Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove - Lighthouses! - Oct 7 - 10

We left Yarmouth at 8:30 am, after having breakfast at the motel. Limited, only choice is sunny side up eggs and sausages with toast. Today we're only going as far as Lunenburg, not a very long drive unless you add a bunch of detours, which we like to do. Taking the Lighthouse tour roads. Here are all the things we saw. :)

La Lighthouse de Pombcoup (Pubnico Lighthouse) located at 363 Highway 335 in West Pubnico, Nova Scotia, is a unique gift and craft shop featuring a historic 1924 wooden tower painted in the vibrant red, white, and blue bands of the Acadian flag. Originally built as the Salmon River Lighthouse near Yarmouth, the decommissioned tower was moved 60 kilometers south and integrated into the shop. The name "Pombcoup" reflects the historical Acadian spelling of Pubnico, originating from the Mi'kmaq word "Pogomkook". 

Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse

Pubnico Harbour is a deep, lengthy inlet found on the south shore of Nova Soctia between Cape Sable and Yarmouth with the town of Pubnico situated at its head. The villages of East Pubnico, Middle East Pubnico, and Lower East Pubnico are found along the east side of the inlet and similarly named villages are located on the west shore.

Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse with protective breakwater Photograph courtesy Library and Archives Canada

A lighthouse for Pubnico Harbour was considered as early as 1848, but that year the Commissioners of Lighthouses for Nova Scotia decided that while it would help local trade, it would not benefit general navigation of the Bay of Fundy. In early 1852, a petition from Simon d’Entremont and others asking for a lighthouse at Pubnico Beach was read in the House of Assembly, and the light was included on the list of five lighthouses to be constructed that year using money provided by the government not to exceed 1,500 pounds. Advertisements were published calling for bids for the construction of the lighthouse at Pubnico Harbour, but the tender received was so high that the project was deferred until the next year.

Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse was finished in 1853, and Maturin Amiro was appointed its first keeper at an annual salary of thirty-five pounds plus a fifteen-pound fuel allowance. The lighthouse resembled Fort Point Lighthouse, which is still standing at Liverpool, and like it, the tower had a box-like lantern room with glass windows on three sides. William Condon, Superintendent of the Board of Works for Nova Scotia, left the following report of a visit to the lighthouse in 1857.

In the picture below you can see the lobster pens/traps that they use to keep the lobster fresh and alive before selling them. These are now pulled out for the season.

I think it gets really windy here. lol

Next up was Shag Harbour with the UFO crashed. Definitely something out of the ordinary!

The Shag Harbour UFO incident is a well-documented event where an unidentified object allegedly crashed into the waters off Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, on October 4, 1967. 

The Crash and Eyewitness Reports

The Sighting: At around 11:20 p.m., multiple witnesses saw four orange lights descend at a 45-degree angle toward the ocean.
The Sounds: Observers heard a whistling noise "like a bomb" followed by a loud bang and a whoosh. 
The Object: Witnesses reported a large object—estimated to be about 60 feet across—floating 250 to 300 meters offshore with a single flashing white or yellow light.
The Foam: Responders and fishermen found a large patch of glistening yellow-orange foam on the water that smelled strongly of sulphur.

The Search and Investigation

Rescue Mission: Local residents, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Canadian Coast Guard rushed to the area assuming a small airliner had crashed. 
No Missing Craft: The Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax confirmed that no civilian, commercial, or military aircraft were missing.
Military Involvement: Naval divers from HMCS Granby searched the site over the following weekend but officially reported finding "nil" or no wreckage. 
Government Designation: Because the object was never identified, Canadian government files officially classified it as a UFO.

A conveniently placed public restroom lol

Seal Island Lighthouse 

A unique experience awaits visitors to the scenic community of Barrington on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, where the Seal Island Lighthouse Museum had stood sentinel by the headwaters of the Barrington River for 30 years. Operated by the Cape Sable Historical Society, visitors can tour the five story, 35 foot tall replica of the original 60 foot lighthouse whose beacon still guides mariners from Seal Island, which is located approximately 18 miles offshore.

Inside the museum are numerous artifacts from the local area chronicling the lives of local lighthouse keepers and the area’s rich seafaring history. The museum houses the second order Fresnel lens, which was in use from 1902 to 1978 in the Seal Island Lighthouse. A panoramic view of Barrington Bay is visible from the top of the lighthouse museum.

Wile Carding Mill Museum

The Wile Carding Mill is a defunct but still operational carding mill, in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada. The mill is now owned by the Province of Nova Scotia and operated as a museum by the DesBrisay Museum. This water-powered mill was owned and operated by the Wile family from 1860 to 1968. 

