The Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia form one of the world’s richest windows into the Carboniferous Coal Age, preserving a continuous record of life from roughly 318–303 million years ago. Often called the Coal Age Galápagos, the cliffs expose upright fossil trees, ancient rainforest ecosystems, early amphibians, and the oldest known reptile, Hylonomus lyelli. Constantly revealed by the Bay of Fundy’s powerful tides, the site provides the most complete fossil record of terrestrial life from this period and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We arrived too late to take one of the guided tours but we had time to go through the museum and then go down to the beach to hunt for fossils, it wasn’t very hard as they were everywhere! We saw the old wharf and the tide was going out so more fossils were being revealed. We saw lots of chunks of coal like they used to collect and the coolest thing was seeing the fossilized trees. We could have spent hours wandering around. The museum had closed but we looked around outside and learned about the Cumberland Basin Grindstone Industry where they would quarry the sandstone to make grindstones from 1760 through until 1917.

As we left Joggins we were lucky enough to see a bear cross the road in front of us. We were heading to Springhill Miner’s Museum as that was a Harvest Host location and they described where to park so you could arrive late. They even had a free dump station we could use. The following day was Monday which was the opening day for the museum, so we weren’t sure what we’d be able to see.

The Springhill Miners’ Museum in Springhill, Nova Scotia preserves the history of one of Canada’s most important and most tragic coal‑mining communities. The museum sits on the former Springhill Coal Mines—once a major coalfield that powered railways and industry across the Maritimes and Quebec. We couldn’t tour the underground mine as it hadn’t been inspected yet for the season, but the young guide gave us an excellent tour of the above ground exhibits and explained in full detail what it would have been like to be a coal miner.  We also learned about the town’s three major disasters: the 1891 explosion, the 1956 explosion, and the devastating 1958 “bump” that killed 75 miners. The site displays original mining structures, artifacts, and stories that honour the skill, hardship, and courage of generations of miners.

After we finished our tour, we headed in to Springhill to see the memorial park they had created for the lost miner’s.

The Museum manager had told us about a coastal road we could take which was scenic, so we decided to backtrack a bit and follow the coast. Our first stop was Parrsboro where they have a tidal bore but we weren’t there at the right time. Next was Five Islands Lighthouse Park which was very pretty. There is a Five Islands PP, but it wasn’t open for camping yet this season. Then we found a cheese place called That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm where we bought tons of great products. We also found out there is a Nova Scotia Cheese Trail so we picked up the passports so we could stop at a bunch of cheese shops and get a stamp so we could perhaps win a prize.

Our destination that night was Truro to stay with Sharon’s Second Cousin Larry and his wife Barbara Jane. It was great to catch up with them on family updates and stories as well as getting some pointers on places to visit during our trip.

The next day we were heading from Truro to Halifax to visit with our close friends Philomena and Paul. Their place was easy to get to in non rush hour traffic and our RV fit perfectly in their driveway.  After a great dinner we headed out to Bearlys House of Blues with Paul, Philomena joined us later when her choir rehearsal finished.  The Blues musician Garret Mason was a fabulous guitar player, his fingers moved at lighting speed. We really enjoyed his first set and then were surprised as we drove back how busy the downtown streets of Halifax were, what a busy place on a Tuesday night!

The next day we headed to the Halifax Harbour boardwalk.  A long, lively waterfront promenade stretching roughly 4 km along the edge of downtown Halifax. It’s one of the longest urban boardwalks in the world, lined with restaurants, patios, historic sites, shops, and open-air markets. As you walk, you pass working wharves, sailboats, museums like the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and public art installations. The atmosphere blends harbour views, street performers, local seafood, and maritime history, making it one of the city’s most iconic and scenic experiences. It was great having Philomena and Paul give the locals scoop on everything. We stopped and had an excellent lunch at Sea Smoke right on the water before heading to Pier 21.

After lunch Sharon, Philomena, and I visited Pier 21 while Paul rode his bike back home. Pier 21 in Halifax is Canada’s national immigration museum, located in the historic ocean‑liner terminal where about one million immigrants entered the country between 1928 and 1971. It was one of Canada’s busiest reception centres, processing newcomers through medical checks, customs, and settlement services. Today, the restored facility tells the stories of those arrivals—war brides, refugees, and post‑war immigrants—preserving its role as a major gateway that shaped modern Canada. We started with the museum exhibits and then did the guided tour where the guide walked us through step by step of how an immigrant would arrive in Canada and be processed. After that tour we went to the research centre and Philomena was able to find all the details of the ship that brought her to Canada. Sharon was able to trace back to when her 18-year-old grandmother arrived by ship (Montcalm) from England after leaving Sweden with her family 101 years ago and arrived in Quebec City to then carry on by train to make a new life in Saskatchewan.

After Pier 21 Philomena drove us up to Citadel Hill so we could see the views of the city. When we arrived, we couldn’t go inside as they had just closed but we had gone in to visit in the past. That evening we walked over to Philomena and Paul’s favourite local pub called Oxford. They had a great patio area and apparently the building used to be a movie theatre. I ordered a beer flight (they were all good) and the girls ordered a Cider flight to share. They allowed you to bring food in so Paul and Sharon went next door to get some famous Donairs. It’s really a big thing in Nova Scotia and on the east coast. I had tried one in NB, and I really didn’t like how sweet the sauce was, so they got hot sauce for me instead which was quite tasty, Sharon and Paul liked the sweet sauce, but Philomena sided with me that it was too sweet. What a fantastic day visiting Halifax😉

I will end this blog here and begin the next one with our trip to Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg, and Mahone Bay.