Maritimes 2007:Pictou

The rains passed overnight and the morning came with partly cloudy skies, realtively high humidity and haze. Everything here is soaked. The campground manager said that this is very unusual weather with temperatures higher than normal and cloudbursts. On the other hand, another local told us that they get these temperatures and rains occasionally during the summers, but what he said was different, is how late summer came.

We decided to take a ride along the Northumberland Strait that separates Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from Prince Edward Island. We were going to go as far as Pugwash, about 50 miles from Pictou. The guidebooks tell us that the Sunrise Trail (Nova Scotia route 6) would take us past pictureseque villages and along the strait. It also told us that Pugwash was a special place.

Our first stop was Malagash, about 30 miles west of Pictou and the Jost Vineyards. Jost Vineyards produce what is supposedly the best wine in Nova Scotia. They use grapes that are grown in the province with some from nearby New Brunswick. We bought a few bottles of different types of wine and will open them when we get home. Incidently, the guidebook told us that Malagash is 30 Km (about 20 miles) west of Pugwash. When we left Malagash, we drove west to Pugwash which goes to prove that just because it is written in a book (or the Internet), it isn't necessarily accurate.

When we left Malagash and rejoined the Sunrise Trail, I noticed a sign that pointed down a side road and said that it was a, "scenic diversion." Another sign pointed down the same side road and said that there was a provincial park over there. After driving a few miles down the first road and then down a gravel road we reached the provincial park. This was 91 acres along Fox Harbor with picnic tables overlooking the water. Since it was lunch time and we packed a meal, we stopped at the park and had our choice of tables... we were the only people in the park. The view from the park was nice, but nothing special. We didn't see any other "scenic diversions." We drove into Pugwash and found it not to be anything particularly spectacular. In fact, the ride along the Sunrise Trail was nothing special. I was not motivated by the scenery to take out the camera, thus I have no pictures to post.

This is out last day in Nova Scotia. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Prince Edward Island. Our travels through Nova Scotia have lasted for nearly three weeks and we really enjoyed being here. We saw interesting places and, unfortunately, due to weather conditions, missed others. We would certainly consider coming back here again in the future to visit some of the places we missed and to revisit others. With all the trees along the way, Nova Scotia should be spectacular in the fall.

	Pictou, NS
	31 July 2007
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		Town Map
	Photo Gallery and Commentary
The rains passed overnight and the morning came with partly cloudy skies, realtively high humidity and haze. Everything here is soaked. The campground manager said that this is very unusual weather with temperatures higher than normal and cloudbursts. On the other hand, another local told us that they get these temperatures and rains occasionally during the summers, but what he said was different, is how late summer came. We decided to take a ride along the Northumberland Strait that separates Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from Prince Edward Island. We were going to go as far as Pugwash, about 50 miles from Pictou. The guidebooks tell us that the Sunrise Trail (Nova Scotia route 6) would take us past pictureseque villages and along the strait. It also told us that Pugwash was a special place. Our first stop was Malagash, about 30 miles west of Pictou and the Jost Vineyards. Jost Vineyards produce what is supposedly the best wine in Nova Scotia. They use grapes that are grown in the province with some from nearby New Brunswick. We bought a few bottles of different types of wine and will open them when we get home. Incidently, the guidebook told us that Malagash is 30 Km (about 20 miles) west of Pugwash. When we left Malagash, we drove west to Pugwash which goes to prove that just because it is written in a book (or the Internet), it isn't necessarily accurate. When we left Malagash and rejoined the Sunrise Trail, I noticed a sign that pointed down a side road and said that it was a, "scenic diversion." Another sign pointed down the same side road and said that there was a provincial park over there. After driving a few miles down the first road and then down a gravel road we reached the provincial park. This was 91 acres along Fox Harbor with picnic tables overlooking the water. Since it was lunch time and we packed a meal, we stopped at the park and had our choice of tables... we were the only people in the park. The view from the park was nice, but nothing special. We didn't see any other "scenic diversions." We drove into Pugwash and found it not to be anything particularly spectacular. In fact, the ride along the Sunrise Trail was nothing special. I was not motivated by the scenery to take out the camera, thus I have no pictures to post. This is out last day in Nova Scotia. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Prince Edward Island. Our travels through Nova Scotia have lasted for nearly three weeks and we really enjoyed being here. We saw interesting places and, unfortunately, due to weather conditions, missed others. We would certainly consider coming back here again in the future to visit some of the places we missed and to revisit others. With all the trees along the way, Nova Scotia should be spectacular in the fall.
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Pictou, NS

31 July 2007

Photo Gallery and Commentary