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Nova Scotia
Vacation 2003, Page 2
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| A long (4 hrs+) trip around
the Minas Basin took us to
Parrsboro
, a former center of ship building. We were welcomed
by the Mayor, Doug Robinson
(not shown), who was having "Tea
with the Mayor" which is held every Friday in the Visitor
Center(left). Parrsboro is now noted for its fossil hunting
and is home to the Fundy
Geological Museum
. Many millions (300-400) of years ago, N.S. was on
the equator and now contains fossils of the plants and creatures
that lived there. Right is a picture of us digging through a
layer of 350 million year old stuff. An all too short 2 hours was
spent along that shore. By the way, did I tell you that the highest
temperature we saw during the entire stay was 78 F? We're talking
July 8-20!!!!
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| The building above is th
Maple Inn
in Parrsboro. It has been among many things,
the town hospital. It was a wonderful place to stay.
We visited John's Cafe, Berry's Restaurant and Pub,
and the Glooscap Restaurant to dine and quench our thirst. Parrsboro
is a center for fossil hunting as this part of the Minas Basin
is rich with ancient treasures.
Eldon George
a local geologist found the first fossils in the 80s and
has since led the way to many discoveries. A local
guide(ask for Randy) will take you on a "Dinotour" where you too can
go back in time
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This photo(I apologize for the quality)
is of Terry and Gayle Shaw and their staff who reside in
Port Greville
which is just west of Parrsboro. They have a super
view of the Bay of Fundy from their 2 establishments, "Shaw's Country
Market" and " EbbTide B & B
". We had a few hours before fossil hunting so a trip
along the coast and participating in part of a 100 kilometer yard
was a treat. I bought a 1984 N.S. auto tag which now decorates
the front of my truck.
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Cape Breton
Island and Baddeck, oh lovely Baddeck
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| Would that I could live in
Nova Scotia, the town of Baddeck
would be the place. Marcia and I love the tourist
village and will visit it every chance we get. Baddeck abounds
with history. The first telegraph station in the new world was here at
a hotel known as the Telegraph House. Folks from eastern canada and
the U.S. would come here to send their messages to Europe, spend the
night and get the return message the next day. We stayed there in
1998 on our first visit. Across
Bras d'or lake
is the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell,
Beinn Bhreagh
what a beautiful place. He and his family spent many
summers here. The Alexander Graham Bell Museum sits on the east
side of the town.
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| Marcia sits by the garden
in front of the Lynwood Inn
in Baddeck and I get to pilot a 67 foot schooner on Bras d'or
lake. Several charter boats sail from Baddeck. We were on the ship
Amoeba
made by the captain's father. Bras d'or lakes(2) are quite
salty as they have two openings to the ocean, one at St. Ann's Bay and
the other at St. Peter's canal.
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| This
is the shore opposite Baddeck. The province is dotted with farms
which have large houses and huge barns. As you can see the water
was a bit choppy for our sail. Yep, that's me standing on the 18th
tee of in Baddeck(I shot 80). This is the second time that I have
gotten to play Bell Bay
Golf Club
and it is really a treat. If you golf this is one place
that have to see and/or play. The Lake is in the background and
can be seen from most of the holes, really wonderful views.
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Sadly we left Baddeck and set out on the
trip around the Cabot Trail
. The photo on the right is of pilot whales along side of
Captain Mark"s
Whale and Seal Cruise
boat out of
Pleasant Bay
. This was truly a highlight of the trip as we stayed in
the pod for almost an hour. Many of the cows had small calves that
stay right next to mama. Words cannot describe the beauty
and awe of the Cabot Trail. Having spent many years in the Blue Ridge
Mountains of the southern U.S., I thought that I had seen it all. Well,
guess what? The left photo is of the coast above Pleasant
Bay, it is part of the
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
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Background photo, Halifax
Harbor
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