Sorry to be a little bit late getting up this final post from the trip to Nova Scotia. We had a grand time. But we arrived home all worn out and have been getting slowly settled in. 


Dennis is not the newest member of Duck Dynasty

Two hummingbirds in the bush

A squirrel in a tree

 Butterfly

 Another butterfly

A Hummingbird Moth - this is actually only the third one that I have ever seen. The first two were in Texas in the deserts. This one was in Massachusetts

A trail by the lake in Warriors Path State Park, TN

One last butterfly

Great Blue Heron in the dusk at Natchez Trace State Park, TN

 Mike watching the sunrise at Natchez Trace State Park, TN

 Rain storm at sunset at Ft. Parker State Park, near Mexia, TX

 An owl at Ft. Parker State Park TX

And, on a more ordinary note, here are some signs we saw along the way. 


We really loved Cape Breton

 And everyone was VERY friendly

But we were told that the last time the road was closed for 3 days in a row was June 25, 26, and 27

 French for Expect Delays

 I never did figure out what this one was trying to tell us

 Nor this one

I think this one was saying there was a sharp curve ahead, but sometimes we saw it where there were no curves

Ride on top of the bumps?

Slow down for Snowmobile crossing?

Moose crossing. And we did see moose crossing.

They didn't seem to know what-all was at this exit either

Okay

Dispose of Christmas presents here

I know. This is not a sign. But I want it known by all about that Coke has an Orange Sorbet flavor in Canada and not in the US. No wonder Trump has been pissed at them.

Nova Scotia was an astounding collection of vibrant cities, quaint towns, coastlines, beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, wildlife and a diversity of languages and cultures. Here are a few snapshots of the wonder that we encountered.


Sailboat and lighthouse in the fog in Halifax Harbor

Halifax Harbor

The Peoples Garden in Halifax

L'Eglise Saint-Pierre (St. Peter's Church) in the town of Cheticamp

Water Lillies in the Bog in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Beach north of the town of Cheticamp

Harbor at Pleasant Bay

Four Mile Beach at Cabot's Landing

My campsite is so little and the sea is so big.
Campground at Meatcove on the northern tip of Nova Scotia

Northermost tip of Nova Scotia

Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

View from the end of Skyline Trail

Life is good on the coastline of Cape Breton

Female moose in the National Park

Dennis with lobster pots at Ingonish Harbor

Ingonish Beach

Feeling right sized at Arm of Gold Campground near Sydney, Nova Scotia

Following a lumber truck through the fog out of Nova Scotia

We were in Nova Scotia for most of the last two weeks. We did not do a blog post while there because there was VERY poor phone service and access to Wifi. So, over the next few days we'll try to put up 2 or 3 posts (or 4 posts) to catch up. Hope you will enjoy all of them.


A dragonfly, at Porters Lake Provincial Park, north of Halifax Nova Scotia

Porters Lake, north of Halifax NS

These were the most delicate mushrooms we've ever seen. They were only about 2 to 4 inches tall and paper thin. They grew in the morning dew, and when it began to rain they melted away almost instantly.

 The boardwalk in Halifax Harbor.

The Halifax Harbor had paid falconers who walked the boardwalk with their falcons (a Harris Hawk in this case) to scare away the seagulls. 

 And Nova Scotia bunnies were much darker brown than we had ever seen before.

The Liscomb River (in morning fog) near it's mouth into the North Atlantic.

Our first Bald Eagle sighting of the trip.

 Wild Roses at the beach on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Mike at an overlook of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the village of Pleasant Bay - along the Cabot Trail.

A cow moose in French Lake at dawn - Cape Breton National Park.

Tiny Orchids growing in the bog (each bloom was only about 1/4 inch long) - Cape Breton National Park.

Another plant from the bog: These are called Pitcher Plants. The parts that look like flowers are in fact leathery leaves, as are the pitcher shaped upright tubes below. They are an insect eating plant, and these are both parts of the plant for trapping and digesting insects.

 A bridge over the MacIntosh Brook.

Blooms along the trail.

Cabot's Landing Provincial Park - a day use only park on the North Atlantic. Be honest with me. When was the last time you were on a sandy beach that was 4 miles long and you could not find a single footprint other than your own? There were people swimming at almost every beach we saw, but this one was just too remote. (Mike did go swimming and said that it was warmer than Barton Springs.)

A Butterfly among the thistles.

Wild Blueberries.

The view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the Skyline Trail.

 
Sunset at the Cheticamp campground.

Another cow moose - at the side of the roadway.

Berries and ferns along the trail. 

 Mike on the trail to Ingonish Beach.

Ingonish Harbor - although a long established fishing community (that still survives as its primary industry) Ingonish had quite a large summer population and several beaches and campgrounds and resorts with world class golf courses.

Canada had many unusual signs. We plan to do a special post of signs soon.