Nova Scotia - Southern Coast

Sometimes the best things are unexpected. After leaving Moncton late Monday morning (9/29), we drove toward Nova Scotia. It was still overcast, but we enjoyed the scenery. The AAA guidebook mentioned the Lefebvre Monument in Memramcook, and it seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. The side road to Memrancook was under construction and very muddy, but what a treat lay at the end! In the museum building we watched a superb 40-minute video describing the deportation of the Acadians by the British in 1755. It was a story that was hard to watch, vividly portraying how the "French neutrals" were expelled suddenly from their homes and land, their families torn apart, packed on ships and sent to destinations as far apart as Virginia and France.

After lunch, the drive through the Memramcook Valley was beautiful, with diked marshes and much fall color. The roads, however, continued to be awful. Our destination was Wayside Camping Park in Glen Margaret, just west of Halifax, not far from Peggy's Cove. The coastal scenery was lovely, the campground not so good. At least the rain had stopped, and I was able to spray the camper clean of the mud we'd picked up during our drive.

On Tuesday, 9/30, after a rainy night, we drove toward Halifax, stopping first at Peggy's Cove. We had an interesting chat there with a gift shop owner about the financial problems of local fishermen. She was very discouraged. We stopped at Shaw's Landing to eat. "Breakfast or lunch?", inquired the hostess. "Lunch!", we replied. Only on our way to Halifax did Lynn realize she'd mis-read her watch. We'd stopped to eat at 11:00, not 12:00. In Halifax, we spent 2 hours at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and learned about the Halifax explosion of 1917. After a coffee break, we walked to the Citadel for an excellent tour. Heading back to camp, we stopped for a fish 'n chips dinner and grocery shopping.

The camper door had been sticking and was getting worse. While in Halifax, Lynn called Dave Michaels to see about having "his guy" rebend our frame. We got a date for 10/14 in Manchester NH.

Since we didn't like our Glen Margaret campground, we headed for the Fundy shore a day early (10/1). Our route took us along some lovely coastal towns west of Halifax. In Mahone Bay, we saw a caravan of antique Fords. The drivers were from California and had flown to Portland ME (while their cars were shipped east) for a 10-day tour. In Lunenberg, we had lunch and took a walking tour. The Victorian architecture was wonderful, and we were intrigued with the "Lunenberg bumps" over many front doors. There was also a spectacular Anglican church that had been nearly destroyed by fire in 2001 and then accurately reconstructed.

On the map, route 10 across the province looked like a logical choice. The road, however, was AWFUL. The rough pavement often made us slow to 30 mph. Once in the Annapolis Valley, we checked out 3 campgrounds before deciding on bay-side Parker's Cove. Only 2 other site were occupied. We popped the camper to find everything topsy-turvey. Lynn had forgotten to bungee the cabinet drawers, which ended up on the floor. That wasn't as bad as what we found next - liquid laundry soap all over the rear baggage area! The lid hadn't been tight, and about 1/2 of a new jug has leaked out. For an hour, Lynn mopped and Forrest rinsed. Thank goodness we had a water hookup! The delay meant a late supper, but the restaurant was delightful - "Sweet Secret" in Granville Center, with a Croatian owner and very European. Back at the campground, Lynn did the "pre-soaped" laundry while Forrest showered. Rain was forecast, but the sky was beautiful - full of stars, with the Milky Way fully visible.

After dumped drawers and spilled soap, we thought we were home free. But bad things come in threes. We had a perfectly miserable night with sustained winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 50. Lynn thought the camper might be blown into the bay and spent the night with one eye on the awning. In the night, she even moved the car to provide a wind break. At daybreak, we took down the awning and tried to get some more sleep. It rained hard all morning, so after more laundry (sheets) and lunch, we went back to bed until mid-afternoon when the rain let up. We drove into Annapolis Royal and down to Victoria Beach across from Digby Cut. We had supper in a small cafe and rented "The Bucket List" to watch back at camp. The wind was still blowing, but not as hard.

Friday dawned clear and CALM! We visited Port Royal Habitation and Fort Anne, then had lunch and stopped at the Internet cafe. In the afternoon, we drove to Grand Pre where we saw an excellent exhibit about the Acadian dykes. We bought some gift wine at a local winery and went back to Annapolis Royal for supper and rented another video - "No Reservations". More &*@*^$* wind in the night!

10/4 - Saturday. It was still windy this morning, but we folded the camper anyway, drove into Digby, located the ferry, then went into town for a delicious scallop lunch. Lynn needed a haircut and got an unexpectedly good one. In line for the ferry, we were hailed by a couple from NC who saw our VA plates. We visited with them throughout a VERY rough crossing. Lynn sat on deck with her eyes fixed on the horizon. The crew chained trucks below deck and we were 30 min late into Saint John because of the wind. We set up camp at Rockwood Park - very definitely "city park" camping, much like a large parking lot.

