Rooting around for Roots

At 5AM we woke up to the patter of rain on the tent.....so we quickly grabbed our tarp, and pegged it down over the tent, and then back to bed for a few more hours. When we finally got up at 8:30, we were between showers, so packed up the camp, and then had a quick breakfast before heading into London for some more family research. Timing was good....the rain started seriously to pour, and stayed that way while we were in the London Library downtown, studying microfiche films of old newspapers and historical records. We were able to find some of what we were looking for, but we still have a few mysteries which will need to be solved elsewhere......perhaps in Kincardine, or Southampton. By early afternoon, we were visiting my gt-uncle and aunt, Bill and Grace, and my cousin Linda, all interred in the St. Peter's Cemetery. We also found Grace's father there. Then, with a short stop for groceries, we were northbound out of London. There are numerous sweet corn stands along the road, so we had to pick up a few cobs of freshly picked corn for dinner. As we passed the village of Birr, just north of London, we searched for some Hodgins ancestors, but we either had the wrong cemetery, or our people are not marked there. The general store in Birr specializes in ice cream, though, so we refreshed ourselves with a big ice cream cone each, before continuing north, and finding a campsite just north of Goderich. We set up camp, and barbecued some trout we'd bought, along with our corn, and then sat overlooking Lake Huron to watch a lovely sunset - something this side of Lake Huron is famous for. Thursday morning was overcast, but no rain was in the forecast, so we packed up, and headed into Goderich for a look around. We visited the town museum, which is surprisingly large, and very thoroughly presents the history of the Huron Tract and Goderich area. Included in our $5.00 admission was entry into the Marine Museum, at the harbour. The wheelhouse of an old freighter serves as this part of the museum, and has many interesting photos and paraphernalia relating to the history of Goderich area marine life.






Goderich Marine Museum



I was unable, however, to shed any further light on my gt-gt-grandfather, John McKay, who was a captain in schooners and steamers in Lake Huron in the mid to late 1800's. We then set out to find some more of our interred ancestors, this time in Ripley. We found many, but a few still eluded us. One in particular, Allen McKinnon, was the first person buried in Ripley.....but we found no sign of him. There was rumoured to be an older, pioneer cemetery near Ripley, however, so we set out on a quest to find it. I questioned the postmistress who thought there might be the remains of an old Presbyterian church just south and east of Ripley on the 6th Concession, so we set out. A farmer passing by us (we looked lost, so he stopped to help us) advised that his boys played at an old cemetery back in the bush.....he pointed the way, but didn't know any easy way to get to it. So we set out, walking the fields between rows of Soy Beans and Corn, and then followed a riverbank, crawling under a fence-gate, and then over an electrified fence, before we found the cemetery. Somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to preserve the remaining stones, and some are even restored.....but I'd be surprised if many people make it here, a little over a half-mile from any roads, and well-hidden in the bush.




Linda crawling under a gate to find the old Pioneer Cemetery







We found it, but none of our ancestors. From the looks of it, most of those interred here are Scots from the Lewis migration to Bruce. We had time to search the Lucknow cemetery, as well, and found a few more of our people there. Then it was time to camp for the night. So west and north we went, to the south edge of Kincardine, setting up camp in the Aintree Park, near Boiler Beach. We're to meet my brother here on Friday night, when he drives a camper in, and we will spend the weekend visiting, and seeing my aunt and uncle who still live here. This is also the weekend of the mass bands, when the Kincardine Pipe Band joins up with many other pipe bands for a Scottish extravaganza. I do happen to have a fair bit of Scottish blood in my veins, so a weekend of pipe bands sounds pretty good. We took a walk along the almost endless sands of Boiler Beach, before going to bed.
Friday morning we moved our tent to the site next to the one we'd stayed in, in preparation for meeting up with brother John in the evening. Then we headed south and east again, to find more cemeteries. It took us quite a while to find the one in Kinlough, where we were looking for ancestors of a cousin we'd offered to help......unfortunately, although we found the cemetery, most of the stones are gone or unreadable, and most of those we were looking for were unfindable. Whle searching for the cemetery, we'd stopped at Lois's Hairdressing Salon for directions, and got Linda a haircut. Then it was time to investigate the Kinloss Cemetery. You'd think that it would be in the village of Kinloss, but it isn't - it's actually the South Kinloss Presbyterian Cemetery, and it's in the north end of Lucknow. We had just arrived, and found the first of several ancestors we were trying to find, when the rain started. I don't mind walking in the rain, but the lettering on the headstones disappears when it's all wet - so we had to call it a day for that, and headed back to Kincardine. I called my Uncle Jack to invite him out to dinner, and he and his partner, Myla, asked us to come for a visit first. They live only a few blocks from the phone booth, so we were there in less than five minutes, and enjoyed a good visit. We ended up sharing a couple of wee drams, and got a pizza and wine for dinner. I also managed to hand off the audio books we'd been listening to in the car, as Jack, in his 90th year, is losing his eyesight, and I felt he might enjoy listening to some books. My aunt, Orlo, was away on vacation, but due back soon......so perhaps a bit later on we can get a visit with her. By 8PM it was time to head back to our campsite, to meet with brother John on his arrival. He rolled in with a beautiful big motorhome, and rolled out a big awning over the picnic table - at least we'd be able to eat and stay dry in the numerous rainshowers we were still getting - and which were forecast for the weekend.




