Lunenburg to Sheet Harbor, Nova Scotia

Tuesday, September 18 – This morning, Dad moved the RV to a nearby parking lot, then he and Mom took the Jeep to an area called Blue Rocks, which is just outside Lunenburg.  The rocks are “bluish” slate.  They thought it was pretty.

A tide pool

Then they came back and parked the Jeep and walked to downtown Lunenburg to explore the town.  After lunch, they went to the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and learned a little about fishing in the North Atlantic and toured a fishing boat.

Bunks for the fishermen.  

The table had edges and dividers for each place, so the dishes wouldn't slide off.

View from the boat looking back at downtown Lunenburg.

After the Museum, they hitched up the Jeep and we went to find a place at Camp Wal-Mart in Halifax. 

On the way into Halifax, Mom read that the Martime Museum of the Atlantic is open late on Tuesday and it’s free after 6 PM, so they decided to go.  The part that they found most interesting was that the Halifax harbor was used extensively by supply convoys in both World War I and World War II.  It’s the closest North American port to Europe that doesn’t freeze in the winter.  Also, the mouth is relatively small (making it easier to defend) and the harbor itself is quite large (making it easier to provide a safe haven for a large number of ships gathering for a convoy).

They also learned that on December 6, 1917 a ship loaded with bomb materials headed for Europe was entering the harbor at about the same time that a relief supply ship was leaving the harbor.  They both entered the area known as “the Narrows” (the area that separates the inner harbor from the open ocean) as fog rolled in.  Due to a number of errors on the parts of the captains of both ships, the two ships collided.  A fire broke out on the bomb ship and about 30 minutes later, the fire reached the explosives.  The blast killed 2,000, injured 9,000, and left 25,000 people without homes.  All buildings within 1/2 mile were destroyed and damage extended for several miles from debris, the shock-wave, and the tsunami triggered by the shock-wave.   It was the largest man-made explosion, prior to the atomic bomb in 1945.  They were both surprised that they had never heard of this event.

Wednesday, September 19 - Today Mom and Dad went to visit the Halifax Citadel.  It’s a fort that dates back to 1749 that is on a hill in what is now downtown Halifax. 

A borrowed aerial view of the Halifax Citadel

Today, the "guards" are actually hired by the City of Halifax to 

entertain the tourists, but still fun to watch the pageantry.

A canon firing demonstration.

Travel tip – Parking is kind of expensive in downtown Halifax; however, there is parking inside the Citadel and it’s $3.15 Canadian (about $2.50 USD) for all day!  If you are going to visit the Citadel, go there first and park, then you can walk around town to see the other sites.

After visiting the Citadel, Mom and Dad walked down to the waterfront and then went by the Nova Scotia Parliament Building (the equivalent of a state capital).  They arrived a few minutes before Parliament was about to start a session and they were invited to stay to watch.  They thought it was interesting to see the Canadian government in action.  They weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Parliament Building, but here are some other things that they saw in downtown Halifax.

This is the Bluenose II.  It's a copy of the Bluenose, a racing ship 

and fishing vessel, built in 1921 in Lunenburg.  Bluenose won the International 

Fisherman's trophy multiple times in the 1920's and 30's and was a great 

source of pride in Canada.  The main mast was 126' and is made of  an Oregon pine, 

so I guess a source of pride for the Pacific NW, too.  It is commemorated in various 

ways and is currently on the Nova Scotia license plate.  The Bluenose II was built in 1963.

A cool bird

One of the fine entertainment spots in Halifax.  

We didn't check it out, but liked the sign.

The Entrance to the Halifax Public Garden

The Band stand in the Halifax Public Garden

A real heron on a boat model in the middle of the Halifax Public Garden

Late in the afternoon, they came back to me at Halifax Camp Wal-Mart and we drove across the river to Dartmouth Camp Wal-Mart.  In Dartmouth, if you pick the right spot, you can get free wi-fi from Home Depot.  What a deal!  There was a new Ikea nearby, so they drove over there and looked around.  Mom bought some hooks at Ikea a few years ago and now she wants more of them.  Sadly, it seems they no longer carry that particular type L

Just a little traffic getting across the channel from Halifax to Dartmouth.  

There are only 2 bridges.  This is taken out the windshield of the motor home.

Thursday, September 20 – We woke up to another beautiful day, so Mom and Dad decided to drive to Eastern Passage.  It’s a little fishing village near the mouth of the Halifax harbor, on the Dartmouth (east) side.  They read that there are several restored buildings on the wharf and they decided to check it out.

They came back to me and we continued east.  We stopped at the Visitor Information in Sheet Harbor to inquire about Campgrounds.  They were closed, so we continued on.  About another kilometer down the road there was a pub.  Dad stopped and Mom went in to see if anyone there knew of campgrounds in the area.  Mom happened to be talking to the owner and she offered to let us stay in her parking lot for the night.  Such nice people!

It was still a little early, so Mom and Dad went out.  Dad was going to do laundry and he dropped Mom off at the library so she could take care of some business stuff.  Sadly the laundromat was small and busy, so Dad was only able to wash one load of clothes, but at least Mom and Dad now have clean jeans.

Well, about time for me to turn in for the night.  More later.

Love, Doolin