Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Peggy's Cove

The first time you lay eyes on Peggy's Cove its pretty amazing or at least I was amazed. For one, the amount of rock in the area and two how peaceful it was even with lots of people around. Peggy's Cove is on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia approximately 46 kilometers from Halifax. There are many theories as to how Peggy's Cove got its name which I won't get into but it is most famous for the lighthouse built in 1868.
Peggy's Cove Lighthouse
Peggy's Cove was formed in 1811 with settlers relying on fishing and farming. Have you seen the rock. I'm not sure where the cattle would graze. However, today it remains an active fishing village and favorite tourist hotspot.
Fishing sheds and boat
The area has been designated a preservation site thereby no development is allowed in and around Peggy's Cove. The lack of soil and the effects of high winds and salt cause stunting of the few trees there are.
Very few trees and lots of rock
Painter and sculptor William deGarthe whom lived in Peggy's Cove sculpted a granite outcropping 30 meters in length. This sculptor depicts 32 fisherman, their wives and children being protected by St Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.
Sculptor by William deGarthe
Just down the road and a short distance from Peggy's Cove is one of two memorial sites for Swissair 111 that crashed on September 2, 1998 killing all 229 people on board.
The memorial to the right and Peggy's Cove in the background
Continuing down the road you come to a nice fishing village called Hacketts Cove.
Hacketts Cove
In Hacketts Cove there's a small roadside restaurant and market that sells fresh cooked lobster, scallops, and mussels. We forgot a cooler or we would have been hauling some home.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Truro, NS


The town of Truro, known as the hub of Nova Scotia seemed to be the best place to plunk ourselves for a week or so. To us it was central to most things we wanted to see. The campground we chose was Scotia Pine Campground. It had everything we wanted, W/E(50amp)/S plus free WiFi, pool for those hot days, and cable so we can watch the finale of the Bachelorette. Yes we watch the show.
Registration Office
Beautiful tall pine trees lots of shade zero privacy
This campground had tons of large trees. Each site was a pull-thru you just had to know where your connections were. The sites were narrow but defiantly doable.
Our site # 70
For more than 100 years Truro was adorned with large elm trees. However, Dutch elm disease arrived in 1982 destroying many. The launch of the Truro Tree Sculpture Project was to make the most of an unfortunate situation. From the dead elm came life in the form of sculptures. Twenty-seven trees were sculpted some on site others created elsewhere and placed in fitting locations.
Hiram Hyde (1817 – 1907)
Hiram Hyde established a mail and passenger stagecoach service between Halifax and Pictou via Truro.
Lumber Jack circa 1900

The lumber jack represents the existing major role that Truro has played in the development of forestry in Nova Scotia.

Robert Lorne Stanfield (1914 – 2003)
Born in Truro, Stanfield served both Nova Scotians and all Canadians during his political career.
 
As we walked and drove around Truro several sculptures still exist. Some have come and gone mainly due to decay and vandalism.
It was by accident that we came upon Victoria Park in the center of Truro. What a beautiful place to picnic, walk, and have fun. Victoria Park came into being in 1887 when 27 acres of land was donated to the city. Since then further gifts and purchases have culminated in a 358 acre park. The nice thing about this park is much of its natural state of beauty has remained undisturbed.
Yes, that's Susan way down there
Plenty of stairs for an aerobic workout
We were rewarded with a gorgeous waterfalls
Want to see a river change directions before your very eyes. Well that is one of the reason we are in Truro. I’m talking about the famous Bay of Fundy Tidal Bore. Twice in a 24 hour period the tide will rise and fall in the Bay of Fundy. During each 12 hour tidal period 115 billion tons of water will flow in and out of the bay. When tide water enters the bay it continues toward the head of the bay constantly being squeezed by the narrowing rivers. As the river becomes shallower and narrower the incoming tide forms a wave the size of a ripple or one several feet high.
Tide still going out
Just before the Tidal Bore note the barrel on the right
Small Tidal Bore but still amazing
No more barrel, took 10 minutes to cover, the tide was still flowing in
The highest water level ever recorded in the Bay of Fundy occurred in October 1869 during tropical cyclone “Saxby Gale”. The water level rose 21.6 meters (70.9 feet).