Camping with John's Motorhome






By the time he was all set up, and we'd had a few beers and rum drinks over a catch-up, it was after 1AM, and time for bed, so we crawled off under our tarp for the night.
Saturday morning was still cloudy with occasional rainshowers, but we still managed to fit in a walk on the beach with the dogs, and to visit with John and Louise. We then piled into our car and headed into town, stopping for a visit with a family friend, Gordon Campbell, and then continuing on to the Legion for a few beers and to have a go at winning dinner through the Meat Draw. The beers went down well, and we got in touch with Uncle Jack, who walked over the two blocks to join us for a short time.



Visiting at the Legion with Louise, John, and Uncle Jack







Then back to our camp for a quick bite to eat (bbq'd hamburgers and salads), and back to town for the event of the summer - the mass bands. Kincardine has a very traditional Scottish air about it, and every Saturday in the summer, the Pipe Band marches down the main street and then throws a concert in the park. The last weekend of August, they host a Highland competition for Pipe Bands from all over, and in the Saturday evening, the bands mass together for a giant parade. In spite of the pouring rain, it was well attended by both bands and onlookers - likely about a thousand people lined the street and followed the huge band down the street and back, and listened to their selections. It took me back many years to the days I used to do the same thing. We managed to sleep very well that night in spite of the pouring rain. Sunday morning, the rain had not yet let up, and we huddled under John's awning for a bit of breakfast, then gathered up our tent from under the tarpaulin and got it put away without our bedding or foams getting too damp. The tent, however, was by then lying in a pool of water, as the ground had finally become saturated. Our next campsite will need to be dedicated to drying things off a bit. The showers finally abated, and John, Louise, Linda and I took the dogs to the beach for a romp, and then we packed up John's motorhome and bade them farewell.


Walking the dogs along Boiler Beach









We drove a couple of blocks to a small motel nearby, to reorganize and dry off, and catch up on laundry and internet. It is now August 31, and it appears we may need to occasionally do a motel to maintain our sanity, as fall is now approaching - and it wasn't exactly a great summer for camping! With a month of travelling left before arriving home, we will no doubt be in need of occasional comfort stops.....but the weather will dictate that more than anything.

One day at the archives was not nearly enough......so we returned for another day on Wednesday, followed by a visit to Brampton and a friend from the "old days", Carol.





Carol made us welcome in Brampton








We shared a pizza and beer before heading back to our Kamping Kabin again. Then again on Thursday, we spent the best part of the day scanning microfiche and getting what we could. By Thursday afternoon, however, we were at a point where anything further would require extensive time which we didn't have....so left that, and headed out, this time to Burlington, to visit cousins Ray and Susan, who'd invited us for dinner. We had a lovely visit and dinner with them, while a torrential downpour hit the area outside.


Cousins Ray and Sue in Burlington









It was then time to head back to St. Catharines, to sleep over at my brother John's house. My niece Kelcy was there, so we managed to get in a visit with Kelcy and her partner Shane. Friday morning was showery, and apparently the storms last night had become tornadoes in several areas of Ontario. We had a few projects......pick up my suit from the dry-cleaners, who were pressing it after being balled up in the Thule throughout the trip.......and pick up a blouse for Linda's new outfit - all in preparation for Saturday's wedding festivities. We had a lunch visit with Mom, as well.



visiting with Mom and brother John








With visits to the two main malls in St. Catharines we were able to find Linda a blouse, and then head out to Oakville, to meet up with Linda's cousin for dinner at a very nice restaurant. The waiters were very understanding about our slow speed of dining, as we were getting such a good visit with Diane and Steve. When we finally left, it was extremely coincidental to find that although we'd arrived about 20 minutes apart, in a very large parking lot we'd managed to park our cars beside each other!


Steve and Diane met us in Oakville for a pleasant visit and meal.








