in the POD - sort of

grounded

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Well, things did not turn out perfectly. 

The POD was diagnosed with a "failure of the coach disconnect" - which basically meant that we needed a part which had to be ordered from and installed by a licensed Roadtrek dealer. We called the nearest one @ 2 hours away.  And they could not help us, because ......and I am NOT making this up.... they had just recently been burned to the ground. Everything gone. They had their technicians on the road doing "house" calls - but it would take at least a week to get the part. 

Ugh.

We punted.

We still needed to check out the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax to try and find information on my grandmother. I found us a B&B in Lunenburg - @ 1 hr south of Halifax - a stop that was on our list of places to go. We needed to get some of Nova Scotia in before we folded! 

So glad that we made this choice!! 

The Pelham House B&B was just perfect. On a quiet street above the bay, this 4 room inn was a welcoming host. We snagged the last room available - the 2 room suite that looked out over the harbor. David and Michael, the hosts, were gracious and inviting and Harry, their dog, made the rounds at breakfast. We could not have imagined a better place to land - needing showers and a bit of pampering...... we allowed the sea breezes to wash over us as we lounged on the day bed. 

Once revived we were able to explore the town.

Pelham House B&B

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

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As we walked down to the harbor we spied Ironworks Distillery - Honest, I DID NOT know this was here! They specialize in spirits made from fruit - not grain! - and all sourced locally. Their vodka is made from apples and they have a delicious group of liqueurs; blueberry, raspberry, cranberry and rhubarb. Everything was delicious but the vodka was unique with a very rich, almost butterscotch flavor to it. We sampled everything and we left with a bottle of vodka, rum and a rhubarb esprit!

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Ironworks Distillery

Lunenburg, NS

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Also - I have to say, without a fault - EVERYONE we encountered on this entire trip was SO friendly and interesting! No matter what situation we met them in; whether they be Canadians traveling to the area from other parts of the country, business owners, service people, parks workers, EVERYONE was honestly nice! 

Just putting that out there.

There was an article recently (cannot remember where or who wrote it) that stated - "had it not been for the American Revolution...... we could have been Canada." 

Worth considering right now. 

Lunenburg from the dock, seafood chowder, lobster rolls, 

and local beer, a small marina

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Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Easily walkable it is the best surviving example of a planned British settlement still standing in North America. The central harbor has the Bluenose II schooner on display as well as the Museum of Fisheries. The town is filled with great art galleries and small shops and restaurants. At each of the places we dined we enjoyed great seafood and local craft beer. For those that prefer wine - we were told that the Annapolis Valley, the central spine of NS, has become quite the wine region. We had originally planned to drive though that area but the POD was turning into a rolling dumpster - no refrigeration, no water and no way to empty the holding tanks......

We needed to move on.

Lunenburg Harbor and the Bluenose II, a famous schooner

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It would be a two day trek to get home. Tim had called a Roadtrek dealer in MA earlier and they were ordering the part we needed and would have it in by mid week. We said goodbye to Lunenburg and drove north to Halifax. Halifax is a small city on the water - kind of like Boston in many ways.  We drove around a bit to get a feel for it - realizing that we really want to return - however, our goal was Pier 21: The Canadian Museum of Immigration. The museum houses the Scotiabank Family History Centre, a free reference service to help you trace your family's immigration story. Literally as we walked in a young woman greeted us, asked what we were looking for and took us over to her computer to begin researching. She probably spent 20 minutes with us but realized that "little" Mary was an enigma and that it was going to take someone with more time to wrestle this information out of the unknown. She gave me the contact information of their full time researchers, whose job it is to uncover the difficult searches. I was no closer to finding Nana's immigration story but I actually felt okay. Maybe the full time researchers could help and maybe her father never declared her in Canada either?! Kind of love the mystery of it all..... 

Mary Lucci Spadafora: Off The Grid.

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The museum itself was quite interesting and located on a pier overlooking the harbor, but my favorite part was the special exhibit, Canada: Day 1. Filled with archival images and audio the exhibit  relates newcomer experiences on their first day of arrival in Canada from the turn of the century through the present. Included in this is a series of original pieces of art created by Canadian artists who were once immigrants. They were breathtaking and moving.

a wall in the exhibit Canada: Day 1

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And then, sadly and a week too early, we headed home. 

What did we love about this trip and what would bring us back? 

Cape Breton is gorgeous! The coastline is wild and raw with views as dramatic as the Amalfi coast, and the color of the water is AMAZING! - as blue/green as the Caribbean. Traveling early in the season, while a bit cold at times, was perfect. The mountains were all shades of yellow and green as the newly dressed deciduous trees vied for attention among the pines. And all the pines!! It smelled like Christmas everyday!! 

