Monday, October 5, 2015 - More Lighthouses Along Nova Scotia's Southshore

Today was another wonderful day, weather-wise.  The skies were clear; the sun bright.  As clouds rolled in later in the afternoon, they added a wonderful backdrop at Peggy's Cove.  But as usual, I'm getting ahead of myself.

After a great night's sleep at Ye Olde Argyler Lodge, I was ready to take on the day.  A bit more about this lovely lodge.  It is a small and intimate family owned business, with just five sleeping rooms.  I noted the handful of cars in the parking lot with Florida plates.  So at breakfast I inquired.  My server said that Jon (the manager who took care of my arrival the night before) along with other family members had bought the lodge and done renovations. I think they have a wonderful location and provide first class accommodations and meals.

My journey today would entail hugging the southern shoreline of Nova Scotia, with more lighthouses on the itinerary.  Much of what I ended up seeing was thanks to ad lib navigation.  The one thing I noticed throughout my time in Canada, and especially in Nova Scotia, is that they do a great job to entice travelers from the main highways to explore.  Check out this sign for Barrington!  It is one of many that I saw along my circle tour.

My first stop along my morning drive was a memorial at East Pubnico.  Actually it was the Hipson Creek stone bridge adjacent to the fisherman's memorial initially grabbed my attention. I read about the bridge, which was built in 1900 by an Irish immigrant . . . and then about the 70+ souls lost at sea between 1851 and 1926.

Shortly thereafter, while driving through one of the coastal villages, I stumbled upon this beautiful stone church.  This is the United Baptist Stone Church in Lower Woods Harbour.

I stopped in at the Shag Harbor post office to buy stamps for the post cards I was planning to buy later in the day.  It was there that I learned about the 1967 UFO siting in the sleepy fishing community.  The postal clerk was totally into the story and folklore of it, with 100% belief that the UFO was real.  Who am I to deny they exist?  It was fun to learn a bit more than just the lobster and fishing industry that is so prevalent along the Atlantic Ocean coast.

She did direct me off course to the tallest lighthouse in the maritime provinces - the Cape Light which can be viewed from the Hawk Point Beach.  This photo (right) isn't really very good, as the light wasn't ideal and in the wind, I wasn't very steady with my lens at 300mm.

As one might imagine, there are literally dozens of lighthouses along the shoreline along the Atlantic Ocean.  With all current lights being used being modernized, there are a number of older lighthouse structures that have been moved and repurposed as museums.  The Seal Island Lighthouse (below) is a hybrid as the original 1907 iron lantern has been installed on a replica of the original 1831 lighthouse. Unfortunately wasn't open when I drove through Barrington, NS.

At the mouth of the Liverpool Bay stands the decommissioned Fort Point Lighthouse (right).   Built in 1855, it is one of the oldest wooden lighthouse structures in Nova Scotia.  Now the centerpiece to the Town of Liverpool's park of the same name.  This location was also a critical defense point, protecting the shipping port back in the 18th century.

Here are some of the other lighthouses that I was able to photograph from the shoreline during my day's adventure.  (I hope I have the correct names on each of them.)

 Lower East Pubnico Lighthouse (left)

Harbor Woods Lighthouse (right)

Sandy Point Lighthouse, as seen from the small community center park (left)

Carter's Lighthouse near Lockeport, as seen across from the Lockeport Harbor (right)

Gull Rock Lighthouse near Lockeport, as seen from near the Welcome Center (left)

My quest for lighthouses ended with the most photographed lighthouse in Nova Scotia - Peggy's Cove.  As you can see by the photos, I arrived there late in the afternoon, as the evening clouds were making their way ashore.  I spent about an hour on the grounds, which includes the Sou'Wester Restaurant and Gift Shop which is also the location for the 24/7 webcam where people from around the world can check in to see the lighthouse.  While I was there, David was able to get a screen shot of me sitting on a rock near the road with the lighthouse over my shoulder.  Unfortunately, it wasn't clear enough to post here in this blog, so I'll post my selfie taken at Peggy's Cove!

After getting the photos I wanted, I felt pressed to get on the road as I had originally told my hosts at the Blockhouse Hill B&B in Dartmouth that I would be in before nightfall.  I called to let them know I had been delayed and that it would be closer to 7pm.  What I didn't know, and they forgot, was that the primary toll bridge between Halifax and Dartmouth would close at 6pm forcing me into a bit of a panic mode because Toots didn't handle the "recalculating" very well.

When I called to let them know of my dilemma, Fred was able to help me navigate through the seedier side of the city, to an alternate bridge into Dartmouth.   It was a harrowing drive, but once "home" I was happy to get inside and up to my room.  I will post more about the Blockhouse Hill B&B in tomorrow's blog entry.

It was good to know that Tuesday would be a light day of driving since I was staying at this B&B for two nights.   Today's drive was 293 miles.