Nova Scotia/ Annapolis-Royal, Bay of Fundy

Spent some time in the very interesting area called Annapolis-Royal, on the Western coast, bordered by  the Bay of Fundy.  The town of Annapolis-Royal was originally founded in 1605 by the French (as Port Royal), then the Scots started the fort (Charles Fort) here in 1629; back to the French in 1632 (they completed/enlarged the fort) and finally ceded to the British in 1713 and called Fort Anne.  Below a picture of a battery in the reconstructed fort.

 

The town became the capital of the New France colony Acadia, and was also the capital of British Nova Scotia until Halifax became the capital in 1749.  The French (Acadians) formally expelled in 1755, nevertheless ultimately remained in the area and French is still spoken everywhere.  Annapolis-Royal is a small town, with tourism as a main driver of the economy.

The town borders the Annapolis River, a tidal river connected to the Bay of Fundy, which has the world's highest recorded tidal changes.  In 1984, Canada invested in a tidal electric generating plant at Annapolis-Royal.  Unlike solar or wind plants, this plant generates electricity on a regular, timely basis (twice a day, when the tide is going out).  The turbine and plant extend 8 stories below the building below, and, with 160 billion tons of water being pushed through the Bay of Fundy each day, the tidal power ended up being 2 1/2 times greater than projected.  This is the only tidal generating plant in North America and one of only five in the world.  A major obstacle with the other plants in the amount of sediment that is brought in with the tide; however, here, with the basalt formation, sediment is not an issue, and the plant produces 30 million megawatts/year, plenty to take care of the 4500 homes in the area, cost of power here is the lowest in Nova Scotia.  Excellent guide there who explained all of this to us.

The Bay of Fundy is a major area of whale feeding in the Summer months, and whale watching is very popular.  I took a zodiac tour out to see them one very foggy morning, enjoyed the trip, although we have been spoiled by the dolphin shows in HH.  Still enjoyable,  learning about the whales.

 

Tough to get the camera ready when they surface; above a 45 foot humpback surfacing.  Below, he is going down for a deep dive.

Further up the coast, the Bay of Fundy tides overcome small rivers that normally feed into the Bay and produce what is called a "tidal bore" (a wave caused by this reversal).  Very interesting phenomenon; many people raft the reversal flow (they do seem to get pretty muddy); below one of the rafts going  by us as we observe from the overlook at the interpretive center.

Dave/Glyndal this is for you.  Our campsite was delightfully located right on the Bay of Fundy, where a steady, cool breeze made the need for any a/c unnecessary.  Only negative was 30 amp service, but, hey, we survived; weather delightful, temps 70 ish with a light breeze.

Nice sunset during a busy weekend at the camp.

 
Next door to us (walking distance) lobster boat bringing in dinner.  There is a wholesale/retail seafood market next to us that will steam the lobster (s); then we just bring them back to the rv, sweet.

A local homeowner, seems very prepared for the winter, thought this was cute.

Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton

 

 

Spent a few days in the East/Northeast section of Nova Scotia, known as Cape Breton.  If you make it to Nova Scotia, you must spend a little time up here.  Drenched in magnificent scenery, water, water everywhere.  Inhabited by Indians, French and British, 50,000 Scots came here in the first half of the 19th century and made their mark.  Many of the signs have the name in English and then in Gaelic.  Below is one such sign.

 

It's hard to capture the beauty of the scenery in pictures.  On the Northwest side of the island is the Cabot Trail, a loop through their national park that has a coastal road that rivals the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur.  Below, two pictures on the Cabot Trail Loop.

On the Eastern coast is the Fortress of Louisbourg, an expensive fortress put up by the French over 28 years (finished in 1740) to protect their never freezing port of Louisbourg from attack.  The port was one of the busiest in North America for a time, shipping 20 million pounds of cod/year to Europe (more profitable than fur trading).  The fortress was well protected from the sea, but vulnerable from the land and the British overran the fort twice, finally destroying the fort in 1758. 

They have reconstructed some of the fortress (above), with many docents in period costumes as if it were the 1740's; guides were excellent, on the scale of Williamsburg.

Can you guess what musical instrument is shown below in one of the officer quarters?