We drove back to St Catharines in time to take the dogs for a bit of a walk, before my brother arrived back from a Pink Floyd tribute concert. Time for a short drink/visit, and off to bed.
Saturday morning was one of the only dates we'd actually preplanned for the entire trip......so we left brother John's place in the morning to arrive at Port Colborne for late morning, to old buddies "Jaybee" and "Freddy", whose only daughter Jocelyne was being married this evening. We arrived in time to give Jaybee some meaningless advice for his Father of the Bride Speech, and then we all trooped out to the Niagara Parkway to attend the ceremonies.




The newlyweds with flower girl, Brooke









There was barely a dry eye in the church (did I tell you that I always cry at weddings?), and with Jocelyn and Jason all married off, we visited with some of Jaybee's pilot friends before heading out for a night of frivolities at the reception.





Jaybee and Freddie - proud parents!








Luckily, Jaybee had pre-arranged a limo for the drive home for the lot of us staying at his place, so we didn't need to worry about DUI problems. Arriving home, we managed to tuck into a few wee drams of scotch before actually calling it a night at 4AM. By 10AM we were sort of up and about, cooking up a storm of breakfast for the myriad people staying or dropping in, and by early afternoon we were off to pick up the cars and items left behind at the wedding the night before, and to visit a local airstrip, run by friends of Jaybee and Freddy. I was amazed to find an old friend sitting there, Leon, who'd been a flying instructor with me some 40 years ago. He'd just flown a Harvard in, and was chatting with a group of people there ....very nice to catch up again.
Back to the home in Pt. Colborne, for a pizza night, with beer and scotch (of course), and then an early sleep for all.
Monday morning we bade farewell to our friends, and drove across the Peace Bridge into Buffalo, NY (the only part of our trip in the USA), to visit with Linda's Aunt Ruth. Although she is over 90 years of age, she is more able, physically or mentally, than either myself or Linda. We went out for a lunch of Thai Food, and picked up a few groceries for dinner, then went back to her home for a visit. I was honoured to help her lay to rest the ashes of her beloved dog. It was a very nice visit, and made us appreciate that retired life really can be quite good for some time.
Tuesday morning found us back in Canada, westbound toward London, where we plan to visit some more graveyards in search of our family history. Enroute, we were able to meet up with cousin Sharon, who lives in London, but was travelling the opposite direction to us. But we at least got a catch-up over lunch, in Brantford, before continuing on and finding a mostly vacant KOA campground for our tent. It's been awhile since we've actually tented, as all of last week has been under a welcome roof....but the weather is fine, and forecast to remain so for at least a few days.
Being a Tuesday, this is also another day of reckoning, so here are our totals for Week 14:
Distance driven: 845.8 Km Gas: $101.52 Food: $216.41 Accommodation: $85.28 Other: $29.00 Total: $432.21 Almost $300.00 Under Budget for the week, thanks to generous accommodation and food help from friends and relatives, and less driving costs!

Into Southern Ontario

Holy Cow (or should that be wholly cow?)......a whole week just flew by, and NADA entered into the Blog! Sorry about that, to those of you following our trip. This entry, although it covers the entire week, will be rather short, but at least it will get us up to date again.
We had a cool night surrounded by fog from the St. Lawrence. The wifi didn't work at all here at "Rayon de Soleil" so nothing got uploaded on the blog. It was a nice bright sunny day, however, and we decided to push on past Montreal. By late morning we were crossing the St. Lawrence on a huge bridge, looking at the city of Montreal....but we continued on past it, heading for Ontario. We made a short stop in Cornwall, on the Ontario side of things, where I managed to find a barber and get a haircut which was badly needed - I was really getting into a "Bushman Look". Then on to Kingston, where we cruised along the waterfront, and made a quick lube stop (third oil change for the car so far). From here it was a short drive into the picturesque mill town of Spencerville, where we were able to track down a gt-uncle, Bert Jarrell, who was buried here, along with his family. Genealogy duties complete, we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone - the weather was definitely feeling summery (actually, quite warm and sunny) - and then continued a short distance to Mallorytown, where we pitched our tent for the night. From here I was able to contact some friends, Heinz and Marie, who live in Oshawa, and organized a visit for the following day.
In the morning, it was still summer, and threatening to continue for some time! We continued our westward trek, stopping for a memory-lane-moment in Port Darlington, Bowmanville, where we'd spent our first days together on our first boat, "Bronwen", a 37 ft Alberg which was our first home together, for 3 years. The place has changed a lot....not enough water for sailboats, and beer in the patio lounge priced for the upper-crust crowd (we had two draught beers for $16.00). Then it was a short hop into Oshawa, to visit our friends Heinz and Marie, who we'd first met in our Pt. Darlington days, and since remained good friends.



Heinz is showing us his woodwork.....Marie had already left for work.










We had a very nice visit into the night, and camped on their living room floor for the night. We saw Marie off to work in the morning, said our goodbyes to Heinz, and continued on through Toronto and around the Horseshoe at the end of Lake Ontario, into St. Catharines, to my brother John's home.






Pool cleaning and family bonding - brother John and myself.










This became our "base of operations" for the next few days, with visits with my brother and his partner, and my niece. My mom also lives in St. Catharines, so we also got in some serious family visiting time there. One evening, while walkiing the dogs (4 dogs at my brother's place), we had a "skunk encounter", and had to do a bit of dog-washing.


Brother John, Niece Elyse on de-skunking duties










My sister Marg, and her family, are going through a very rough period with Albert, my brother-in-law, and friend, being quite ill. We were able to get in a couple of short visits there, and nephew Jonathan managed to squeeze in a family dinner get-together for one evening which gave us a great chance for a catch-up and visit with much of my sister's family. Through these four days summer continued hot and sunny, and we managed to get a lot of quality family time in. As well, we managed to find Linda an outfit for the coming wedding, which we'll be attending next weekend in Pt. Colborne. And we also managed to get some preparation time in for our genealogy trek back to Toronto, to visit the archives.
Tuesday morning we headed back into Toronto, and found the Ontario Archives waiting for us at York University. It's a very modern and new building, and took us awhile to familiarize ourselves with the details of doing our research here. Due to the huge numbers of records here (Births, Marriages, Deaths, Wills, Property records, and County Histories) everything is indexed on microfiche, and to find anything takes a process which is a bit time-consuming, but reasonably efficient. We managed to find a number of our ancestral records, but left by early afternoon because of the rush hour traffic. About 45 minutes west of the city we set up camp near Milton, in a KOA Kamping Kabin (possible thundershowers and we needed more room for organizing the records than a tent could provide). Having another blown budget for the week, we decided " What the Hell" anyways, and had our dinner at a local pub, before adding up our final figures for the week:
Distance driven: 1487.9 KM Gas: $ 153.47 Food: $ 418.50 Accommodation: $ 90.01 Other: $ 91.29 Total:$ 753.27 Another over-budget week!

Goodbye to the Maritimes

Monday morning we woke up to steady, solid rain. It was a bit of a challenge to dismantle the bedding and tent under the tarp to keep it from getting wet, but managed - then breakfast in a camp shelter. By 0815 we were driving out of the Park, heading for Hopewell Rocks. On cue, the rain started, and we continued to this geologic wonder under cloudy skies. Reddish-coloured sandstone cliffs with caves, and pillars carved by the tides, which are quite high, are the attraction here. We walked to the site of Flowerpot Island, walking on the seabed, and continued along the trails, viewing the caves and arches etched out of the shoreline. Our timing was good, as we'd managed to arrive at low tide, when all was uncovered for a few hours.





Hopewell Rocks





By 1100 we were heading back to our car, and managed to find a phone where we could phone back to Victoria to chat with our friend and financial advisor, Keith - all seems well on that side of things. From Hopewell, we continued north to Moncton, where we were able to find some groceries, and a new regulator for our BBQ. Then south and west, through Petitcodiac. We had to phone our friend Ambi from there to get directions, and determined the best way to find him was to meet him someplace. He suggested we wait for him in Elgin, which we did.....and yes, it IS that small that we needed no further directions as to where in Elgin. Ambi drove up a couple of minutes after our arrival, with his three dogs in the car, looking just like we always remember him.





Ambi with his 3 dogs








His post office is in Elgin, so we dropped in there to get our address book which had arrived there, thanks to Gord in Sydney forwarding it for us. Then we followed Ambi along some winding country roads back to his home. After getting settled, we took the dogs for a run, and then repaired our barbecue with the replacement regulator - thankfully, Ambi had all the correct size tools for the job. We were then able to use the barbecue to make dinner and visit.







