I’m writing this post as we’re approaching the Christmas holiday season and I’m reminded of my experience while hiking on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. On a couple of my hikes I was delighted to pass by pine trees that emitted a wonderful scent that brought me back to my youth when my parents always had a fresh cut Christmas tree. I would walk by a tree in the woods and have to stop for a moment, close my eyes and inhale. I don’t recall experiencing that on any other hike I’ve been on. It was a little magical.

After two weeks, I left Cape Breton and moved to Peggy’s Cove, southwest of Halifax. There are a number of nice lighthouses in this part of the province so I spent a few days at King Neptune Campground where I had a view of the bay… until I got neighbors. It turns out I was quite close to Oak Island of History Channel fame but I didn’t know it at the time. I wish I had because I would have paid a visit.

The view of St. Margaret’s Bay from my motorhome.

A young couple from Toronto with two small children came into the campsite next to me. The kids were captivated by my dashboard cats. The boy told me he has a cat at home. I asked why they didn’t bring him and he replied, “Oh, he’s not a traveling cat.” Well, neither were mine until I threw them into the motorhome and drove away! In fact, Cleo used to be incredibly shy even around me but she’s really come out of her shell and become much more sociable and affectionate since living in our “tiny home.”

Each day, the kids would come over and knock on my door to ask if they could see my cats. They were really cute and I missed them when they left.

Indian Harbour Lighthouse as viewed from the campground.

Just a couple miles down the road is Peggy’s Cove, a charming little fishing village with what is probably the most popular lighthouse in all of Canada.

The picture-perfect fishing village of Peggy’s Cove.

I’ve never seen more people at a lighthouse and I’ve been to an awful lot. During the day and particularly at sunset, hundreds of people are drawn to the lighthouse and the rounded rocks that are fairly easy to climb.

The ever-present crowds of visitors at Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse.

You’d be hard-pressed to find any time of day or night when there aren’t people there. I was there quite late one night to photograph the Milky Way and again for sunrise the next morning and there were people there. The crowds can even be seen on the Google Maps satellite image!

Satellite view of lighthouse. All those dark spots that look like ants are people.

Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse with the Milky Way. There were people here but with the long exposure, they blurred out.

Visiting Terence Bay Lighthouse required parking on a dead-end street and taking a narrow footpath between private homes. How I wish I could afford to live in a neighborhood with this kind of view.

Terence Bay Lighthouse.

In 1873, the S.S. Atlantic, a passenger ship of the White Star Line (using the same route as Titanic would many years later), sank off the coast of Nova Scotia near Terence Bay. 562 perished, of whom 277 of the poorest, whose families couldn’t afford to have them returned home, were buried in a mass grave on this site. There were 371 survivors.

The S.S. Atlantic Memorial in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia.

Chebucto Head Lighthouse is located near Halifax (seen on the distant shoreline). This was on another dead-end road with a half mile uphill walk on a long-abandoned road.

Chebucto Head Lighthouse.

 

After nearly three weeks, I was sad to find it was time to leave Nova Scotia. It’s a place I highly recommend to anyone wanting to visit the Atlantic Provinces of Canada.

Reversing Falls
I needed to pass through New Brunswick en route to Maine. There really wasn’t anything I wanted to see that would require me to stay any length of time but a friend told me about a unique natural phenomenon in St. John that I wanted to check out.

The Bay of Fundy boasts the highest tide changes on the planet; 53 feet at the eastern end where New Brunswick meets Nova Scotia. In St. John, where the St. John River meets the bay, the tide rises 28 feet. Under normal (low tide) conditions, the river runs south and empties into the bay. At high tide, the level of the bay becomes higher than the river and pushes water back up-river with such force that it creates rapids (falls) moving in the opposite direction of the river flow.

You need to view the river under both low and high tide conditions to fully appreciate the change. There’s a great elevated viewing location at Stonehammer GeoPark on the east bank of the river.

The natural flow of the St. John River is from the right to the left as it flows into the Bay of Fundy. Click on the link to the video to see the dramatic change in the current.  CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO.

Well, after 30 days in Canada, it was time to repatriate. In case you’re wondering, you can stay in Canada up to 180 days on just your passport entry. No visa required.

I crossed the border in northeastern Maine and headed to the only lighthouse in the state that I still had on my wishlist but had never made it this far north before.

My route from Cape Breton to Peggy’s Cove to St. John to Maine.

Upcoming post:

Maine, New Hampshire, and Moose don’t really exist.

My name is Lindsay Reed and I’m a photographer and retired graphic artist with a passion for both lighthouses and road trips. I am living as a full-time solo RVer in my 31 foot Coachmen motorhome and plan to spend the next few years traveling the U.S. and Canada photographing not only lighthouses, but everything else there is to see in this wonderful land. I hope you enjoy my blog and will follow my adventures in the months and years ahead.