60 Things To Do When it Rains in the Annapolis Valley
Windsor to Annapolis Royal
Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring. Maybe that’s the only thing you think there is to do on a weekend in the Annapolis Valley when it’s raining. I know, I know. We’re hardy folk and think nothing of hiking, swimming and even golfing in the rain.
I am getting annoyed-I did some cursory research on pet friendly accommodations by checking a local tourism website. Now, I find, when I double check the location’s actual website, it’s hard to find any mention of pets. Grr. So, if I can’t find the information without a lot of digging or without directly contacting the owners, I just scratch them off the list.
Besides, if I don’t have the time or patience to click through 5 or 6 tabs to find (or not find) the information I need-then you don’t either.
Of course the ‘Under $100’ rate may be subject to availability, and time of year, and who knows what else, really.
Be sure to check sites such as Expedia and Trivago – you can often get a better rate.
Celebrating Canada’s 150 birthday means parties and special events this entire year. I mentioned in an earlier post on Nova Scotia’s National Parks & Historic sites that I’m doing my best to get to some of these.
During Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Festival such an opportunity presented itself. George’s Island was opened for tours, a concert and a Taste of Nova Scotia event were held there.
What could I do-I bought tickets to the tunnel tours and hopped on the ferry.
Recently, I had opportunity to try out a restaurant new to me-the Noodle Guy in Port Williams .
The Noodle Guy is one of those little nook type eateries with the menu chalked up on a blackboard and cozy little alcoves for good conversation.
I was not surprised at that-it’s kind of a trend right. now.
What’s not a trend is the Noodle Guy himself. Ross Patterson’s (AKA Noodle Guy ) little labour of love received the Best Restaurant in Nova Scotia outside of the city by the Chronicle-Herald in January 2016. Continue reading “Havin’ Noodles at The Noodle Guy”
Camping old school-gotta love it.
Some of us still use tents for camping. Maybe not as luxurious. Maybe a bit more weather dependant. Maybe more caution must be taken so your snacks don’t get pilfered by racoons.
But still, if you are into that kind of thing-and I am, it can be a whole lot of fun.
We assume you have done your research and chosen a date and maybe even booked your site-spots such as Kejimkujik National Park as usually very busy Thursdays to Sundays.
Further to that, we assume you have planned a menu with easy to carry and cook foods and have a shopping list.
And that you know what clothes you need.
Because this list is for equipment you will need to take for camping:
I recommend
Set up tent to ensure all the necessary components are there and that it hasn’t sprouted any holes since last use.
Try out stove before leaving- you don’t want any nasty surprises when you are ready to cook supper at the campground.
Also: Pack food in a cooler that you can store safely in the car at night.
And now, the basic camping equipment:
Tent (make sure you have the tent poles and pegs along with a hammer/hatchet to drive pegs into the ground )
Extra tarp or canopy Of course, it won’t rain, but…..
Thick foam pad or air mattress( with pump) and sleeping bag for each camper
Pillow
Extra blanket
Lawn chairs for around the campfire
Bug repelling candles
Flashlights (extra batteries) needed for nighttime bathroom forays..and checking out noises in the dark
Lantern
Lantern fuel or batteries
Camping Stove
Fuel for camping stove
Pot holders
Waterproof matches or lighter
Firewood, kindling AND paper plus said hatchet (burning paper plates to try to get your fire started will only get you so far.) Most campground will have firewood for sale-some even forbid you bringing wood with you. This campgroundwood is often not so dry.I would still bring dry kindling. Don’t even think about using the trees around your campsite. No.No. No.
Frying pan
Pot with cover
Portable coffee maker( or boil water in your pot and have instant coffee)
Large water jug (you’ll need water for cooking and to put out that fire)
Plastic tablecloth and pegs to keep it from blowing into the campsite across the way
Roasting sticks for marshmallows and hot dogs.
Resealable food-storage containers,
Sandwich bags, water bottles for hikes and stuff
Large garbage bags good for stuffing wet tent in upon departure, also makeshift rain coat.
Several yards of thin rope and clothes pins.
Cooler
Plates, mugs, cutlery,corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener
Paring knife, spatula, cooking spoon
Cutting board
Foil
Biodegradable dish soap
SOS pad, dishcloth, dishtowel, dish pan.
Paper towels
Want to print the list and take it with you? Click the link. Camping List
Recently we all hopped in the car- husband, dog and me- and set off for a Sunday drive. Now you may know me well enough by now to know I am not a sit in the car and drive around type of gal, but more of a let’s see what we can get into, err, I mean do, woman. This may or may not cause ‘heated’ in-car discussion. Not with the dog-she always wants to do things. Nuff said.
