PORTAPIQUE, N.S. -- There are some signs the community of Portapique, N.S. is beginning to move past last month's horrific shooting.

One of the main roads through the township is no longer blocked by the RCMP as their investigation moves to other fronts.

Meanwhile, some of the families affected by the tragedy are expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received.

Along the highway in Portapique on Wednesday, the O'Brien sisters and little Payton Blake picked up an important memento crafted in memory of their mother.

"Somebody made these chimes in loving memory of all the victims and so we came to pick them up today for our mom," said Darcy Dobson, a daughter of one of the victims. "It's beautiful. She would have loved that."

Heather O'Brien was one of 22 people who lost their lives in the worst shooting rampage in Canadian history.

Now open, Portapique Beach Road provides only a glimpse of some of the devastation left behind.

Near the end, there is nothing left of a property after it was burned to the ground.

A property owned by the shooter himself is also destroyed. Gabriel Wortman owned several in the area.

But some parts of Portapique are still off-limits.

Homeowners along Orchard Beach Drive, where many of the 13 victims in Portapique died, have asked for privacy and hired private security to ensure they get it.

The shooter owned property on that road as well.

Meanwhile, the investigation is very much ongoing.

The RCMP closed part of a highway near Shubenacadie on Wednesday to obtain drone footage of the area.

It was there that RCMP Const. Heidi Stevenson lost her life after ramming the suspect's replica police car.

Wortman shot her and Joey Webber, a Good Samaritan who reportedly stopped to help.

Stevenson's family issued a statement Wednesday, expressing gratitude for the kindness they've received, and reaching out to others directly affected by the tragedy.

"Our family is only one of many families who are grieving deeply for loved ones lost in recent weeks," the Stevenson family said. "We would like to send our sincere condolences to everyone who is navigating this very tough road along with us. We understand your pain and are thinking of you."

While families support each other, they note the victims themselves should not be defined by the tragedy.

"I just don't want anyone to be forgotten," said Dobson. "I think that's the biggest part for me. I know they'll always be remembered for this, but it's not what they should be remembered for. They all had beautiful lives."

With the main road reopened, there’s at least a suggestion that life in Portapique is beginning to return to some kind of normal -- or at least as much as possible after a tragedy of this magnitude.

Reminders are everywhere, though. On a number of properties in the area, you will also find orange tape, indicating a grid search and the ongoing hunt for answers about what happened during that terrible weekend last month.