The entire maritime area - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick - is covered with lakes, streams, rivers and waterfalls of all sizes and all of them beautiful. The different sounds each of them  made and how cold they were will stay with me. I think Tim recorded each and every one....

The high tides in the Bay of Fundy were awe inspiring and CRAZY! It is difficult to imagine until you actually see it - and so happy that we did. 

Of course, the seafood was to die for. P.E.I and Aspy oysters, sweet bay scallops, fresh haddock and cod, maple smoked salmon and lobster rolls that were, basically, the meat of an entire lobster stuck in a grilled bun. Not to mention all the craft beers we discovered - either at a restaurant or by visiting the brewery itself (Big Spruce Brewing in Baddeck (!!!) and Garrison Brewing in Halifax).

And again, I will mention the people. Friendly, welcoming, and oh so agreeable to talk to. And yes, politics was discussed..... a lot.

Museum of Fisheries

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

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We will go back at some point. It's only 12 hours away. One overnight stop. I now want to go to Prince Edward Island and (possibly) Newfoundland.

in the POD - Cape Breton....interrupted

Ingonish, Cape Breton

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Spring is just arriving here - the forsythia is blooming, tulips have emerged but not fully open, and the deciduous trees, that are scattered thru the pines, spruce and fir are budding....no leaves yet. According to some locals we have met, we have hit a perfect week - the weather, averaging in the mid 40's/low 50's during the day, is mostly clear skies when this time of year it is most often foggy. The "season" has barely begun, many shops and restaurants are not yet open, but we can see signs of local establishments readying themselves for what lies ahead.

And this is how we like it!

On top of Broad Cove Mountain. Basically 44 "flights" up!

Cape Breton National Park

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Our campground at Broad Cove, on the eastern side of the Cape, which has over 200 slots - currently has 6 camping parties in residence. Our stay here will be for 3 nights after which we will move on to the other side of the park.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park covers @ 400 square miles of rugged coastline, soaring highlands, and deep river canyons of streams, rivers, and waterfalls. It is home to 3 types of forests -Acadian, Boreal, and Taiga. 

Up close with the coastline.

Cape Breton National Park

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Over the course of our first two days here we climbed 40 "flights" to the top of Broad Cove Mountain which offered us spectacular vistas looking out over the Atlantic, walked around Mary Ann Falls - whose clear rushing rushing water shown russet from the deep reds of the soil and stones, we raced across granite boulders on the headlands at Lakies Head and Green Cove, and followed the sounds of the rushing Black Brook taking us to a delightful pine forest setting overlooking the descent of the brook into the ocean below.

Pools of russet at Mary Ann Falls

Cape Breton National Park

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We ventured north and popped out of the confines of the park for a bit to explore various loops through headlands leading to small fishing towns. White Point, Dingwall, St. Margaret Village  - exposed, remote and open to the sea each area was pristinely beautiful and serene. At every turn there is a photo worthy view.... we just soaked it in. We bought tiny bay scallops and maple smoked salmon   in Neil's Harbor to have for dinner one night along with the barrel aged imperial stout from Big Spruce Brewing that we picked up the day before. 

Lakies Head

Cape Breton National Park

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Driving through the north section of the park we criss crossed along hairpin turns that looked deep into the canyons of the forests and walked along a stream through a small area of 350 year old sugar maples to a replica of a Scottish crofter's hut. 

 Crofter's hut

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As we stood on the headlands at Black Point overlooking Meat Cove, the furtherest point out that is accessible by roads, I felt like we were on the bow of a boat. The Atlantic stretched out forever - 180 degrees of ocean and sea and sky became one.

Black Point, Meat Cove

Cape Breton

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Enjoying the perfect weather!

Cape Breton National Park

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We headed back to the campground last night eager to explore the western coastline the next day!
But.......
It seems fate (and electrical systems/mechanics) had other plans for us. Earlier we had experienced a  minor on board battery charging incident which righted itself after driving for a few hours. Well, now minor became major and we had no power - which meant that we had no pump for the water, no pump for the sewer system - no fun.
SO we made the executive decision to drive the 2 1/2 hours to the closest RV repair center in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. They were already closed by the time we figured all this out so, in fact, we did not even know if they could service our rig! IF we don't get this fixed we'll be forced to return home - which is something neither of us want to do!!! We pulled into the repair center after dark, found a corner in their back parking lot between 2 trailers, dined on tuna salad sandwiches and finally settled down for the night.

Stones RV sprung to life around 7:30 am and we were waiting. Tim and I are currently waiting in their nice lobby and the POD is being examined.
It is pouring out.
Our fate awaits.

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Neil's Harbor

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