What the Mill Did Historically

Carded Wool: Established in 1860, the water-powered mill took raw sheep's fleece and straightened the fibers (carding) to prepare them for spinning into yarn or making blankets and bedding.
Saved Labor: It reduced a farm family's manual weekly wool-carding chore down to just one hour.
Guaranteed Returns: It ensured that local customers received their exact raw wool back unmixed with anyone else's.

Here are some "inside pictures" from google as it was closed for the season.

Western Head Lighthouse

While Western Head Lighthouse was not built until 1962, there has been a foghorn on the point since 1924. The white octagonal concrete tower stands 19.5 meters tall, is topped with a red lantern, and exhibits a flashing white light. As indicated by its name, the lighthouse is situated along the western approach to Liverpool Bay, while Coffin Island Lighthouse marks the eastern approaches.

Western Head with dwelling and fog alarm building Photograph courtesy Nova Scotia Archives

Boehner’s Ltd. erected the fog alarm building along with a dwelling and an oil store under contract in 1924, and the fog alarm was placed in operation on October 1 of that year by Avery Covey, who had previously been keeper of Flint Island Lighthouse. The diaphone foghorn sounded two blasts each minute, when necessary, in this manner: two-and-a-half-second blast, five seconds silence, two-and-a-half-second blast, fifty seconds silence. Lemuel Moreau, the last keeper of the Western Head Lighthouse, said that it was “so powerful that it shook and rattled dishes in the cupboards of houses in the area.”

In 1936, the ell was removed from the back of the fog alarm building, and a radio room was built in its place to control the radiobeacon that was established that year at Western Head. The station would eventually have three dwellings, one for the head keeper and his family and two for the assistant keepers.

Ray showing the cool rocks out in front of the lighthouse.

Fort Point Lighthouse

This third oldest surviving lighthouse has been described by mariners as “left on port side when entering harbour.” Fort Point Lighthouse was built to supplement Coffin Island and was eventually joined by a host of smaller lights on buoys and wharves and even a small beacon on the town bridge, all installed to help navigate the inner harbour to the Mersey River. It had a range of seven miles from its elevated height of 39′. By 1981 the range has increased to eleven miles.

Throughout the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, the light was manned by a keeper who at first lived at a nearby house owing to the cramped nature of lighthouse’s living quarters. Part of the keeper’s responsibilities, in addition to regular maintenance and upkeep of the light, was to operate a hand cranked foghorn in reply to the foghorn signals from incoming vessels as they entered the harbour. By the turn of the century, the keeper moved into the Lighthouse as a dwelling area was attached along with a storage shed for fuel oil and maintenance equipment.

The original light was red and remained so until 1926 at which time it was replaced by a flashing white light. Three oil-burning lanterns magnified by a 12″ round reflector provided the source for the light in the early years. First seal oil and then kerosene was used until 1951 when the light was electrified. In 1964 the keeper’s services were no longer required as automation became a reality. The rise of modern navigational aids resulted in the 1989 decommissioning of Fort Point. The Region of Queens Municipality has been taking care of this heritage building since 1970 and now this iconic structure can be enjoyed by all as a museum and gift shop.

Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce 

Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grace was the capital of Acadia and its location is now a national historic site located in LaHave, Nova Scotia, Canada. The site is currently known as the Fort Point Museum on Fort Point Road.

Fort Sainte Marie de Grace National Historic Site is strategically located at LaHave, Nova Scotia, on a point of land where the LaHave River narrows. The land upon which the original fort was built has now eroded away; a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada cairn, which marks the site, is situated near the original location of the fort. Official recognition refers to the small plot of land approximately equivalent to the footprint of the cairn. 

Finally we arrived in Lunenburg for lunch at 2 pm ... The first place we stopped wi Lighthouse Brewing, and again they didn't offer any food. I think they do woodfired pizza in the summer, but not now. Onto the next. Ray did take some pictures across the harbour though.

You can see the masts of the Bluenose II

I had a hankering for fresh oysters again, so we chose the Half Shell Oyster Bar. Wouldn't you know it, our B & B is right across the street. How handy! Biggest bonus, we can see the Bluenose II right out our window between the houses on the other side of the street. There are tons of eating places here within walking distance. It will be hard to choose for our next meals.

Started off with a Strawberry Margarita and Ray had a N/A lemonade.

Next up six kinds of oysters.

And finally their risotto. The flavour is great, but a bit too spicy for me, maybe because the chef is Mexican lol.

The Sail Inn

Centrally located on Lunenburg’s historic waterfront of Nova Scotia’s scenic South Shore. The Sail Inn is a turn-of-the-century captain’s house restored to enhance many of its original characteristics while still providing guests with modern comfort. Each room has spectacular views of the Lunenburg Harbour.

