Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Parry Sound to Sault Ste Marie Ontario)

August 12th: We're still driving through the massive width of the province of Ontario (with more days to come). From Parry Sound, Sudbury, Bruce Mines, and into Sault Ste. Marie, the hometown of the first Canadian astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar. 

Dr. Roberta Bondar

Miniature version of the shuttle

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario

Sudbury, Ontario

12-sided barn in Thessalon, Ontario

Books and antiques Thessalon, Ontario 

Info about 12-sided barn Thessalong

Bruce Mines, Ontario

Antiques Bruce Mines, Ontario

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Beaverton and Parry Sound Ontario)

August 11th: After battling through a torrential downpour yesterday afternoon, it was nice to turn in early for a good sleep. Today, Sparky and I, along with my pal from Penticton, BC, Kyla Damen-Willems, traveled from Kingston to Parry Sound, Ontario. 

We had a few stops along the way to smell the sunflowers near Beaverton, and search for antiques in Orillia, Ontario. We couldn't find an antique store that was open on a Friday. That baffled me. A Friday in August, and none of the antique stores were open.

We finished the day with a fun (pet-friendly) dinner at the Legend Distillery in Parry Sound.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator

Beaverton, Ontario

Beaverton, Ontario

Sparky and sunflowers, Beaverton, Ontario

Beaverton, Ontario

Parry Sound, Ontario

Bobby Orr Museum and Art Centre

Parry Sound, Ontario

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Halifax, Oromocto NB, Quebec City)

August 8th, we left Halifax, Nova Scotia, to begin the two-week drive back to BC. My pal Kyla Damen-Willems has joined Sparky and me for the trip. It's nice to have a human to talk to for a change, and someone to share the driving.

Out with Kyla's friends in Halifax

August 9th: Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America. Yesterday we drove to Oromocto, NB, and today to Quebec City, QB.

I have been lazy with taking photos ... partly because the weather has been wet and cloudy.

August 10th: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. One of my favourite cities.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator

Quebec City, Quebec

Cat in window, 

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

Quebec City, Quebec

 

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Halifax NS)

Aug 3 to 6th: Hey there! I haven't written a blog post for a few days, and you probably thought that I had fallen off the edge of the earth. Honestly, when I arrived in Halifax, I was worn out and needed some serious downtime. My car has hardly moved since Sparky and I arrived in Halifax on August 1st.

City of Halifax (not my photo)

I've poked around the city a bit, visiting a few of the better-known attractions, but mainly I've napped. Slept. Napped. And slept some more. 

Now, I'm ready to get back to the adventure. 

My Penticton friend, Kyla Damen-Willems, arrives tomorrow. She's joining Sparky and me for the 5600 kilometre (about 3500 miles) drive to BC. It will be great to have another human along because Sparky isn't a good conversationalist. When I talk to him, he just looks at me as if I'm slightly bonkers. 

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Cadets at Halifax Citadel

From the internet: Halifax, an Atlantic Ocean port in eastern Canada, is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. A major business centre since the 1840s, it’s also known for its maritime history.

 The city is dominated by the hilltop Citadel, a star-shaped fort completed in the 1850s. Waterfront warehouses known as the Historic Properties recall Halifax’s days as a trading hub for privateers, notably during the War of 1812.

Inside the Halifax Citadel

Our hotel is near the citadel (the star-shaped fort in the middle of the top photo), and across the street from a beautiful public garden. 

Strangely, the public garden does not allow dogs, dog walkers, cyclists, joggers, scooters, or photography of wedding groups. The sign left me wondering who was allowed to venture through the gorgeous wrought iron gates.

The Point Pleasant park has an interesting policy about dogs. They are allowed off-leash until 10:00 a.m., then not allowed at all later in the day. I think that's a great compromise.

On the return trip to Penticton, BC, Kyla and I will share the driving, and we expect to arrive back home around the 21st of August.

Cheers, Lynda, and The Sparkinator

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Titanic victims buried in Halifax NS)

Aug 2nd: "Did you know that many of the victims of the Titanic disaster are buried in Halifax?" the young woman asked.

I shook my head, "I didn't know that. How interesting." And so, Sparky and I drove the short distance from our hotel in downtown Halifax to the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where the graves for 121 people are arranged in the shape of a ship's hull.  

From a New York Times online article: 

This somber stewardship came about largely by chance: Halifax happened to be the closest major port with good rail connections when the ship sank, 700 nautical miles away in the North Atlantic.

Three ships sent from Halifax to find the Titanic’s dead recovered more than 300 bodies. 

