Digby

Kejimkujik National Park

Kejimkujik National Park is well worth a visit if you are visiting the area and have the time. You can camp, bike, hike, and kayak within the park.

Mill Falls

Our first hike after visiting the Visitor Center was Mill Falls. This was a very easy, short hike to a rather impressive waterfall. The trailhead was right behind the Visitor Center.

I love how the forest has no real understory. It creates an open, airy feel.

Some nice photos for turning into paintings later!

Jake’s Landing to Kedge Beach

Next, we drove over to Jake’s Landing to see whether we might like to kayak in the river or bike the trail. There is an outfitters at Jake’s Landing where you can rent kayaks and boats.

Ultimately, we decided not to kayak because we had forgotten to bring our water shoes. And we decided not to bike because the trail was narrow, with roots and rocks.

We took a hike over to Kedge Beach instead.

Looking at Jake’s Landing from the other side of the river.

This area right above Kedge Beach is called the Oasis. I have no idea how you use the toilet when you camp in one of these. It looks like you would have to climb down the ladder and walk down the hill to the bathroom, which would be no fun in the dark!

Merrymakedge Beach

Next, we drove over to check out Merrymakedge Beach. (I have no idea how to pronounce that ridiculous name.)

I talked Greg into getting ice cream at the Lakeview Cafe and Eatery. Chocolate soft serve with caramel sauce on top. Yum!

Then we headed back to Digby.

Balanced Rock Trail

This morning we headed to Digby Neck to hike the Balanced Rock Trail. As you can see from the photo below, it was a very foggy morning.

Waiting in line for the ferry. The fog was so thick that you couldn’t even see the water. Thinking that we had 50 minutes before the ferry arrived, Greg headed across the street to the cafe for a breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee. We ended up missing the ferry and had to wait for the next one.

Driving onto the ferry. I have no idea how the captain was able to find his way across the channel in the fog.

The trail down to Balanced Rock was an easy walk and thankfully clear of fog.

We saw some pretty cool-looking lichen on our trek.

Greg’s phone claims it was 11 floors’ worth of stairs down to the platform by Balanced Rock.

Looking to the left. As you can see, the fog had not yet completely lifted.

Looking to the right, Balanced Rock. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but Balanced Rock looks like it defies the laws of physics. I don’t know how it is able to balance on such a small piece of rock.

Bear River

Next, we headed to Bear River to see what was there and to visit one of the two wineries.

There isn’t much to see in Bear River. A couple of little art galleries, a grocery store, a cafe, and that’s about it.

Bear River Winery

Bear River Winery was a tiny operation, but the people running it were extremely friendly and helpful. Greg and I enjoyed a flight of wines with a small snack cup.

The view from the back patio of the winery.

There is another winery in Bear River called Casa Nova Fine Beverages, but you have to pre-book a tour and tasting. We were not interested in taking a tour, and I was not sure that we would get to choose which wines we tasted. So we decided not to go there.

More medical stuff

Although the dreaded diarrhea has not yet hit, I was seriously beginning to doubt that the medication I was on was doing anything. Plus, the doctor and the pharmacist had given me conflicting instructions regarding dosing.

Consequently, I ended up calling my doctor in Downingtown to ask her advice. She encouraged me to take the full dose of medicine that I had been prescribed and told me that the risk of developing diarrhea was no greater than for any other antibiotic. She also told me that once I got back to the states, she could call in a prescription for me if I still needed it. That really put my mind at ease.

Our next stop in Nova Scotia was Digby. After setting up the camper, we headed into town to the visitor center, which had closed 5 minutes before we got there. Since Digby is well known for its scallop fishing, we decided to have dinner at one of the local restaurants and sample the scallops.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my dinner. Greg enjoyed his but claimed that the scallops were not the best that he has ever had.

Port Royal National Historic Site

The next morning we drove to another living history museum. This one was called Port Royal National Historic Site.

Port Royal was a small settlement where French colonists traded European goods with the Mi’kmaq in exchange for furs.

Once again, the weather was dreary.

Greg had me sit at the head of the table so that he could take a picture. (This is not that picture, just in case you were wondering where I was.)

I tried on several pairs of clogs. They were extremely uncomfortable! There must be a trick to wearing them.

This is the room where the Mi’kmaq people came to trade with the French settlers.

Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens

After Port Royal, we headed to Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens.

The roses were past their peak, but I captured a few photos of those that remained.

These roses were a beautiful lavender color.

These looked like they went from yellow to pink to white as they flowered

And some other flowers, too. I have no idea what any of them are, but they sure are beautiful.

I took this picture for Migzie and Marianne.

I think one of the gardeners told us that this cottage is a replica of a 1600s croft, but don’t hold me to that.

The mosquitoes were relentless. They eventually chased us back to the car.

More medical stuff

On our way back to the camper, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some food.

While we were there, the doctor that we had seen in Lunenburg called to say that, based on the results of the culture, the medication he had given me was not going to work for my infection. He called in a new prescription to the pharmacy at the grocery store, and we picked it up before we left.

When the pharmacist handed it over, she warned me that it would give me severe diarrhea. It would not be an understatement to say that she completely freaked me out.

We had reservations to take a whale watching trip the next day. It was going to take us an hour and a half to get to the tour (plus two ferry rides), and we would be on the water for 3 hours. When I woke up the morning of the tour, I decided that it would be too risky for me to go. I had no desire to have diarrhea and have no easily accessible restroom. So Greg went on the tour by himself. He took some really amazing videos of whales playing in the water and breaching, which he showed me when he got back.