Amherst, NS - Cape d’OrSep 4, 2009
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They milk the cows and make the gouda on the farm.
View of Minas Basin from the farm.
(Ron Writing) This morning we left Truro heading west along the north side of Minas Basin. This is a continuation of the scenic route called the Fundy Shore Ecotour. Most of the time we were driving through rolling hills and farmland with frequent views of Minas Basin. We stopped at “That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm" near the village of Upper Economy, NS to see the cheese factory and purchase some cheese. They only make Gouda cheese but they make many varieties and flavors. We purchased some Mild Gouda Smoked, Old Growler, and Really Old Growler. They also sold some vegetables grown on the farm and we purchased zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers. We also bought homemade cinnamon rolls! Our supply of Elena's baked goods has been depleted for some time and she hasn't baked since then. These cinnamon rolls will hold us over until she bakes some blueberry muffins.
A little farther east around Parrsboro we noticed large blueberry fields and there were machines out in some of the fields harvesting the berries. Then we saw a Co-op warehouse with a sign indicating they sold direct to the public. They normally only sell 5# and 10# boxes but since the guy had a partially filled 5# box, he sold us a quart for $3.60 (US).
From Parrsboro we continued east along Minas Channel on Hwy 209 to Cape d’Or. This stretch is very hilly with not a bit of straight road. Just before Advocate Harbour we turned south on a gravel road and after driving about 4 miles up and down some VERY steep hills we made it to the Cape d’Or parking lot above the lighthouse. Today we were thankful we have the low-range four wheel drive option on the truck. Didn’t need 4WD but we may not have made some of the hills without the low range gearing. It was also very effective at hold our speed low when going down hill. Da Honu survived the bumpy road with minor "design changes".
But at least we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the rugged and beautiful coastline where the Minas Channel meets the Chignecto Bay. There are nice views from high on the cliff near the parking lot and we found even better views after hiking down a very steep trail to the lighthouse. We also enjoyed a nice visit with two Canadian couples while down by the light. One couple was from Newfoundland and their friends live here in Nova Scotia.
Leaving Cape d’Or Highway 209 turns north and then northeast along the Nova Scotia side of Chignecto Bay. We made a stop in Advocate Harbour where the tide was out so far that we couldn’t even see any water that would float a boat. All the way to the horizon it was one large mud flat!
From Advocate Bay to Joggins is quite a long stretch and we intended to boondock somewhere along this route. But the road just went through forest land and we just couldn’t find a decent place to pull off to spend the night. So we ended up driving all the way to Amherst where we are parked at Wal*Mart for the night. We are in exactly the same spot we parked on our first night in Nova Scotia on July 1.
