.

Stayed the night in Musquodoboit Harbour at a wonderful B&B called the Worthington Inn. Right on the ocean with lots of canoes, kayaks, sunning benches and all the boutique hotel amenities.

Dinner at Porter’s Lake and now decided to spend another night here and have Norma and Scott come to us for a visit.

Met an interesting couple from New Brunswick…Wes and Millie.

Woke up to rain but it was spotty. Good breakfast in town and then back on the trail again. Shifting down the north shore of Cape Breton and then moving south east across the causeway to the eastern shore.

Drove along the Margaree area full of beautiful farms, hillside colours and uprooted trees – mostly birch.

Spent an hour or so on the beach at Inverness collecting more rocks. The golf course would be a lot of fun someday. Passed on through Mabou – home of the Rankins – and into Port Hood. Al McGinnis who helped Calgary Flames win their one and only (so far) Stanley Cup came from Port Hood.

Drove across the Canso Causeway and headed southeast along the Marine Trail and Guysborough County to Canso…the birth place of Stan Rogers.

Before dinner and after signing in to the Last Port Motel, we took a super walk on the Black Duck Cove trail in Little Dover.

Arrived in North Sydney after a very smooth crossing and set off immediately for Cape Breton. Finally found a really good bakery/restaurant and stopped there to tame the beast.

The drive through the Cape Breton Highlands on the Cabot Trail was very windy but warm (20 degrees C). We stopped at Ingonish Beach and collected perfect stones from all the cobbles. Hurricane Dorian really stirred things up along the beach as there isn’t much sand right now.

Most of the trees have brown leaves due to the salt spray kicked up during the hurricane winds. We did find a few examples of the red hardwood colours.

Not too much further along we drove up to Mary Ann Falls where we took Cam and Nate about 25 years ago. It was fun to see the falls and pools where they spent hours sliding over the water covered rocks.

We would have been blown away if we stopped for any walks as we continued along the trail through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park Highline Trail especially.

Spent the night in Cheticamp in a cottage right on the ocean. The crows didn’t even try to fly and stayed huddled in the rain on the ground. We however braved the elements and walked along the highway to a marvellous snow crab dinner. It required all our skill and concentration to extract every morsel.

After dinner we moved into the bar and listened to a good duo playing guitar and singing. It turns out the accompanying guitarist played for Rita McNeil.