Today I would travel to New Glasgow and then on to Cape Breton Island.
My initial plan was to take a detour to New Glasgow, before returning to Truro, after the Ferry trip on the Friday. Alas, I spent the day driving, after the Ferry Fire.
New Glasgow is where Viola Desmond made that fateful choice in 1946, to sit in the white section of the movie theatre #Roselandtheatre and was subsequently arrested and spent a night in jail. I learned about her story, when I visited the Museum for Canadian Human Rights in Winnipeg, MB. Part of this vacation would include a trip to this part of Nova Scotia to see where it all began. For me, it was about coming full circle. The theatre is now a landmark site and the street was renamed to Viola’s Way, in her honour.
Footnote: in August 2022, a plaque was erected 2 blocks from this Site, in honour of Ms Desmond. This plaque was done on behalf of Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
I stopped for a quick snack and water break, then made my way back to the highway for my hours long drive to Cape Breton Island.
By the time I made it to Island, it was already mid afternoon. To say that I did not plan this trip out so well, is an understatement…..So with only a couple of hours to explore, I decided I would only make it one of the places on my list – the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, in Baddeck #ParksCanada.
It was near closing time for the day, the staff in the Museum were kind enough to grant me free admission. I wandered the displays and galleries and then headed outside, where I could at least stroll the gardens and the lands.
On the Parks Canada website, visitors to their National Parks and Historic Sites are invited to sit on the big red Muskoka chairs and share their photos online.
So I did!
I made my out of the park and headed off the Island, for the return trip to Truro.
Tomorrow, I shall conquer one more beach from my list – Martinque Beach, NS.
I mentioned in a previous post, about the strain to my right MCL in September 2021. This injury and the subsequent diminished strength of the joint will play into my adventure at Spirit Reins Ranch in Parrsboro.
I knew that if I wanted to get back into the saddle, at least once, while away, I had to do all the exercises, the stretches, the swimming etc to strengthen my knee before my marathon 2.5 week vacation. On the advice of my chiropractor, also a horse enthusiast, she suggested I spend time sitting on a stability ball, as the positioning of my legs would mimic that of sitting in a saddle for an hour. Great advice! which I heeded.
I found the ranch online, figured I could make it a day trip to Parrsboro, visit some lighthouses and have lunch locally. My suitcase was packed with a pair of long pants, and I had the perfect set of boots with a good solid 2 inch heel that would hold in the stirrups quite nicely and they were high enough that they came up to my knee.
The day beamed bright, sunny and blue skies all around. I arrived in Parrsboro early afternoon, had lunch and visited the Fundy Geological Museum.
At 3:30, I made the 5 minute drive to the ranch. I met the owner and she introduced me to Chester. Karen led Chester into the corral, I made my way to the stoop, mounted it and attempted to throw my right leg up and over Chester’s wide girth. I froze…….I couldn’t do it…….Karen stood there for a minute or two and gave me time to sort it out…..I couldn’t summon the strength to lift my leg that high, without worrying I would fall off the stoop and land in the grass. So, I asked if we could move the stoop to the other side, so that I could mount Chester with my left leg…..Success. My right leg was strong enough to support my weight to lift my left leg but not the other way around…
Off we went, Karen and her horse, the junior guide and hers and me, on gentle gentle Chester. Flat terrain, asphalt roads and open fields, lots of grass, that Chester was determined to chomp his way through. Karen asked if I’d like to extend the hour’s trail to 2 hours – no thank you. I could already feel the ache in my knee.
We returned to the corral at the end of our ride. Now to dismount……mmmmm.. just as much a concern, as the mount…..Karen was not strong enough to support me to help me off Chester. Now what……
Miracles of miracles – Chester seemed to sense my anxiety and very quietly, walked out of the corral and towards the barn, where there was a post used for looping the reins over. He knew…..He knew. Using the post as support, I was able to dismount, but not before Karen took a few pics for me.
Chester – Spirit Reins Ranch, Parrsboro, NS
Almost 40 years after my first trail ride, I think this was my last. I’m glad I got to have one more ride while enjoying the beauty of our other provinces. I’ll be storing those long black boots away.
I thanked Karen, paid my bill and made me way off the ranch. I did it!
I’ve always had a fascination with horses, from a distance, and only from the standpoint of going on trail rides.
