NS 2025: Day 4: Bridgetown, NS: Visiting Anne’s Fort
Good morning my lovelies. Riddle me this: How is it that one person, with an RV trailer containing 2 outside hatches, can slam those hatches 319 times in 30 minutes while packing up their RV at 07:00? The good news was I could just reach out my window and high five him. The Digby Campground wasn’t too bad overnight. Usual road noise for being pretty much next to the main thoroughfare. As walk time approached I decided to take the road into downtown Digby. All of the hiking trails are closed in Nova Scotia for fear of people lighting the province on fire. Fair call, really dry here as they experience a significant drought. Downtown Digby was typical for an older town. I did expect something a little more Hallmark card like. I knew I was approaching a Chinese food restaurant just from the early morning smell of the garbage. There are plenty of monuments / memorials along the main drag and another teeny tiny lighthouse. Here are some pictures.
We packed up after breakfast to head out on the day’s adventure. We did a quick stop for fuel and windshield cleaning at the gas station right next to Carla’s. Thanks again, Carla.
We planned to head east along the secondary roads with a number of stops. I apologize to anyone stuck behind me as I drove under the speed limit along the twisting roads of questionable upkeep.
Our first stop was Annapolis Royal. It’s like Annapolis, but more regal. We parked along the grounds of Fort Anne and took Amy for a lap of the fort grounds. It was pretty interesting to be near all that history (or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof! Here is some information on Fort Anne. Amy enjoyed the time outside of the van, but was disappointed when we kept going.
Across the street from Fort Anne is the Annapolis Brewing Company. So we went there. Given that I am not a connoisseur of beer nor cider, Mrs Milddogs went in and made her selections. Amy and I waited outside until we saw that sign that good dogs were allowed inside. So inside we went, cause Amy is a good pupper! Mrs Milddogs did select a Fenwick’s Ale. Given I am 25% Fenwick (I know, the math doesn’t work, but stay with me), then this must be named for my people. Also ignore the fact that Mrs Milddogs has ancestors from Fenwick, NS cause, well, that could get weird. I’ll let you know how this beer is once we consume it.
Just across the street from where we parked the van was the German Bakery Sachsen. A nice German fellow at the fort told us the pretzels were just like back home in Germany, except 5 times the price. Expensive pretzels! This could make up for yesterday’s pretzel omission! We left Amy in the van (well ventilated) whilst we headed over to the bakery. Might have been a mistake given we were just at a bakery 24 hours prior. I was hoping that the Math Queen would be there, but alas, she was not. Let’s just say I got a pretzel and it was good. We will ignore any other purchases. In case you are wondering, the ginger molasses cookie was different and good. I’ve not tried the cinnamon bun yet nor the blueberry danish.
We had a little snack at the van and then continued towards the east. Our next stop was at Fairn Orchards. They had a tremendous selection of apples and other healthy things that could not fit in the van what for all of the baked goods. Mrs Milddogs selected a peck of Courtland apples. The really nice person at the shop gave us a couple of Gravenstein apples to try. We should have tried those on the spot as they are delicious. Maybe we should go back and get a peck of those!
Just about 12 km down the road we shot past Inglis Legacy Farm so we turned around and went back. We were hoping for some of their famous $5.00 peaches. But alas, their unattended farm stand was lacking said peaches. Mrs Milddogs got some plumbs and a jar of blueberry jam. Yes, she paid.
Back on the road we headed through Bridgetown towards Valleyview Provincial Park. It is at the top of the mountain range known as the North Mountain. As we entered the park we emptied our holding tanks. I’m thrilled to report that despite the accepting pipe being at the same elevation as the donating pipe, we were able empty the tanks with nary a drop of effluent spilled.
Not Surprisingly, from the campground you have a great view of the Annapolis Valley. Our site is right next to one of the main lookouts. That might be a bummer in the summer when there are tons of people here, but the park is not very busy right now. With that fire ban on, there are no campfires allowed. I’m great with that.
Speaking of fires. There is one active fire in Nova Scotia and we can see the smoke from it.
It will be an interesting daily walk tomorrow. There are a lot of elevation changes here. I have to stick to the campground roads as the trails are closed. I’d like to take my Brompton out for a ride too but I doubt I would make it up the hills. Or maybe even down them in one piece!
The quality of the washroom / shower facilities here have a great reputation. I went over for a sneak peak and well, it’s not official until that shower happens, but this could be the one!
Tomorrow is a new adventure. We are booked here for two nights so we intend to do some local site seeing a demain. Stay tuned to see where whim and a van can take us!
Eat the apple.
