Picturesque Peggys Cove

Rigging and lobster trap

Location Coordinates:
44°29'34"N
63°53'03"W
Peggys Cove,
Nova Scotia
Canada

     Waves crashing onto rocky shores, lobster boats, windswept buildings, fishing nets - these are all images I associate with the northeast coast. That's exactly what I found in Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia. But I had to fight a bit to find the quiet solitude that I also associate with this scene. Gale-force winds and a driving rain literally put a damper on things, as did way too many cantankerous tourists grousing about. However, I persevered and managed to find a few peaceful moments in this very pretty setting.

Peggys Cove fishing boats

     I arrived in nearby Halifax in the early morning and, determined to not let the lousy weather discourage me, boarded a tour bus for the roughly thirty mile drive to the small community of Peggys Cove. Peggys Cove is known around the world as an archetypical small coastal fishing village, and I'm sure at one point or another virtually everyone has seen an image of the village in a calendar or post card or other such publication. Our bus fought its way through heavy Halifax traffic and eventually cleared the city heading in a southwesterly direction through the rural Nova Scotia landscape. As we made our way I was surprised to find an abundance of trees and vegetation. My mind had always imagined this area to be rocky and barren. Then about five miles from Peggys Cove it began to look just as I had envisioned. Our bus made a sharp left turn onto a very narrow road that led into the town of Peggys Cove, and I was able to see even through the driving rain the village was just what I was expecting.



The Peggys Cove lighthouse

      The actual population of Peggys Cove is less than fifty people. The problem lies in the fact that with each arriving tour bus the population doubles, and then triples, and then quadruples . . . well, you get the picture. My tour group was deposited at a centralized gift shop/restaurant which has as its sole purpose the servicing of tourists on their respective thirty minute stopovers. The scene was similar to an airport, with tour busses coming and going on an almost constant basis. This unfortunate fact diluted the town's ambiance to an almost irritating point. Upon leaving their respective busses, most all of the tourists headed for either the gift shop or the lighthouse. As such, I immediately went the opposite way. With one vigilant eye keeping track of the various crowds and one seeking eye admiring the setting, I managed for the most part to keep ahead of the hordes. This process helped me to see the peaceful, rustic side of Peggys Cove. And that pretty image made putting up with the crowds worthwhile.



Fisherman's bench

      Had the weather been sunny I could have stayed in Peggys Cove all day, filling my camera with hundreds of images of boats and lobster rigging, lighthouses and weather-beaten homes. But my thirty minutes expired, and it was back on the bus for me for the return trip to Halifax. I wouldn't mind visiting Peggys Cove again . . . in a rented car . . . very early in the morning before tour operators open for business. Then I'd really have a chance to experience that quaint seaside village quality that is there behind all the t-shirts and souvenir whale bones.

A few hours in Bar Harbor

Location Coordinates:
44°23'09"N,
68°12'34"W
Bar Harbor, Maine

     When I lived on the east coast I visited Maine a number of times. But I had not ventured any further north than the Portland area, which is located in the southwestern portion of the state. I had always wanted to make a trip to Down East Maine, generally defined as the eastern half of Maine's coastline. This is the area I had always imagined to look like your typical calendar shot of Maine. You know the type; the small fishing village with lobster boats tied to docks which extend from weathered buildings, where salty old fishermen in yellow rain gear swap tales of their glory days at sea while whittling on a whale bone and clinching a pipe between their teeth. Well, I made it to Down East Maine the other day during a visit to Bar Harbor. It didn't exactly fit the image I describe above, but it is a place of great beauty with the added bonus of having some of the nicest residents you could ever hope to run into.

Main Street

     There was one down side on the day of my visit: the weather. It was raining. When we first got to town we took a tour that was to explore Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain. Even in heavy rain it was immediately obvious the natural beauty of these places is amazing. But our views from atop Cadillac Mountain, which we were told were normally spectacular, were completely obscured by fog. Oh well, not much you can do about the weather.