Two of my friends were horse owners and authentic equestrians in our early years. Some of my earliest memories being on vacation near Wasaga Beach was the trail rides at a local ranch near the cottage.
I’d never had any formal riding experience, but had enough courage and gumption to get into the saddle and go for a trot or a quick canter. During one such ride, I found myself hanging on for dear life, as the trail was only “one way” and another group of riders were coming toward us. So my horse, Ginger, nonchalantly made her way up on the side of the embankment, so I was literally riding “side saddle”…..
Many years later, I took my kids to a small family beach/ campground near Bracebridge, called “High Falls”. They boasted on their ad, trail rides in the water on one of their 2 Belgian work horses. These beasts were massive, standing over 16 hands high.
Belgian Work Horse – High Falls Bracebridge, Ontario
So I paid my $15 and was led to the horse. I would ride this beast, without a saddle or reins, with only his long mane to hold onto…Once in the water, it got deeper and deeper and we went lower and lower, until my chest almost crested the depth of the lake……this lake too did not boast of soft sandy lake bottoms, it was covered by rocks, stones, twigs, branches etc. Pair that with horse hooves, not a smooth ride, by any stretch of the imagination….
It was an exhilarating experience but I think next time, I’ll stay on land.
As my first beach vacation approached in July 2017, I decided it would be nice to get back in the saddle again, and visit a horse ranch in the other provinces.
First up – Miracle Ranch in Springfield, Manitoba. I booked the trail ride and marked the location on my map. Well, I got lost on the highway, did not have a phone with GPS or a map and ended up calling them to cancel the ride. I was so upset and disappointed. Ok – another province, next time.
Next up – Alberta,2019. Riverwood Ranch. The night before my scheduled ride, the owner called to say that their ranch had been flooded by the heavy rains that week and the trail was washed out….So instead of a walk through nature, on the back of a horse, I spent the afternoon inside West Edmonton Mall, followed by a swim at a local community centre pool. Not all was lost.
Stay tuned. In part 2, I will regale you with my adventure in Nova Scotia at Spirit Reins Ranch in Parrsboro.
Today is travel day back to Nova Scotia, courtesy of the Northumberland Ferries.
I packed up the car and bid adieu to the owners of Lighthouse Beach and Motel and made my way back along the Eastern Coastal drive to Wood Islands Ferry Terminal. Another glorious, sunny warm day – hopefully I’ll have a nicer view for the crossing today.
I was booked on the 11:30 ferry crossing and arrived in Wood Islands at 10:00. With an hour to spare, I made my way to the local Lighthouse and stopped in to the tourist boutique and chatted with the ladies there.
I made my way to the Ferry boarding queue, secured the vehicle and mulled around the parking lot with the hundreds of other passengers to await our Ferry.
As we all watched our Ferry approach the dock, there was a commotion at the ramps. Something was wrong…..I smelled smoke, before I saw smoke, then as the Ferry got closer, we all gasped – the Ferry was on fire!! Dark smoke was billowing out from the top deck of the vessel and it did not abate. All of us watched in horror, as the vessel had to retreat back into the open waters.
Ferry terminal staff were busy shouting orders, screaming into their walkie talkies and trying to instruct the throngs of passengers to go back to your vehicles. At this point, the vessel had moved alongside a small “island of sorts” and dropped anchor, but not before we all observed the orange evacuation ladders being tossed out of the boat….. I stood there transfixed……now what? how long will this take? what sort of delay will there be? How long will it take to evacuate everyone? Is there another ferry coming instead?
After a few minutes, the terminal staff confirmed that our ferry would not be sailing today and everyone would have to make alternate arrangements to get to where they had to go. This took me a minute to process – I would have to drive to Charlottetown and make the trip across the Confederation Bridge, to get back to Truro.
Once I left the parking lot, I checked in with my sister, let her know what was happening, as surely, this would make it on the news, back in Ontario.I started my drive to Charlottetown. Fortunately, my bff Stacey and I drove across the bridge in 2018, so I knew what to expect. Now though, I would traverse it on my own.
The eerie reality of this experience hit me, as I drove the route back.
