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Published: August 23rd 2011
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Sorry about the delay in posting, I find it hard to sit down and focus when I am surrounded by such beauty and distracted by so many fun goings on.
We arrived in Nova Scotia on July 30 and spent the morning touring the Springhill mine. It is a true testament to the survival and tenacity of the miner. A large bump happened in 1956, caving in a huge portion of the Cumberland mine killing 74 miners and trapping a total of 100; it took 5.5 days to rescue all the men and the mine never reopened. Our guide was an actual miner in the Springhill mines; he worked the coal for 11 years and hated every moment of it. For the first 8 years he would walk from the lamp house, get on the coal cart, place his lunch and water pails between his feet and start the descent into the mine. Within moments he would nearly jump from the cart and run back up the shaft; the only thing that kept him on that cart is that he would convince himself that he would work today and jump off the cart tomorrow; he never did jump from the
cart.
We were able to actually go 200 feet down into the Springhill mine, it is not a replication mine, it is the actual mine, so shallow in spots you have to walk crouched and nearly doubled over. The air is thick and it is a very claustrophobic experience. The floor beneath you falls quickly and steeply towards the winding and twisting branches of the mine, covered in the wet slick drips of the water from the layers of earth above you. Knowing that there is tons of earth above your head, that lives were lost in the tunnels under your feet and that the earth still moves and shifts, leaves you feeling very small, insignifigant and vulnerable. Most of what was the booming coal town of Springhill has faded and declined into a now sleepy little hamlet full of history and lore.
As we headed in to Halifax the weather took a turn and rain settled in for the night. I just couldn’t bring myself to think about setting up the tent in the down pour, and the rain had no intentions of letting up, so I found a decent deal on a hotel outside of Halifax
and we treated ourselves to our second hotel stay. We also splurged on a nice dinner out and then enjoyed the pool and hot tub. By morning the weather had cleared and we made our way to the Halifax water front. Since we had arrived early we strolled along the boardwalk and took in the sights of the Harbour. Halifax has a lovely waterfront with an interesting mix of industrial and natural features, all blending well enough that neither look out of place and it gives your eye an interesting contrast to view. Also I get a huge kick out of seeing Thomas the Tug boat pass by in the harbour full of giddy kids and smiling adults.
After enjoying the harbour we made our way to the info office to get the scoop on campgrounds in the area and to get the most important directions of the day- which way to the Keith’s brewery?! At noon we gathered in the Keith’s courtyard, the first tour of their day, meeting our lovely guide who hails from the bygone era of early Halifax and the beginning of the Keith’s brewery. The tour is an hour long theatrical experience, time traveling
you back to the 1800’s where you meet lots of characters dressed in period clothing and very much committed to the ‘reality’ of their day. There is a quick over view of the brewing process and then you are invited to the lower pub which is a delightful underground stone tavern. There you are offered stoneware steins of beer to taste and are regaled with song and dance before the tour is over. If you are looking for a traditional tour hoping to actually learn about the brewing process, this is not the tour I would recommend, if you are up for a good time and don’t mind a little cheesy acting and singing, this is well worth the visit!
We left Halifax and decided to camp that evening in Blomodin beach, as we weren’t expected to arrive in Digby until the next day. Blomidon beach is a little off the beaten track, but worth the detour. As you drive towards the park you have gorgeous views of the open and wide beaches when the tide is out and the campground sits above the bay on a large cliff offering lovely hikes and amazing views. We had completely forgotten
that it was the Saturday August long weekend but managed to get a campsite in the wooded area of the park.
It was so nice to pull into Digby again; I had spent a week there last summer and had loved every moment of it. Our friend Michelle hosted us for the first week and it was great to have a bed and bathroom to stay in again. It was also nice to unload everything out of our vehicle for the week, as we needed to have the back seats up for when our friends came from Calgary to visit. We have loved being on this trip, meeting lots of new people, telling stories of our lives back home, but we were so excited to see people we knew and had a history with. Now we no longer had to give a pre-explanation of a place, or person, or history for our story to make sense because we were with people who already knew all that.
Our stay in Digby was full of great eats, almost too much food and a nice surprise from home. My brother Todd decided to come out with our friends Brenda, Nathan &
Wayne and surprised BJ and I in Digby. The only person in on the surprise was Brenda, Todd managed to pull the surprise over on everyone at the airport and then again for us in Nova Scotia. We had a blast touring the South shore and seeing the stately towns of Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. The houses there are all kept in amazing repair and are all built to fit in with the Historical Captain's houses. We visited the Fisheries Museum in Lunenburg and spent a large part of the morning checking out ships, huge lobsters and ship wrecked artefacts. From here we took a drive up to The Ovens, a set of ocean caves accessible from a nice walking path along the cliff side. There were a few large caves that you can enter to watch the ocean swell in and out of, the sounds of the waves crashing and slapping the rear of the cave makes the most eerie music. It's a gorgeous place to check out. You can even try your hand at some gold panning on Cunard's Beach. There was a bit of a gold rush along this coast back in the day and there is
still some small gold to be found in the black gravel and dirt of the beaches. Wayne tried his luck quickly, but came away with nothing. Oh well, it was a great day nonetheless.
That weekend was Scallop Days in Digby so we took in the parade, the car show & shine and of course the Scallop Shucking contest. The speed that some of these guys can shuck with is amazing. You rarely see one of them falter and almost never see the scallop fly into the bucket. It's just shells and scallop guts everywhere. After the shucking we headed off to an amazing bbq at Michelle's where we were spoiled with the most delicious bacon wrapped scallops, burgers and hot dogs and more scallops and mashed potato amazingness!
Well, it's off to the shore now for some relaxation and fireworks.
Happy Travels!
Erin & BJ
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Becky
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Erin your hummingbird shot is amazing! I would love a print! Bj in the trap.... pricless! and perfect! Miss you two xo xo