Roller Coaster.

Fishing for compliments.

New Ross, NS – Heavy rains settled into ruts etched into the highway by logging trucks heading into the forests of the Balsam Fir Christmas tree capital of the world.

At each turn, the high-arcing waves our tires carved threatened to send the car spinning off the road.

But, we continued on to Peggy’s Cove, where we stood alone as a bagpiper played mournfully beside the iconic lighthouse. The rains had scattered the few tourists in the direction of the gift shop, leaving us alone on the rocks. Despite the day’s rains, the skies held off long enough for us to spend some time loping over the giant boulders as I have each time since first coming as a child.

Taking the heritage coastal trail along the ocean, we visited the two Swissair 111 memorials and various fishing villages, but stopped short of Lunenburg, where the Bluenose II is being rebuilt from the ground up. The rains were simply too strong for it to be an enjoyable experience, and the city was flooded this afternoon.

It was not, however, enough to put a damper on the lobster sandwiches (on raisin bread) we had brought along for the ride.