2 old buddies visiting











Tuesday morning was another cloudy day, but considering it had rained most of the night, that was fine with us. We packed up our things, and bade farewell to Ambi, and his dogs Dulcie, Jethro, and Shadow, and his friend Gary who'd dropped in for a coffee. It would be quite possible to spend many more days in New Brunswick, but time now dictates a drive to get to Ontario in time for our friends' wedding, and to complete some genealogy, and visit friends and family. So today we forgo the back roads and take to the main highways, west and northbound, past Fredericton. We took a short detour about 30 KM northwest of Fredericton to view another of the world's "est" things - in this case, the world's largest Axe. It stands over 49 feet above the St. John River, and is built from several tons of stainless steel. Having done that, we continued enroute, stopping for a short lunch at Tim Horton's, and passing the World's longest Covered Bridge (yup....still in New Brunswick!) in Hartland. The goal here is to continue out of New Brunswick, and a short way into Quebec, which will make a fairly long day of over 500 KM (long for us, at least). Then another long day for Wednesday through Quebec, to get closer to our scheduled timing for Southern Ontario. By 1700 we had crossed over the border from NB to Quebec, via Edmunston, and picked up some food for dinner, then continued on to Riviere du Loup, on the St. Lawrence River. We turned west again along the south shore of the river, and found a campground about 25 KM west of Riviere du Loup. By crossing into Quebec, we'd moved from Atlantic to Eastern time zone, so gained an hour, and were cooking our supper by 1800. The site has wifi, so with any luck we can upload this Blog and stay current for yet another day. Being a Tuesday, we have yet another day of reckoning, and again we will be over our budget, mainly because of the ferry to St. John (I know I've been maligning the cost of ferries lately, but it can sure wreak havoc on a tight budget!). We also treated ourselves to a couple of meals out, and bought a regulator for the barbecue. So for this, week 12 of our trip, the totals are as follows:
Distance driven: 1608.3 KM Gas: $ 187.18 Food: $ 350.67 Accommodation: $ 174.06 Other: $ 269.04 Total: $980.95 This week we were over budget by almost $281.00!

Fundy Sunday

The ferry thing worked! Just off St. John, New Brunswick, the wifi speed increased to a speed where I could upload the Blog and a few pictures. There was just enough time to get that done, pack the computer away, and jump in the car to get off. The ferry, although leaving on time, had to wait outside St. John Harbour for a while for an outbound cruiseship, so we arrived a bit late - just as the sun was setting. That made finding our campground interesting, as we don't know our way around the town at all. The campsite is in the city itself, on a hill and beside a lake, overlooking the city. Quite picturesque. They don't take reservations- not that we were in the habit of making them, but for a Saturday night, we were a bit concerned about finding a vacant spot. No problem.....we found the place, and set up (it took a bit longer, as we'd reconfigured our car for the ferry crossing and put the Thule car-carrier inside, due to overheight costs). But we'd eaten our sandwiches on the ship, so had lots of time. It turned out to be a fine campground, with all the amenities one could wish for, and a view, for 30% less than the previous evening. We didn't spend a lot of time in St. John, however, as the Reversing Falls struck us as a version of several of the tidal bores we have on the West Coast, and to time the reversal from the tide, we'd have to spend half a day there, waiting.....otherwise it would just be water flowing one way or the other.

St. John






The other sights of the town would not be available on a Sunday, so we headed out of town, bound for the Fundy National Park. On the way, we passed the village of St Martin, with sea caves gouged out of the red sandstone cliffs.




St. Martin Shoreline








We also passed our first covered bridge, something the area has lots of. We walked the shore at low tide, and viewed the caves from the seabed we were walking on.


A covered bridge, and low tide for the boats










Then, a short time later, we were passing the town of Sussex, which has over 16 covered bridges in the county (more than half within a 12 kilometre radius of the town). We stopped here for a bite of lunch at (you guessed it....Tim Horton's), and then a grocery store for tonight's dinner feast. Sussex also claims to be the place where Ice Cream Cones were invented, accidentally, when a bad batch of dough turned to hard, crispy pastry and baker Walter Donelly went next door to the ice cream parlour. Being a hard-core ice-cream lover, I was determined to find an ode to this event, but couldn't.....until, a short time out of town, we came across a sign advertising home-made ice cream. I had to stop and check it out, and discovered the best ice cream I've ever tasted, albeit a bit expensive ($5.00 for a single scoop cone). Mr McCabe, who made the ice cream, was an interesting fellow in his own right, as he chatted to us about politics and history. He had email attestations to his ice cream from all over the world, as well as interesting pictures of mummies and photos of reliefs from the ruins of Persepolis (ancient Iran). When I commented about one of the relief characters looking like the Gnome from Travelocity, he gave us a very interesting and educational lecture on the lost tribes of Israel, and how the reliefs shows historic proof of the actual nature of the people called "Scythians" . The ice cream was well worth the price, and the rest of the visit was worth much more!





We must be in New Brunswick....another covered bridge!










Following this entertaining stop, we continued on our route, ending up at Fundy National Park, setting up camp for the evening, and then hiking along several of the area trails. The views from the park are very panoramic and inspiring.

