Our opportunity came with Lily's spring break. We usually go to Ontario or Quebec and so we decided to do something different and visit the Canadian Maritime provinces.
We left late Tuesday night and drove through the night. It is easier doing long drives at night so the kids can sleep. This means less rest stops and a quieter trip for dad. We were stopped at the border, but were able to get over the border without much trouble and arrived at our first stop--Lunenberg ,Nova Scotia—around lunchtime Wednesday.
April is the off season for much of the Maritimes so most of the attractions were still closed. Nonetheless, we were still able to find things to do. We began by walking around the docks. We met an older fisherman that was nearing retirement. He mostly worked around the docks. He told us he missed being out at sea, but his legs were no longer strong enough to manage the standing on deck tossed by waves.
That night we stayed just outside of Lunenberg, across the harbor at a private campground-like area for RVs and camper vans. Not surprisingly, our camper had a low ceiling, so I had to hunch over while inside, but Lily and Emily really enjoyed staying there.
On Thursday we went to visit Peggy’s Cove and then stopped briefly in Halifax. Peggy’s Cove was very beautiful. It was a rocky coastline with a picturesque lighthouse. The area was well-maintained and including a large viewing deck and a giftshop and restaurant. We had a small lunch in the restaurant. It was very cold and windy outside, but that didn’t stop Lily and Emily from climbing over ever rock they set their eyes on.
In Halifax we stopped at an Asian market. We also looked into staying at a local hotel, but ultimately decided to stay another night at our camper near Lunenberg.
We had been very busy these first few days of our trip and so we spent most of the day Friday resting. Around the end of the day we visited Oak Island where apparently much treasure was hidden away hundreds of years ago. The legend of treasure has attracted many would-be treasure hunters and even inspired a television show to document the lore.
We stayed another night in the camper and then went back out to Halifax on Saturday. In Halifax we visited the Discovery Center, Citadel Hill, and ended the day at an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet. It is a tradition for us to go to these buffets, but I think this might be our last time. While it sounds fun, ending the evening with a sore stomach isn’t that much fun!
Saturday night we drove to St. John. We arrived Sunday morning. Mommy and the kids visited a local Mormon church. There we met a nice man named Bill who helped us with some car problems we were having. While driving to St. John our car began to sputter and the engine light came on as well as a message saying that power to the engine was reduced. Bill said that he had had a similar message on his Buick and that the problem for him was water in his gas. I had pumped gas shortly before this happened and so I suspect that that was our problem too. He told us that the water simply had to make its way out of the engine and that if we kept the gas topped off we most likely wouldn’t have any major problems.
So we continued on our way, this time to Prince Edward Island. On the way to P.E.I. we noticed the ocean on the horizon. Along the coast I spotted a scenic cliffside. We made a short detour to explore and discovered there were some cave-like cavities in the red rock. Lily and Emily needed to stretch their legs so we walked out on the gravel beach to take a few photos before continuing our drive. We ended up arriving at P.E.I. Sunday night and stayed at a nice hotel at a discounted rate in the heart of Charlottetown.
On Monday we did a brief tour of the island, visiting some of the sand dunes along the north shore. It was very scenic and beautiful. Around 7:00 pm we began to make our way back. We crossed the 8 mile long bridge to P.E.I. just in time to take a picture around sunset from the other side. With that last photo we were on our way home. Once again, we drove through the night and arrived back home around 5:00 am Tuesday morning.
Although the trip was mostly a lot of driving, it was still a lot of fun. I definitely enjoyed seeing a new part of Canada. I was struck by how friendly everyone was out there. From the old fisherman in Lunenberg to Bill and several other people we met who helped us out with car problems, to the camper van community—everyone showed us the warm Canadian spirit.