Yes, folks, this is a hurdy-gurdy, a string instrument; I can't say I have ever seen one.


There are so many scenic vistas, it's hard to give you a true perspective.  Below, the Celtic Lodge, located on the Cabot Trail; had lunch there.  Nice view from your room, yes?

Oh, yes, they do have their moose here; we did not see many, but did get a good visit from this one.  Notice he is looking at you.

Alexander Graham Bell, originally from Scotland, invented the telephone and became internationally famous after the Philadelphia Centennial Expositon in 1876.  After winning the French "Volta" prize in 1880 (worth $10,000) he became wealthy enough to devote full time to his experiments.  Eventually he moved to Baddeck in Cape Breton.  There he continued his work, including the founding of the Aerial Experiment Association with Glenn Curtiss, among others.  There is an excellent museum in Baddeck honoring Bell. 

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Above, a full size replica of the Silver Dart, first aeroplane to fly in Canada.  This airplane was actually flown several years ago; the pilot was a Canadian astronaut.  Pretty cool.

The museum is set up on high ground overlooking the bay in Baddeck; below a picture that doesn't do justice to how pretty the scene was.

Nova Scotia/Halifax

 

Nova Scotia, latin for "New Scotland" (Canada's playground) was inhabited by the Mi'Kmaq Indian tribe when the French arrived here in 1604.  For the next 150 years, the French, British, Dutch and the Mi'Kmaq all fought for control.  Rich in fishing, the eastern side of the island (Halifax) was the closest "New World" land to Europe, plus it was temperate enough year round so that the port did not freeze, unlike the St. Lawrence Seaway, Quebec and Montreal.  By 1755 the British prevailed, although elements of the "Acadians" (French) remained.

 

The town of Halifax was founded by a British 13 ship, 1500 person armada in 1749.  After the US Revolutionary War, 33,000 loyalists/Tories made their way here from the US.  This eastern port became a leader in shipbuilding, fishing, timber and other natural resources.  Today Halifax is still a commercial port but tourism is a main driver of the economy.  Cruise ships come in often and tourism is up for the year.  Little surprise; the area is beautiful, with lots of beautiful drives along the coast, lakes and rivers everywhere, rolling hills of green pastures and forests.  Greater Halifax is a bustling, international city, comprises about half of the island's 800,000 population; I saw plenty of high rise building cranes putting in new commercial developments and, even though it is high season here, it did not seem crowded.  The pictures don't do the scenery justice; you'll just have to come up here.

 

 

Beautiful three masted schooner in Halifax Harbor.

 

Halifax became an "Ellis Island" for Canada, bringing in an additional 1+ million immigrants by boat, ending around 1971.  There is a great Immigration Museum, on Pier 21 on the Harbor; tons of pictures and video vignettes about those seeking freedom and escaping persecution.  We have heard this story many times; stories very touching.  The immigrants are so appreciative for the chance of a better life.  Breaks your heart when you think of the refugees dying trying to get out of Africa and the Middle East. 

 

 

Did a tour of the Immigration Museum; after taking away their perishables (lots of salami) people shopped at this canteen to prepare for the 2-6 day train ride to points West.  Above, our tour guide with two young helpers.  In our tour group was an Italian woman who came through this very site in 1959.  She was with her children and grandchildren and shared a lot of memories.  Great stuff.

 

 

Driving along the coast, exploring the little villages is "the thing to do".  I can see why motorcyclists find this Heaven.  So picturesque.  Above a shot across the cove at Church Street in Mahone Bay, south and east of Halifax. 

 

Inlets, coves everywhere; lots of places for sale too, if you get the urge.  Some homeowners have built a little sitting area right in the cove.  Below a shot of one.

 

 

 

 

Along the road many wild roses, with abundant fragrance, which Marlene says she doesn't find often in the US..  Below someone out for a nice sail on a beautiful day.

 

 

 

 

Also along the coast is the interesting geological collection called "Peggy's Cove" at St. Margaret's  Bay.  Plate tectonics pushed up 415 million year old granite which then was carried and scarred by glaciers, to be deposited here, in abundance.  The boulders are called "glacier erratics" and the place is a very popular tourist destination.  We were there on a beautiful, busy Saturday; below pic of me with a "Piper" (what do you expect in New Scotland?)