View from Point Wolfe Campground in Fundy Park









We took a short drive to the village of Alma, where we found we could get wifi, so on the way out tomorrow,we will upload this next segment of the Blog on our way to Hopewell Rocks, which are sandstone sculptures and islands which become accessible from the seabed at low tide. Then we will leave Fundy, travelling inland to visit with our friend Glen, AKA Ambi. We are running out of time for our committments in Ontario, so following that, the plan is to start leaping westward into Ontario to visit family and friends, and attend a wedding in Pt. Colborne.

Farewell to Nova Scotia

Thursday morning saw us driving southbound along the South Shore of Nova Scotia, in and out of fog, until late morning. That gave us a lovely clear view of Chester Basin, where we stopped and walked around the village, admiring the numerous sailboats in the harbour (many of them schooners), and the beautiful real estate in the town.



Chester Basin....We think the schooner in the background may be "Bluenose II".






From the looks of the realtors' windows, the prices, compared to home, are extremely reasonable for property.....almost tempting enough to think about selling off on the west coast, and purchasing some waterfront here, and still have a bit left over for investing, or blowing. But.....we happen to be seeing this lovely place on a warm sunny day. The fog is just offshore, and winter here would certainly find me gone south, and broke again. So realism has set in, and saved me from turning myself into a Maritimer!
We also liked the looks of Mahone Bay, another fine-looking east coast village, with numerous sailing and realty opportunities. We are still settling for the sights, instead. We continued on to Lunenburg Harbour, and walked the town, admiring the old village which has been retro-restored, and is very nautical in every way. I think, perhaps, that it has gone maybe a bit too touristy now, and I preferred Mahone Bay or Chester....but still liked the town.



Tall Ship "Concordia", in Lunenburg









When we got as far as Bridgewater, we stopped for a late lunch, and I tried to telephone a friend, Heather, who has moved to this area, and we maintain a Facebook relationship. No luck with the phone number, however, so we continued on, past Liverpool, which seems to be famous for its Outhouse Museum. We didn't stay for that, however, and continued a short way beyond, for a campsite at White Point Beach. The proprietor there was very friendly, and the rates reasonable. We were the only tent there, and had much of the place to ourselves, so availed ourselves in getting caught up on laundry, email (sorry - didn't get the Blog done), and a fine fondue for dinner. The weather forecast had been for clear conditions, so we hadn't put our tarp out, but during the early morning (0300) a rainshower started up, and we had to quickly set up the tarp. By morning, however, the weather was again clear, and we packed up and continued around the southern end of the province.
About an hour into our Friday morning drive, we reached the village of Shelburne, which has a complex of 4 museums, all placed along a pretty waterfront. We wandered the streets and took the museum tours, becoming more impressed by the minute by this lovely village. The Dory museum is the last surviving dory-building place in the area, and was very interesting and educational.



Building dorys in Shelburne









There was also a shipbuilding museum, an old Store, and a County Historical Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Shelburne, and would recommend this as a stop for visitors to NS. We then continued on past the furthest point South in the Canadian Maritimes, Cape Sable Island and Shag Harbour, whose principal claim to fame seems to be its geographical location and a UFO sighting/crash (maybe?) in 1967. We decided to pass this by, and continued on to Yarmouth on the southwest portion of the Nova Scotia Peninsula, and the beginning of the Acadian Shores area of the province. The town seemed to us to be on hard times, mostly a blue-collar town which has become poor. So we decided to continue even further on (this had originally been our destination for the day), and drove along a fog-shrouded highway, northbound again, on the west side of the province. We broke out of the fog about 40 KM south of Digby, and determined that this would become our new destination for the day. As we approached the town, however, a motorcycle in front of us started weaving (saddlebags were shifting), and wiped out ahead of us. We had to stop, and assisted with traffic control until the fire/ambulance/police people showed up. The female passenger on the bike had been quite badly mashed in the accident, but we cannot say how bady she was hurt....no reports on the radio since. When we finally arrived at Digby, the campsite we were aiming for was already full, due to "Scallop Days" celebrations.....so we wandered along a bit further, and found ourselves crossing over the Annapolis River, to Annapolis Royal, and a very nice campsite at Parkers Cove. On our way across the river, we stopped to look at a Tidal Power Plant, which collects the tidewater on the rise, and then spills it out over the next five-six hours to drive Hydro turbines. Our campsite, however, now becomes the most expensive site we've come across. For $5.00 more than the other expensive one, it was quite clean and had a view, with limited wireless, but still seems quite overpriced. We still had a good night, however, and enjoyed watching the sun set over the Bay of Fundy for this, our last night in Nova Scotia.



