This province has rugged, unadorned beauty, abundant color (the houses are wonderful), and there are moments when there seems to be water everywhere you look, water very good for swimming, even if a bit cold (the kids have gone swimming everyday). Today, we had our eyes fixed on the Atlantic coast, and set out from Antigonish to Guysborough, and from Guysborough to Canso, where we picked up the northern terminus of Marine Drive (Highway 316) which all the literature suggests, and indeed did turn out to be, a truly spectacular drive. Highway 316 runs through tiny coastal hamlets like Port Felix, Whitehead, Cole Harbour, and Larrys River, a village where horses roam freely on the streets and front lawns and every house has a view of the water and the woman who runs the general store comes out and pumps gas for you (it’s the only fill station – one pump – you will run across for miles and miles).

The amazing thing about this province in the height of summer is that there is absolutely no traffic on the road. Might be bad for the economy, I realize, this absence of traffic and tourists, but it certainly makes for splendid driving and a truly relaxing vacation.

Our final destination was the provincial park, Tor Bay, which boasts a beautiful white sand beach, one of the few in the province. We arrived late in the afternoon and were surprised to discover that we were the only people there. Give this to Nova Scotia: their provincial parks are jewels. They are well-managed and impeccably maintained. And of the sites we have visited: all breathtaking.

Tor Bay has a network of boardwalks that direct you through dune grass and to the ocean, as well as to a series of glacial tarns where you are likely to view giant rabbits nibbling on the local fauna (we saw one that was as big as that fucking dog Titan). Anyway, once you arrive at the beach, you’re flabbergasted, because it’s expansive, full of neat little coves, and has stunning vistas everywhere you look. Also: it’s all yours.

“Our own private beach!” Michael.
“I’m going swimming!” Isabel.
“Let’s go boogie board.” Sarah.

I don’t imagine Nova Scotia will stay this way for long. This pristine, this beautiful, this uncrowded.

So if you’re thinking of coming, I might suggest getting here soon. Laura and I, we’re already looking at the “For Sale” signs posted on properties as we journey through the province. Sure it’s a long drive, getting here. But you know what: worth the effort.