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We have wanted to go to Nova Scotia for many years. We had made friends with a couple who lived near Halifax sixteen years ago. Although we have corresponded ever since, the opportunity to visit did not occur. Then we heard that there was Gold in that eastern Canadian province. That's all it took; we hooked up the Airstream, loaded our F250 with prospecting equipment and we were off.

Contacting the Nova Scotia Natural Resources Department, we received the following information. In 1858, Lieutenant C. L'Estange, while moose hunting along the Tangier River in Halifax County found traces of Gold in quartz. The rush was on, fueled by discoveries in a large number of districts throughout Nova Scotia. As miners flooded in, Gold poured out. Two thousand ounces in 1862, and for the next twenty years measures of 6,000 to 9,000 ounces each year until things slowed down.

We first went to an area called the Ovens Natural Park. It is on the southern shore near Lunenburg and is reached by traveling on what is called the lighthouse route. When arriving we found a beautiful park with camping, a pool, small restaurant and free access to GOLD panning on the beach. Although it is a panning only area, our Rotapan concentrator was permitted. This pleased us; we would be able to process a great deal more material than by just panning. We worked the area during low tide and looked for pockets in the bedrock that ran from the cliffs out into the ocean. We found color (gold) but, enjoying the scenery and contrast from drywashing in the Arizona desert seemed of greater importance.

After several days of "the Ovens" we headed to another beach site. This was at Wine Harbor on the East Coast, about 195 kilometers north of Halifax. Again the quartz bearing bedrock ran right out into the ocean. You could see where the miners of past had quarried sections running from the beach back through the forest. This area is near Sherbrooke and Goldenville where the boom occurred in the 1860's. Once again a low tide was needed to search the crevices or low spots in the bedrock. Working the course sand, color was found at probably one of the most beautiful areas a miner could wish for.

Notice the quartz veins running along the beach.

In between chasing for Gold, we spent time visiting our friends Karen and Mike Yabsley who have a beautiful home on St Margaret's Bay near Peggey's Cove. The reunion was great and included a lobster feast and tours of the area. We went to the museum where there were samples of the Gold mined in Nova Scotia. Their inner harbor is fantastic with many stores and restaurants and even a large casino for those who wish to gamble.

Next we traveled to Gold River which empties into the Mahone Bay on the Southeast coast. Here, about a mile and a half up from the bay we found remnants of a gold processing plant where a stamp mill and other equipment were used. Once again we Rotapanned material and found some Gold in small amounts.

Mickey, although enjoying the Gold search, began asking when we could do some rock hounding. This took us to another Provincial Park called Blomidon. It is in the north central section on the Bay of Fundy. The funnel shape of the bay and it's eastern reaches, Minas Basin and Chignecto Bay, cause one of the world's largest tidal ranges sometimes exceeding fifty feet. The rushes of both outgoing and incoming tide are so strong that white water rafting has become quite a popular sport. Rafting is not our sport so we settled for searching for Jasper and Agate. While I sat on a beach chair at the high water mark, Mickey walked to the water edge at low tide, about a quarter of a mile away.

Another side trip was to Aylesford, where we met with Don Conrod the Rotapan distributor for the continents of North and South America. Don is a mineral expert and knows more about Nova Scotia's Gold than anyone. He took us into the "outback" where hard rock mining was done years ago. There we found pieces of quartz with Gold laced throughout. What a great time we had even though it was pouring rain,

To the right is a picture of an abandoned mine outside Mt. Uniake

Well our time was up and we had to head back to the Chesapeake Bay. For those of you who might like to visit Nova Scotia, we recommend you write to: Ovens Natural Park P.O. Box 38 Riverport, NS BOJ 2WO or to Dept. of Natural Resources P.O. Box 698 Halifax NS B3J 2T9. You should ask for circular #4 which includes some history and where to look for GOLD in Nova Scotia.

We hope your trip to this Canadian province will be as enjoyable as ours has been and that you find a bit of that yellow metal.

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