10/5 - Sunday. The morning was beautiful but cool - in the 50s. We drove the Fundy Trail from St. Michaels to Big Salmon Interpretive Center. The views were gorgeous and we combed the Big Salmon beach for cobbles. Lunch was chowder at The Caves Restaurant by the sea caves. In the afternoon, we did errands - groceries, propane, laundry - and had supper at the camper. A good day!

10/6 - Monday. Headed back to the US today. We stopped in St. Andrews and had lunch at Kingsbrae Gardens - lovely! At St. Stephens, we visited the Ganong Chocolate Museum. We crossed the border at Calais and drove toward Bangor. The fall color was beautiful. We stopped at the Red Barn Campground and decided to stay rather than go to Bangor.

10/7 - Tuesday. An easy day, sunny, and temperatures in the low 60s. In the morning we went to the Coles Transportation Museum in Bangor - good, but not great. After lunch in town and a nap at camp, we drove to Searsport and visited a fabulous coppersmith. We had supper in the camper and watched the presidential debates before bed.

10/8 - Wednesday. Another beautiful day - perfect for Bar Harbor. After breakfast at the campground diner, we drove to the island, had coffee in town, and walked the Ocean Path. Lunch was chowder at Chowdah's Restaurant, then Forrest napped while Lynn browsed the shops. We walked along the Shore Path in town, took a 5-mile bike ride around "Witches Hole", then drove up Cadillac Mt. to see the sunset. Great view, but just a ho-hum sunset. We had a late supper at the Lobster Pound, bought groceries in Ellsworth and got "home" in time for showers before bed.

10/9 - Thursday. Today we drove to Saco ME - a very picturesque route. Per the advice of an Aliner friend, we had lunch at Moody's Diner in Waldoboro. We loved all the beautiful little towns along the route, like Camden. There was some fall color, but not peak. We got to the KOA in mid-afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to set up and get supper. In the evening, we drove to LL Bean in Freeport. Our "quick stop" turned into a 2-hour ordeal, but we got lots of Christmas shopping done.

10/10 - Friday. Had a lazy morning and did laundry, before taking a drive to Old Orchard Beach. Supper tonight was lobster at Two Lights Lobster Shack - good, but not quite up to the standard of our favorite lobster pound near Bar Harbor. We also saw Portland Head Light - beautiful and deserves a return visit. Afterwards, we drove around Maine Mall. Not all it's cracked up to be, and about the same as a big mall at home.

10/11 - Saturday. After breakfast, we headed for the Kennebunks. We had a wonderful trolley tour of the area (including a view of the Bush compound at Walkers Point), and had lunch in Kennebunkport. We drove along the coast, stopping at the Rachel Carson Refuge where there was a lovely 1-mile walk. On to Ogunquit where we walked the Marginal Way. The weather today was gorgeous, and we couldn't believe the crowds. What must it be like in August?!

10/12 - Sunday. Today we went back to Portland Head light in the morning and visited the museum. Very well done, and many more people than we saw there on Friday. We had lunch at Becky's in Portland (crowded!) and took an afternoon trolley tour of the city. It was cool and sunny, but the tour was not as good as the one in Kennebunkport. After the tour, we drove to the DeLorme Map Store in Yarmouth and saw the world's largest revolving globe. Amazing! After supper at camp, we did more laundry and got ready to leave in the morning.

10/13 - Monday. Our short drive from Portland to Bedford NH included an early lunch at "Betty's Kitchen". We arrived at the Michaelses' about 12:30 and were treated to a tour of their beautiful home. Dave's basement was a DIY-er's paradise! After Dave did some preliminary installation of stabilizing roof latches on our Aliner, we took Dave and Heather to supper at Outback.

10/14 - Tuesday. Frame-straightening day! The process, though nerve-wracking for Lynn, took only an hour-plus for a bill of $190. It did the trick. Back at the Michaelses', Dave finished up the roof latches and worked on adjusting the camper door to eliminate the rubbing on the sill. It took re-hanging the lower door but he finally solved the problem. We left Bedford about 1:30 and drove to the Newburg NY KOA, arriving late. We set up about 6:30, in the dark, and had supper.

10/15 - Wednesday. Went as far as Front Royal VA. The fall color was beautiful and the temperatures were in the low 80s. We had a good book on tape, so the day went quickly. We came full circle, staying in the same CG we had used on our first night out last last month. We listened to the presidential debates on the radio before turning in.

10/16 - Thursday. Arrived home about 1:30 after lunch at our favorite cafeteria in Roanoke. We unpacked the car and camper, sorted mail, and did laundry. Had pizza supper with Abbie and Geoff and the boys and distributed souvenirs. It's good to be home!

Total trailer miles = 3135; car miles = 4850. Since we bought it in June 2004, we've put 24,111 miles on the Aliner and have slept in it for 123 nights. That's 4 months!