Well . . . with some regrets, I left Canada in the rear view mirror today.I never saw a baby moose, but I did see a beautiful doe with a tiny little fawn this morning! I didn’t see any Puffins, but I did get to see a variety of new song birds that never come to visit in South Carolina. I didn’t get to see an iceberg up close, but I did see them floating off the coast. And . . . I never saw the northern lights. But you know what . . . I can always go back, and I am already kicking next year around!! This time though I travel up through western New Brunswick, cross PEI (Prince Edward Island) from west to east, book my ferry rides far enough in the future (with rooms to sleep in overnight), and then go up and around NewFoundLand counterclockwise. I also will leave Charleston, SC, a bit later in the year, maybe around June 1st. This way I should be able to see the new bear cubs come out of the dens in Cades Cove, Tennessee. I can see the foals and there mom’s on the beach at Assateaque Island, VA. Then be in time for the Puffins to come ashore at Elliston, NL. Possibly, see icebergs on the beach along Iceberg Alley somewhere, and make the mad dash to Goose Bay, Labrador (the road should be fully paved in a year!)
The last couple of days have been full of wonderful sights and even more wonderful people. Again, I cannot thank everyone that I met, peoiple that started as starngers but (hopefully) ended as friends. To all of the great guys at Battery Provincial Park in Cape Breton and the two amazing ladies operating the St. Peter’s Canal . . . I truly enjoyed talking with each and all of you. Your openness and generosity was appreciated by this starnger in a strange land. You live in a beautiful place, and I cannot wait to come visit again!!
The Atlantic Ocean from the beach overlook at Battery Provincial Park, Nova Scotia. If you were to sail around the point to the right, you would find yourself in the village of St. Peter and at St. Peter’s Canal.You have to have love sunny days on the coast of Nova Scotia!!
So far my weather luck continues. My days are usually made up of two rainy days for every sunny day. I was not supposed to be back in the U.S. until tomorrow, however, the rain at Caribou-Munroe ISland Provincial Park started early this morning and was slated to continue for the next three days. I hate getting stuck in the tent by the weather, but I do not have much of a choice when the rain is coming down sideways for hours on end! Most recently, the rain at Battery Provinicial Park lasted for almost 26 straight hours, but the rain wan’t the problem, the winds literally chased me down into the car once . . . where I sat just waiting for the tent to launch off the roof of the car. I was pretty tired by then, as I sat there, idling the engine so I could warm up as the torrent tore by, I curiously wondered if I could find my tent in the morning in the bay . . . strange thoughts on a long night! LOL
Iris Versicolor, otherwise known as Northern Blue Flag, grow wild along roads and ditches in Nova Scotia. I did not see these flowers growing when I passed through this province over two weeks ago, but with the arrival of summer, they seem to be jumping out of the ground.Red Clover buds, coated in the morning dew. Such a complementary set of colors . . . nature has such a slendid palette of colors to work with! Starflower . . . tiny and brilliant white . . . normally growing in shady locales, with or around Virginia Strawberry and Canadian Bunchberry. Each individual bud is smaller than a dime.Always my favorite to photograph . . . and found everywhere that I have seen in North America. Dandelions are just nature showing off its engineering expertise!I hate it when I crawl around on my hands and knees to photograph a small white flower, and the the SEEK app fails to identify it. I do believe this is Virginia Strawberry.The SEEK app was not able to identify this plant and I thought it looked rather interesting.Bees are not the only polenators in the insect world, that or this fly is collecting a meal, I am not sure which. The fly is on a yellow Creeping Buttercup.I have been watching and making note of the various types and sizes of ferns as I have traveled the country. Some seem to come up out of the ground and unroll vertically, others grow as a stalk and then unfurl horizontally, while others (like this one) grow up as a thin stalk then unfurl. However they grow, they are all graceful and beautiful.SEEK app states that this is in the Rose Family, but cannot get any closer to a final identification. I found a single tree in bloom, at Battery Provincial Park, surrounded by Fir trees that blocked me from getting any closer than ten feet.Ribwort Plantain. A funny looking plant, more weed than flower, but still fun to photograph.Red Clover in full bloom. Again, on my hands and knees to get these in focus on the ground.Sorry . . . I just love the softness of these colors.I believe this is a Caspian Tern. It is an amazing sea bird to watch feed along the rocky coast. It soars and stalls, glides and dives, always scanning the water for a fish that comes too close to the surface. Then, in a fast, often vertical dive, it plunges into the sea . . . hopefully snagging a tasty