August 4, 2017

I am waiting for the Viking long ship to emerge from the fog that covers our little bay. The owners of this campground call it Norse Cove because of a map that they saw in Iceland. Vikimgs or not, the place is lovely. We have our little cabin next to the shore and the nearby ocean is calm. Several glasses of Sober Island IPA have been consumed as will be the last of the Funky Puffin blueberry/rhubarb concoction while I compose this summary.

Yesterday, we navigated the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The crossing was uneventful and only a merciful 6 hours long. No cabin this time. We left the boat and crossed Cape Breton for the last time. We enjoyed a very basic meal and a night in a “micro hotel” that could make a fortune in San Francisco. In a 10 by 20 foot space we had a kitchenette, bath, closets and double bed. It would bring at least $3,000 a month in the City. Anyway, we headed south from Antigonish towards Sherbrooke.

The small town of Sherbrooke has been maintained as it looked in 1867. The re-enactors were dressed and explained how people lived during the 19th Century. We spent a few hours going from building to building and learning about the history of the region. First of all it was Scottish settlers who lived there. They maintained a tight control on the town despite the discovery of gold and the ruffians who rushed into the community. Since it was a center of the temperance movement, miners spent many a night in the town pokey. It was nice as jails go. The freshly baked gingerbread was great.

There seemed to be many Mc Donald’s in town. I asked about Mc Kenzie’s. A docent knew that a wedding was planned between a Mc Kenzie and a Mc Donald. It seems that the old rival clans had made peace in Nova Scotia. The forty or so restored houses and community buildings were enjoyable to visit and the docents were knowledgeable.We finally continued down the Eastern Coast after noon. We managed to hike through the muskeg for a picnic. 

We spent the balance of the afternoon enjoying our little place by the sea. We had briefly stopped to look at a campground a couple miles away. The idea of pitching a tent between two RVs wasn’t inviting. By fluke we found this place. The owners have constructed tiny cabins on the bay. It ain’t fancy but the total package is irreplaceable and unique. They may be wrong about the Vikings, but who cares?

Did I mention that the Eastern coast of Nova Scotia is beautiful?