Uisge Ban Falls on Cape Breton Island in January. Icicles clinging to the cliffs and sculpted mounds of spray forming at the base of the falls. Simply spectacular!!

We welcomed the New Year in Nova Scotia, staying at the Big Hill Retreat near Baddeck Nova Scotia. The weather was un-believably warm, we had days close to 8 degrees Celsius and on New Year’s Day we decided to go for a hike to see the Uishge Ban Falls Trail. We had wanted to visit the park when we were in Cape Breton in the Fall but just didn’t have enough time to visit everywhere on our wish list so we decided that January was as good a time as any!

Map of the Uisge Falls Trail System

We’ve heard that it is a very busy trail in the summer and sometimes the parking lot is completely full but when we got there on a snowy late morning on New Year’s Day there were only two other vehicles in the parking lot. There was some fresh snow but it was just below freezing, we took the River Trail along the Baddeck River which is not the direct route to the Uisge Ban Falls but we wanted to see as much as possible so took the River Trail which, after a nice loops through the forest and along the river, catches up to the Falls Trail and takes you to the base of the falls.

Icicles hanging from the rocks walls of the valley in January on our hike to Uisge Ban Falls in Cape Breton Island.

DD was glad to have her hiking poles as the trail, with the snow and icy patches, was slow going at sometimes on the steep sections of the trail along the river. It would definitely be an easy hike in any other season but there were a few wet patches and navigating the hidden roots and rocks hidden under snow wasn’t always possible to look for birds in the trees as we had to ensure our feet weren’t stepping in a covered hazard.

It’s always interesting to hike a trail in winter because, without the leaves in the trees, we can see deeper into the forest and could see across the Baddeck River to the other banks and up to the hills. It gives us a new perspective when we don’t have a tight canopy of leaves over our heads but instead can see into the distance at the curves and valleys of the landscape all around us.

It’s about 2.8 km to do the River Trail loop and arrive at the Falls Trail for the final run towards the falls. By the time we started the gentle ascent on the final 500 meters to the falls we were really looking forward to our lunch. We had packed a thermos of hot water for some chicken noodle cup-o-soups and had sandwiches as well…we were getting very hungry!

The green trees in January were awesome!

As we made our way through the valley that leads to the Uisge Ban Falls we saw hundreds of bluish icicles hanging off the rock faces of the valley. With no leaves in the trees we could see far and high up and hanging off every rock surface was a multitude of gorgeous icicles, some of them looking over 3 meters long.

Approaching the falls. The sound of the water echoing off the rocks and ice in the valley mixes with the rumbles from our tummies...ready to enjoy lunch at the falls! Oh Yeah!!

We crossed a bridge over the brook and the sound of the falls was getting much louder. As we finally approached, with the icy pools of water and smooth contoured ice formations we felt really excited to be there! The cascading water from the falls with the snow nestling on the rocks and icicles everywhere created a serene winter wonderland.

There is a bench at the foot of the falls and we set out our two hot-seats, made ourselves a hot cup of chicken noodle soup and enjoyed a sandwich while watching the water splash and dance on the rocks from above.

While we were there we only saw two other hiking groups who arrived to take pictures, we were lucky to get the bench! I’m sure during the summer there would be a constant crowd on the trail so we felt fortunate to be able to enjoy a few minutes alone by the falls by ourselves.

Uisge Ban is Gaelic for “white water”, and is pronounced (ish-ka-ban).

The Lynx at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park was one of my favorites. There was a family of Lynx who had plenty of room to run and play and hide! What an awesome creature!

The wildlife park is open year round and since it was only a short drive, relatively speaking, from Baddeck through Sydney down to Marion Bridge on Highway 125 we decided to pack a lunch and our mittens and warm booties and go see the animals. We hadn’t seen a Moose yet, only tracks, and in January the creatures seemed to have either snuggled down for the winter in their beds or else left for warmer and more peacfull areas, so we were eager to go and see any sort of wildlife.

The Two Rivers Wildlife Park features cougars, bears, moose, eagles, reindeers, otters, bobcats, lynx and many more animals according to their advert in the Cape Breton Island Travel Guide. We called ahead to make sure they were open and indeed they were open from 10am until 4pm so we packed up and took the awesome drive along Bras D’Or Lake towards Sydney to the park. Can’t wait to see a moose!!

It was the off-season so we were expecting that things would be in a state of dormancy; as we approached the park on a cold January morning my high hopes began to sink a bit as things looked a little rough and in need of some TLC. We went to the Administration Office to get a map and pay because the office at the front gate was closed… the admin office was a bit grungy….but no matter, we’re troopers and nothing will stop me from seeing a moose!

A beautiful Fallow Deer came to greet us and was happy to eat some of our little treats that we head bought at the front gate. Visiting the park in Winter was nice because the animals were happy to see visitors!

We paid the admission, it was only $6, and DD remarked that they should charge more and clean the place up a bit! I agree…at least the employees could pick up the overstuffed trash bins and beers cans on the trails…not their fault…visitors with their Tim Hortons cups should get a reprimand as well. I can understand that at this time of year the employees had other things to do but as we walked to the admin office there was lots of trash along the boardwalk and even in the park we saw garbage lying about even though employees, or volunteers, rode around on their ATV’s.

