Road Trip, Day 8: Fish, a lighthouse, and a lodge

DAY EIGHT: AT A GLANCE
Starting Point: Digby, Nova Scotia
End Point: Kemptville, Nova Scotia
Starting mileage: 189,448
Ending mileage: 189,593
Daily total (miles): 145
Trip total (miles): 1298

Day 8 was a highlight of the trip so far—and not just because my good friends and hosts for much of the day might be reading this! In all honesty, though, it was a pretty incredible day.

As this trip has been almost a year in the making, I’ve had a lot of time to plan (and second-guess) the itinerary. Luckily, I also had a good friend and colleague who was huge source of advice, as her partner is native to Nova Scotia—and they’ll both be relocating from New Hampshire to Halifax in the fall. As the dates and itinerary got firmed up over the past several months, we realized that we’d both be in Nova Scotia—and in the same area—at the same time. We planned to connect on July 2, and we had a blast. 

For starters, the day began with sunshine—something we hadn’t seen more than a few hours of in the whole week prior. Showers were in the forecast, but we had our fingers crossed that they’d hold off. Our plan was to drive from Digby to Argyle, where we’d catch up with my friend (Christine), her partner (Connor), and his family. Christine asked if we’d be interested in going out the lobster boat (her partner’s dad is a lobsterman) to go haddock fishing. Count us in! I had never fished as a kid; in fact, my first time fishing was with G and his family in Michigan when I was in my early 20s. I was hooked (pun definitely intended). I stopped at Tim Horton’s for another try at an iced decaf (and another issue—apparently, iced coffee is just not a thing here), popped a few Dramamine, and we were on our way.

We met up with our friends, drove a few minutes to the wharf, and boarded the lobster boat. On the makeshift table in the center were a dozen or more clams—our bait.

Connor’s grandfather steered us past a few small islands and out toward a lighthouse, where we’d begin our fishing. Then, he deftly shelled the clams and began baiting our lines.

Within minutes, both Christine and I hooked a haddock. Then another. I caught two, G caught one, and Christine—who had never fished before—caught FOUR. Connor was the unlucky one of the day, hooking only two mackerel, which came in handy for additional bait. 

After a few hours out on the boat, we returned and enjoyed lunch at the Red Cap in Middle West Pubnico—awesome little place. Our party of six enjoyed a few different plates—lobster club, two seafood crepe plates, haddock, haddock and clam, and scallops. G and I split and shared ours; he had ordered the seafood crepe, and I had ordered the lobster club, and both were awesome. 

After lunch, Christine and Connor took us to one of Nova Scotia’s iconic lighthouses—Cape Forchu. While there are more than 150 lighthouses in Nova Scotia, Cape Forchu’s distinctive apple core shape certainly helps it stand apart. When Samuel de Champlain landed at the Cape in 1604, he named the area "Cap Forchu," meaning "forked tongue of land." Three bodies of water surround Cape Forchu: the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Fundy, and Yarmouth Harbor. Today, according to its website, the Cape Forchu Lightstation is “the Beacon to Canada.” The original lighthouse (1839) was demolished in 1961 and replaced in 1962 with the 75-foot narrow lighthouse that stands today.

We meandered around the rocks and up to the light—and even had our picture taken in the giant yellow Adirondack chair! Visitors are not allowed inside the light due to its unique shape—it’s only five feet in diameter!

At around 4, we took off for our destination for the night, Trout Point Lodge, “Nova Scotia’s Premier Luxury Wilderness Resort and Hotel.” Christine had suggested the location months ago, and based on her recommendation and all that I had read, we decided to add the stay to our itinerary.

The resort is gorgeous—like an oversized cabin tucked in the woods. With only 34 total rooms (located across multiple properties), the main lodge is like a scaled down version of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. The great room is open and cozy; the upper level has additional seating as well as books to peruse and games to play. 

Then there are the suites. There are 8 in the main lodge. Ours, the Red Maple Room, is one of four or five suites located in Beaver Hall, less than a mile away. It was wonderful—spacious, comfortable, and secluded. Our room looked out onto the river, and were it not for the bugs, we would have spent more time in the chairs out on the boardwalk at the river’s edge. The resort offers guided activities (e.g., kayaking, forest bathing, yoga), but most had already taken place earlier in the day, and we’d be leaving early the next morning. G and I were able, however, to spend some time exploring the trails and grounds; all of it was breathtaking and so incredibly peaceful. I had hoped to stay up for the guided stargazing at 10:30 p.m., but the skies had clouded up in the evening (and I’m not sure if the activity ended up happening), and I ended up being too tired anyway. That, however, would have been cool, as Trout Point was designated "the world’s first starlight hotel” in 2014.

A few things to note: the lodge is in the middle of nowhere. There’s no cell service (but there is WiFi). We had opted not to take part in the multi-course prix-fixe dinner; as you can probably tell from this blog, we like food, but we’re not necessarily “real” foodies, and we didn’t want to have to pack an additional “nice” outfit just for a one-night event. But, if you’re looking for a gourmet meal to go along with the stay, by all means, book the dinner! But, if you decide to forgo the dinner, just know there’s nothing else even remotely close. Since we had planned in advance to skip the dinner and since we had eaten a large lunch, we were all set. 

Another thing: it’s pricey, even in Canadian dollars. It wasn’t until we checked out that I realized the 15% tax and 17% resort fee hadn’t been part of the initial room quote of $316USD. With both of those added in, the resort ended up being about $450USD—definitely the most expensive stay of our three weeks. For us, Trout Point is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime stays. 

Trout Point is a destination in and of itself; it’s not necessarily “on the way” to anything. Was it worth it? Yes. Would we stay there again? No, probably not. Unless you’re able to stay more than one night and take advantage of all the resort has to offer—which we didn’t—I’m not sure you get the full benefit of staying at such a place. Still, we’re glad we had the opportunity to do so and to use the time—and the surroundings—to reset and recalibrate a bit.

All in all, our first full day in Nova Scotia showcased everything that’s so great about the region: the hospitality and generosity of its people, great fishing, good food, incredible landscape, and breathtaking scenery. Over the course of the next week or so, as we make our way around the island and then up and around Cape Breton, we’re going to explore as many nooks and crannies of this province that we can…and in so doing, I’m sure we’ll fall more and more in love with all of it.