Travel Dates: August 22-30, 2018

Awhile ago we bought the Canadian National Parks guide and as soon as I realized Kejimkujik National Park was known for its back country camping I was sold. That meant after Cape Breton we needed to make our way southeast. True to form we decided to take the back roads down to a small family run RV park on the eastern shore. Since then we’ve also decided that taking the back roads in Nova Scotia is not generally a good idea. Sometimes we did to avoid toll roads, and other times it just seemed more scenic. More often than not it just meant bad pavement. Live and learn I suppose? The road was bumpy, it was rainy, foggy and not altogether scenic. The bright spot, however, was that we learned most gas stations have hard scoop ice cream. Score!

Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean

We pulled into Murphy’s and I was immediately not impressed. Our site was supposed to have 30amp but it was broken, so we had an extension cord that ran 20amp. It was raining. We were exhausted. It was also not cool enough plus the humidity was high so we were all kind of sticky. I went to bed wondering if we could get a refund and leave early.

But then…. the next day dawned bright and sunny. We had a crisp breeze off the ocean and the kids discovered the crab trap down by the docks. They spent HOURS playing catch and release with the small sea creatures, Alyssa and I went for a mid morning canoe paddle, and later that evening we all sat around the campfire and ate complimentary boiled mussels.

Kind of a quirky place but one that could definitely grow on you. 

“As moms, sometimes we just need our own adventures. @alyssakerickson spied a lonely canoe just sitting on the dock at Murphy’s and asked about renting it. $10 later we were paddling among all these cute little islands for an hour and just enjoying a morning of quiet. And no kids. And adventure. Thanks friend for getting out there with me!”

Friday morning the 24th dawned beautiful, sunny, and just like that Andrew turned 11 years old. Since we had already fulfilled their birthday dreams at Cedar Point last month, the presents were sparse. We did manage to drum up some candy corn for him, and Cara wrapped everything beautifully in home made paper. He requested eggs on toast for breakfast (don’t mind if we do) and then we hitched up and towed the house to the beach for an afternoon in the sun!

Martinique Beach Provincial Park

Alyssa had heard from the locals that Martinique Beach Provincial Park was one of the best beaches on the east shore. From looking at satellite view we figured if we got there early and took up an entire parking lot with our two Airstreams we’d be fine.

Right?

Somehow we managed to miss the fact that it is also a popular surf beach and everyone was there early. Near the end of the narrow road we did manage to back in both our trailers & trucks and settle in for the day. Mostly we just crossed our fingers we’d be able to get out again!

“One of our biggest concerns on this trip was how Rachel would do. She loves Driggs, having her own room and hanging out with girls her age. While traveling is still magical to the younger two, she’s kind of over it. Showing up every week to a new group of teenage girls at church can also be intimidating and full of anxiety. The other week, however, she told us, “I’ve conquered church” while acknowledging that her prayers had been answered. 💕

I’m so proud of her and her attitude. Sure, she’d go home tomorrow if she could but in the meantime I love watching her grow and learn along with the rest of us.
Beach days certainly help too. We don’t have those in Driggs. 😂” – @currentlywandering

One thing I really love about Canada? Everyone is SO nice. We followed the Erickson’s out of the parking lot and everyone moved over, backed up, or gave us space. Seriously could have been bad, but really? It wasn’t a problem. Now, I probably wouldn’t recommend a repeat adventure, but I’m grateful we didn’t get stuck in there all night!

The town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

We ran into the weekend problem where everything was full, but managed to snack a couple of spots down in Lunenburg, NS for Friday & Saturday nights. We celebrated that evening with hamburgers & cupcakes and the kids were able to watch a movie. Birthdays can sometimes be hard on the road, but I think we pretty much nailed this one!

Lunenburge is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which I think means its pretty old. 🙂 We stayed in the lower loop of the Board of Trade campground and only *barely* fit. I’m not sure we’d do that again. It was within walking distance to town, however, which we took advantage of.

Sunday morning we hitched up and drove to church towing the Airstream. We don’t do this often, but sometimes its just logistically easier when we are trying to get from point A to B. We found the ward in the small town of Bridgewater to be incredibly kind and welcoming. If we ever go back to Nova Scotia we’d definitely love to spend more time in this region!

Kejimkujik National Park

We tend to fly by the seat of our pants – even when planning back country adventures. After talking with locals and getting a feel for the area I’ve realized we were VERY lucky to be able to back country camp in this park last minute. I’m so grateful it worked out, however, because this canoe circuit was one of  the hardest and most rewarding trips we’ve had.

“When I found out that Kejimkujik was primarily a back country park my planning wheels started churning. We packed all our gear but haven’t had a chance to use it!

I talked with the rangers, with the outfitters, did a bunch of research online and we finally settled on the Big Dam – Frozen Ocean Lake loop. It involves 26km of paddling/hiking, 6 portages, 4 lakes, and 2 rivers. Definitely the most complicated trip we’ve ever undertaken!

We also found out this park is extremely popular with the locals and am incredibly grateful we were able to book any sites at all with such short notice.

One of my favorite moments? Rachel and Andrew successfully navigating this lake and pulling into the portage like pros.” – @currentlywandering

“That time we were on our way to the National park and I thought, “Hey! I wonder if we should take the paddle board along with our rental canoes?” Yes. Yes we should.” -@currentlywandering

“Sometimes we visit places with a stay in an RV site. Sometimes we jump in a little deeper. We just spent 3 days on a 16 mile canoe circuit in Kejimkujik National Park, in the middle of Southern Nova Scotia.
We started with a portage to and paddle across Big Dam Lake. #allthedamjokes” – @telegramsam

“All three of my kids are strong paddlers, and it makes canoe trips fun. We switched up boat arrangements quite often, and it was great to spend time with each. We had two canoes and also a paddle board/kayak, so there were no passengers for th first time on a trip like this. Everybody had a nice round of paddling.” – @telegramsam

I plan to do a full write up of our trip as soon as I get time to go through ALL  the video. Stay tuned for that.

City of Halifax & Enlisting as Soldiers

After our canoe camping trip in Keji, we towed back to Halifax, Nova Scotia and met up with the Erickson’s again. Mostly we just needed to recover, get some work done, and get Rachel to the LDS temple. The kids and I also managed a visit to the Citadel for a road schooling field trip. I wish it hadn’t been as hot and humid that day because the fort was AMAZING. I loved watching the soldiers in uniform march, play the bagpipes, and shoot their weapons. We could dress up, enlist in the army, and even attend of day of school.

If we had had longer (and looking back we should have just done it!) I would have explored more of the southern coast of Nova Scotia. Its rumored to have some of the best beaches anywhere. However, it was time to turn and head back towards the US.