No bother…it’s a lovely winter day so we will just enjoy!

But beyond the grim January setting we were very excited to set out on the trail. There was a rudeimentary map of the zoo grounds that helped us figure out what we were going to see. It was pretty cold as we set out on the trail but we were pretty much alone in the zoo so we were happy…I can image the park would be fairly crowded during the summer. It had a nice picnic area as well as a petting zoo (that we didn’t visit because we were too chilly) and the park would probably be an awesomely great family place in the warmth of summer.

We were hoping to do some of the 8km of trails that were shown on the map they gave us but they were closed for the season because of downed trees. It was pretty desolate, we would have liked to do some of the trails as the area seemd nicely wooded and it would be a nice walk in the summer. I guess if you go in January you should expect a limited amount of access.

The Arctic Fox! What a cutie patootie!

The Arctic Foxes were probably the cutest creatures we saw there but it was great to see the Peacocks perched on their roost as well as seeing the bunny rabbits hopping along the snow covered trails. I wish I had seen the Moose but I guess she was hiding deep in the woods, one of the highlights was probably the Deer who followed us along the path asking for the dried fruit from our brown bag…she was an elderly deer and just seemed so friendly! It was nice to visit in January when there was no-one else in the park because every animal paid full attention to us and with the snow in the trees and the cold breeze we felt like we were visiting a place that was well cared for yet deep into the woods.

The Racoons were super friendly...of course they were smiling; we had some treats for them! Yum Yum they poked their little hands through the cage and gently took the dried fruit pellets from us!

Of course I’m a bit of a big baby when it comes to seeing animals in cages; I prefer seeing the Eagles soaring along the shores of Lac Bras D’or, but it seemed that all the creatures were well taken care of and I hoped they at least provided the kids visiting the park with some understanding of the majestic stature and beauty and importance of the wild creatures.

It’s probably a very good place to come in the Summer as they have nice picnic areas and a petting zoo; they told us there were some baby goats in the barn but it was pretty chilly and after we did the full tour we were ready to have a lunch and get warm.

The fact that the Two Rivers Wildlife Park, which used to be operated by the Province of Nova Scotia before turning private, is still operational and taking care of the animals that are in the park is something I can really respect. It is a great place to visit, especially since it is near the Fort Louisburg Historical Site, and I would recommend it to anyone!

Of course I still prefer to see my wild animals in nature if possible…but it gets harder and hard to see a wild animal anymore so we were happy to at least be able to see these lovely creatures.

Even though I missed seeing the bear and the moose the otters were fun and they skipped over their iced over pool to greet us and DD took some funny videos of them cuddling and nibbling each other. I felt a little sad to see the big cougar all alone but I did make a connection with her, or him.  She was sitting on a perch in her big cage and I was wearing a bright orange coat and I walked around the cage watching her and she soon started looking at me like I was a kitty cat play toy and she would have liked to chase after me and tear me to bits! I enjoyed seeing her instincts come to the surface as she looked fairly bored in the cage and was thankful that there were some protective bars between her and me!

What a stunning and strong animal, I really am in awe of that beast!

The Cougar watched me like I was a toy. If we had been in the wild I would have been no match for this incredible hunter. But oh my, what a penetrating gaze!

There are 60 kilometers of bike trails in Kouchibougouac and when the autumn leaves are red and orange it is amazing to ride the gentle trails around the park!

Kouchibouguac is probably one of our favorite parks here in New Brunswick, especially since this year for the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada we bought an annual pass that allows us to get into any National Park in Canada for free all year! We’ve been back to Kouchibouguac about four times this year, maybe five, for the great cycling and beaches and canoeing!

This Thanksgiving Weekend we were so lucky to have warmer than usual temperatures, we were up to 28 degrees under blue skies and the fall colors were amazing! We drove to the park with our bikes and picnic essentials to enjoy what would probably be the last nice weekend of the year. It was so awesome! 

The park has great bike trails and we started our bikeride at the bridge that crosses Major Kollock Creek right across from the Salt Marsh walking trail. The park was amazing that day! The fall colors were bright in the sun and the warm air blowing in from across the ocean was so nice! We biked about 16 kilometers on the trails.

My favorite part is the Major Kollock mountain bike trail which is a one way trail that runs about 6.5 km’s. The trail is very narrow and winding and you have to go one way only as it is very tricky to navigate around all the bush and trees…but it is such a treat!

The other trails in the park are nice and well groomed gravel but the Major Kollock trail is really raw and rustic with awesome boardwalks over swamps and winding root covered trails that go along the creek towards the dunes of the piping plover nesting zones.  It’s my favorite trail I’ve found so far in any of the National Parks we’ve been in in Atlantic Canada!

One thing I really like about the trails at Kouchi Park are they are fairly flat so you can go fast or slow depending on your mood…in Fundy Park we found the bike trails to be a bit too much of a workout to be any fun at all.

