Finally, Blomidon!

As we neared the end of our drive for the day, the road got narrower with a lot more curves. Blomidon Provincial Park is on top of a mountain. As we entered the park, there were guardrails on both sides of the road and the road looked like it was almost 2 lanes, but not quite.....Sol is wide and long, especially towing the car. As we started up the mountain, both of us sucking in our breath to make Sol smaller, we noticed a mirror at the top of the curve so we could see if anyone was coming down! Thankfully, no one was and we made it up and around the hairpin turn...finally able to breathe as the road widened and the guardrails disappeared. The road at the top was nice and wide and flat! We checked in and found that our site was huge with lots of solar! That was superb since there are no hook-ups in this park!

After a little rest, we walked around the campground to see the other sites and to locate the trailheads. Most of the sites in this park were good for solar. There were about 15 sites located in a wooded area that would not be good.  Several of the sites overlooked Minas Basin and had fantastic views. We could see the basin from Sol's dining table.

Our first full day we hiked Upper Jodrey trail to the look offs. The trail was nice, not many bugs and mostly in the shade!

We sure were thirsty after our hike, so we ventured down the mountain to the village of Blomidon. Of course, there was a special place called Blomidon Estate Winery where I was able to quench my thirst and learn about Nova Scotia wines. I did a tasting and we came away with a sparkling wine. I learned that one wine, Tidal Bay, has to have a blend of  seven of nine grapes that are grown only in Nova Scotia. Most wines in Nova Scotia are white as the growing season is short and red grapes don't have a chance to develop their full-bodied flavor. 

I enjoyed my wine tasting, but it was time to go explore grocery stores! Time to restock some of our perishables. We found a Wal-Mart Super Centre and an Atlantic Superstore in a nearby town. Unlike in the states if something is 5 for a dollar you can buy one or 2 at the reduced rate, here you have to get all 5 for the reduced rate. We also found that almost everything is taxed at 15%! A few non-processed foods are not taxed at that rate. The Wal-Mart had the better prices.

The following day we drove to Cape Split Provincial Park to go hiking. Cape Split doesn't have a campground and is only open for day use. There is a trail that goes around the perimeter of Cape Split...it is long, about 8 miles. We flipped a coin and chose the northern portion of the trail. It turns out we made an excellent choice. The trail had a lot of ups and downs...we chose to hike to the first look-off and the to return to the parking area which made our hike about 3.5 miles. The trail was rated moderate, but it was mostly ups and downs, very few level places. The views from the overlook were fantastic, as usual.

 Back at the campground that evening, we talked to a young couple that did the entire trail at Cape Split...they said we made the right decision and wished they had only done the first half of the trail. The south side was extremely steep with many places they had to scramble over rocks. They both complained about sore ankles and toes from the steep ups and downs!

After our hike we headed to Port Williams and Wayfarer Brewery for Bob to quench his thirst! As we arrived, we noticed another brewery across the street from Wayfarer...it was unusual for such a small town to have 2 breweries this close. Bob enjoyed his IPA so much, that he had his Riff Raff growler filled. 

Once we were back at our campsite, I decided to sit out side and read. This little fellow wanted to read with me, but I kept chasing him away...I wasn't sure of his reading ability and I didn't want to share my book!

Friday was a special excursion day....time for a ride on the Magical Winery Tour Bus! We drove to Wolfville Waterfront Park to catch the wine bus.

Yes, it was a 1967 doubledecker bus complete with right hand drive!

Paul was our driver and Jeremy was our knowledgeable tour guide. Bob and I initially chose to sit up top for the views, but soon discovered there was a very rowdy group with us. After our first stop we and several others decided to sit on the lower deck so we could hear Jeremy. Our first stop was Blomidon Estate Winerey, been there done that, got the wine! The second stop was Luckville and Wolfville Winery where we had lunch in their cellar. We were supposed to have 2 hours at this winery, but due to unexpected traffic for the bus (trying to balance 4 tours at the same time), it ended up being 3 hours. I chose their red wine to purchase...it was rather good.

The third stop was Luckett Vineyards. It was a nice winery, but seemed more commercialized than the other places we stopped.

Keeping with the British theme, they had a phone booth in the middle of the vineyard!

The last stop was Benjamin Bridge. Here I learned about another Nova Scotia wine that has to meet Nova Scotia standards: Nova Seven. It is a wine with natural effervescence and it was quite good. But, I decided to go with their Tidal Bay. Each vineyard puts its personal touches on this wine and to me, this one was the best (for a white).

Once we returned to Wolfville, it was time for dinner. We chose Joe's Eatery and Pizzeria. The outdoor seating area was filled so we ate inside. Both of us had fish and chips which were excellent.

Our last day at Blomidon, we once again drove to Wolfville to visit their farmers' market and do a Geocache Adventure Lab. The market only had a few fresh fruits and veggies as it is still early in the season., but local artisans had their wares on display. The Adventure Lab had us exploring Acadia University and its oldest buildings. 

We enjoyed our time at Blomidon Provincial Park and the surrounding area, but it was time to pack up and move to a new place......