Backpack – rain gear

Today I tried out my new backpack rain cover.  It’s great!  I have a small, light-weight backpack for walking to work.  It is totally not rainproof.  The pack cover was inexpensive and fit the pack well.  All my stuff was dry when I got to work.

Usually I walk with an umbrella in town.  Umbrellas are one of my favorite things, however in the wind…they are not.  So – the rain cover for the backpack and bonus:  your hands are free.  I would recommend this for anyone who walks in the rain with a backpack.  Any quick web search will turn up a variety of models and/or your favorite outdoor store should have one (or two).

Fort Anne – under siege – from the rain

Water, water everywhere, even in sunny Annapolis Royal.  Wow, who could believe it?  But enough is enough and I took a quick spin around Fort Anne after work today.  Followed the perimeter path – mostly, except where there were puddles (just a few, really!).  The walking is easy…unless you climb up and down the walls, ramparts and ravelins.  I only did once…to bring you this photo:

The lighting was just wonderful to catch the contours of the  fortifications;  fortifications which date from the early 18th century and are based on the French military engineer Vauban‘s style – a star shaped fort.  In fact, the plans for the fortifications at Fort Anne were reviewed by the great engineer himself, submitted by Delabat, engineer at the fort,  for Vauban’s approval.

Although the earthworks are worn down and rather pastoral in appearance today, evidence of the cannon embrasures is still evident throughout the fort, as here on the south ravelin.

If you are interested in the specific terms for the fortifications, wikipedia has an introduction.

And if you are interested in photos of Vauban’s fortifications try flickr for Vauban forts in France and here for more of Fort Anne.

Waterfalls on the Bay of Fundy

Yesterday we had a delightful surprise – Waterfalls!  Like rainbows they come after the rain…lots of rain.  We found ourselves along the Bay of Fundy coast just a couple kilometres west of Port George and Cottage Cove.  The beach here is of cobbles and larger rocks.  As always on a beach you can go for a long time or a short time.  Sunday though, once we landed on the beach it was impossible to resist a walk – the waterfalls glimmered in the distance.  Okay maybe they didn’t glimmer, but they did look tantalizing – white ribbons against the cliffs; they just had to be water rushing down the cliff faces.  There were lots of trickles coming down the cliffs and the two real waterfalls – the one above and this one:

And a beach that is usually deserted had other people – clearly the word had spread and people had turned out to see these waterfalls created by swollen creeks.

This beach is a bit of a challenge to find, but well worth the visit (even without the spectacular waterfalls).  Check out the map for directions and check out flickr for more pictures.

Are you ready?

That’s my man and he’s ready…for the rain.

It’s raining today; and who wants to be wet and cold? Walks are good anytime, but you have to be ready for the weather.  Keeping dry in the rain means rain gear of some sort.  That orange suit is totally waterproof, designed for all day work in inclement weather – fishing boats, oil rigs, you name it.  Me, I prefer something a little more lightweight, a bit more comfortable.  Even so, I like the rain out so I usually opt for nylon coated with polyurethane…the rain stays out!  A myriad of rain gear is available. Some even breathes, so your sweat evaporates and it’s “waterproof”, and it’s expensive, but oh well, nothing is perfect.  And, if you’re hiking, not just strolling along, then you really do want something that breathes.