Gold River Tours

Gold mining brought back to life on the Gold River

While Oak Island gets all the attention these days, there was a time when Lunenburg County was gold-mining country.

The Nova Scotia gold rush of the 1860s has long been forgotten by most, only to be found in books and archives around the province. That history is coming alive thanks to the Chester Municipal Heritage Society sponsoring a guided walking tour.

"It always amazes me what these people did with dynamite and hand tools," said tour guide Danny Hennigar. The tours will visit the Stewart mine and the Colonel Briscoe Stamping mill site, among others.

It is a two-hour guided walking tour of the west side of the Gold River (Mi'kmaq name is Amaqapakikek) gold mines, part of the Nova Scotia gold rush of the 1860s. On the tour you will visit old intact gold-mine shafts, trenches, the site of a dam and electrical power generation and locations of old stamping/processing mills.

Houseboating Rideau Canal, Ontario

The oldest continuously operated canal in North America, the Rideau Canal Waterway links the lakes and rivers between Ottawa and Kingston and is a boater's paradise.

Huge pine, maple and oak shade trees to the right and left, peaceful, quiet surroundings, quaint towns, lots of house boats for rent, friendly and knowlegable lock staff - it's the recipe for a relaxing vacation.

And: it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
I travelled the Rideau Canal for several years at all seasons, paddled, cycled, skated, canoed, house-boated and went through each of the 24 locks along the 202 kilometer waterway, and it still seems to be a well-kept travel secret.

Barely any businesses, no tour-coaches, souvenir shops or tourist hords, very few restaurants, no highways or high-rises, just cottages along the way.

See how the locks work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iPx6hyxfiA

Fall trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1aTLUuLGS0&NR=1

Rideau Canal in Winter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmIEzfPYxrc&feature=related

Read "Along the Rideau" http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/articles/along-the-rideau.html - or better come and see for yourself.

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Winter Colors

Soon to be Seen Everywhere North of the 40:

What looks like a barren place is actually full of life:  I took these photos often just before sunset or on remote places during the week.  Fascinating how the wind shifts the snow.  All images where taken in Aylmer, Quebec, on Lake Deschennes which is in fact part of the Ottawa River and very close to Ottawa, the Capital of Canada.

Winter Activities
During the day and on weekends you will see hundreds of people enjoying Winter activities: such as cross country skiing on the frozen Lake Deschennes, snow-shoeing, ice curling and lots of ice fishing.

November Colors

Even in November Nova Scotia's South and East Shore are colorful and magnificant. Not a grey month here!  Good food and wine everywhere, lots of activities and the freshest air in the world.  Outdoor activities – sea kayaking, rock climbing, kilometers of hiking, sailing, surfing - all this can be enjoyed through November and sometimes even December

Hiked, walked and maybe surfed enough the high waves at this time of the year? Then visit these events:

Dartmouth: Heritage Fashion
Fashion and Accessories from the Collection of the Dartmouth Heritage Museum. Showcasing not only fashion through the decades, but the accessories needed to complete the look from head to toe.
http://www.dartmouthheritagemuseum.ns.ca/dhmExhibits.html


Halifax:  22nd Annual Victorian Christmas   November 26 - November 27
Take in choral, band and dance performances, sip on apple cider and soak up some holiday cheer at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. And don't forget to visit the charming coffee shop.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/visit/activ4.aspx
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/visit/visit10.aspx


Halifax: Holiday ParadeThis year’s Parade promises to kick off the season with lights, music and live entertainment on Saturday, November 19, beginning at 6:00 pm.


Antigonish: Farmers MarketIt is were locals and visitors meet and the highlight of the week for foodies: visit the Farmers Market, every Saturday morning from 9-12


Nova Scotia Dining
Sea-fresh Digby scallops from the Bay of Fundy. Plumper, juicier oysters harvested from our crystalline shores. Firmer, sweeter Nova Scotia lobster from the South Shore. Cold smoked salmon. Traditional Red Fife wheat bread. Delicious Annapolis Valley King apples. Tart, plump wild blueberries. World Class Nova Scotia Wines and Ice Wines. Local Heritage Pork. Annapolis Valley Champagne-style cider. And the list goes on. For local dining experiences and agri-outlets go to http://www.tasteofnovascotia.com/members and search by region.

White Point Resort Burned Down

This lovely, old-fashioned and very popular resort on Nova Scotia's South Shore is gone.
Hope, they re-built it soon - but it will never be same.


Fire Live on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dthEciIQ3uA
 

Food Film Festival, Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Melange of great Chefs and great films If Robert Redford can turn Park City, Utah, into a film festival destination, Michael Howell believes he can do the same for Wolfville, drawing parallels between the home of the famed Sundance Film Festival and Wolfville, which has the Al Whittle Theatre on Main Street. Howell, chef-owner of Tempest Restaurant in Wolfville, is organizing the second Slow Motion Food Film Fest November 10 - 13. At the first festival in 2009, 1,000 people came out for a retrospective of classic food films like Babette’s Feast and Ratatouille. Other films are: Land Awakening, set in Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Canada, the 89-minute feature is lovingly photographed and "an unbelievably beautiful view of the world." Blood into Wine, a documentary about the singer for the rock band Tool moving to Arizona and opening a winery, gets its Canadian premiere at 6 p.m. Saturday. Another Canadian premiere is El Camino del Vino, an Argentinian film about a sommelier who loses his sense of taste and his journey to recover it. The movie, which has been written up in Wine Spectator magazine, screens at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. At 8 p.m. at the Harvest Gallery, learn from an expert How to Really Taste Wine. Jason Priestley will take part in the festival’s opening "Barn Dinner" on Thursday at the Wolfville Farmers Market, joining these celebrity chefs in cooking a four-course meal. - Craig Flinn (Chives), - Dennis Johnston (FID Resto), - Peter Dewar (NSCC), - Jason Lynch (Le Caveau), - Luis Clavel (Atlantica Hotel), - Peter Jackson (formerly of Jacks Grill in Edmonton), - Renee Lavallee (The Feisty Chef), - Chris Velden (Flying Apron), - Brad Bowden (Glen Arbour) and - Jesse Vergen (Saint John Alehouse) There will be awards for best documentary feature, best documentary short, best feature and best feature short. Winners will be given papier mache snails, the symbol of the worldwide slow-food movement. Information on the festival can be found at http://www.slowmotionfilmfest.ca