We woke up early, ready to meet the day so packed up and headed to Wood Islands to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia.  Our reservation was for the 11:15 AM ferry but, since we got an early start, figured we’d see if we could get on the 9:30 ferry.  We were in luck!  They said yes, and, in fact, we were the tenth car in line.  Once we pulled into the loading ramp, everyone seemed to get out of their cars and mill around while waiting for the boat to arrive, so we did also.  Pretty grounds with picnic tables and benches surround the staging ramp as well as a small restaurant.  We also had a good view of the Wood Islands lighthouse.

We didn’t have long to wait and, efficient operation that it was, we were loaded onto “Holiday Island” and were ready to take off right on time.  You aren’t allowed to stay in your car, so Chloe and I made our way to the top deck where, to her immense delight, she was promptly surrounded by a bunch of little kids.  Settled next to me on the bench, Chloe had no problems whatsoever and seemed to enjoy the wind in her face.  It did get a bit chilly out on the Northumberland Strait but tolerable.  The schedule said the ride takes 75 minutes and about halfway through our crossing, passed the other ship, “Confederation”, on our way to Nova Scotia.

Driving off the ship in Pictou was pretty cool, but it takes you directly onto a highway and I had not entered anything into my GPS as it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t immediately have an opportunity to pull over and figure out where I wanted to go.  So, I took the first exit and looked for a gas station, so we could fill the car and empty ourselves. 😊  And, we could look at the map to decide how we wanted to get to Bedford.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know about Cape Breton (northeast corner of Nova Scotia) until various conversations with other travelers I’ve met along this trip.  Cape Breton, part of Nova Scotia, is supposed to be some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere but, after examining the map, I determined that detouring there just added way more hours than I was willing to drive so instead, I headed south and drove along the southern border of Nova Scotia (along the Atlantic Ocean) before bypassing Halifax and heading to Bedford.

I found out that the entire province of Nova Scotia is located within the Appalachian Mountains which accounts for the rolling hills I traversed on my way from Pictou to Bedford.  Much of the land is either forested or farmed until you arrive at the coast.  I have found throughout this past three weeks (yes, I reached three weeks as of 8:00 this morning), that I find the orderliness and symmetry of farmland to be comforting and calming.  Sometimes, as I’m driving, I play music and sing along or just listen but quite frequently, especially when my other senses are satiated, I just let my mind wander and soak in the sights.

Anyway, we reached Bedford and, after quickly checking in, drove a short distance to Hemlock Ravine Park.  There is a heart-shaped pond built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, for his mistress and numerous dog-friendly trails loop around the 200-acre park offering shade and welcome breezes to combat the unusually warm temperatures (predicted at 80 – 86 degrees).  The newscasters say the “humidex” value is 96; my take on what that means is the “feels like” temperature.  By the way, I don’t feel hot at all.

Bedford is not a city but rather is a town, suburb of Halifax, so walking into these woods made one feel they were far away from civilization.  Nearby traffic sounds disappeared as we traipsed up and down the winding trails as Chloe met many new friends along the way.

Bedford sits on Bedford Basin, an extension of Halifax Harbor.  Since I love water views, we had to go to DeWolf Park which includes a popular walkway along the basin.  We strolled along the waterfront, stopping occasionally to sit on a bench where I chose to read, and Chloe chose to bird watch.  A light breeze caressed my skin as my phone indicated the temperature was 82 degrees.  I thought it was wonderful, but I could hear people walking by complaining about the extreme heat.  I guess it’s all what you are used to.