Memories of Nova Scotia #4: The Bay of Fundy Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Keats94: Sorting out some of my low traffic caches by archiving them. Freeing up more space for those who wish to contribute to the game.

Cheers,

Keats

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Hidden : 3/22/2019
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


One of my favourite things about geocaching is being able to travel, and see new places. I have had a deep thirst to see the other side of this beautiful country. Perhaps it had to do with my interest in maritime fiddle tunes, or simply taking in the aroma of fresh Atlantic air. 

Every cache you will find in this series is authentically Nova Scotian, with the exception of some logbook receptacles. Whether it be pieces of my Christmas tree from Lunenburg County, a pill container I found on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, and a little surprise camouflage at the final, this series is truly east coast.

There was something about Nova Scotia that sparked my curiosity from a young age. I didn't exactly know why, but I needed to answer Nova Scotia's call. 

I booked my plane tickets, and organized my trip to Cape Breton Island in 2017. My goodness was I excited. Not only because I was going to Cape Breton, but this was in October, the season of the Celtic Colours International Festival. A music fest of fiddles, pipes, and an island with vibrant fall colours. 

The furthest east I had traveled at that point was Montreal, so seeing the maritimes, and the Atlantic ocean almost felt like travelling to Mars. 

When I landed in Nova Scotia for the first time, it felt awesome. It was a remarkable feeling, because I finally made it to the place I have been so curious about. 

This series pays tribute to the call I've felt, and tells some of the memorable experiences of the two trips I made to Nova Scotia. The first to Cape Breton in 2017, and a road trip which circled the province in July of 2018.

To figure out the final, read my stories, and answer some of the questions on the final cache page. 



_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Story:



During my circumnavigation of Nova Scotia in 2018, I was blown away by the quaint atmosphere of the Annapolis Valley. This wide, shallow valley starts around Digby, and goes north east, about as far as Cape Split. The shape of the surrounding hills, in a way, reminded me of Burnaby Mountain back home. After spending a night just outside Digby, I headed up this long valley, past towns that pre-date British Columbia by centuries. Nova Scotia has much to offer when it comes to Canadian history! This should go without saying! Nova Scotia's classic ship, "the Bluenose" is on the dime for a reason!"

During my drive through this gorgeous valley, I stopped at a town called Annapolis Royal. Little did I know when I was pulling into this town, that it was Nova Scotia's capital city before Halifax! This town located along an inlet that connects to the Bay of Fundy changed hands between the British and French seven times! Clearly valuable territory for both countries. England was the last to lay European claim to Annapolis Royal. The fort located in the town is called "Fort Anne" named after Queen Anne.


As I stepped out of my car, my eyes were drawn to this "Fort Anne," which is Canada's oldest National Historic site. I decided to check it out, and was blown away by the exhibits, and the effort put into keeping this military fort alive, but thankfully no longer fought over. I was also very impressed by the way they made walls out of creating really steep lawn hills, and the sheer number of cannons. You really did feel a sense of European presence.

This region was one of the most fought over in North America. European contact dates as far back as 1605, with the indigenous Mi’kmaq residing here eons before that. Their culture, and history is being more represented in Nova Scotia, though the long road to reconciliation continues.

After exploring this fort, I headed out to find a some geocaches along the wetlands of Annapolis Royal, and up one of the roads that will take me over the hill to see the beautiful, and vast, Bay of Fundy. I have heard lots about this big bay, and it's incredible tides.

I rounded the top of the hill, and was greeted with a huge view of the bay. I could just make out New Brunswick on the other side. I chose to head for a geocache down a road that few people ventured down. It lead me to a beach, and a very abandoned house that seemed to indicate it was haunted. The sign on the house was rather creepy! "Anderson Cove & Ghost of Miss Anderson," the sign read.

Well, I had the privilege and honour to look for a cache not far from this house. I searched high and low by the beach, and nothing. My eyes eventually spotted a container in the rocks. Excited, I opened it, but there was no logbook inside. I eventually concluded it was litter, so I picked it up. "Gee, I wonder if this would make a good geocache," I thought.

Well, that very container is now the geocache for this listing. Fresh from the other side of the country, from the Bay of Fundy. It was going to sit as litter otherwise.



I never ended up finding that geocache on the Bay of Fundy, and I know what your thinking, maybe that WAS the cache! I was very confident that it was indeed NOT the cache. GC10DKY is the code for is hide on the Bay of Fundy, and it turns out that I since writing this geocache page, I was the last person to post a DNF log.

I headed a little further along the Bay of Fundy shores, and found another geocache at a cemetery with grave sites dating as far back as the 1700s, and 1800s!

Pretty soon it was back on the main highway to my destination for the night at Blomidon Provincial Park, close to Cape Split. I would hike Cape Split the next day, and was met with yet another stunning view of the Bay of Fundy. It was a long hike, but so worth it.

The history, and scenery on this side of Nova Scotia was humbling. Quite the difference from back home in British Columbia.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Yrsg fvqr bs gur genvy tbvat abegu. Onfr bs gerr, nobhg gjb zrgerf bss gur genvy. Cyrnfr er-uvqr jryy.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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