Fantasy RV Caravan - Day 9

Saturday, 10 August - Day 9

Our plan for today last night when we went to bed was to stop off in Moncton for some shopping, visit the Nova Scotia Visitor Center when we entered Nova Scotia, visit the Anne Murray Centre, and play golf at one of two 9-hole courses on the way to the campground.  Which we needed to be at by 3:45pm to car pool to the Tidal Bore Discovery Center.

When we got up, the weather forecast in Nova Scotia in the vicinity of where we originally planned to play golf was for rain all afternoon.  So quick change of plans.  Our Storm Radar and Accuweather Apps said to expect dry conditions in Hopewell Cape for the next 6 hours, so we selected a nearby (15 minutes away) 18-hole course to play, Hillsborough Golf Club in Hillsborough, NB.  It also had a special - 2 golfers with a cart for $79 Canadian.

We were rolling out of the campground by 7:45 based on the on-line tee sheet showing availability.  We arrived to find some folks already out on the course.  We loaded up and headed out.  On the first and tenth tee boxes was a sign reminding golfers to fix their pitch marks.  

Must be helpful as the greens were in pretty nice condition.

We knew from their web site and reviews that the course was challenging.  We both pushed our first tee shots right.  Kris ball found the pond, and Darrell’s was laying against a tree.  So on our second shot, we were both hitting 3.  Our start set the stage for the rest of the round - we struggled to string together a series of good shots for a good score.  We stayed close until Darrell birdied the 5th hole (only birdie of the day), which carried him to the turn one stroke up.

On the back nine, Kris would tie it up, then Darrell would regain the stoke.  Darrell made the first par for either of us on the 12th hole.  As we played the back nine, we could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance.  A check of the weather apps indicated it would pass us by.  On the 15th, we started to get sprinkle of rain.  The rain was off and on.  As we walked off the 17th green, it was raining pretty hard.  We waited on the covered bridge by the green for 15 minutes, and it let up.  On the 18th, the thunder was getting closer, so we hurried to finish.  We made it.  Darrell finished up two strokes on the day.

Just as we got done and started loading the clubs in Sprinty, it started to rain heavily again, with the thunder and lightning even closer.  By the time we pulled out of the parking lot, it was over and the sun came out.

The course lived up to its description of challenging.  Dog leg holes, hard greens, and challenging pin positions made it even more so.  Still, we enjoyed the golf a lot more than our score reflected.

We continued north to Moncton where there were six Starbucks.  Moncton and St John battle it out for the largest city in New Brunswick title - each being about 70,000.  Darrell was happy to treat Kris to a Starbucks while in Moncton.

We then headed east to Nova Scotia.  As recommended by our caravan organizers, we stopped at the Visitor Center.  Four others from our caravan were also there and offered to take our picture in front of the sign. 

We then headed for Springhill, NS to visit the Anne Murray Centre (www.annemurraycentre.com).  Anne Murray was born in Springhill, NS in 1945.  The Centre showcased her Springhill years, and her music career.  As both Kris and I enjoy her music, we enjoyed the Centre very much.  Her single, Snowbird (https://youtu.be/peWwHTTKmVw), went Gold in 1970 when she was 25, and she was the first female singer from Canada to achieve Gold in the United States.  She was female vocalist of the year for 4 or 5 straight years in the early 1970s.

Even though we spent over an hour there, we ran out of time.  We needed about 20-30 minutes more, but we were already to late to check in to the campground and make the car pool.

Fortunately, Darrell hedged our bets by letting the organizer know that we might be running late, and if so, we would meet everyone at the Fundy Discovery Site in Lower Truro, NS.  We headed straight there and about 60 seconds after getting Sprinty tucked into a parking spot, the carpool caravan of our caravan mates arrived.  The Discovery Site was a very small visitor center where they showed us two short videos of what the tidal bore is, and what it looks like.

Darrell inquired of the helpful visitor center staff about the tidal bore rafting options and which outfitter they recommended.  The Tidal Bore today was going to be at 9:33pm, and hour after sunset so we were not going to get to experience it.  But we are passing through here again in about 2 weeks, and Darrell is thinking about doing the raft trip.

We arrived at the Elm River RV Park in Glenholme, NS about 5:30pm.  Neil, one of the park owners met us at the office, addressed us by name (maybe because we were the last rig to arrive?), handed us a radio, and as he led us to our site, he gave us info over the radio about the campground, where things were, how to connect to WiFi, etc.  The highest level of customer service we have ever experienced.

We got Sprinty settled just in time to make our way to the recreation hall for the Trip meeting and snacks.  Tom went over tomorrow’s travel to Annapolis Royal, as well as the next few days of activities.  Many asked about our activities.  Some seem amazed at what we pack into a day.  The golfers were envious of our ability to find golf courses and easily deviate from the route to play golf - something quite challenging for the Class A motorhomes with a Toad.  And many were envious of our stop to the Anne Murray Centre - they either chose not to do it, or with their big rigs, did not want to try and navigate the tiny village of Springhill.  Fortunately, we pass back this way again in about two weeks on our way to Prince Edward Island.

After that broke up, Jan and Doug invited us to go with them to the local supermarket for fresh fruit and stuff.