Linda watching a Fundy Sunset












Low tide in a Fundy Harbour










Saturday morning we only had a short drive to get back to Digby, where we'd reserved a ferry to St. John, New Brunswick for the afternoon. In the meantime, we were able to enjoy the festivities of "Scallop Days", and even sprung for a Scallop Lunch at a local diner. MMMMMmmmmmmmmm. We wandered through the various displays along the waterfront, and admired the beautiful views offered by the Basin.



The Scallop Fleet in Digby









We saw the Scallop Queen getting ready for the parade (couldn't stay for the parade, though.....we had a ferry to catch), and watched kids vieing for a new bike in a contest on the waterfront where the children would try to race across some lobster crates in the water (kind of like log burling). By three PM, however, we were waiting for our ferry,and finally boarded at 1600. A motorcycle waiting in the lineup had an interesting rig.....a small tent trailer, to which he had bicycles attached, and camping chairs, etc....amazing how much stuff he was carrying, and all with a bike! I write this section of the blog from the ferry, as we cross back west to New Brunswick. Hopefully we can upload enroute, and then continue the Blog later on from points west.

Back to Genealogy, and Halifax

Our Stillwater campsite was quiet, and when we woke up, we were shrouded in fog.....apparently a common enough thing on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia. We continued our drive on the Eastern Shores, heading toward Halifax. We wound along numerous inlets which, we are told, are extremely beautiful when you can see them. By late morning, we could start enjoying the islands and bays, as the fog burned off. By 12:30 we were entering Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax. Our maps were too general for travel within the city, so we followed the "?" signs into town, and parked beside the tourist information centre in downtown Dartmouth. The woman here was able to supply us with maps and general tourist information, as well as directions to the Nova Scotia Archives, in downtown Halifax. This was our next stop, where we spent the rest of the afternoon searching microfiche files for long-lost ancestors, or clues to their lives. Pre 1850 records are scarce for birth records, marriage records, and baptisms, but we were able to search some old Church records, and finally sorted out (maybe, I think, possibly) the Cape Breton origin of our McKinnon forebears, when we found a baptism for Archibald McKinnon in River Inhabitants, in Cape Breton. The rest of the family remained elusive right until they closed the doors on us. An old friend and workmate (originally we worked together in Vancouver and Comox Coast Guard) had invited us to stay and visit, so we headed north of town to visit with Christine. With a barbecue chicken and salads from Superstore, we arrived ready for dinner, and had a wonderful visit with Christine, and her rottweiler Mason. The following morning, by the time we got up, Christine was already gone to work, so we said goodbye to Mason and headed back into town for more archival research. This time, we managed to find some more data on the Finlayson and McKay lines, and felt we had exhausted much of our ready research opportunities......anything else would take weeks of digging. So it was time to pack in the genealogy, and make like a tourist for a bit. We planned to hit a few highlights and then start heading out of town.



A variety of water traffic on Halifax harbour, including a cruiseship and Theodore Tugboat.






But being already afternoon, we found ourselves dawdling along the waterfront, and took a tour at the Keith's Brewery, who have a presentation which was to us reminiscent of the tunnel tours in MooseJaw, but with beer.



This young lady knows how to show off a brewery!











We also availed ourselves of our National Historic Sites Pass, and visited the Citadel, taking in a tour by a fellow ostensibly guarding the fort, and dressed as a member of the 19th Century 78th Highland Regiment. A very interesting tour. I even learned that a full dress kilt is actually made up from 9 yards of material, and is the source of the term "the full nine yards".






This was our guide through the Citadel











I also learned that Halifax has the highest number of pubs per capita of any city in the world - my kind of town (when I'm not on such a strict budget, that is), and a statistic the Haligonians are very proud of!
HMCS Sackville, last remaining Corvette.
This is the same type ship my uncle, Jack, sailed during WW2.



We pulled ourselves away from town finally at 1800, so not really much time to head much further south. So we found a campsite just outside of town, and settled in for the evening just outside of Hammonds Plains. The campsite is pleasant enough, and even has wifi so that I can update the blog again.....but it also has the dubious distinction of being (so far) the most expensive one we've run across in all of Canada. At just over $36.00 for a tent, it surpasses even some of the more expensive KOA sites by over 30%. And speaking of finances, yesterday was a Tuesday, so time to Reckon Up the budget for last week, week 11.
Distance driven: 1,342 Km. Gas: $134.00 Food: $ 236.46 Accommodation: $ 195.00 Other: $ 524.71 (includes $509 for Nfld ferry!). Total: $ 1090.17 So, with the ferry costs added in, this week was WAY over budget! It'll be interesting at the end of the trip to see if we've been able to save enough in other weeks to even things out.

