At the Canadian border a couple of weeks ago, they asked us if we had any weapons. We said no. We lied… But our weapons were for fighting the billions of little black flies and mosquitoes that we faced on this part of the trip. We came prepared.
Why did we voluntarily go to this place? Because it was Kejimkujik National Park. Since we visit all the American national parks that come across our path, we wanted to do the same for the Canadian national parks.
Kejimkujik (kedge-ihm-koo-jick), or Keji for short, is in the middle of the lower part of Nova Scotia, a beautiful forested area with lakes and rivers in abundance.
We figured that speed was a great way to avoid the bugs, so we hopped on our bikes for a 14-kilometer pedal along Mersey River and Keji Lake.
We had a beautiful view of the lake from Merrymakedge Beach before heading back to our campsite and dinner inside the RV.
We thought we’d try our hand at stargazing that night, and it was beautiful to see so many stars and constellations (though not possible to take pictures).
After waiting out a rainy morning, we headed to Jake’s Landing and rented a canoe, paddling up the Mersey River and then out for views of the lake.
This is not a well-known park, even for Canadians, but very pretty, if you can avoid some of the bugs!
We tried to visit Keji’s Seaside Adjunct, but it was so rainy that day that we just stayed inside all day. Here was a coastal view when we first got to the campground.
On to Halifax, Nova Scotia’s capital and the biggest city we’ve visited since Boston. We stayed in a scenic provincial park east of the city, which the cats loved! Next we picked up our friend Ann at the airport and headed to lunch at John’s Lunch in Dartmouth (recommended by a local), which had great fish n chips and Digby scallops!
St. Paul’s Anglican Church was closed so we couldn’t go inside, but it’s the oldest structure in Halifax and a beautiful building.
Up the hill from the church was the Citadel, the defining structure of Halifax. A military fort since the 1700s, its strategic location on top of the hill gives it a 360-degree view of the city, the harbor and the surrounding islands.
We got a chance to explore the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, with its exhibit on the Titanic (Halifax was where the distress calls came and where many of the bodies were brought for identification or burial).
The Museum also had a helpful exhibit on the Halifax Explosion, which occurred in 1917 and killed over 2000 people when a munitions ship collided with another vessel in the narrowest part of the harbor. This explosion was the biggest in history until the atomic era.
A walk along the waterfront (Halifax Harbour), enjoying the sights and watching all the people enjoy the sun, rounded out our day in Halifax.
We closed out our evening by watching the sun set over Porter’s Lake Provincial Park. A quick but memorable visit to Southern Nova Scotia!
You guys fighting the bugs looks like us in the Amazon!
My sister and her dance company have performed a lot in St Johns and Halifax. She is not a technofile like you too so it is great to finally see some pictures! And good ones at that!
Been 10 days in Nepal with four to go which will bring us to the end of our 9 week teaching tour. Looking forward to hone, sweet hime!