 After a great late lunch, we checked in, parked the car and did a bit of a walk about. There's an ice cream store down a couple of buildings from the restaurant, so of course we had to visit.

Then we walked down to the waterfront to see the Bluenose II. The crew are  having a ceremony, while we were on the dock. They'd just spent the day taking down the rigging and gaffs and booms so they can take down the masts in the next day or so. All these wood pieces are xrayed to make sure they are in great condition to be put back on next spring. Then the boat will be covered up for the winter. We did visit the Bluenose II store which helps support the maintenance of the Bluenose and maybe Ray bought a couple things. lol

Here is a link of the captains log explaining the work they do end of season. They took down the 2 big masts by crane after we left on Friday morning.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19fv8KMZtY/

Lots of things to take pictures of tomorrow for Ray. Time to bring our luggage in and get settled for the night. Busy day, leaving at 8:30 am and not parking ourselves in the B & B until 5 pm. 

Very cute room though. We ended up in bed at 8:30 pm, both pooped. Forgot to take a picture... this is from Google.

Thursday morning Ray woke up at 5, too sore to stay in bed and I got up at 6 also, too sore to stay in bed. Unfortunately this queen bed is very uncomfortable for both of  us. Too small and it dipped in the middle a bit. Oh well one more night only. 

Ray headed out at 7 am to get some sunrise pictures.

The Fisherman's Museum

After Ray got back from his adventure and I got dressed, we walked around the corner to The Old Barn for a coffee and pastry for breakfast.

Back to the room to pick up the car and off to Blue Rocks, about 15 minutes away. Certainly a very small fishing village. This replica was built in 2002 by a private owner.

Once done with that, we parked the car again behind our B & B and headed out to look at some of the shops in our area. We might have bought some more sweatshirts lol.  We've bought some shirts/sweatshirts from each town we have stopped in. So we ended up packing up 2 boxes to send back home via Canada Post to relieve space in our luggage. :) Here's a few pictures on our walk about. Colourful houses like in Newfoundland. Apparently the houses 100 years ago were only allowed to be white or black, the colour of the churches. The city council changed their minds as the fog would quickly remove the paint. One house started the trend by using surplus boat paint to brighten up the house and guard against the fog.  The residents thought his as sacriledge but eventually it caught on.rd.

Looking across the harbour at the golf course. 

Time for lunch at Shipwright Brew Pub & Restaurant. Ray had their brewed n/a rootbeer on tap and me a flight of 5 different beers. All were tasty. After yesterdays extravaganza lunch $$$$, we had a medium pizza and there is enough for us for supper tonight. 

A quick stop at our room and it's time to go to the harbourfront, as today I also booked a horse and buggy tour around Lunenburg. It was fabulous, our driver, Alexa, was really funny. Our Belgian Horse is named Doc. She took us up and down a bunch of streets looking at all the old houses with lots of funny comments as to who had built it or lived in it. Don't know if anything she said is true or not, but it's funny. 

Most historic buildings in Lunenburg are 130 to 270 years old, with about 70 percent of the major structures in the Old Town Lunenburg Historic District dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries (the 1700s through the 1800s). 

As an Unesco World Heritage Site owners can change anything inside their houses, but the outside has to be wood cladding of some kind. No vinyl.

Shipwreck Brewing is the light blue building behind us.

Lunenburg Music Academy Foundation

Haunted looking house, called the Wedding Cake, is featured in 3 horror movies.

When the Berlin Wall was demolished chunks were brought to the US to auction off. A private person bought a piece to bring it to Lunenberg to remind people what can happen in this world if you don't pay attention. It's locatedoutside the local Legion.

Ray's goal every day is to get someone to smile over something he says. Today he out did himself. After our ride he patted the horse and said "good job Doc" and Doc actually lifted his lips and smiled at Ray. Don't know how he's going to top that one. Unfortunately it happened so fast I didn't get a picture.

After our ride it's time to chill in our room overlooking the street. We've done another 6500 steps again. Time to relax and work on pictures and our blog. Tonight's dinner is leftover pizza. The clouds came in again at 3, so we managed to see stuff during the best part of the day again. Of course by 6 pm the skies cleared up and the wind calmed down.

Another fabulous day with great weather for touring.

Tomorrow onto Peggy's Cove for 2 nights. 

Ray and I were up at 6 am. Around 8 am we packed up and loaded the car and then walked around the corner to The Barn Coffee Shop. By 8:30 we were on the road. I think we were excited to finally see Peggy's Cove.

We opted to take the "Lighthouse Route" which was mostly a coastal route around all the fingers jutting out. First up was Mahone Bay, to take the picture of the iconic "three churches". 

