[Day 27 & 28] Monday & Tuesday, July 13, 14, to and around Tatamagouche, NS (65km)

Origin: Bob Williams, Glenda MacKinnon

Destination: Balmoral Motel

Route Description:  the 311 all the way
Good road surface, minimal to moderate traffic

Weather:  Beautiful sunny day with light headwind/ breeze

Fueled by Bob and Gleenda's waffles, local strawberries, homemade yogurt, and more,

we left the Bay of Fundy region once again. We climbed over the ridge that divides the bay from the Northumberland Strait drainage.

We've been told that this is the highest elevation in Nova Scotia, excluding Cape Breton

(an obvious place for wind turbines). What lovely, expansive views of fields of wildflowers, farm buildings, and newly mowed grass.

A detour of a few kilometers brought us to the Balmoral Grist Mill,  which was built in 1874, has been saved and restored, and is still making flour with the Scottish millstones. We had two excellent guides for our visit; the miller, however, was away for the week.

Tatamagouche, "the meeting of the waters", is a small village at the juncture of the Waugh and French rivers.
We went Tuesday morning to Creamery Square. The square is a creative consolidation of cultural, artistic, historic and community functions. It appears that the seed was the old creamery building which lies next to the once-rail-line and the successful development of an "inn" and restaurant at the old depot. Creamery Square seems to be successful, although the consolidation may have dampened business on the nearby main street. 

Our enthusiastic guides, Hanna and Ashley, summer student interns, shared travel tips and local history. The creamery building which housed the well-known Tatamagouche butter-making operation until the 1970s, is the current site of joint museum collections (Brule fossils, heritage local history, a creamery exhibit, and a tribute to the Nova Scotia giantess

Anna Swan and her husband who achieved circus fame).  Additional buildings house a community theater, (the former ice house), an art gallery, and a Saturday farmer's market. We enjoyed this setting.




We lunched in a restored dining car

at the award winning Train Station Inn. If you have ever dreamed of sleeping in a luxurious, refurbished caboose, you have a choice of eight here or you can choose the suite on the second story of the restored station.  Just reserve well in advance. We tried.

While Bob was rearranging our plans for tomorrow, Marney rode to see Nelson Memorial Park, with broad views of the harbor/river and lovely benches in gardens for enjoying the views.