Think about it – how many times, whilst you drive around your community, do you see/hear an ambulance, a fire truck, a police car, etc. You don’t really pay attention to what tragedy has befallen some family….. But I knew – pick up truck, volunteer ambulance, cars with boats attached were all making their way to the Ferry Terminal to assist the police and fireman, etc, with the injured, the scared, the seniors, the children that needed to be taken off that stricken vessel. Those images are forever ingrained in my memories. As I neared the bridge entrance, a few friends texted to check in – was I on that boat? Well no, I would have been on that boat for the return to Caribou.
I paid the bridge toll and drove across for the 12 minute trip. Blue skies, sun and the glistening water, as I made my way into New Brunswick. I stopped into the Tourist Info Ctr once in Nova Scotia to stretch my legs and grab some water.
I arrived at my hotel just after 5:30 pm and took stock of the many food items that perished in the car – the juice, the yogurt, the choc milk, the strawberries.
The cooler I had was sufficient to keep things cold for an hour or so, but the stuff had now been in the car for almost 8 hours. To dispose of them was of no consequence, all things considered.
Footnote – I would learn later that the Ferry Service between the two provinces did not become operational again for 2 weeks. All those passengers lost luggage and some even lost their vehicles…..I can’t imagine what I would have had to do, if I was in that situation – driving a rental car and being so far away from home. I said many prayers of thanks that evening and felt very grateful that I was okay. Three weeks later, I also received an email from Northumberland Ferries saying I would be getting a full refund for the trip – for the trip from NS to PEI and then the cancelled trip. A nice gesture on their part.
Today is my last day in Souris and I will spend my day hanging around the beach, the waterfront and the boardwalk.
The skies are blue and clear once again – the temperature a very balmy 30 degrees celcius.
Lighthouse Beach and Motel view looking out to Sheep Pond Beach on the Northumberland Strait
After breakfast, I headed to our local grocer and picked up some fruit, yogurt, sandwiches and snacks to take back with me to Truro, tomorrow.
I headed to the beach for a quick swim and returned to the motel to change out of my swimsuit.
It was a 5 minute drive to the boardwalk and as i strolled along the waterfront, I came upon an ice cream shop. The perfect treat for my last day here! Almond, toffee vanilla in a waffle cone 2 scoops! I had to devour this treat quickly before I would end up wearing it. HOT, HOT, HOT…
After devouring this decadent cool cool treat, I now had to wash all the stickiness off my hands. In search of a restroom, I found one next to a local gift shop…..well now, I’ve never seen a nicer washroom – it defied all our preconceived notions of a public facility. With that being said, of course I had to take some pics to show my dad…
A work of art – look how nice!!!
As I enjoyed the boardwalk running along the beach/waterfront, I found some info boards about Souris, their Lighthouses and the Railway.
I completed my afternoon stroll and made my way back to the motel. Time to pack, tidy up, have some dinner and a glass of wine. An easy meal of sandwiches, caesar salad and dessert, polished off with a glass of locally made red wine while I enjoyed the stillness and tranquility of the outdoors and my surroundings.
Tomorrow, I drive back to Wood Islands for the return ferry trip to Caribou, NS.
Having discovered from my Parks Canada brochure, that PEI was home to several National Parks, I decided to visit a few of them today. I am blessed with yet another glorious warm, blue sky kinda day, with a slight breeze in the air.
I had lunch booked at #DalvaybytheSea, a National Historic Site. This was a private residence belonging to the MacDonald family and dates back to the late 1890’s
While I sat by a window to enjoy the sunshine and calm waters of the pond, I was impressed by the quality of the wooden beams and stone work surrounding me in the restaurant. I knew I had to take a few pics, if only to show my dad, who would thoroughly enjoy the handiwork and craftsmanship.
After lunch, I took a stroll along the grounds and made my way back to the car, to continue my days long exploration of this part of PEI.
I eventually made my way to PEI National Park, Greenwich Park and walked along a few of the pathways adjacent to St. Peter’s Bay.
The last leg of today’s adventures would take me to the East Point Lighthouse, at the most eastern point of PEI. But first, a quick pit stop, some fruit and nuts to fuel and then on my way.
The drive took about an hour, easy travelling, along 16 east, with the Gulf of St. Lawrence in view on my side of the car. With map in hand, I discovered that at this point, the Gulf of St. Lawrence flows into the Northumberland Strait, which then flows into the Atlantic ocean – a geography lesson for me.
I made my way back to Souris, visited their local lighthouse and went in search of some dinner.