On the trail we saw this incredible white pine tree that was huge! It was enormous!! This white pine must have been several hundreds of years old! The trunk of the tree was waaaay bigger than the white pine we have in our backyard…we stopped our bikes and took a few moments to just enjoy this mammoth veteran of the forest…what a great tree!

A giant white pine tree in the park. This gigantic tree must be hundreds of years old! Such a pleasure to stop and give a hug to this ancient tree who has been through so much!

 After the bike ride we went to the beach and actually were able to have a swim at Kelly’s Beach! The water was quite cold and really burned the legs as we walked in at first but we both dunked our heads and were very impressed that we were actually swimming on October 9th in the Atlantic Ocean! We had a picnic on the beach in our funky new beach chairs. We had some tasty tuna wraps with some fruits and tomato juice which we followed up with some of DD’s homemade snickerdoodles! 

What a way to spend Thanksgiving Long Weekend! Wearing our swimsuits and eating Snickerdoodles on the beach!! We had so much to be Thankfull for!!

 As we were on the beach we saw a huge flock of Canada Geese fly by and it was such a nice moement watching these instinctive birds make their way south as the oncoming winter appraoches. The biurds all landed in the Saint Louis Lagoon that is on the west side of the South Kouchibouguac Dune. The honkers drifted in and landed en masse on the laggon and as we packed up a few little tribes of stragglers flew over in formation to join the group on the lagoon.

Canadian Geese Migration Formation over Kouchibouguac Park

Nature is so great!

We are so thankfull for everything we have and being in Kouchibouguac Park for this winderful warm October day surrounded by elder trees and flocks of geese was truly remarkable!

Highland Museum Cape Breton Island

On our trip to Cape Breton Island we took a drive from Baddeck to the Highland Village Museum in Iona, Cape Breton Island. The museum is a living village that explores and explains the Gaelic heritage of Cape Breton Island. It was so interesting to learn about the Scottish Gaelic history of the region.

The Highland Museum is set-up like a trip through time and we start by climbing a hill to the Black House which is a simple home made of stones and sod roof where families would live with little comfort and many animals!

As you walk through the town you go from past to present and meet the people who were ancestors of the original settlers of the region. We loved seeing the lovely horse and sweet little pig that DD made friends with. The church on the site had been moved by barge onto the site and the old schoolhouse and general store had so much to see!

The general store was often the pharmacy and post office and we looked at old catalogs and watched some great sewing and hooking demonstrations from the costumed woman behind the counter.

School house at the Gaelic village Highland Museum.

The schoolhouse was open to visit and we sat in the small desks and looked at maps and books that were written years ago…what a treat to see how things were done long ago.
At the blacksmith shop we had a young fellow make an old-fashioned nail for us right in front of our eyes in the oven. He banged with his hammer as he told the stoiry of his family and of how things would have worked hundreds of years ago.

At the turn of the century house we met a woman who would have been five generations later from the family living in the blackhouse and she had been trying to make some butter but the cow must have given sour milk because she couldn’t get the butter to work! But she and DD had a nice chat about the pig and what sort of leaves could be rubbed on infections to reduce swelling.

The Highland Village Gaelic Folklife Museum was one of our memorable moments on Cape Breton Island. It is so nice that people are involved in this way to present a living history because it is so interesting and fun to talk to people from the past!

DD will probably add some more about this but I wanted to get started…we’ve done so much this summer that it’s hard to update our website as much as we’d like!!

Gaelic church and farm buggy overlooking Bras D'or Lake on Cape Breton Island

Demonstrations at the general store at the Highland Gaelic Village MuseumSpinning wheel and Gaelic housewife at the Highland Museum explaining the spinning and dye technique of the old Scottish settlers.

Spinning wheel and Gaelic housewife at the Highland Museum explaining the spinning and dye technique of the old Scottish settlers.

 

Malagawatch Chursh Highland Museum Cape Breton Island

 

Feeding the Gaelic Peg or the Pig was so much fun! She was so happy that DD was feeding her some crunchy leaves!

Visit the Highland Museum Website : http://highlandvillage.ca

The Moody Blues in 1969. Seeing them live in Moncton last night was an awesome trip from a rainbow to the moon!

We knew it was going to be special seeing the Moody Blues in Moncton when we arrived at the Moncton Coliseum and there was a huge double rainbow across the sky right over the concert hall! The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Fans were parking and getting out of their cars and walking to the front gate under a huge double rainbow…we were so excited! The Moody Blues coming to Moncton on their Precious Cargo Tour and the heavens opened up and gave us a rainbow to celebrate the moment!

What a great show going through 20 of their songs…my favorite was Tuesday Afternoon, Peak Hour and Question. Those songs brought tears in my eyes!

DD here,  it was indeed a great show. I wonder if the Moody Blues crew knew about the rainbow? They were probably all in their dressing room.  For sure they saw the big almost full moon above the Coliseum after the show: from rainbows to the moon! WOW!

We hadn’t brought our cameras because when I phoned the coliseum to ask if we were allowed to bring cameras, the lady said “not that I am aware of”… well lady, be aware that there were about hundreds of cameras shooting and filming the show that our memory will have to work hard to replay for us.

