I live in Greenville, NC and my tale is about a wilderness resort in Nova Scotia. Yes, that brings a memory of Carlie Simon's song and the total eclipse of the sun or more recently the movie "Delores Clayborne". But where I want to tell you about is a place I call the Magic, right in the interior of rock country. NS is blessed with lots of rocks and water and BEAUTY.
My first visit to NS was 18 yrs ago as a college student and I was
enchanted with the province and always wanted to return since I had friends
there. I wanted to go somewhere special this trip but I didn't know how to
look. The search was interesting and I ended up on the internet and then
right in the middle of the wilderness. The Magic's web site My road trip took 3 days. 2 days of hard driving and one day on a ferry.
There is no easy way to get there since I wanted to have my own vehicle.
My disability is quadraplegia (the C 5,6 version) and I need a lot of
"handicrap" on the trip. I will not detail the route there but if you have
questions feel free to call me. My sister from Atlanta, Ga. traveled with
me and she enjoyed the trip as much as I did.
The Magic(TM) is as close to the wilderness as I have been able to visit
since my accident. The smell and feel of the woods and water is
intoxicating. It is an accessible wilderness paradise. Activities are
abundant and unfortunately I did not have time to do them all. I soaked in
the hot tub until I was almost oatmeal. I went kayaking with Stefan and
did a little paddling myself. I went swinging on a really cool swing that
you roll your wheelchair onto. We stayed in a chalet that overlooked the
river and enjoyed the company of squirrels and birds. We cooked on the
grill and we had a full moon. Although we had a full kitchen we dined some
with Stefan (the gourmet) and mingled with other guests. We went into town
and caught some local flavor but there were so many things that we missed.
So, of course we will be returning. This first trip was in the early fall
and I will go in the summer this year. I can't wait to swim in
nonchorinated water.
Accessibility is excellent! The facility and the activities were all
thoughtfully designed with people with disabilities in mind. No concrete,
just the resources nature offers with some skilled craftsmanship and really
neat access plans. I was very much impressed with the owner's respect of
the environment. Be prepared to recycle everything.
Assistance was available for things such as getting in/out of the kayak and
hot tub We were offered every opportunity to have fun. And much of the time I was
happy doing nothing but soaking it all in. I knew I would want to go there
again after one day.
There is a magic here, maybe it's the Indian influence. Or maybe IT IS
MAGIC that there is a wilderness vacation spot in the middle of nowhere
that is incredibly accessible and reasonably affordable (esp. if you have
US dollars). Get on their web site. I've listed it above. And you better
make your plans soon because I understand that the summer is almost booked.
But don't make the mistake I made and stay only a few days. Stay at least a
week or more! Maybe our paths will cross. Peace.
Sincerely, For more information about Mersey River Chalets go there.
Sandy B.