I was able to visit 2 more National Parks and a few more lighthouses. Another glorious day with new memories and adventures to look back on.
Today is driving/ ferry day from Truro to Souris, PEI.
After a protein rich complementary breakfast at the hotel, I grabbed my luggage and purse and waited outside for the rental car shuttle driver. My car for this vacation would be a 2022 white Kia Forte ( automatic transmission).
While driving en route to the Ferry terminal in Caribou, I drove past New Glasgow. This is the community where Viola Desmond resided and where her story of racial injustice took place – more on this in a later post. The ferry will be my return transport on Friday July 22 when I make my way back to NS from PEI.
The day was cool and cloudy which would not afford me stunning views of the sailing across the Northumberland Strait. Nonetheless, just the experience of being on this MASSIVE Ferry would suffice.
I was parked only 5 cars behind the front of the line to board the Ferry. There were at least 12 rows with a capacity of maybe 50 vehicles per row. I was astounded as I looked around and behind me to see the volume of vehicles waiting to board – cars, trucks, coach buses, campers, trailers and transport trucks! Amazing!!!
Once boarded, I made my way to the lounge and settled in with a coffee and a hot dog for the 90 minute trip across the Strait.
As you can see from the map, my time in PEI would be dedicated to the Eastern portion of the island – affectionately known as “Points East Coastal Drive”.
Approximately an hour in to my drive towards my motel in Souris, I stopped in to St. Peter’s Bay, for a stretch and a quick coffee and mid day snack. The day was warm, about 27 degrees with a coastal breeze in the air.
By late afternoon, I had arrived at the motel – Lighthouse Beach and Motel, in Souris.
This motel does not offer a pool, but Sheep Pond Beach is 5 minutes away. I’ll definitely go for a swim tomorrow or Thursday.
Thank you for reading and for letting me share. Tomorrow, lunch at “Dalvay by the Sea”.
As is so typical of me, I was awake before the sun came up and eager to get on the bus to start my vacation. The house was in order and my felines would be cared for by my neighbour.
My trip on Via Rail, would depart from Toronto Union Station at 11:30 am, by 10:15 I was already at the Station with coffee in hand and sitting in the lounge chatting with other travelers.
The first leg of the trip would be in Economy class to Montreal Central Station. It’s a five hour trip and as I’m prone to travel sickness, I always get a window seat. The train was packed as so many other Canadians were just as eager as me to be able to travel anywhere!.
Alot of the passengers on this car, would be travelling to the East Coast, in Economy class. I’m one of the lucky ones – I will disembark in Montreal and switch to the Sleeper Car for the overnight journey to Truro, NS. I can’t imagine, sitting in these small seats for another 19 hours and having to purchase a la carte meals from the attendant. As well as having to get up constantly to use the facilities.
We arrived in Montreal around 17:00 and I made my way to the Via Rail Business Lounge, where I could stretch my legs, have some refreshments, and wait for the priority boarding call to be escorted to the Sleeper Car.
This is my stateroom for the trip.
Turn down service while I enjoyed my dinner with a glass of red wine.
And the views – hands down – spectacular!
The weather during this trip was quite hot and humid. As such, Via Rail had a heat protocol in place, which prevented them from travelling at excessive speeds. To reduce friction on the steel rails, our travel time took a bit longer. We arrived in Truro late the next day at approx 6:30 pm. I hailed a cab for the 10 minute ride to my hotel and checked in. The evening was warm and calm, the sun started to set, I sat outside my room with a coffee and gave thanks that I had arrived safely in Nova Scotia.
Tomorrow I pick up my rental car and make my way, via Ferry to Prince Edward Island.
The duration of this adventure would be 17 days – starting on the Sunday with the overnight train ride to Truro, NS and ending in Kingston on Wed. Aug 3 before heading home on the train and the bus. Within the 17 days, I would take a trip on a ferry, that I had never done before, I would get up in the saddle again, after 30 years, I would conquer one more beach and I would explore more of the beauty and natural sites in these 2 provinces. Instead of flying back to Ontario, I once again would board the Via for the return trip to Ottawa.
All in all, these short 8 days would be filled with a host of interesting activities and excursions and swimming, eating, driving, wine consumption and sleeping etc.
