Sorry, Margaret!

My tent was pitched at a comfy campsite in Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia for 5 days in early August​. The big draw to this area is Peggys Cove, a small fishing community on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay, famous for the Peggys Point Lighthouse (c 1868). The village was formally founded in 1811 by six families of German descent, and while fishing continues, tourism is the dominant economic driver. 

While the town is quaint, I was ho-hum on the entire scene. I suppose if you've never seen a lighthouse on rocks, it's intriguing. In fact, my comment in the Visitor's Center guest book was, "Great marketing job!".  That said, I was drawn to the 100-foot sculpture there by William E. deGarthe, who emigrated from Finland to Canada in the 1920s. The Fisherman's Monument is carved into a granite outcropping behind what was his Peggys Cove home. It depicts 32 fishermen, their wives, and children enveloped by the wings of St. Elmo, the patron saint of sailors, as well as the legendary Peggy.

With a few days to go, I discovered the St. Margaret's Bay Area Rail to Trail, a multi-use trail that stretches from Halifax to Lunenburg, 119 km. I was excited as the area had little bike/ped infrastructure and riding the curvy, narrow roadways made me nervous. I hopped on to discover that the packed gravel trails were not well kept, and I was shocked to see both an ATV and dirt bike sharing the trail with me. When forest fires nearby closed the Rail to Trail the very next day, I was not that displeased.

Refusing boredom, I drove an hour to visit the town of Lunenburg on the southern coast. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lunenburg's architecture and design is "the best example of planned British colonial settlement in Canada," with a very specific rectangular grid form layout.  The most noticeable building element is the "Lunenburg Bump," an enlarged dormer that extends out over the eaves, either five-sided or rectangular. An interesting historic town to tour by foot. 

Nova Scotia didn't feel like Canada to me. Perhaps it was the unfriendly bike/ped scenario, or the lack of any cultural differentiation. Maybe I'm just annoyed by the history of the Acadian deportation. I'm not sure but my next stop is Cape Breton, so Nova Scotia gets another chance!