Heading south from Halifax to Lunenburg on the 102 and then the 103, I’m enjoying the morning sunshine. It’s strange to see roadkill on the highway after not seeing any in Newfoundland for so many weeks/months. There are no raccoons, possums, deer or skunks in Newfoundland, so it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any. But today I get a fresh dose of skunk from a poor little expired one laying in the road. Off the “slab” at Bridgewater to follow the 3 along the eastern shore of the La Have River. There’s a lovely church along the shore. I pull over for a photo and then carry on along the shore, and onto the 332 toward Lunenburg.



The harbor is calm despite the wind that is picking up today. There are a few sailboats taking tourists out to whale watch and a couple in port getting some work done. I walk down to take a closer look at the Unicorn, an American flag flying on her stern. Two men are working at the top of the rear mast (I apologize if I am not using the correct sailing lingo as I am no doubt about as “landlubber” as you can get.). I see she is based out of New Jersey and for a moment think about calling out to the crew to say hello to my fellow Americans. But I don’t want to be that forward or interrupt their work so I don’t. Tonight when I get in from the ride I will look it up and regret not having spoken up. The Unicorn is the only all-female crewed tallship in the world. Owned by a New Jersey philanthropic couple and their 4 daughters, the ship is partnered with Sisters Under Sail, an organization that offers a sailing school and scholarship program for young girls and leadership programs for women. I’m inspired.

http://www.tallshipunicorn.com/index.html



I stroll up the hill to Montague Street to have some “award winning” seafood chowder at the Salt Shaker and take a look back at the water as I hike up the hill.



Lunenburg is another UNESCO World Heritage site. And the streets and buildings are charming.



Continuing on the 3 up the coastline to Mahone Bay, I start to see lots of strange decorations in the front yards and storefronts and along the streets as I enter this small town. It turns out I have stumbled onto The Great Scarecrow Festival, an annual tradition in Mahone Bay. There are Einsteins and Freuds, bikers, witches, Aladdins and more. The small shops and restaurants are all decked out in pumpkins, corn stalks, bales of straw, chrysanthemums and fall décor. It’s beautiful and perfect background for this lovely October day.



Lighthouse Route 3 is a beautiful road, and provides perfect twisty roads to make the riding fun. On to Deep Cove, Mill Cove and more. I stop for a photo at a sandy beach. The seagrass blows gently in the breeze while I look out at the rocky islands on the horizon. The tide is out and the golden seaweed is piled on the ends of the beach along the boulders. Gulls cry in the distance and Mallards flutter around in the pond behind me. Today is a good day.