The set list:

1. The Voice
2. The Day We Meet Again
3.  Steppin’ In a Slide Zone
4. Gipsy
5. Tuesday Afternoon
6. Lean On Me Tonight
7.  Meanwhile
8. Peak Hour
9. I Know You’re Out There Somewhere
10. The Story In your Eyes

Intermission

11. In Your Wildest Dream
12. Isn’t Life Strange
13. The Other Side of Life
14. Drift Wood
15. Higher and Higher
16. Are You Sitting Comfortably?
17. I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band
18. Nights In White Satin
19. Question
20. Ride My See-Saw (Encore)

On a simply dressed stage, standing in front of a fabric background projection screen, Justin was all in white like a knight in white satin while John, his alter ego, wore a black V neck T-shirt with tight black leather pants. Graeme at the left rear of the stage reminded me of a gentle flaming tiger with his black striped orange shirt.  In front of Graeme were the two girls, Norda Mullen (flute, guitars, tambourine, vocals) with black leggings, a white shirt and a black jacket, and Julie Ragins (keyboard, guitar, tambourine, vocals), sporting a black t-shirt with a sparking silver fleur-de-lys: she has to wear it in Quebec City and Montreal, they’ll love her! Both her and Norda were awesome and so talented. On the opposite side of the stage to the right was Allen Hewitt (keyboards, vocals) dressed in black pants with a white shirt and a black vest. For some reason I thought he and Norda could well have been pirates carrying the precious cargo!  Speaking of pirates  I read that they call their tour bus The Good Ship Everything because it has everything they need: was the name of the tour inspired by the tour bus?  I was so impressed before the show by Allen’s  Memotron and I couldn’t wait to hear it, unfortunately I wasn’t able to hear anything clearly hidden behind all the other instruments and voices.

It felt to me like a roller coaster ride where I was brought up slowly to the top then speeding all the way down,  screaming my lungs out, and then slowly up again and the best part of it is I didn’t even get motion sickness! Instead I was jumping out of my skin and was completely blown away by drumming right hand man, Gordon Marshall. What a pleasant surprise it was to watch him step out of his drum kit and play some flute in a duet with Norda Mullen on “Are You Sitting Comfortably”.  Yes I was sitting comfortably but I couldn’t help the stomping, the kicking and the beating, using all surfaces I could find,  from my hips to my thighs then hitting the notepad with my pen I had to take  notes. I was like a kid going to “The School of Rock”: Now look and listen up kiddo this is how we do it!

The Moody Blues Live in Moncton! Thanks so much to John and Lori who emailed us this photo when they read we didn't have our cameras! What a great panorama view of the group on stage!

My main attention was always pulled by the drumming and I think this makes it official that I have a little drummer girl inside of me. There seemed to have something gone weird during one of the first songs, not sure but I think it was during Tuesday Afternoon, like a strange noise that wasn’t supposed to be there; the guys all kept looking at each other smiling with question marks. Right after, John Ledge really took us where we’ve never been before while singing Lean on Me.

One of my first impressions when I saw Gordon Marshall was that he reminded me of a tall Ron James. For those who are not familiar with the name, Ron James is a comedian originally from Nova Scotia who runs a TV show by the same name. It felt kind of funny and I was expecting him to stand up at any moment and start making funny faces telling jokes; those visions slowly dissipated  as I got into the “mood”.

What a pleasure it was when Graeme stepped down pretexting he needed to stretch his legs from sitting down too long and told us he had just turned 70 which deserved him a standing ovation, and then he went on with Higher and Higher “With the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes ” which made us look at each other laughing as this refers to us to Alaska sneezing (our Burmese cat) and we changed the lyrics to:  “ten billion Burmese sneezes”!

During the intermission, we encountered a pregnant lady and I told her how lucky the baby was to attend this concert while in her belly! She told me this was a very special moment for her and her husband as Nights in White Satin was played at their wedding and their anniversary was coming up in a few days. I was so happy for them! This show will definitely stay engraved in our memory and we will cherish it for as long as we have it. This was to me one of the most meaningful concerts along with Hall and Oats in the 80′s. The Moody Blues has become our favorite band.

The Moody Blues Album "On The Threshold of a Dream" was the first Moody Blues moment I had...that album freaked me out when I heard it at 4 years old and I've never been the same since then!

Dami: I first heard the Moody Blues when I was 3 or 4 years old and I remember it quite well actually! Strange…so many years ago and I was just a wee-thing but I remember hearing the album On The Threshold of a Dream by the Moody Blues and being totally freaked out! The cover of the album, with this strange alien tree being grasped by some eerie robot really caught my attention and listening to the song “In The Beginning” with the odd dreamy voice of the dreamer and the mechanical robot speaking just was soooo freaky to me!

Ever since then the Moody Blue has had a place in my life…sometimes smaller parts but it seems that their music was always perfect to bring me back to a certain place…another mood or another planet!

Lately we have been listening to The Moody Blues on our trips to Nova Scotia when we go to the chalet or to the cabin we will play their music over and over while we sit by the fire or play scrabble or eat supper. Their music really works well out in the forest!

