The Road to Nova Scotia: Beautiful Detours, Unexpected Challenges, and a Rainbow

Sometimes getting to your destination turns out to be an adventure all its own.

When I decided to drive my camper van from Ohio to Nova Scotia to see the fall colors, I knew it would be quite a journey. I expected beautiful scenery, long days of driving, and maybe a few challenges along the way. What I didn’t expect was just how many challenges would show up before I even reached Nova Scotia!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In my first post, Nova Scotia: A Journey of Discovery, Inside and Out, I shared how this adventure affected me personally and what I discovered about myself along the way. But there’s another story to tell: what actually happened on the road! And believe me, getting to Nova Scotia was an adventure all its own.

And We’re Off! Almost…

The morning Roo and I left Ohio, it was pouring rain. Of course it was. After all the preparation, planning, and excitement, I was loading the last of my things into the van in a downpour. And because apparently that wasn’t enough excitement for one morning, I slipped and fell right on my already troublesome knee. I’d only developed problems with that knee over the summer, so falling on it again just as I was leaving for a two-week road trip was the last thing I needed! Not exactly the grand beginning I’d envisioned.

Fortunately, my knee seemed okay enough to continue, and eventually we were on our way.

I have to mention how grateful I am to everyone who helped get my van ready for this adventure. Jake got the whole project started by doing the floor and shore power. Zach did so much of the work that followed, with help from Colby and Pat, and Dean made sure my bed was tightened up and secure. It took a little village to get my little home on wheels ready for the road!

Once we were finally moving, I began to settle into that wonderful feeling of freedom that comes with a road trip. There was nowhere else I needed to be. Nothing I needed to do except drive toward my destination, take care of Roo, and enjoy whatever appeared along the way.

And the scenery was already beginning to deliver. As we traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and into New York, the rain eventually gave way to sunshine. Much of the landscape was still green, but scattered throughout the trees were brilliant splashes of red and orange. Those colorful trees seemed to glow against the green surroundings. It was a little preview of what I hoped was waiting for me farther north.

I took plenty of breaks to stretch, move around, and give my knee a rest. Long days behind the wheel can be tiring, especially when you’re driving a big van instead of a car.

By the time we reached Hickory Hills Campground in Bath, New York, I was exhausted. I’d barely slept the night before leaving, and it was catching up with me. The campground was a little expensive, but it had wonderful showers, and I was grateful for that! I was also still trying to organize everything inside the van. No matter how carefully you think you’ve packed, it seems to take a while to figure out where everything belongs once you’re actually living in such a small space.

That first night, the temperature dropped to around 44 degrees. But with a couple of blankets, Roo and I were warm and comfortable.

So far, so good.

Vermont: Red, Red, Red!

The next day took us through Vermont, and oh my goodness, the colors! Red, red, red! Everywhere I looked, there were gorgeous trees. Brilliant reds, oranges, and golds seemed to appear around every bend in the road.

And there were a LOT of bends in the road.

Vermont was beautiful, but the driving was tiring. The roads were winding and hilly, and I was getting a real education in what it’s like to maneuver a big camper van through unfamiliar territory. There were also so many pretty rocky streams running alongside the roads. I loved seeing them, especially with the autumn colors surrounding them.

At one point, I wanted to stop at a scenic overlook on Hogback Mountain along Route 9, but it was crowded, and maneuvering my van into an already busy area wasn’t something I felt like tackling. So I kept going. I did take a peek over to my right and again all I said was red. Gorgeous!

Little did I know that the biggest challenge of the day was still ahead of me.

By the time I arrived at the campground where I thought I had a reservation, I was more than ready to stop driving. The office was closed, and I couldn’t figure out where I was supposed to camp. I remembered making the reservation. I even remembered talking to a woman on the phone. But when I checked my emails, there was no confirmation. When I checked my credit card, there was no charge.

Apparently, somewhere along the way, my reservation had never actually been completed.

Wonderful.

There I was, tired, in an unfamiliar place, with daylight disappearing and nowhere to stay. I could feel myself starting to panic. I even shed a couple of tears. But I managed to pull myself together.

I reached out to ChatGPT for some suggestions, and we found an RV campground about an hour farther down the road. An hour! Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t have seemed like much. But after the day I’d already had, another hour behind the wheel sounded absolutely miserable.

Still, I had a place to go, and that was what mattered. I arrived around 7:30 that evening, in the dark, and finally settled in.

The next morning, it was 37 degrees outside! The van was chilly when I woke up, but I’d slept wonderfully and stayed warm through the night. And there was one bright side to the unexpected detour. Since I’d driven that extra hour the night before, I had a shorter drive ahead of me.

Maybe things were working out after all.

Onward to Maine

The following day was a much easier one, and I was happy about that. I took a scenic route through Maine, avoiding toll roads and traveling through smaller towns and wooded areas. The trees were beautiful, with plenty of autumn color, and the landscape felt peaceful.

I also saw something I’d never seen before. People were riding what appeared to be electric unicycles down the road! Not the kind of unicycle you might picture someone pedaling in a circus. These were large, single motorized wheels with platforms for the riders’ feet, and they were moving along at what looked like 35 or 40 miles per hour. I had no idea people traveled on those things like that!

Eventually, Roo and I arrived at Cold River Campground in Eddington, Maine. It was a cute little campground with lots of pine trees and not many people, which suited me just fine.

