After a slow start to the morning and a leisurely walk around the campground we drove south along the coast towards Halifax. For the past weeks we have been investigating all sorts of beaches and rocky shores and we really have not seen any large waves. I had read about Lawrencetown and its good surfing so I was curious to see what it offered. We found lovely long sand dunes, a brisk breeze, a fairly steep beach, and some waves. There were surfers out trying to make the most of the conditions but they were not going to break any records there. I did make a wonderful discovery there - a cycle path that extends all the way to Halifax. Many cyclists were using it and a chap I spoke to kindly gave me his Halifax cycle map.
Halifax and its neighboring Dartmouth are large urban centers. The harbor is well protected and it is a busy port. Our first stop was at Point Pleasant Park. We discovered that Hurricane Juan flattened most of the seaward facing trees in 2003. Much has regrown since then but the trees are short. Ones sees the occasional tall old growth tree towing over the new growth. Juan made landfall right over Halifax. I did not know that hurricanes could get this far north before coming ashore. An artist cleverly carved two harbor seals out of the base of a trunk still standing in the park.
We walked past the ruins of a couple of batteries. A group called Shakespeare by the sea were preparing for an afternoon performance of "Sleeping Beauty". Once down on the waters edge we strolled towards the dock yards and a parking lot where we could return to collect mom. We drove around the docks and were greeted by Old Halifax and a boardwalk along the old port. Mom was hankering for a Starbucks - easy to find in Halifax, then we dropped her off at the Maritime museum while Rich and I explored the lovely boardwalk.
We saw some large private boats - Mike's dream, a Thomas the Tank "Captain" boat, a drunk lamp post and his concerned friend, and many stores.
The waterfront market was closing (5pm) by the time we got there. While in the museum mom had seen the Titanic exhibit, so we decided to visit the graves of some of the victims buried in the Fairview Cemetery.
Being so far north means the the summer evenings are long. We decided that we still had time to to drive south to explore Peggys Cove. Once we were back on the coastal road the scenery was gorgeous. Peggys cove is spectacular. A very small sheltered harbor surrounded by great expanses of exposed granite. One can see the striations in the rock from glacial movement. A large, intricately carved granite wall greets one at the visitors center. We finally saw some good surf, but were nearly blown away while admiring the iconic lighthouse. It was great to see the rough Atlantic water, and equally amazing to see how calm it was in the cove tucked away behind the granite protection. I mailed a postcard to South Africa so that we could get a postmark from the cove.
We were hungry but did not want to eat in the cafeteria style restaurant at the cove. One of the locals recommended West Dover - just north of Peggys cove. Our restaurant was perched along the water. The food was great and the atmosphere relaxed. We were amused by a grandfather and two young grandsons paddling around in a row boat. The boys wanted to do all the paddling, granddad was quite happy to sit back and watch, so as a result they did not get very far except for going around in circles.
We returned to the campground as it got dark. All the weekend campers had gone home so it was gloriously peaceful. We even heard the call of coyotes.
We walked past the ruins of a couple of batteries. A group called Shakespeare by the sea were preparing for an afternoon performance of "Sleeping Beauty". Once down on the waters edge we strolled towards the dock yards and a parking lot where we could return to collect mom. We drove around the docks and were greeted by Old Halifax and a boardwalk along the old port. Mom was hankering for a Starbucks - easy to find in Halifax, then we dropped her off at the Maritime museum while Rich and I explored the lovely boardwalk.
We saw some large private boats - Mike's dream, a Thomas the Tank "Captain" boat, a drunk lamp post and his concerned friend, and many stores.
The waterfront market was closing (5pm) by the time we got there. While in the museum mom had seen the Titanic exhibit, so we decided to visit the graves of some of the victims buried in the Fairview Cemetery.
Being so far north means the the summer evenings are long. We decided that we still had time to to drive south to explore Peggys Cove. Once we were back on the coastal road the scenery was gorgeous. Peggys cove is spectacular. A very small sheltered harbor surrounded by great expanses of exposed granite. One can see the striations in the rock from glacial movement. A large, intricately carved granite wall greets one at the visitors center. We finally saw some good surf, but were nearly blown away while admiring the iconic lighthouse. It was great to see the rough Atlantic water, and equally amazing to see how calm it was in the cove tucked away behind the granite protection. I mailed a postcard to South Africa so that we could get a postmark from the cove.
We were hungry but did not want to eat in the cafeteria style restaurant at the cove. One of the locals recommended West Dover - just north of Peggys cove. Our restaurant was perched along the water. The food was great and the atmosphere relaxed. We were amused by a grandfather and two young grandsons paddling around in a row boat. The boys wanted to do all the paddling, granddad was quite happy to sit back and watch, so as a result they did not get very far except for going around in circles.
We returned to the campground as it got dark. All the weekend campers had gone home so it was gloriously peaceful. We even heard the call of coyotes.
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