Truro - Victoria Park Reservoir Trail

Monday, September 18, 2023

Hi Blog!

The last time we posted a blog entry, we were in Newfoundland. On Thursday, September 14, 2023, we boarded the ferry from Argentia, Newfoundland to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Our ferry was scheduled to depart at 5:00 p.m. It is required that everyone check-in two hours before. We actually checked in an hour before that, and we were not the first folks in line. We passed the time by playing Scrabble and eating chips (french fries) from the chip truck parked in the employee parking lot. Once we parked the RV in the bowels of the boat, we left two days' food and water for the cats so they wouldn't have to endure the kennel. After checking into our cabin, we got in line for dinner. We spent the rest of our evening relaxing and watching TV in our cabin. We realized that we hadn't watched TV since May! Even with the Hurricane Lee approaching, the crossing was very smooth. The gentle rocking put us right to sleep. The only sound we heard was the occasional moan of the fog horn. They call the ferry from Argentia the 12 hour ferry, but in reality it takes almost 17 hours from check-in to driving off.

On Friday, September 15, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. we drove off the ferry at North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and headed to Truro, Nova Scotia. We had originally planned a two day layover in Baddeck, but decided to cancel that reservation and just drive the 3-1/2 hours to Truro and spare us and the cats and extra move day. After seeing the weather forecasts and the impending arrival of Hurricane Lee, we were glad we made that choice to go straight to Truro rather than stay near the coast.

By Saturday, we were feeling the winds from Hurricane Lee. We never really got the drenching rain that New Brunswick received. In fact, we barely got more than two or three downpours. The rest of the time it was a blowing, misty type of rain. We got hit with a few strong gusts of wind that made the rig rock. The campground only lost one small tree and just a couple tree tops. By Sunday, most of now Tropical Storm Lee had moved on. We did a little shopping and had lunch at a Lebanese Restaurant.

After three days of hiding from a hurricane, we were ready to get out and about and stretch our legs. We wanted something close, so we didn't have to drive too far. We discovered Victoria Park in the center of Truro. This natural woodland park is roughly 3,000 acres and protects the town's drinking water supply. There are miles and miles of interconnected multi-use trails. The mountain bikers have their own series of single track trails which sometimes cross over the hiking trails. The longest single hiking trail is the Reservoir Trail which can be anywhere from 4 to 4-1/2 miles depending on which trailhead you start at. We ended up not parking at a trailhead because our GPS routed through the water treatment plant, which only allowed authorized vehicles to enter. We parked just outside the gates and started our hike from there. With no trailhead sign, we made do with this pretty little pond as our trailhead:

It didn't take us long to get on the main trail. In fact, we parked on it, which made it easy when we finished our loop to get back to our Jeep.

In 1875, the Town of Truro purchased a water supply system that was owned by the Intercolonial Railway. The supply system was an impoundment of Lepper Brook. An expansion of the Lepper Brook dam was completed in 1992. Our trail crossed over the new dam. Watching the spillway was hypnotic.

The new pump house sits on a small peninsula near the dam.

At the end of the dam is a water storage tank and modern art exhibit.

After trekking across the dam, we found the trailhead our GPS was trying to get us to, it just didn't know those roads were closed to vehicle traffic. 

The calm after the storm! We couldn't have asked for a prettier day. The temperature was cool, the winds light and the sun bright.

The trail around the reservoir followed an old access road.

At time, we were walking through new forests.

We always keep our eyes out for the "fun" guys! This one has a very impressive hat.

The Reservoir Trail is well maintained. There are several boardwalks across the wet parts.

We stopped to admire Lepper Brook which flows throughout the heart of the park and, over the eons, has carved a deep gorge. From the gorge riverbed, the terrain rises by nearly 100 meters from north to south. The highest point is located near the entrance to the Railyard Mountain Bike Park, at 120 meters above sea level. Plateaus above the gorge have flatter areas and offer amazing views.

Rumor has it there are fish in Lepper Brook, but we didn't spot any.

At the far end of the reservoir, a bench faces the spot where Lepper Brook enters into the reservoir. It was a little early for lunch, so we kept hiking.

Dave stopped to hang out with a whole bunch of "fun" guys. He's just a party animal at heart.

We found a quiet spot along the shore line for our lunch.

We know fall doesn't official start until Saturday, but we are starting to see the first signs of the leaves turning.

The pretty little ponds we passed on the way to the dam were just as pretty on the way back.

During our 4 mile hike, we never saw any wildlife. It wasn't until we crossed the parking lot of the water treatment plant that we saw two deer. We managed to catch one as she bounded across the road.

More rain is predicted for tomorrow, so this may be our only blog from Truro. Our next stop is St. John, New Brunswick. Stay thirsty my friends.