We broke up camp this morning at Peggy's Cove. We had a lovely chat with two older ladies that had been camping here a few days. They were in the 70s we estimate! It is harder to tell once you are closer to 60 than 50. :) They are driving a camper van, and are from California!! They blocked out 3 months to see things they wanted to see, visit some family, and be slow about it. It is easy if your van is your camper! This one wasn't just a van that looks like a van with a hidden camper inside (as some are), but a camper that is van-sized. They left earlier and we thought they left some things behind but they said the'd be right back. They had a sensor that indicated they needed to dump their load. :)
They were making a stop at a nearby city to get their windshield replaced as apparently a rock hit it and it was not a crack, and were looking forward to driving the Blue Ridge Parkway through Tennessee on the way home!
Our destination this morning was Halifax. The drives alone are amazing. We happened upon a little lighthouse watching over a small lake, complete with fake kayaker!! At least we think he was fake?
Once in Halifax we stopped by the Fairview Cemetery. When the Titanic hit an ice berg in 1912, the Carpathia was sent to pick up survivors. Ships from Halifax were sent to pick up those not so lucky. Actually of its 2228 passengers, 1518 lost their lives. Of those, 209 bodies were brought to Halifax and of those 150 were laid to rest in Fairview Lawn Cemetery, a Catholic cemetery and a Jewish one. Most were laid to rest at Fairview. Fifty-nine were shipped to families. White Star Line paid for the gravestones and burials. They were stones set on top of stones. It is hard to describe without pictures. Some had only the date of burial as they could not identify the bodies. Some had a name engraved on the front which meant they were identified later. One was originally a monument for an unknown toddler, then was misidentified as a missing one, and then positively identified via DNA. It was very sad and sobering standing among those stones, most not identified. Did they leave home, with families left behind knowing they may never hear from them because they were moving so far away, and they never found out they died? So many stories lost.
We headed to the wharf of Halifax, driving around the Citadel on the way. Parking is always an issue. The Citadel is a hill originally constructed in 1749, having four different fortifications constructed over its life. While never attacked it was the key to defense of the harbor and dockyard!
We did find parking near the wharf and strolled along the boardwalk, taking in the sights along the way, tour boats, fishing vessels, restaurants, vendors large and small, tourists as well as residents taking advantage of the sunny day by walking, or biking, or lying in the public hammocks!! Those were neat!! There was the cutest playground with a big submarine as its core, an orange one vs a yellow one!! Along the wall was a giant octopus, so they were playing in an Octopus's garden, in the shade! :) There was also this BIG sign by a giant concrete "wave" that said, "No climbing." and yet there were kids ALL over it. Sigh. Yeah, I know.
We traveled the coast road on the hunt for a few more lighthouses. We found the Port Bickerton lighthouse but the road was blocked with a sign that said, "Road closed". Hmm. We could walk the mile to it but what if the road is washed out? Nature determined a path as Cheryl needed to use the restroom if a hike was impending. We stopped by a convenience store and she asked the clerk about the lighthouse and said sign. She said I was in luck as the two folks getting ice cream cones could help me. It turns out they were the directors of that lighthouse!! The road was okay, just waiting for a grader. He said if we cross the barrier, they weren't liable for anything if anything would happen but he had his truck up there 5 times already that day as they had been painting. Well, it was a road that definitely needed grading!! OH MY! And the house and visitor's center were freshly painted. The lighthouse was a squat, square-ish shape, not freshly painted, YET! And the view! Oh, my. Energizing!
More scenic driving, passing amazing little coves and inlets and ships in and out of the water, some needing some repair, some resting and ready to go out again. Trees and more trees, and then, wow, the ocean. We were looking for two lighthouses on the map. The Queensport one looked easy enough as it was located on an island but the one we just couldn't find. We turned around and thought perhaps the museum we passed might have info but it was closed. There was a lighthouse lying on the ground next to the museum, and a bigger man, dressed all in black, standing on the side of the road. Andrew hops out of the truck to ask about the lighthouse. This gentleman said there was one down the road, about 4 km, close to where he lives, if we could give him a lift. Hmmmm. Cheryl reads or has read way too many books and has a very vivid imagination. Where did this guy come from? How come he was that far from home, just standing there? Unfortunately for him, our truck is pretty packed so we couldn't offer him a ride anyway. He looked like we were daft asking about a 2nd lighthouse!! We think perhaps the map was showing us the museum as well. The Queensport Lighthouse was short but adorable, standing proudly on her island. She was built in 1882 and replaced in 1936.
We passed another lighthouse and then hunted for a campground for the night. We are settled in at Hyclass Ocean Campground even though our sight does not have an ocean view. That is okay. It is cold (48 right now as I type) and we have an early day tomorrow. We are catching the ferry to Newfoundland/Labrador! We'll be on the ferry about 7 hours, and will be in Newfoundland/Labrador until Friday.
Drove off and on for about 9-10 hours today.... 400 some miles.... all the across most of the "bottom" of Nova Scotia .... coastal route.... secondary roads... like 145 from Birdseye to Bristol....
Nighty night
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