About 100 were buried at sea, but families who could afford the cost had 59 others transported elsewhere by rail. 

The rest were buried locally, some of them attended to by a funeral home that is still in business.

Out of the 2,208 people who boarded the Titanic in Southampton, only 705 survived when the ship sank.

It was a sobering experience to see so many graves with the same date of death: April 15th, 1912. 

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Pictou NS)

HMS Hector Heritage Quay

Aug 1st: Sparky and I were on our way toward Halifax, but of course, I can't stay on the boring freeways for too long and detoured off to Pictou. 

Years ago, when I was intensely interested in genealogy research, I traced the Irish side of my dad's family back to when they arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia, back in 1721. 

However, I wonder if I got the right location, because according to a large historical display in Pictou, it was colonized by 200 Scottish Highlanders, arriving on board the HMS Hector on September 15th, 1773. 

That might have to be a wintertime project; recheck the dates and the port of entry for our Lyons ancestors.

HMS Hector under restoration

I can't begin to imagine the hardships of crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a ship like the Hector. The hull of the original ship is under restoration, and a full-size replica is housed inside the Hector Heritage Quay in Pictou.

Wikipedia: 

HMS Hector's most famous voyage took place in 1773, with a departure date around the second week of July, carrying 189 Highlanders who were immigrating to Nova Scotia. 

Pictou, Nova Scotia

The vessel's owner, Mr. John Pagan, along with Dr. John Witherspoon, purchased three shares of land near Pictou, Nova Scotia. Pagan and Witherspoon hired John Ross as a recruiting agent for settlers willing to emigrate to Pictou with an offer of free passage, 1 year of free provisions, and a farm. 

The settlers (23 families, 25 single men) were recruited at Greenock, Renfrewshire, and at Loch Broom, Ross-shire, with the majority being from Loch Broom. 

Celebrating the Scottish colonials

The settlers that boarded Hector were poor, "obscure, illiterate crofters and artisans from Northern Scotland, who spoke Gaelic." The school teacher, William McKenzie, was one of the few passengers on the Hector to speak both Gaelic and English.

Hector was an old ship and in poor condition when it left Europe. The arduous voyage to Pictou took 11 weeks, with a gale off Newfoundland causing a 14-day delay. Dysentery and smallpox claimed 18 lives amongst the passengers. The vessel arrived in Pictou Harbour on September 15, landing at Brown's Point, immediately west of the present-day town of Pictou.

Definitely not a journey for the faint of heart!

~

Sparky and I will be exploring the fascinating city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the next few days.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator

Pictou, Nova Scotia - love the colourful chairs

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Port Hood & Tatamagouche NS)

Port Hood, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

 July 31st: Sparky and I have spent the last two days slowly poking our way west-ish, from North Sydney, to Port Hood and Mabou on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, and today Tatamagouche in Nova Scotia.

Located on Cape Breton Island, Port Hood is well known for their five sandy beaches, which makes their marketing plan simple:

       Eat. Beach. Sleep. Repeat. 

Port Hood - 1 of 5 beautiful beaches

Bistro in Port Hood. Waiting for our takeout order

~

Rankin Sisters pub

In the nearby hamlet of Mabou, The Red Shoe Pub has become a kind of “home away from home” for many locals and visitors over the years. The Rankin Sisters’ cozy spot offers a menu of Nova Scotia home cooking. "The Shoe" serves food and drinks and great live music, seven days a week. It is open seasonally from the last Friday in May to mid-October."

Born in Mabou, the Rankins come from a family of 12 siblings, all of whom would entertain the neighbours musically every third weekend as part of a cèilidh. (A social gathering for singing, dancing, and telling stories.)  

Rankin Sisters - The Red Shoe

The first Rankin Family band formed in the 1970s when siblings Geraldine, Genevieve, David, John Morris, and Raylene Rankin began performing at local weddings and dances in Cape Breton. As the older siblings went away to college and university, the younger siblings, Jimmy, Cookie, and Heather, took their places.

Heather, Cookie & Raylene Rankin, along with their eldest sister Genevieve Fakoory, purchased the Red Shoe Pub in 2004 and opened its doors in 2005. 

Mabou Nova Scotia 

~

Tatamagouche Nova Scotia, is situated on the Northumberland Strait north of Truro and west of Pictou at the mouths of the French and Waugh Rivers.

Tatamagouche derives its name from the native Mi'kmaq term Takǔmegoochk

Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

, translated as "Meeting of the waters".

Tourist train in Tatamagouche, NS

Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia