This year I decided to celebrate the long Easter weekend by staying in a cottage on the north Minas Shore and doing some coastal exploring. After doing a bit of web surfing and making a few phone calls I managed to locate and reserve a cottage from Good Friday to Easter Monday at Riverview Cottages, near Parrsboro.
Day I - Friday
After settling into the cottage on Friday afternoon I headed out to explore the town of Parrsboro a bit. Consulting an early 1900s geology map led me to the remains of what used to be an old loading wharf. In the early 1900s coal mined in Springhill was transported by rail to Parrsboro and loaded onto ships bound for foreign ports.
Not much left but a few wharf pilings now, but made for some interesting photos with the Parrsboro harbour light in the background.
It was now late afternoon on Friday, with clear skies, so I head out of Parrsboro, towards Partridge Island, looking for a good spot to capture the sunset. Checking out my map book I discovered mention of a lighthouse on the tip of Cape Sharp so I headed out that way, onto dirt road, but had trouble locating the route over the Cape to the light. After getting some directions from a friendly couple in the area I discovered the old access road over the mountain to the light...
Yikes! This road hasn't been used in many years as the light is now automated. It was pretty rough going up the mountainside with my 4x4 and I had to stop to clear fallen trees but I managed to get over the top and park. The other side was too soft and rough so I walked the short distance down to the light.
Spectacular! This is the narrow-most channel on the Minas Basin and I could easily look across the channel to Blomidon and Cape Split. A great spot to catch a sunset on the Basin!
Day II - Saturday
I awoke at sunrise on Saturday and decided to take a stroll along the beach in the Two Islands area before breakfast. This is near Wasson's Bluff where dinosaur bones were discovered in the sandstone cliffs a few years ago. The coastline geology of this area is an interesting mix of volcanic basalts (with associated zeolite agates and amethyst!) and fossiliferous red andtstone. The numerous islands consist of the more weather-resistant basalt rock capping the softer red sandstone of the Minas Basin.
The weather was sunny and 5 C, and the tide was two hours from dead-low, so I decided to keep walking as far as possible, while watching the tide. Extreme care needs to be taken with the tides along this shore... which rise and fall with extreme rates. At the mouth of Moose River I discovered the remains of an old fish weir, which was used to trap fish between high and low tides. Moving on and around the bend I was pleasantly surprised to discover 3 deer out playing on the mud flats at low tide. I don't know who surprised the other more. I quickly snapped on my zoom lens and grabbed some photos before the deer spooked and disappeared up the bank.
I ended up walking to Five Islands but then noticed the tide rising and headed back... arriving back at the truck around 12:30. I had walked for 6 hours! Later in the afternoon I took a drive along the coast to Cape d'Or, hoping to catch another sunset, but heavy clouds were moving in...
Day III - Sunday
Sunday brought more than the Easter Bunny to surprised residents of Nova Scotia. I woke up to at least one foot of snow on the ground! Wacky weather indeed! Fortunately the cottage was heated. I decided to make the most of the freshly fallen snow and headed up into the Cobequid Mountains for some photos.
I managed to get the truck into some backcountry logging roads, through over a foot of snow, and only got stuck twice. I hiked into Economy Falls and North River Falls. Unfortunately it snowed all day and the conditions weren't all that great for photos but I snapped a few off anyways.
The wind started blowing in the evening so I stuck close to the cottage.
Day IV - Monday
Up early Monday and the sky was still overcast... but at least the snow had finally stopped. I headed back up into the Cobequid Mountains but the snow was now 2 feet in areas and the truck was working hard climbing the steep grades. I decided to call it a day and head back up the highway. On the way home I took a detour and stopped by the Balmoral Mill to get some nice winter photos.
I enjoyed all four seasons over the Easter weekend... only in Nova Scotia! | 