On to the Mainland

The suite in Ile aux Morts turned out to be quite nice....we even got to watch a bit of t.v., and caught up on laundry, while it poured rain outside. In the morning we headed into Port Aux Basques, to get some banking done, exchange the books we'd finished reading (at a used-book store), and even found a deal on a belt for Linda, as she seems to be losing a bit of weight, as well! The public library has good wifi, so we got caught up on internet news/email....but the blog wasn't nearly ready for upload, so we left that for a bit. Then, as the day turned bright and sunny,we explored out to the end of the road to the south, visiting the Rose Blanche area, with a very nice fishing village, a lighthouse (in and out of the fog), and a restaurant with a reputation for great seafood. So we had a fisherman's platter, a huge dish of seafood, which we were able to share and still feel completely full. Then a walk around the village, and back down the road we went.


Fishing Village Rose Blanche







The town of Burnt Island was another interesting small fishing village, and we stopped and walked around there for a bit. We took a turn off to visit the "Harvey Trail", and discovered the story of a local hero, George Harvey, who had settled in the area in the early 1800's. In 1827 he, his daughter, and his dog were able to save 166 people from a foundering ship offshore. Ten years later, he did the same thing, saving another twenty-some people (lots of rocks and fog and wind in the area, making shipwrecks a fairly common occurrence in the area. George had rowed out in a 12 foot dory, in near hurricane force winds to save nearly 200 people - quite an amazing accomlishment, and he is remembered here with a very nice trail named in his honour, and a celebration (this weekend) called "Harvey Days".



I'm demonstrating how small a 12 foot dory is!







It was impossible to get any updated information on the ferry problems, as the Atlantic Marine lines were totally clogged. We were able to renew our housekeeping suite for another night, so continued to have a roof over our heads. By 11Pm I was able to get an estimated time of departure for our 0830 ferry, now rescheduled for 1300. So we were able to sleep in a bit, and still get there in time for a check-in 2 hours prior to the ferry.
The following morning (Saturday, Aug 1) it was pouring buckets, and we were grateful for the roof again. We made the ferry terminal in time for our 11AM checkin, and then waited, as the ferry got delayed several times, and finally boarded at 1530, got underway at 1630. It was a smooth crossing, and we had a very nice visit enroute, with Bonnie and her husband Rollie Thornhill. The ferry tried to make up for lost time and made the run in 4 hours, so we were able to pick up a pizza in North Sydney and arrive at Zad's home in Sydney by 2200. We had a visit with Zad and hit the sack.
August 2 was a very sunny, hot day. After helping Zad organize his bbq to his porch, we headed out to Dairy Queen for a decadent lunch. Later in the afternoon, Dave and his wife Ann dropped in, and we enjoyed a wonderful Barbecue and a visit. I'd worked with both Zad and Dave at the Coast Guard College some 14 years previously, so we had lots of things to catch up on.
Monday morning was another misty, and rainy event, but we headed out bright and early, following the east side of Bras D'Or Lake to St. Peters and then crossing the Canso Causeway back off Cape Breton Island, and onto mainland Nova Scotia. We'd decided to stay off the main roads still, and headed along the Eastern Shore road, which winds along some very scenic pieces of geography - back and forth along inlets, some of them very rocky, others covered in trees or farms. Fog occasionally rolled in along the seashore, and added to the atmosphere. Just before arriving in the village of Canso, we discovered a dedication to Prince Henry Sinclair of Orkney, who'd apparently arrived here in 1398......almost 100 years before Columbus and John Cabot arrived in the New World. His story isn't well known, but apparently is well documented. He landed with 12 ships and 200 men, and explored into Massachussets and Rhode Island, as well as the Fundy coast of Nova Scotia. Who Knew?????
I found the story quite fascinating.

Story of Prince Henry Sinclair








We did stop at Canso for a visit to the historic site (Green Island), but with the rain, decided to press on a bit, so stopped for a lunch of chowder, and then continued along the scenic Eastern Shore. By 1600 it was time to find a campsite, and picked a quiet spot in Stillwater. Then into the neighbouring village of Sherbrook for a bit of dinner, and a hotspot for wifi. The Main Street Cafe had both, and while eating our dinner, we discovered via email that we'd forgotten our precious address book at Zad's. Our friend Ambi happened to be online, and we got his mailing address, and forwarded that on to Zad....so hopefully it will arrive there in New Brunswick by the time we get there. In the meantime, I'll be suffering the Evil Eye from Linda for leaving the book out. Surprisingly, we'd put in almost 400 Km today, so after a short hike around the campgrounds and lake, we hit the sack early.