So when we heard they were coming to Moncton to do a concert we just had to go! This was their first Canadian Tour and we couldn’t dare to miss it! I would never have guessed that when we moved to New Brunswick last year that we would actually be able to see The Moody Blue in Moncton!!

We stayed 4 nights at Big Hill Retreat in the “Log Cabin” from September 11 to September 15 2011. Big Hill Retreat is a pet friendly accommodation. We had our cats with us and they both enjoyed the view of the highlands and couldn’t get enough of chasing each other up and down the stairs. There is enough space to sleep 8 people, with one closed bedroom on the main floor with a regular double bed and 3 futons upstairs.

There is a TV upstairs equipped with a VCR and a DVD player; we used it to watch our purchased VHS tape at the Fortress of Louisbourg and it was a nice way to end our day. There is also a cd / radio unit in the main room downstairs. We listened to our cds’ in the evenings and to the radio in the mornings.

I enjoyed having a warm bath on the first night: a bathtub is a definite bonus for me. We lit a fire in the wood stove the first night only; we had sun and warm summer temperatures for the whole stay! Equipped with a regular sized fridge and stove, the kitchen had everything we needed. We played a couple of games of Scrabble. There was also a game of Canasta: maybe next time we will try it out.

We slept so well in the fresh clean and soft bed. It is a very peaceful and secluded place surrounded by trees. Every morning, Zoe, one of the owner’s dogs, came to visit and say hello. Our first morning we decided to go out and take a look at the A-Cabin and she walked with us.  The A-Cabin is the most secluded and very small; if it was our only choice next time, we could definitely fit our little family.

It was interesting to read all the praising comments in the guestbook dating back many years by tourists from the United States and all over the world. Big Hill Retreat in Baddeck might have been a well kept secret for years but it won’t be for long! If you like nature, animals, gardens, ponds and birds, this centrally located haven is a place you will look forward coming to every evening while you visit Cape-Breton Island.

The owners, Linda and Terry gave us such a warm welcome. Linda has a pottery studio on site with a very impressive collection. Terry is a carpenter and was working on adding an extension to the studio the day we left. Our stay was too short and we will definitely plan to go sometime this fall and / or this winter.

You might want to bring your own towel and facecloth. You definitely need to bring your hairdryer if you need one. We always like to bring extra blankets for us and for the cats: we use them to cover chairs, beds and sofas. Keep in mind they are cabins and not luxurious country cottages with plush sofas and fancy decoration: if that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. We hope this review was helpful to plan your trip to Cape-Breton Island. Visiting the island, prepare yourself to say OMG and WOW a million times!

I can’t believe some people said on forums that this storm was nothing and that it was all just media hype! Thousands of people lost everything and there are 45 deaths attributed to Irene so far. I am glad most people took this storm seriously and  my heart goes to all who were afflicted by this storm one way or another.

I think one is never too prepared for a storm. The good thing about hurricanes is that we have warnings days ahead giving everybody enough time to get ready. Whenever I hear about sustained or wind gusts of more than 80km per hour, I get the emergency kit ready and prepare myself for a power outage. I always go through my options in case of an emergency. I make sure I have everything I need. The day before the storm I recharge the cameras, the batteries and the mp3 players. I get the cats’ cage ready to go with a plastic shoebox of toys, food, and litter and waste bags.

I put the birdfeeders in the shed and one chickadee wasn’t too happy and came screaming at my window! It’s true! I basically removed everything that could be blown by the wind and I took the hanging fuchsias down. Inside, I made lots of ice and  prepared a big cooler packed with a lunch for the next day along with some drinks and snacks so I wouldn’t need to open the fridge. I made two thermoses of hot water for hot drinks and instant soups. I made a quick stop at the grocery store to by some newspapers, two bags of chips and a box of cookies. I know, I am not supposed to eat that stuff but I was really glad I had it when I ate it! I am very lucky to say it was actually one of the highlights of Irene for me!

The winds were to arrive around 9pm in Moncton, New Brunswick and they were to blow for a good 12 hours and they did. I was really happy I was prepared because indeed, when I woke up the next morning, the power was out. My first big power outage since we’ve been here. It felt strange not to have the sound of electricity and the running appliances like the fridge, the dehumidifier and the computers. The cats seemed to like this sudden silence; that is until somebody had  to start their power generator next door and it was so loud! It brought me back to the endless winter snow storms nightmare with all the snow blowers! No!! It must be very handy to have a generator but it is so loud and stinky. On top of that some other neighbor thought it was a great time to power wash and mow the lawn and so all that noise was driving me nuts! Earlier, while almost everybody was gone to work and it was all nice and quiet, I tried to imagine myself in a time before electricity and wondered what I would have done that day and I did some chores like sweeping and dusting. If I knew how to knit I probably would have knitted something in memory of Irene!

