Halifax

Our first day in Halifax was largely spent resting and catching up on laundry. We did get out for a few hours to explore. We made our way up the large hill that dominates the downtown landscape. Halifax is and has long been a major port for Canada due to it's large, ice-free harbor. To protect this resource a series of citadels have occupied the top of this hill.

The next day we went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which had hundreds of ship models of every kind. There were also special exhibits on tug boats, the Titanic, and the Halifax Explosion. The Halifax Explosion occured in 1917 as a result of a ship collision with another vessel carrying war time explosives. 2000 people died and 9000 were injured. It remains the largest man-made accidental explosion to date. The exhibit was both interesting and tragic.





While in Halifax we wandered around the Public Gardens, heard bagpipes play, walked around the university, and drank in an Irish Pub. We relaxed and reflected, and tried to prepare ourselves for returning to our lives back home. We are going to miss the Maritimes and there is a part of us that wants to stay. But the part of us that misses our pets and realizes that vacations are less fun without a source of income won out, so tomorrow we return home.




Thanks for traveling with us!


-- Post From Shawn's iPhone

Route Overview

Just a map to put things in perspective.

Here's where we drove:

View Directions to Halifax, NS, Canada in a larger map

Zoom and pan around the map to make labels show up. Hope that helps things make more sense . . .

~Shawn

Fundy Fossils

July 11 and 12

This morning we awoke to an excellent breakfast of blueberry pancakes. We met several other people staying at Fitzroy hall and for the first time encountered Americans, two groups actually. Also for the first time on this trip I fielded a question about what I did, and breakfast turned into a quasi-lecture as an obviously fascinated guy from Maryland peppered me with questions about my work and going down in Alvin. It has been really nice to completely not think about work for a while, but I find myself newly energized to think about it now.

After breakfast we left Charlottetown and Prince Edward Island heading toward New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy. Bay of Fundy is world famous as having the highest tides on Earth, an average of 35 feet with a record high of over 55 feet. We began at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park where we watched the tide come in and even hiked down to the beach (otherwise known as bottom of the bay) and watched the waters quickly rush in. We then headed down the shore to the national park where we hiked a couple of trails and took an “auto trail”.

We stopped over again at the Residence Inn in Moncton and set off Sunday morning to explore the other (Nova Scotia) coast of Fundy. Fundy has played a very important role in paleontology and development of biological theory. The Bay is a rift formed as Africa and North America separated and very nearly severed the mainland of Nova Scotia from New Brunswick, but not quite. It is actually this long tapering shape, which is responsible for the high tides. It also exposed sheer cliffs on each side exposing the geologic and fossil record.

Our next destination, Joggins Fossil Cliffs (a UNESCO world heritage site), is the site where Charles Lyell and Richard Dawson did their groundbreaking work which formed a cornerstone of key theories developed and supported by Darwin, Huxley, Wallace, and others. This may sound boring to the non-biologists out there, but for a biologist this is a very special place. It was also very special as there were so many fossils just sitting on the beach waiting to be discovered. The high tides turn over and erode away new material every day, so this is an endless treasure trove of fossils. A highlight of our trip!

We continued our trip along the Fundy shore, visiting the Fundy Geology Museum where numerous fossils including pieces of the Burgess Shale are on display. Had a dinner and a wonderful butterscotch pie on the water, then continued to our final stop: a three night stay in Halifax. It has been great touring around, but we are both looking forward to sitting in one place for a few days to recover before heading home.

~Shawn

The white way of delight

July 10

I woke to a slightly sleepy “Happy Birthday!” today from Shawn, (and appreciate everyone’s well wishes to which I have now received!). Today we went to Prince Edward Island. I have wanted to come here since I was 10 and read L.M. Montgomery’s description of what must be a truly magical place. We crossed over the Confederation Bridge and were met with scenery quite unlike any we have seen this trip. Instead of mountains and rugged coastlines, there were gentle hills, idealic farmland and warm sandy beaches. We toured the home that inspired Anne’s Green Gables and even walked down Lovers Lane and through the Haunted Wood. I couldn’t stop smiling.