     Our route from Acadia back toward Bar Harbor went along gorgeous coastline, but heavy rain prevented any decent photography opportunities. Once we were back in town we strolled the quaint streets, dropping in and out of shops and admiring the architectural charm of the place. But the wind and rain continued to pester us, so we ducked into The Opera House Internet Cafe to dry off and warm up with a nice hot cup of coffee. This turned out to be the highlight of the day. We were greeted by a most welcoming and helpful staff that genuinely seemed happy to see us . Maine is known for blueberries, so, wanting to stay in a Maine-ish mood I chose a cup of blueberry-flavored coffee. You might think this sounds like a terrible combination, but you'd be wrong. I liked it so much I bought a bag of it to bring home. If you're curious you might want to give it a try. You can find it at this link for New England Coffee.

Bar Harbor Inn

     Bar Harbor is a haven for the rich and famous, and many mansion-sized "cottages" have been built over the years. Some of these "cottages" have been converted to Inns or Bed & Breakfast establishments, many of which caught my attention as potential destinations should I get a chance to return in more accommodating weather. Weather notwithstanding, my introduction to Down East Maine was successful and left me wanting to explore it further. And my next trip to Bah Hahbah will include a great big succulent lobster. Yum!

Hiding from the heat in Duluth

Beach at Minnesota Point

Location Coordinates:
46°47'35"N,
92°05'24"W
Minnesota Point and
Downtown
Duluth, MN

     Many people anxiously await the arrival of hot weather. However, I am not one of them. Fortunately, I live in the north where extreme summer heat is kept to a minimum. But while our extra hot days are fewer than in other parts of the country, we are not immune to brutal blasts of life-choking heat and humidity that can make even the most mild-tempered soul a bit cranky. Such was the case earlier this month when we had a two day run of record setting heat that had me scrambling for ways to escape. I had read about the city of Duluth being known as "the air-conditioned city", so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to verify that claim.



      As I drove north from the Twin Cities the car thermometer showed that it was already 92 degrees, and it was only 9:30 in the morning. It was clear the record high of 95 degrees for that date was in real jeopardy. The temperature dropped back slowly over the first 50 miles or so and then settled at 88 degrees. I checked the thermometer almost constantly as I continued north, and I was beginning to think it would never budge from 88 degrees. But then, about 30 miles out from Duluth, I looked down and the thermometer read 80 degrees. A minute later it dropped to 78, then to 75, and then it became a steady downward ticking degree by degree to the point I thought the car thermometer wasn't able to keep up with the change. It was amazing.




Boardwalk to the beach

      I stopped for lunch on the outskirts of Duluth. At this point the temperature had dropped to 63 degrees, down an amazing 25 degrees from just 30 miles back. After eating I continued on toward downtown, crossed the Aerial Lift Bridge and followed Minnesota Avenue out to Minnesota Point. By now the thermometer was reading only 58 degrees with a bracing north wind coming off the lake. I walked down a boardwalk and out onto a mostly deserted sandy beach where wind-driven waves were crashing in rapid succession. It was invigorating, to say the least. And I loved every refreshing minute walking along that beach knowing that back in Minneapolis the heat was heading toward triple digits.

Windsurfing - Duluth style!

     I watched a couple of windsurfers braving the elements for a while, and then I headed back into downtown in search of another Duluth attraction I had read about, the Portland Malt Shoppe. If you ever get a chance to visit Duluth, you cannot leave town without stopping at Portland Malt Shoppe, where you can enjoy the best (albeit the most expensive) chocolate malt you will ever taste while sitting at a table with one of the finest views of Lake Superior in the city.

Great chocolate malts with the perfect view!

     To work off the chocolate malt I decided to stroll the length of the Lakewalk, a four mile walking/jogging/biking path hugging the lakeshore. The Lakewalk passes through parks, entertainment areas, and winds up at the canal and Aerial Lift Bridge where you can watch for inbound and outbound Great Lakes freighter ships.

Duluth Lakewalk

     Having validated that Duluth definitely lives up to its nickname of "the air-conditioned city", it was time to head for home, which unfortunately meant crossing back into that oppressive heat. I glumly watched the car thermometer climb as rapidly as it had dropped earlier as I hit the wall of hot air kept at bay by the cool winds off Lake Superior. Minneapolis set a new record of 103 degrees that afternoon, the hottest temperature the city had seen in many years. I was overjoyed to have missed it, having comfortably spent the day in weather some 45 degrees cooler! And now I've got a new strategy: when the temp is north of ninety, it's time to go north to Duluth.