After cleaning, I did a few crossword puzzles and some Sudoku and I started to write a journal. At 8:15, when the light got dimmer, I lit some candles. We have a lot of candles around the house but we don’t light them anymore and it felt nice. Every half hour or so, I would listen to the crank radio. I learned there was a big tree that fell on a near by street and it was closed to traffic.  In Moncton, many street lights were broken and people didn’t stop like they’re supposed when this happens. After the neighbor’s generator started I used my mp3 player with the big headphones to block the noise and it worked well. Earlier, I was able to speak to Dami at noon; he went to the NB power website and was able to find that the power would be back on at approximately 11:30pm. It would be a long day. I was on the phone with my mother when the batteries died and she got all worried and called the phone company who told her there was no problem with the line and that the problem was my phone.

I went to bed at the usual time but when I woke up in the middle of the night, there was still no power. When I woke up that morning at 6:30, the fridge was working and it looked like everything stayed frozen in the freezer. Dami told me later I was lucky to have the power back so early because the last time he had checked, it was postponed to 2:30pm.

The things we take for granted in these times. We go about everyday, caught up in our routine without taking the time to really appreciate what we have and it’s when time seems to stop that reality really kicks in. One thing we are missing for the next storm is a phone that doesn’t require batteries. Even the Lithium batteries didn’t last long in the phone so next time I won’t rely on those. Sometimes cellular phones don’t even work so it’s good to have the land line option if it works. I would also add a big pad of paper in the emergency kit because I need to write down my thoughts.

We left at 12:30 and after Truro, instead of going towards Halifax we decided to take a different road this time and took the 289W and then the 236. We found them pretty scenic although they were very winding and hilly which was not the best for somebody with motion sickness like me although the sights made up for it. Among the animals we saw on the many farms were goats, cows, horses, lamas, sheep and a sheep dog. We were happy to get back on the 101 where the views of the Bay of Fundy were spectacular.

Lunch at Grand-Pre

I had a lunch prepared in a small cooler and Dami suggested we stopped at a historical site he found using our Garmin GPS: Grand-Pre it was. What a beautiful surprise! We were able to go to a secluded picnic table next to Mr. Leblanc’s house reproduction across the gardens. Everything was perfect except the manure smell from the neighboring farm fields. We both thought the weeping willows near the ponds were very old: Dami guessed 200 and me, 350 years old. They were actually only between 50 and 80 years old. The real old willows at the site are at the back of the church, to the right. They are very small compared to the weeping ones. They are French willows that are said to date back to the 1600’s, before the deportation.

Almost there, we had to stop at the Internet café in Annapolis to check on some business stuff and then to Save on Foods because I had forgotten a few items. Unfortunately they didn’t have any natural soft drinks. Yes, before the artificial stuff, there was actually the natural stuff and cola was made with cola nut. I got some rooibos tea as well because I stopped drinking coffee and tea a couple of weeks ago so rooibos is back on my list. It’s tough not to have my morning coffee but I can do it!

DD unpacking the cats carpets

We arrived at MRC on Friday evening at 7:00. We unpacked everything right away, I filled the small fridge and we sat down to relax and had some kava while playing our new favorite game, Nab-It, and listening to The Moody Blues, our official MRC music. The cats must have remembered the place because Jasper wasn’t as afraid as he was before and didn’t hide under the blankets for too long. He actually was so excited he kept jumping in Dami’s arms purring every 5 minutes. He looked really happy but hyper because the poor thing wasn’t able to sleep in the car and wasn’t able to rest.

For our 4th visit, we were staying 4 nights at chalet number 7, our new favorite. It is pretty much like the smaller chalets except it has a bigger living room and kitchen area, with awesome views of the boardwalk and lake across the forest, and because it’s at the end of the road, no car passes the chalet. Some people might not like the fact that you can see people on the boardwalk but it didn’t matter to us. The cats loved it and had their cat tree right in the window facing the canoe dock.

Jasper sitting in the cat tree facing the canoe dock, the boardwalk and the enchanted forest

The resident ducks of Mersey River Chalets

SATURDAY: Last time we checked the weather before we left, it wasn’t looking too good. The Weather Network called for cool temperatures and mostly rain for the weekend. We’d been lucky so far because it was now sunny with cloudy breaks since Grand-Pre! We got up at 9 and went to the boardwalk before breakfast to look at the ducks on the river.

After our breakfast we went for a 2 hour canoe ride on the river side up to the cascades. We parked our canoe and went for a hike, this time further than we went last time, up to the lake on the other side of the rocks.

DD at the end of the river

The mosquitoes were pretty hungry and we were like a walking free blood buffet! Still, it was warm enough in the canoe, the sun was shining and therewas a little breeze. We saw many arrow heads just like the ones we have in our pond and yellow water lilies about to bloom.

Rocks between the river and lake

In the afternoon after our lunch we went to Kejimkujik Park and cycled our favorite 10km bike trail along the river and did a few short hikes. This time, we bought a family year pass for all Canadian Parks; we thought it would be good to be able to visit “Fort Anne” Monday in Annapolis Royal and “Port Royal” habitations.

Ferns as seen from a chipmunk's view

SUNDAY: We got up at 9:00 again and at 10:00 we were ready to leave. We went for another canoe ride on the lake this time. It was so beautiful, peaceful and quiet. We were very fortunate to have the sun with us. We did a tour of the lake and then went up to the river to the cascades where we parked our canoe and walked in the thick fern forest.