After enjoying a lunch of P.E.I. mussels, we drove along the shore where we saw a Great Blue Herron and an Arctic Tern. It was very warm today and the tern which was in it’s southern most range, seemed to wish it were just a bit cooler. We ended the day in Charlottetown, where we checked into the beautiful and elegant Fitzroy Hall. We went for a walk around the quaint downtown, where I found a great used bookstore, that had such a good collection I could have spent the rest of our trip there. We found a local brewery and enjoyed a honey wheat and a stout with an absolutely delectable maple curry beef dish. All in all, great day and a wonderful Birthday present.

~Sara

Comings and goings

July 8 and 9

After taking our leave from the Cape Anguille Lighthouse we set off in search of another. On our way to admire the recently restored Rose Blanche lighthouse we took a scenic drive through the beautiful Codroy valley, which is well know for the variety of birds that can be found there. This trip (and the awesome iPhone app, iBird) have inspired Shawn and I to become novice birders. The lighthouse was lovely and commanded a beautiful view of the Cabot Strait. As we then drove to meet the ferry that would take us back to Nova Scotia, we soaked in all we could of the picturesque green and granite island we have come to love.

The weather was favorable for our ferry trip back to North Sydney, NS and we crossed with out difficulty. We stayed at the same B&B on our return and were welcomed back as family. The next morning we woke to a wonderful breakfast and adorable company in our hostess. Shawn helped her with her computer while I finished getting ready to go. Today we were going to see the rest of the Cabot Trail. We were impressed at the views and the inclines and declines and the wonderful weather in which we enjoyed it all. We kept our eyes on the water hoping to glimpse some whales, but only saw cormorants and Herring gulls. After a couple of leisurely hikes we finished off our day by driving to Moncton, New Brunswick, a short distance from the Confederation Bridge, which we are going to cross tomorrow.

~Sara

Continental Drift

July 7

This morning we decided to hike the Phillips Garden trail along the Port au Choix coast. This is an excellent fishing area and formerly was also home to walruses and large seal colonies. Prior to the first French settlers, this area was occupied four different times by groups including paleo Eskimos. After a brief stop in the visitor center and lighthouse at the national historic site, we set off heading south down the coast. Weather was much better than the last time we drove this way and we made good time. The route passes right through the northern part of Gros Morne, so we couldn’t resist stopping for one last hike and chose a trail leading to the mouth of Western Brook. We were amazed by the evidence of the tectonic forces that folded the land here. Parts of the seabed have been pushed upward so that they form vertical sheets that read like a book of time as you walk further down the beach. All throughout these layers are various fossils which we excitedly searched for. This landscape of Newfoundland was the place that gave birth to the ideas that formed Wegener’s theory of plate tectonics, and looking around the island it is hard to not notice evidence of tectonics in action at every turn.

We then sadly departed Gros Morne and set out for the Cape Anguille Lighthouse on the southwestern corner of the island. This was our stop for the night as we managed to arrange a stay in one of four rooms available in the former lightkeepers quarters. It was a very beautiful setting with mountains in the backdrop, lighthouse right out our window, and a view that opened out to the sea. We enjoyed a beautiful and peaceful sunset (around 10pm). Sara took MANY pictures including some really cool after dark photos of the lighthouse.

It was a fun, but bittersweet day, as it is our last full day on this island that we have both grown very attached to. I have no doubt that we will return someday, as we have only managed to explore a small portion of this beautiful place.

~Shawn

Picture Post

The sun came up at 4am in St. Anthony today.

It was still raining and the wind was blowing, as demonstrated by the Canadian flag. It was about 5 degrees Celsius.

Due to the weather, we had to cancel our plans to take an iceberg boat tour. But we saw some from shore anyway.

We actually saw more than 30 icebergs!

We also went to the first Viking settlement in North America at L' Anse aux Meadows
The wind was still blowing...

We are amused by Canadian signage...

And on the way to Port au Choix the sun came out.

Which left us all smiling.

The end.