Lupine, wild and fresh, dot the sides of every road and trail. I just kept snapping away, thinking that each one would be the best yet; so please indulge me as you begin to see many in the blogs to follow.
Small, white church with typical window style. In Quebec, Catholic churches were very prominent; but in Nova Scotia, more United, Presbyterian and Baptist churches sit side by side.
From Digby on the Bay of Fundy, we cut across Nova Scotia on Hwy 8. It would have been nice to stop at Kejimkujik National Park for a trail hike, but we were on a mission: we promised Tom and Arden - friends who winter at Jekyll Harbor Marina, on Jekyll Island, GA - that we would find Covey Island Boatworks, Lunenburg, NS, and get them a couple of t-shirts. Their boat was custom-made by this master boatbuilding company.
Finding Covey Island Boatworks proved to be more difficult than we first thought, but an adventure is an adventure, right? We first stopped at a service station and asked where the company was located. The attendant pointed us toward the town of Bridgewater and told us to go on the opposite side of the river. It was a lovely drive, much like a drive along the coast of Maine, scenic and inviting. Yet, no Covey Island Boatworks. Before we ran out of road, we stopped at a LaHavre bakery and asked. One of the young men eating lunch pointed across the river. Fortunately for us, we were able to hitch a ride on a ferry which landed close to the boatworks. Apparently, the boatworks had been on the opposite side until two years ago when it burned down.
We did find the boatworks, but no office. We had been told that Covey Island was involved in the re-construction of Bluenose II, replica of the original schooner that appeared on the Canadian dime. In town, down by the end of the docks, Bluenose was definitely being re-born. I still didn't find the office. I must have been staring at it and didn't see it. All was not lost, we found the Farley Mowat instead.
Farley Mowat sits idle with paint peeling and rust running down the sides, lines askew. Two years ago, the SeaShepherd crew was stopped from interfering with sealing operations. The boat was brought to Lunenburg and has apparently been abandoned, owing more than $29,000 in docking fees. The crew was recently arrested in Germany on a Cosa Rican warrant that is 10 years old. Stay tuned for more Whale Wars!
Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on its official founding in 1753 on the site of an earlier Acadian village. The fisheries industry and boatbuilding have been important commercial enterprises to this day. Given its UNESCO status, buildings and houses reflect the 1700's and preservation is extremely important.
I couldn't help do a bit of geocaching since one was just steps away from our campsite, Board of Trade Campground, high on a hill above town. Before we left the next day, we searched a nearby cemetery for my 100th find, close to the old Lunenburg Academy. I don't know if I should mention the 45 minutes I looked for one next to a trail just down the hill from the Academy. I hate giving up.
While enroute to Peggy's Cove, we stopped at the Swiss Air III Memorial and Internment. There were only two beaches along this coast that gave the Coast Guard rescuers a place to bring passengers ashore. Nova Scotians from the surrounding area provided housing and hospitality as families came to search among the remains for their loved ones. Not the first time or the last have the peoples of Nova Scotia stepped in to aid their fellow man.
Peggy's Cove claims to be the world's most photographed lighthouse and with good reason. The smooth rocky shoreline with pools of water beg you to climb and sit, letting the sun and sky, the squawk of shorebirds and the quaint village fill your horizon and spirit.
Before moving on to Halifax, we backtracked a bit to locate a geocache. What a lovely, peaceful view of the lighthouse across the bay! The hike was over rock and moss, but the view was worth it all. I left a TB that had begun its journey in Nashville, Indiana, at the Brown County Inn. I hope I gave it a journey of a lifetime.
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