We didn’t go very far on this side because there wasn’t much of a trail there and there were lots of mosquitoes and we were a free blood buffet again. On this ride we saw a fishing bird that looked like a small brown beige version of a heron.

After lunch we went back to Kejimkujik Park. We didn’t use our bike because it was raining too much and was only 12 degrees.  We did two short hikes. That night, walking back from the boardwalk, we saw bats flying back and forth in front of our chalet’s windows: humming birds in daylight and bats at night!

Dami in front of the Annapolis Garden Shop

MONDAY:  Another cold and humid day so it was perfect to visit the historic sites and the Gardens. We first stopped at Annapolis Historic Gardens and finally we were able to see flowers! It is such a beautiful place! The rhododendrons were all in blooms and we had never seen such a big colorful collection before. It must be awesome to be able to go every month of the blooming season. Maybe it’ll be possible one day if we move there!

Dami dressed up at Fort Anne

Our second stop was at Fort Anne.

DD dressed up at Fort Anne

We visited the Museum and walked around the Fort. We had our lunch in the car; we forward the front seats, recline the passenger to make a table and sit in the back, all warm and cozy! We had some soup and sandwich and went to the German Bakery for dessert but were very disappointed and we both agreed next time we will go back to the Cozy Internet Café!

DD and Wayne Melanson at Port Royal

Our next stop was Port Royal Historic site. Now that was a very special moment. There was something in the air. When we spoke to one interpreter, Wayne Melanson, originally from Baie Sainte-Marie, he said I was most probably a descendant of the Annapolis Acadians, I felt very emotional. He said all the Doucet in North America are descendants of Germain Doucet, who worked for the King of France. The interpreter was as well a descendant from Germain Doucet’s grand daughter who married Charles Melanson. I had some hopes what he said was true but I had to dig deeper and find for myself if it was so. Not knowing who my father is this was very important to me. Dami took some pictures of me and Wayne in front of the well and it was a magical moment.

Back at the Chalet, we played a game of Monopoly and just when we both thought I would go bankrupt, the tide turned and I won with a huge advance!

Old French Willows of Grand-Pre

TUESDAY: It was already time to go back and for the first time the cats didn’t want to leave and we had to chase them and force them in the cage! The only stop we made was at Grand-Pre. We went back to look at the old French willows and visited the church with the paintings and the list of all the Acadian names. Dami got me a mug for a souvenir and we headed back to the car where the cats were anxiously waiting for us.

It was another successful vacation at Mersey River Chalets. We love that place so much but we both feel there is still so much more to explore in Nova Scotia. We were thinking of maybe exploring Cape Breton next time. We might have found a couple of places that have cabins that accept pets along the way. I can’t wait to discover what the future holds for us!

An amazing trip! Walking the marsh trail from Riverview towards the Peticodiac todail bore and Moncton is super surreal and amazing! The open space and big sky and green grasses like waves with birds above us and arround us...a surreal moment...all so close to home!

We like to go down to Riverfront Park in Riverview and watch the tidal bore as it crawls up and down the Peticodiac River. From the boardwalk in the park we can see Moncton across the river and the chocolately brown rriver ebbing and flowing…it’s fun to watch the ducks surfing on the big push!

Our walk on the Riverview New Brunswick Riverfront Park Trail

We’re lucky to have so many great trails in the area and we usually go for short walks between the Atlantic Super Store and Gunningsville bridge, past the Gazebo and playground…it’s a nice walk waybe 2 kms.

The other day we decided to continue on under the Gunningsville bridge towards Point Park on the trail just to see what was there…it was awesome!

There is a trail that goes past some nice marshes that continues towards Point Park and then just past the creeping vines of the water treatment plant the trail turns out towards Moncton and continues across a causeway through a nice marshy wetland with what is almost like a large shallow lake.

It is full of ducks and little shorebirds and dozens of swifts flirting overhead.

The ducks with their ducklings have their nests in the grasses and the swifts bounce over our heads in the wind. Is it true that the swifts have no legs??

Ducks on the Peticodiac Marsh in Riverview, New Brunswick. They were shy but still seemed to enjoy their private little waterpark! It

At the end of the trail you come to the Peticodiac and are right across from Moncton and the hustle and bustle but you are standing in fields of deep long grasses that move like green waves in the wind. It’s our second time we’ve gone on this trail and won’t be the last…it’s so cool to be in an urban area but being able to have a vasy expanse of lush marshland all around you!

On our way back we saw what looked like a duck nest built out of a tire! We saw a tire floating in the marsh but at first it was hard to tell what it was because it was covered in grass and looked like it had been used as a nest. Indeed it was a tire with what looked like sod on it or could it be grass growing on the tire naturally??

As we walked we saw a mother duck in the tall wet grasses and noticed a nice, perfectly round nest or what looked like a duck nest. This was the Supreme Winnebago of Duck Nests...perfectly round, bright green thick grass, floating just perfectly, a nice deep pocket for a mama duck and her eggs to keep cozy warm! But we looked closer and saw it was a tire with grass or sod on it!! Has anyone heard of a waterfowl nest being built from a tire? We saw it and now believe it! A Wild duck nest made from a tire!