By then, I was realizing how much the driving was taking out of me. When we arrived, I was so tired that I took a nap, and I felt much better afterward. Roo and I had dinner outside at the picnic table, but it was windy and chilly, so we eventually moved into the van for the evening.

I was looking forward to the next day because, finally, we would be heading into Canada!

Or so I thought.

Before leaving Maine, I had another problem to deal with. My van refrigerator wasn’t working the way it should. The temperature had been hovering around 45 degrees for more than 24 hours, which was much too warm for some of the food I was carrying. I had been watching the temperature and hoping it would improve, but it wasn’t happening.

So I came up with a backup plan. I emptied my regular cooler that was holding dry food, bought ice, and moved the food that needed to stay cold into it. Was this how I’d envisioned traveling in my camper van? Not exactly. But it worked, and I could deal with the refrigerator later.

One thing I was learning very quickly was that when you’re traveling alone in a van, there isn’t anyone else to hand the problems to. You either figure things out or you don’t.

And I was determined to figure things out.

The Day Canada Didn’t Want Me

I got an early start the next morning, excited to finally reach Nova Scotia. The drive was supposed to take about six hours.

The weather, however, wasn’t particularly cooperative. At one point, I drove through an area with heavy fog and rain. The visibility wasn’t great, the roads were unfamiliar, and I was already feeling a little uneasy.

Then my phone lost service. Not just a weak signal. SOS. And wouldn’t you know it, I also needed gas. There is something particularly unsettling about being in an unfamiliar place, far from home, in bad weather, and suddenly realizing you can’t rely on your phone.

But I kept going.

Eventually, I made it to the Canadian border and crossed into Canada. I was so excited! After days of driving, I was finally in the country I’d been looking forward to visiting.

Unfortunately, that excitement didn’t last. My phone wasn’t working properly in Canada, and after spending hours trying to resolve the problem, I made the frustrating decision to turn around and return to the United States.

I was disappointed, exhausted, and more than a little irritated. I’d come all this way, and now I was going backward! Not exactly the way I’d planned to spend my first day in Canada. But I knew I needed to get the phone situation figured out before venturing farther into unfamiliar territory.

And then something happened that completely changed the mood of the day.

As I was driving back toward the border, I happened to glance in my rearview mirror. And there it was. The biggest, brightest rainbow I think I’ve ever seen. It was absolutely magnificent. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.

After such a frustrating day, seeing that enormous rainbow felt like a little gift. Now, I know a rainbow is a natural phenomenon. But I’ve always believed that the universe has interesting ways of getting our attention, and I couldn’t help feeling that this one was meant for me.

I remember thinking that Canada knew I was coming back! And that was exactly what I intended to do. I wasn’t going to let one frustrating day end an adventure I’d worked so hard to make happen.

That rainbow became one of my favorite memories of the entire trip. And as it turned out, it was only the beginning. I would see twelve rainbows during my journey!

Twelve!

Apparently, the universe had decided to make rainbows a recurring theme.

Take Two: Nova Scotia, Here We Come!

The next day, Roo and I made another attempt to enter Canada. This time, we made it through, although not without a little more excitement.

At the border, I was directed to pull over for an inspection. I even had to take Roo inside while they searched the van. I suppose a big white camper van with a woman traveling alone and a little dog was worth a closer look!

It wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined entering Nova Scotia, but eventually everything was fine, and we were allowed to continue.

Finally! We were in Canada on our way to Nova Scotia!

And after all the driving, the winding roads, the missing reservation, the refrigerator problem, the rain, the fog, the phone issues, and the unexpected trip back across the border, I was more than ready to enjoy the place I’d come so far to see.

Our first stop was the Five Islands area along the Bay of Fundy. I visited Five Islands Lighthouse Park, where the wind was blowing fiercely, but the scenery was beautiful. Then Roo and I headed to our campground overlooking the water.

When we first arrived, I looked out and wondered where the ocean had gone! The tide was out, and the water was far away. But that’s part of what makes the Bay of Fundy so fascinating. Its tides are among the highest in the world, and the landscape changes dramatically as the water rises and falls.

That evening, I sat and watched the tide come in as the sun began to set. After everything it had taken to get there, it felt wonderful to finally be sitting still, looking out over the water, with nowhere else I needed to drive.

Roo was there beside me, our little home on wheels was parked for the night, and Nova Scotia was finally ours to explore.

Sometimes the Journey Is the Adventure

Looking back, I have to laugh a little at everything that happened before I even reached my destination. I had imagined a beautiful autumn road trip, and I certainly got one. But I also got a missing campground reservation, a misbehaving refrigerator, a phone that didn’t want to cooperate, an unexpected return to the United States, and a border inspection.

And that was just the beginning!

Still, there were brilliant autumn forests, rocky streams, peaceful campgrounds, beautiful scenery, and that unforgettable rainbow.

I was beginning to understand that this trip wasn’t going to unfold exactly as I’d planned. And perhaps that was okay. I didn’t have to love every challenge. I didn’t have to pretend the frustrating moments were fun. I just had to deal with what was in front of me and keep moving forward.

And now, finally, I was in Nova Scotia.

The beaches, sea caves, rocky coastline, and spectacular scenery I’d traveled so far to see were waiting. And I had no idea just how beautiful they would be.

Next in my Nova Scotia adventure: exploring the Bay of Fundy, discovering beautiful beaches, visiting sea caves, and finding some of my favorite peaceful places along the coast.

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