And the iconic "Three Churches" photo. The weather cooperated. No wind and good reflections.

Here is a video Ray took.

They also had a scarecrow festival occuring. I think everyone and most businesses were involved. Here are a few of them, I think there are more than 250 made.

Back in the car our next stop was the small fishing village of Chester.

Community Park with an outdoor pool for the summer.

Continuing on the route 329 we went up and down, round and round and ......

Finally we ended up at Peggy's Cove. OMG 3 cruise ships arrived in Halifax today and everyone came here! Fortunately we are staying close by, so Ray can get there before sunset and sunrise to get his pictures. Here are some we took today.

Look at all the tour buses parked! Must be at least 10, I counted and more coming as some left.

I let Ray out as I'm at a dead stop for the last 10 minutes before traffic continued. He went up to Dave's Lobster Shack and got us two lobster rolls for lunch. By the time he received our order, I was able to go around the round about and back down the hill where I found a spot we could eat our lunch in the car.

Ok, time to check out the little stores and see the lighthouse!

They wanted $25 for one of the small floats ... no thankyou. Hunks of styrofoam painted.

And then we saw this lol

Tourists crawling everywhere!

This guy is actually blowing an alpenhorn.

After our bit of a stroll to the lighthouse viewing ramp for some pictures, we headed to our rental, a cute cottage right on the water. See Ray waving from the deck?

It really is a tiny house.

We were able to sit outside for an hour or so before the clouds came in and it got colder. We actually expefrienced a downpour briefly. Ray took a picture of the cloud that dumped on us. Pretty cool.

At 5 pm, we decided to head out for our dinner at Shaw's Landing, down the road from the turnoff to Peggy's Cove. Their specialty is a whole lobster and a beer. Sign me up.... What a gorgeous spot. West Dover. Ray went out to take some pictures after we placed our orders.

I saw this guy out front of the restaurant.

And here is our Lobster Dinner! I 've waited to have one, as it's really expensive everywhere. Ray ate one back in Newfoundland the first week we arrived. I also cooked us lobster in Cheticamp. Time to "belly up to the bar" as we are running out of time. It's delicious.

This restaurant is run by a young family, who purhased it 10 years ago. It 's  reasonably priced for a lobster dinner. I got mine for $57 and that included a local 18 oz glass of beer. 

After a quick stop at a local grocery store for a Lotto Max  (up to $80 Million) and some more beer for me, Ray dropped me off and headed back to Peggy's Cove for some sunset shots.

While he's doing that, I'm taking pictures here. Across the bay looking at Paddy's Lighthouse. (on private property so we can't get close to it). Look how choppy the water is. The wind is really starting to blow at 35km with gusts to 45km.

Looking out towards the cabin next to us, also small. :)

Good night.

Ray came back a happy camper and that's our evening. Tomorrow we have another day here.

Saturday morning we woke up to the sound of wind and surf. It blew all night. Definitely had to turn up the heat. This queen bed is softer at least, but we rolled to the middle and we struggled not to bang into each other. Fortunately it didn't cripple either one of us this time. One more night and then onto Inn at the Lake by Halifax airport with 2 double beds!

We were up at 6am. After Ray had at least one cup of coffee and of course a few of his arrowroot cookies, he 's out the door to get sunrise pictures at Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. Apparently a normal thing here, we were lucky we were able to sit outside yesterday at all. Cold in the cabin this morning, I fired up the oil heater. Not much insulation, no need usually as they shut down for the season at the end of the month.

Here comes the sun!

Ray got someone to take his picture.

Ray on his way back home, he took a few pictures at Clam Pond, a short way down the highway.

Here are a few around our cottage in Indian Harbour.

On the top of the cliff, our little cabin.

Indian Harbour, another working fishing village.

Once he got back and warmed up a little we headed back to Margaret's Cafe at Peggy's Cove. It opened up at 9:30 and we were there at opening. Delicious! Ray had a cookie smorgasborg and I had a ham and cheese panini.

They had this cool chandelier made out of spoons.

Back in the car and headed back to the cabin. We stopped at D'Aubins Cove for Ray to jump out and get a picture looking back at Peggy's Cove and the lighthouse. Great clouds this morning.

A little further down the highway there's a path to the water, so we bundled up again and took it. Gorgeous but cold.

The water is so clear.

It certainly got rougher and rougher on the water as the afternoon progressed. Lots of wind.

Goodnight Indian Harbour, 5 minutes from Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. The wind has finally died down some, but the water is still churning.

Well, that sums up our adventures for the past 4 days. Tomorrow we will leave here and head to Halifax. I have laundry to do lol