morsel!Ahhhhh . . . something has caught the Tern’s attention.Death from above!! This time . . . was a miss!!Another splendid, tiny, miracle of nature. Five of these blooms could easily hide under a dime. It grass buried deep in the grass, and unless you were specifically looking for the almost insignificant flash of blue in a field of green, it would be missed. Again, SEEK could not identify this blossom.There I was, adding chunks of lobster to my Jambalaya (I didn’t have any shrimp, and the lobster was $8.00 per pound!), when suddenly this furry demon starts chittering at me from a nearby tree. Obviously he thought I was cooking squirrel and took offense!!I have seen these yellow flashes throughout the provinces that I have visited. These little birds are extremely skittish and will dive for cover in a heartbeat. I was just lucky enough to capture this one cathing some rays the morning after the rain in Battery Provincial Park.Red-Berried Elder. This tree fills with clusters of these tiny buds.Orange Hawkweed. There are seriously hundreds of dafodils for each one of these that you find, but these stick out so much more vibrantly then the simple yellow dafodils. I also noticed that the local rabbits seem to enjoy eating both ravenously!!These are the local lobstermen and their boats tied along the quay wall at the St. Peters Canal. One of the set of Canal locks is visible on the left side of the photo. The lock is used by local and visiting vessels to navigate safe passage between the Bras d’Or Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. My buddy came back! I cannot tell if thet is a “Happy Squirrel” face or a “Mad Squirrel” face!! He seems to always looked a tad pissed!This Dark-Eyed Junco came around my campsite a few times. He was usually pretty fast, but I think I caught himeating . . . so he slowed down just long enough for me to take the shot!Song Sparrow. Fairly common bird who sings its heart out!! Usually the first call I hear in the morning, and the last I hear as the sun goes down.
One of the interesting things I have learned about songbirds is that when you hear them you need to realize that they are screaming at the top of their tiny little lungs to be heard. If you think about it, a bird, no more that three inches in body size, is making its voice hear over 60 to 80 feet (or more). The energy it takes to do that is incredible. If you do not believe me, try screaming all day from sunrise to sunset as you jog around your neighborhood. This is why it is so vital that we humans help ensure that we maintain their enviroment and food supplies by either maintaining green spaces for them, or by growing the plants and grasses that they need to survive and thrive.
A beak full of insects for a nest of hungry mouths. I did not dig into the brush to see the nest. The parents were already not happy by my proximity. Small Heath Butterfly. This is now the time of year, as the weather warms, for the various moths and butterflies to be making their appearances. This little one is about the size of a nickle and flits about the grasses.My favorite photo of this terrific butterfly. This is a Black Swallowtail, the only one I saw in my days at Battery Provincial Park. Here you can see it sipping from a Red Clover.Here is another of the Black Swallowtail pics. In this one you can see the beautifuls blue with the splash of orange that makes them stand out so well against the green background of grasses and other plants. Again, this one is feeding off a Red Clover.Jerome Lighthouse at Battery Provincial Park at sunset. The Nova Scotia Provincial flag is flying in the background.On my way out of Battery Provincial Park I grabbed this shot of the St. Peters Harbour. Inbound is a blue hulled lobsterman, while outbounding from the St. Peter Canal is a small sailing vessel.
Now . . . it is late and I need to get packed up to head to Acadia National Park tomorrow. I am supposed to spent the next three day at Seawall Park, one of the three camping sections in Acadia National Park. The only issue I am having is with the weather again. It is supposed to rain tonight, clear up a bit in the morning but then rain again through Sunday. I hate camping in the rain, but the site is paid for. The other issue is that I will probably need to pack my tent wet again . . . and that can lead to a mildew smell.
Just not certain what I am going to do!! Hotels and Motels average about $160 per night and they also mean I need to eat at a restaurant, costing me just more money. With gasoline and inflation already going into the ludicrous range because of corporate greed and lack of Presidential Direction, not being able to camp puts a crimp in everything!
Yet . . . I am almost caught up here with the exception of my day at Caribou-Munroe Island Provincial Park. I will work on that tomorrow and try to get it out for you as quick as I can. Until then, stay safe, stay happy, smile as much as you can today and maybe even laugh!! Life is good!! Enjoy it!!
What the Walrus said . . . 
One response to “Back in the U.S. of A.”
These pictures are wonderful dad! Please travel safely. If you need to land somewhere free, come visit here! We miss you!
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