That Sunday was no different. We headed up Middle Dyke Road off the 101 and then west on the 221, swinging up the North Mountain towards Black Road, thinking we may find a good place to get to the beach.
Black Rock Trails
But upon entered the community, a small a sign invited us to enjoy the trails.
Woah-what trails were these, now?
We found out a few kms down the road at the Black Rock Community Hall. Seems like there is a series of trails hidden behind the hall-but not secret-everyone apparently knew about these Black Rock Trails.Everybody but me. Continue reading “Those Hidden Gems-Black Rock Trails and Lighthouse”
Free? Yes. Free, or almost. Vacations are expensive. Living is expensive. Hell, breathing in and out is even sometimes expensive-so we’ve decided to help you out by digging up 12 things to do in Halifax this summer that will cost you almost nada.
Halifax Walking Tours– Donation- Meet at the Citadel observation tower for this 1 and ½ hour guided walking tour-these tours depart at 10 am or 3pm. Tour ends along the waterfront. 5425 Sackville St, Halifax.
Shakespeare by the Sea- Donation -Point Pleasant Park. Shows usually begin at 1 and 7pm on the weekend, and 7 pm Tuesday to Friday, but there are selected ‘Picnic Sessions’ at the Cambridge Battery where you can bring your own food and hang out with resident Shakespearean Academic Dr. Yolana Wassersug. 5530 Point Pleasant Dr, Halifax.
When I was a wee slip of a girl of 16, my best friend and I used to pretend to be adults by walking up across the dyke from North Grand Pre and having toast at this little restaurant on the corner of highway one and Grand Pre Road.
During the decades, yes decades, that have passed since I last had toast at the Evangeline Inn Cafe, it’s popularity has boomed. It’s hard to even find a place to park. And while a good part of that infamy is the pie (proclaimed as one of Nova Scotia’s 10 Signature Dishes in May of 2015 by Bill Spurr of the Chronicle Herald),pie is not what we are after.
July 15th is Provincial Parks Day, so I decided to share with you my top five favorite camping parks in the province. Click the very short video below to see which ones they are and feel free to comment with your favorites-or why you disagree with mine. Happy Parks Day!
#5. Caribou Island Provincial Park-Pictou,Northumberland Shore-If you love white, sandy beaches-this is for you/
#4- Blomindon Provincial Park-Blomindon, Annapolis Valley- A selection of great trails with varying degrees of difficulty.
#3-Five Islands Provincial Park Five Islands,NS-Beautiful views of the Bay of Fundy and of Nova Scotia’s ‘flowerpots’.
#2 Rissers Beach- Port Medway, South Shore another white sand beach-supervised with a nice boardwalk.
And,
# 1 Graves Island Provincial Park,Chester,South Shore -trails, fishing, one of my favorite places to fire up the BBQ.
I have a secret. Please don’t throw tomatoes at the computer, but….I don’t watch ‘the Curse of Oak Island.’ There, I’ve said it.
Which made the tour I took today a bit awkward.
Who was that nondescript bespectacled man signing autographs? Turns out he was our tour guide and beloved character on the Curse of Oak Island series, Charles Barkhouse.
Oops.
There’s a good chance I was the only person on the tour that hadn’t watched a entire episode of the show, and that’s including my entire family-who seem to be rabid fans. Who knew.
Both the ‘Official Website of Oak Island, Nova Scotia’ and the ‘Friends of Oak Island Society’ website were (and are) suspiciously bereft of information regarding ticket sales, but my sister managed to get 6 tickets for the tour-and man, tickets are not easy to get.Private tours are about $300 for 10 people, while the public tour was a deal at $30. Both tours were sold out in less than an hour. You need to be on your toes to get these tickets, people!
We booked the public tour-I’d say there were about 25 people, making it easy get close enough to snap pictures and to hear the tour clearly. Charles was such a wealth of information that my scant knowledge of the island didn’t matter. By tours end, I knew about Borehole 10X (looked down into it actually), the so tragic deaths of Robert Restall, his son Bobby, Karl Graeser and Cyril Hiltz. and the cabbage farmer who shipped his produce across the way to Tancook Island.
Charles is an exceptional storyteller and seems genuinely passionate about the Island, it’s history and of course the treasure that may be lurking beneath. How can I tell he loves doing this? Charles didn’t disappear immediately after the tour,good-naturedly fielding the constant bombardment of questions and requests for pictures and autographs (yes,I got one)
And this was his 3rd 2 hour tour of the day.
Oak Island is home to the longest running and most famous treasure hunt in the world. The treasure hunt began in 1795 with the accidental discovery of the “Money Pit“.
