The Very Long Day and Beyond August 28 – 30

With the Cabot Trail behind us, the balance of Nova Scotia lay ahead.  We had no plan for conquering the rest of this big island and really didn’t even have recommendations on which way to head.  Word had it that the eastern shore was beautiful so… that was it! 

We’re traveling in a class a motorhome.  This is the bus style – with all of our belongings right here where we are.  When we’re on a bad patch of road, it sounds like someone is dumping our house in a tin can and shaking – hard!  AND WE WERE ON A BAD PATCH OF ROAD!  FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS!!!!

We didn’t even have a real destination in mind except to see the eastern shore and eventually arrive in Halifax.  The weather was cloudy and blustery but dry with rain forecast later in the day.  Our best diversion when faced with a day otherwise unplanned is a hike.   I looked for hikes along our planned route and we banged our way across the island toward the trailhead. 

The hike was following the Liscomb River and sounded good.  We arrived to find the entrance blocked by road construction and the trail was so intensely overgrown that it was really not realistic without a machete.  We found the end of the trail on the other side of the river and we gave that a try.  It ended up being a worthwhile diversion, albeit only a short area of the trail, with wild blueberries as an added bonus!

Hesitantly, we got back on the road.  From one minute to the next, the road would change from pretty darn good to disastrous!  Having no idea how this one crazy stretch of highway was managed, we soldiered on.  The area really was beautiful and almost entirely right on the waterfront.   For hours we continued with a possible destination where a series of hiking trails converged and there were indications of a town bigger than one cross street!

Arriving at said location, we looked for a place we might inconspicuously camp for the night.  We first tried the high school parking lot.  Could have worked but we were pretty obvious.  The we passed the trailhead parking lot…BINGO!  A large parking area clearly under-utilized, we pulled in and immediately knew this would be a great night!  And it was.   We had a chance to stretch our legs on a trail before the rain set in.  Our spot was blissfully dark and quiet and we settled into cozy mode with the rain as our blanket.

The next morning we were able to hit the trail that I had scoped out.  Promising a challenge with good views and diverse terrain, we were ready!  The hike was everything that was promised!  We climbed rocky slopes, through old growth forest, bouldered to lookouts, got soaked from the night’s downpour forging through the vegetation and found even more blueberries to munch along the way.  

The hike took quite a bit longer than expected and we finished feeling fully challenged for the day.  We weren’t far from the day’s stopping point and we got on the road for what, after yesterday’s marathon, was a quick jaunt to the Halifax area.  We again used our WalMart standby, this time across the river in Dartmouth and wasted no time finding the first bus to the center of the action.

This trip is so different from our last.  No national parks to jump between, no federal land management properties to disappear into for the night, no weeks between grocery and fuel stops!  With major cities regularly on the itinerary, we are learning to adjust.  The problem we face is that the city stuff really isn’t our “thing”.  We have the most fun where we can set up camp, spread out a little bit and find distraction in nature.

That being said, we did our best to take in all Halifax had to offer.  We got off the bus and wandered the shopping district.  We found our way to the waterfront and enjoyed watching the boats in the harbor, perused the vendors and wares.  Being later in the day, we stopped for the mandatory happy hour beverage and bar food and then trudged up the hill to check out the old fortification there.  The city garden wasn’t far and was a highlight with its exceptional diversity and display.

And less than four hours later we were back on the bus, calling it done!  I think the big take away for the day was sitting on the waterfront looking out at the harbor and the Atlantic Ocean beyond and thinking about just being there.  Before this trip, Nova Scotia seemed so very remote.  That distant, northern territory seemingly beyond reach – and here we were, big as life. 

And we settled into our little corner of the WalMart parking lot with the other RV’s and trucks all around and marveled at how much we’ve seen and how far we’ve come.  Another day marked off the calendar, another adventure recorded – and we’re only half way done!