Further down the coast is Lunenburg, a German/Swiss/Dutch community, which became a favorite to us.  Beautiful coastline scenery, a Maritime Museum, interesting architecture, shops and restaurants

Bold colors, check out this place below; not at all unusual for Lunenburg

Marlene liked all the detail work on many of the buildings; check out the one below.

But what kept us coming back (3 different days) was a restaurant called the Savvy Sailor.  We died and went to Heaven.  Food was so well prepared, so fresh, prices reasonable.  Last lunch for me was tender, steamed mussels in a roasted garlic and light cream sauce, with homemade focaccia bread, along with a locally made craft brewed pale ale.  Yes sir!!  Oh, and Marlene insisted we take home two large containers of their homemade raspberry jam.  Tried some on top of Hag Das vanilla; oh, my, just kill me now, I've had it all!!  Below the view of the bay at Lunenburg from the deck where our table was; pretty nice.

Did get a chance to play some tennis at the venerable Waegwoltic Club, courtesy of Bill Shakespeare, who many of you know from tennis at Hilton Head.  The club has many, very nice har-tru courts, sailing instruction and great selection of swimming pools.  The Club actually hosted the G-7 leaders in 1995; a picture of all the world leaders and their signatures sits in the club room.

Getting ready to play with Bob Royle, me, Shakespeare and Dave Ferguson (both Royle and Ferguson come to HH and play on teams there.  Competitive match; Shakespeare was generous.

The next day, mixed, with Suzy and Stephanie, very competitive young ladies.  Again, very spirited match; Shakespeare extremely generous.  Had a great time; wish I could have played more.

Below a picture of the Harbor from the deck of the "Waeg's" dining room; water, water everywhere.

Finally, went to little museum called "Memory Lane" with artifacts from the early/mid 1900's; Marlene and I actually recognized quite a few of the items; the museum was well done.  It was a quiet day; about the only other visitor at that time was the gentleman below, with an entourage.  Turns out he is Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia.  He came over, asked us what we thought of his beautiful island, and we talked about tourism (up) the ferry to Portland (expensive) and how much we were enjoying ourselves.  He was gracious enough to have a photo taken with Marlene.  Seemed like a very nice guy.

Albany

 Stopped by Albany to visit Marlene's family; very nice campsite right on the Mohawk River (Erie Canal); our rig shown below.

While Marlene was visiting with her sister I took a short ride to visit, for the first time, Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  Beautiful, small town, located right on a lake, Hall of Fame was a real treat.  Below a picture of the front of the building.

















Picture of "the Babe", personification of greatness in major league baseball.

 

 

In addition to sections devoted to the greats, they had areas devoted to Latin America in baseball, women in baseball and the African American experience in baseball, highlighted by Jackie Robinson.

 

And the videos are tremendous; unassisted triple plays, the whole defensive infield shifted right between 2nd and 1st base; great catches; great clutch homeruns ("I don't believe what I just saw").  You could watch them all day.

 

They have the entire "Who's on First" by Abbot and Costello, hilarious.

 

 

 

When I was just learning to play, the Brooklyn Dodgers won their first World Series; they then became my favorite team; I had to collect all their cards; Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella et al.  Nice pic above of the old Ebbets field, which, of course, was torn down when they moved to LA.

First class to be inducted, 1936, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner; some group!!!

 

 

 

 

Lived in Philly for many years: the Philly Fanatic was spectacular in entertaining the crowd and messing with the players; was very nice to see a lifesize Fanatic and San Diego Chicken.

 

 

 

Had a nice time with Marlene's brother, Micky and her sister, Anne.  Toured the old, stomping grounds; Marlene kept sighing; it has been awhile; things do change. 

 

Didn't get to play any tennis, but did get to bike ride.  Below a nice paved path next to the Erie Canal. Not a bad way to start the day.  Next stop, Nova Scotia.

Finger Lakes, Corning

Spent a few days at the Finger Lakes in New York; specifically, an RV park in Watkins Glen, home of the famous raceway, at the south end of Seneca Lake.  Along with beautiful rolling hills and scenery, there are hundreds of wineries in the area.  Perhaps their wine quality is not up to Napa standards; however, some of the views while you are tasting are world class.  After a while, you forget about how great the wine is, and thank God you can enjoy the experience.  Above, a view of Lake Seneca from the tasting room of one of the wineries.

