Day 07 (Aug. 8) - Annapolis Royal Day 4, Kejimkujik National Park

Michele awoke and told Rob that she felt anxious about the kayaking trip today. Could she paddle for several hours? Would she be able to balance in the boat? Would her iPhone get wet? Rob had no such fears and was excited for this new experience for us both. 

We had another amazing breakfast from Suzan. Scones, cakes, and a baked spanish egg dish that she adapted from her travels in Spain. A new couple arrived from Massachusetts and they also travel extensively. Their top trips were Croatia, Slovenia and river cruises. The Halifax couple recommended Bruges in Belgium, especially staying at the Imperial Hotel and eating at the hotel restaurant. They said it's best done in two days as you can see everything in that amount of time. 

After breakfast we made a quick stop at the local grocery store to refresh the ice in our cooler. We then continued on to Kejimkujik National Park and made our way to the kayak rental place with the goal of arriving before 11am to get a rental. We arrived at 10:30am and they had plenty available for us, but wanted us to be sure we were aware of the day's wind conditions before renting. The area consists of the Mersey River that flows right in front of the rental building and into Kejimkujik Lake. We were told that although the winds were delicate at 11am, they were expected to increase a lot during our 4-hour kayak rental period, to the point where it would make paddling on the lake portion difficult and not recommended. We're not sure they wanted us to even go to the lake, but rather stay in the river, which looked to be a tiny portion of the waterproof map loaned to us. 

We signed all the waivers and suited up in our life jackets. Rob jumped in his canoe and pushed himself off into the river. Michele sat in hers and tried to push off but it wasn't moving. A nice man came over to push her in. We decided to head out to see the lake first, before the wind got stronger, and then we would figure out where to paddle next. 

Soon after we left, Rob spotted a loon! He was able to get up close and snap a few pictures.

Michele said she moved much more efficiently once she realized the correct direction of her paddles, as she had been holding them backwards. We paddled about 20-30 minutes in calm waters to the mouth of the river. Ahead we saw Ritchie Island, one of many islands sprinkled about the lake. It is the land mass in the left of this photo, in the distance. This is when the wind started picking up.

Michele wanted to make it to the island. It was definitely a fight against the wind. Rob said a few waves splashed a little in his kayak. Nearby, a family was smoothly canoeing in the same direction. They had a small child and a girl about 6-7 years. Michele heard the older girl say "I want to stay here forever. This is the best day of my life in a boat!" She obviously loved the adventure and her enthusiasm gave Michele motivation to press on against the wind. 

Despite the wind against us, the temps were so pleasant with mostly cloudy skies. Within the first hour we arrived at the island. Ritchie Island is one of the larger ones where you can land on it and camp or have a picnic. That family was having a picnic somewhere on the island once we got there as we could see their canoe on the shore. We then decided to paddle around the entire island. Around the back side the wind was worse, but once we got around the point and started paddling with the wind, our efforts eased. With that accomplishment, we turned back towards the river and into calmer waters. It took us half the time to get back to the river as it did crossing the lake.

At that point it was only 1pm, so we'd already been out for two hours. We were amazed how fast the time went. We decided to explore the river further. We saw lily pads and flowers, four very relaxed ducks and a handsome turtle. Since the river was protected from the wind, paddling was easy and it was incredibly peaceful. We could relax and let the current carry us if we wanted to. Had we known, we could have spent the entire four hours just on the river, as every bend and little inlet had something interesting to see. 

This is one of four American Black Ducks that Rob got very close to. They softly quacked as they poked around in the grassy and boggy banks looking for food.

We think this an Eastern Painted turtle. Rob looked it up and learned it is the most common and colorful turtle in Nova Scotia, as well as the most widespread in eastern North America. It is one of the few specially adapted to freezing temperatures due to an anti-freeze like substance in their blood. Fossils show it existed 15 million years ago!

We came upon a nice couple in a canoe and chatted with them for 30 minutes as we all paddled down the river. They are from England and just moved to Canada. That's them in the canoe ahead of Rob, before we met them.

They recently sold everything, quit their jobs, and bought a truck camper to travel across Canada to decide where they want to live. They just visited Newfoundland and Cape Breton, where we'll go later in our trip, and loved it. They were very kind and offered us recommendations on what to do in those locations. Such as, seeing whales at sunrise and a location that has puffins! We could tell how much they enjoyed their travels and appreciated the beauty of the places they visited. We said goodbye and paddled around a bit more to use up our rental time. Michele overheard a lady telling her friends to not wait up as she didn't know what she was doing, she was "zig-zagging all over." Michele recognized the look on her face and told her that she herself was terrible the first hour, but now it was so much easier. The lady said, "Thank goodness, now I have some hope." 

We also saw a couple of river goers with their dogs onboard. One man was on a paddle board with a black Labrador that was proudly sitting on the bow taking in the sights. Another couple each had a smaller dog on the front of their kayaks. Each dog had little flotation vests. One jumped in the water and was swimming around on his leash for a few minutes before he climbed back on the kayak. Michele told the owners how cute and well behaved their little sailors were. One of the owners replied, "You haven't been properly introduced yet!" 

Back at the rental spot, Rob didn't want to get his shoes wet while getting out of the kayak, so he picked up speed and rammed himself up onto the gravel shore. That worked! He helped Michele and pulled her kayak up and out of the water so she could easily step out.

The place was busy when we returned with many folks coming in and going out.

What a fun adventure! Michele admits that in the beginning, and especially battling the wind getting to the island, she was dubious about this sport. Rob said the island portion wasn't relaxing to him either, but it was good to see the island and experience the difference between the lake and river. Once we got back over to the river and started exploring it at a more leisurely tempo, we had much more fun. 

Initially, we planned to eat lunch either at the island or in our kayaks. Neither happened, we were too busy paddling. We ate a late lunch at the picnic tables at the rental location. The couple from England stopped by and we talked for another 30 minutes. They hope to make it to Banff before winter so they can get temporary jobs to help fund their new life on the road. They also someday want to make it up to the Northern Territories, Yukon, and Alaska. 

With that adventure done, we made the 50km drive (about 45 minutes) back to the hotel, caught dinner in town, and started packing up for our drive around the southern portion of Nova Scotia tomorrow on our way to Halifax. 

Our time in Annapolis Royal was as perfect as it could be. We loved our accommodations and breakfasts with Suzan, we made new friends, saw beautiful gardens, learned about the indigenous Mi'kmaq people and local history, enjoyed fireworks, hiked in a new national park and kayaked for the first time. We lucked out with the weather in the low to mid 70s every day. We highly recommend this itinerary to anyone and would do it again ourselves.