Sure looks like someone might have made it…pretty good idea to make a bird nest out a tire…not exactly like one of those floating islands but it looked nicer than a whitewall in the mud!

Driving towards St Jean sur Richelieu in the pouring rain...thinking of the rising flood waters...made me afraid...very very afraid!

When I moved to Quebec many years ago I recall hearing every year about the floods in St Jean sur Richelieu and always wondered what was up with that?! Even though I have moved out of the province I still hear about the annual flood in the area from the CBC and Radio-One and have to say…again…what is up with that place? Why would anyone live so close to a place that is proned to flooding?

I had to drive to Ontario on some business…1400 kilometers from New Brunswick via the T-Can through Riviere du Loup, but that’s another story…and on my way back from the Ottawa Valley to the Eastern Townships I decided to try and avoid the hassles of the Champlain Bridge and go south of the Island of Montreal and looking at my GPS I saw that I was actually fairly close to St. Jean Sur Richelieu so I thought I would drive through and check it out. St Jean sur Richeleus had been in the news because of the major flooding and the Canadian Army being called in and then re-called out and people were biotching about the fact that no-one was helping and the waters were rising and I had to see it for myself!

I wanted to be a first hand witness to the St Jean sur Richelieu flood!

I almost needed an amphibious vehicle to navigate the streets of the flooded town. I stopped long enough to take pictures of flooded house in St Jean sur Richelieu but it freaked me out!

Ok so when you’re going to see a major flood zone and it is pouring rain so fast that the car wipers can’t even keep up then it is a good sign that it is a bad sign to come! I was getting really worried as I approached the town because the rain was rtorrential and I had visions of river banks being swept away and people clinging to orange floating buoys trying to fight the currents. The rain was scary…the roads were slippery…the traffic was horrible. I thought I would avoid the rough and tumble Montreal drivers by passing south of the island of Montreal but it seems that with the poor state of the Champlain Bridge and the Mercier Bridge and the expansion and development in southern Quebec there is no real way around the insane traffic jams…but that is another story…

I had decided to go visit the St Jean sur Richelieu flood to see for myself why these folks were belly-achin about the lack of help during this extended run of flooding and old fashioned bad luck! We’ve known the stress of having the basement start to fill with water and having to get the sump pumps into place out in New Brunswick but with what I had been seeing on CBC I knew that the St Jean sur Richelieu flood was much worse that our typical rain storm…this must be bad…and I must bear witness to it!!

So I maneuvered my slasa 2005 pontiac vibe through the streets towards the flood…my heart was beating in my chest…

As I drove into the new part of town past the WalMarts and Tigre Geants and the deppaneurs it didn’t look too bad…on every corner there were bored, angry looking teenagers so it seemed like business as usal…no armed guards or white gloved emergency workers handing out food…regular traffic and grey light and streetlamps…ok so maybe if I go to the lowlands, along the banks of the flooding champlain river or whatever they call it…

I finally made my way to the flooded areas, down streets with pylons and road blocks and large diesel and electric water pumps and hoses across streets trying to pump tyhe flood waters out of the way and was shocked! The banks of the Richelieu river were overflowing and the homes on the waterfront were up to and beyond their foundations with water. Ouch! I drove the car through deep water in the streets and stopped to take a walk with my rubber boots…there were homes with hoses coming out of their front doors and they had pumps in the basements and the water was pump pump pumping out of the basements…those poor folks!

I gotta say…it looked to me like all the flood victims were right on the banks of the Richelieu river…ummm…I guess this is proof that with rising oceans and shrinking ice and climate change that maybe having a waterfront property that is only 8 feet above sea level isn’t such a great idea!!

Trees and homes were swamped with the flooding in St Jean sur Richelieu...seems like it is an annual event!

In many of the front yards I walked past there were pallets, or skids, full of sandbags. I guess the army or whoever was in charge of Emergency Measures distributed sandbags to all residents to put around their homes if the water got too high. A lot of the streets had big piles of sandbags still wrapped in plastic so I’m not sure what was going to happen to them. Is this why they needed the Canadian Army? To clean up the sandbags?

At one point when I was surveying the damage in one neighbourhood I was standing taking pictures beside a large Victorian type of home near the river and suddenly I heard someone running towards me…OMG…I though for a moment I was being mugged by a looter who was taking advantage of the high flood waters to run and rob or break into homes during this critical flood time! I turned quickly to see a blonde in Spandex leggings and a billowing red wind-breaker and white Nike’s jogging around a sandbag pile, hopping over a pump hose leading across a lawn and she ran inside her unlocked screen door in the house I was standing beside.

I guess it was business as usual here…out jogging while the waters rose and receded on the Champlain River in St Jean sur Richelieu…after so many weeks of flooding you must get used to it and still need to burn off the fat.

Note to self: don’t buy waterfront property…

Flooded streets in annual flood in Quebec town of St Jean sur Richelieu