Following are some of the activities I planned for, based on the myriad of options from all my travel/tourist brochures:
Day 1 – arrival late afternoon, in Truro, check in at hotel, dinner, swim in the pool,
Day 2 – travel day from one province, Nova Scotia to another, Prince Edward Island, by way of rental car and ferry across the Northumberland Strait (a mere 90 minute sailing ). Then an hours long drive to my motel, Lighthouse Beach and Motel, in Souris. My home for 3 days.
Day 3 – While here, I planned to have lunch at Dalvay by the Sea, a National Historic Site recognized by Parks Canada, perhaps a visit or two to some local Lighthouses, a stroll through Greenwich Park, PEI National Park, #PARKSCANADA,
Day 4 -a local touristy day in Souris and a swim or two, at Sheep Pond Beach, a 5 minute drive from the motel.
Day 5 – travel day back to Nova Scotia by way of Ferry, with a stop in to New Glasgow, NS to check out the Roseland Theatre, #ViolaDesmond.
Day 6 – I booked a horse trail ride in Parrsboro and would stop in to the Fundy Geological Museum, there too.
Day 7 – a day spent on Cape Breton Island, to visit the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site and maybe a few waterfalls, that I found from my brochure research.
Day 8 – today would be the day to swim at Martinique Beach! Followed by dinner at a local sit down restaurant.
Day 9 – my final day in Nova Scotia – a day to play the local tourist and explore all the beauty and sights in Truro.
Day 10 – cab ride to the train station for the overnight trip to Ottawa and the next part of my adventure- a 6 day river cruise along the St. Lawrence River from Ottawa to Kingston, Ontario.
Thank you for reading and for letting me share.
Come back again, would you? More stories to follow on all my experiences from this fabulous 3 week adventure.
With the River cruise dates booked and secured, my entire vacation itinerary had to be “turned around”. Instead of the cruise being the start of my vacation, it would now be at the end.
My plans had to include a swim at Martinique Beach and a visit to the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, NS – more details to follow.
I ordered travel brochures from both PEI and Nova Scotia and reviewed their online tourism websites. I sourced local restaurants, locally owned wine stores, provincial parks, gift shops, banks and grocery stores, etc. Lets not forget all the Tim Horton’s coffee shops for my driving beverage needs. I thumbed through my Parks Canada brochure for any National Parks I could visit and found “Dalvay by the Sea”. I would book a lunch there one day.
I retrieved all my paper maps of both provinces and used them as guides for potential places to visit and to give me estimates on travel times and distances.
I mapped out the location of the train station in Truro, NS to my desired hotel in Truro, I calculated the distance from Truro to the Ferry Terminal in Caribou, which would take me to Woods Island, PEI. I discovered the rental car agency would be only 10 minutes from my Truro hotel….bonus….
I decided I would visit only the Eastern section of PEI, as my BFF and I had done the central area back in 2018.
I found the ideal motel in Souris, PEI and planned accordingly where I would visit. I mapped out too picturesque Lighthouses to visit and added their locations to my list….
As long as I was in NS, I would make a day trip to Cape Breton Island – there were a few waterfalls that looked nice, so they were added in. The island is also home to the Alexander Graham Bell National Park.
By the time May 2022 rolled around, I was counting down the days to July 17.
One aspect of this vacation, different from all the others, was for 10 days, I would don my comfortable walking, outdoorsy attire – shorts, t-shirts, leggings, sneakers, baseball cap, etc. Then for the next 7 days, I would be more comfortable in dressier shorts, leggings, capri’s, nicer tops and blouses, summer dresses, as I would be a passenger on a river cruise boat. For this special adventure, I bought myself a very pretty hat. All of this additional clothing would require a bigger suitcase and an extra carry on bag…..Oh my….
Then on Friday July 8, a week before my awesome vacation, comes news that the staff at Via Rail Canada were in negotiations with their union for a new contract!!! They were close to going on strike……NO, tell me this is not so……!!!
For 3 agonizing days, I waited for updates on the news…. If they went on strike, I would not be going out east!!! I was quite despondent over this and started to look at my options- how would I get to Ottawa for July 28, so that I can go on my cruise…..
Finally, at the 11th hour on Monday July 11, a deal was struck and all the staff would be at work. I was gonna kiss them all when I got on that train…..no, I did not. I thanked them though for their service.
Single Older Woman - Living Life Passionately 