The Finger Lakes number 11 lakes formed from glacial ice age activity started 2 million years ago.  The lakes are among the deepest in the US, many with floors below sea level.





























We stayed at a nice RV park/marina at the south end of Seneca Lake, in the small town of Watkins Glen.  The second day we were there they had their annual boat race (only boats made entirely of cardboard, duct tape, glue and gum are allowed).  Over 100 boats entered, in heats of two, many capsized; good times all around.

There is a magnificent gorge at "the Glen"; tried to capture some of the 1 1/2 mile hike right along the gorge.  Marlene and I enjoyed it muchly.

Entry into the gorge above; notice the walkway at the top for perspective. 

 

 

 

 Some of the trail/walkway took us under light falling water.

 

Marlene, under heavier falling water; yes, you do get (slightly) wet.


Spent some time in Hammondsport, home of the Curtiss Air Museum.  Great museum.  Glenn Curtiss, one of aviation's giant pioneers, started out, like the Wright Bros., in the bicycle business.  He showed great ability in his tinkering with motors, developing motor bikes, leading to motorcycles (In 1902 he modified a tomato soup can to build a carburetor for one of his first).  He was asked to join Alexander Graham Bell and three others in starting the Aerial Experiment Association; each member was to design and build their own workable flying machine.  Curtiss built the June Bug, shown below, which had workable ailerons and a steerable nose wheel.
  The plane flew successfully, then won the $ 25,000 Scientific American Cup competition.  Curtiss went on the win many other races and contributed greatly to America's aviation innovation.

The above June Bug is full scale, the only replica of its kind; and has been successfully flown.

We were in the vicinity of Corning; had to visit the world famous Corning Museum.  It is quite impressive.  Corning, the survivor of twenty some glass manufacturers in the area, is the world leader in all things glass.  From Mt. Palomar's 200 inch Hale Telescope's reflective mirror to Gorilla Glass to Fiber Optic Cable; it's all described here.  All of the manufacturing has been moved closer to raw materials (North Carolina, among others), but the headquarters, R & D and the museum remains here.  And the museum is rather spectacular; all things glass, from 3500 BC Egyptian artifacts to modern day Chihuly; they have it all.  Below a few choice pieces.

 

 

This is a Cameo glass piece called "Moorish Bathers" by George Woodall, finished in 1898.  It incorporates amethyst glass carved in great detail, down to the eyelashes on the women.  It took him 8 years to do it; unbelievable.

 

 

A beautiful example of Venetian filigree glass; wonderful detail, considering it was done in the 1600s!!!

And now, Marlene's favorites.  The museum had a temporary showing of a traveling exhibit by Leopold Blaschka and son, Rudolf.  For scientific purposes, sea animals, especially invertebrates, were difficult to study.  Leopold and his son discovered, painstakingly, how to duplicate hundreds of these creatures, in exact detail, in glass, using a technique call "glass spinning". This was in 1863-1890.  It is hard to show the degree of detail but, up close, it was very impressive.

Leopold and his son got their start with glass eyeballs; given that Marlene was an optometrist, she was attracted immediately.



























One of the invertebrates at distance, then a close up.






































































Another full shot, followed by a close up.  detail was amazing.




Had a chance to visit Cornell, in Ithaca, south end of Lake Cayuga.  University started in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew White (who was its president for approximately 20 years) , an Ivy League school; Carl Sagan, of "Cosmos" fame was on the faculty here for many years.  It has a gloried history of Nobel Laureates, business leaders, political leaders and diplomats.  Lots of history here.

View of the lake from the campus.

























Herbert Johnson Museum of Art; building designed by IM Pei, tribute to one of his mentors, Frank Lloyd Wright.  You wouldn't realize it by the picture, but the building lets in a lot of light.






























Andrew White was Cornell's first president, left 30,000 books to the library.  Above, students in the famous and original Andrew White reading room, you feel smart just being in there.




Bill and Melinda Gates gave $25million to building of the Gates Hall of Computer and Information Science.  Pictured above; opened 2014.