Day 17-Peggy's Cove

A typical eary start to the day after having a travel discussion with a few fellow travellers in the breakfast room. They were heading where I've been so they were asking some questions. It was neat to talk about where I've been to someone.

The day was a sight different than yesterday with just a few clouds and nice sun peaking through. A perfect day for Peggy's Cove!

After getting a little turned around on the highway I found the right road I got going in the right direction! There are some signs to Peggy's Cove but there were other places signed before Peggy's Cove. Oh well I saw some of the country side!

The final side road to Peggy's Cove is narrow and winding and what you notice first is the lack of trees. It looks like tundra! Weird.
One little sign directs you down a road to the Cove and I stopped and parked at the information centre and walked to the famous lighthouse. Good plan. The road got narrower and narrower and there were coach buses driving on it! Yikes....

When you think of Peggy's Cove you see the picture of the lighthouse on the edge of the rocks and the sea in the background but there is much more to the cove and this is the actual cove. I'm sure I've seen this in a jigsaw puzzle somewhere in The Mother's house.
As you can see below the wind was calm and the sun shining. A perfect day!

There are many advantages to getting to a place early means there are less people and less chaos. Today was no different and I'm glad I got away from Dartmouth before 9.
A winding walk along the road to the famous lighthouse but the landscape is so amazing and the rocks are so smooth to walk on it's fun to climb all over them.

What I heard when I got out of the car was bag pipes and there was a piper near the base of the lighthouse playing her heart out. She was awesome and really made the atmosphere complete. The wind, crashing waves and the piper. Really great.

I spent a couple of hours walking then sitting and watching the waves and sights and sounds and enjoying all that is Peggy's Cove.

There isn't a cloud in the sky as you can see by the picture above. Just awesome.

The rocks have been smoothed by glaciers receding and they aren't really smooth to sit on but with a view that great it's something that you over look. The glaciers have left big boulders just sitting on the long rock faces and it's weird to see. The whole area is so beautiful but I can only imagine what it's like in the winter or during a storm. The sea was quiet and the waves were still really rolling! It was great.

There was a stone carver that called Peggy's Cove home and he decided that the granite rock sticking out at the back of his property was perfect for carving. So he set about making a mural in memory of Margaret, the woman who survived a shipwreck and washed ashore at what would become Peggy's Cove, the fishermen that work the seas off the shores and the angel, Grace, that protects them. He never completed it but I have a feeling it was a continuous work of love and he never intended to finish it.

When I saw this I thought of my friend DB, who is a stone carver when he's not being an Anglican priest. He would love this. I think this would be a dream for him. Walk out the back door of his house and just carve the rock that's there. Very cool. I went back to look at it a second time because the light had changed and the shadows brought out different things to see in the artwork. So impressive.

I left there and headed along the same side road that I had been travelling and came across the Swissair 111 memorial. This area has been built as a permanent memorial to the 229 persons who died in that flight in 1998. It also is a thank you to the people that worked in the rescue and recovery effort. The two round stones you see perched up are actually a boulder split in half and engraved on the inside. The stones are aligned at the two angles that make a triangle when aligned with the crash site. It is quite moving really and to know that it happened just off the shore (11 kms out).

This whole area has been rescuer to so many different kind of wrecks and disasters that I think they just took it as another day in the life around here. The people that live here are quite hardy I think.

Again the scenery continued to be something spectacular. I can see why this is a cottage area and that many people flock here to enjoy the scenery and the water in all the little bays and coves.

Time for lunch and not knowing what was around the next corner when I saw a sign I stopped. This was at St. Margaret's Bay and the building had a patio overlooking the marina so I jumped at the chance and took a long lunch.

This was my view so you can see why I was taking my time. It was a self serve type of place and I just enjoyed sitting outside. This is what Nova Scotia is great for!

I realized I had been outside for over 5 hours and I was starting to feel a little worn out, I had a bit of a drive ahead of me and I didn't want to get too tired going back to the hotel because I didn't really know where I'd end up. The roads around me still get me turned around. I did want to take one of the bridges over Halifax Harbour though...

Not surprisingly I guess the good old Equinox knew where to go because I ended up going over the McKay bridge which is right near my hotel. Convenient! It cost me a whole loonie. I even hit the coin basket on my way through. Ha!

Tired and a little worn out from my activities I was happy to flop on the couch and watch the Blue Jays game.
Tomorrow I plan to head to Lunenburg and spend the day there. That means that I have another early day before me and I'm going to get all confused on the roads I'm sure again. I am just looking around too much and I think I need to focus when I'm heading out. Ho hum.

Oh yeah, since the weather was so bad yesterday the Natal Day fireworks are tonight. I think I can see them from the hotel here. That is if I can stay awake long enough....

Day 16-Halifax...In the rain

Today's weather forecast was quite challenging to figure out what to do.
Cold, rainy and windy, oh, yeah, there are is a chance of thundershowers.
Hmmmm so staying inside reading a book would be an idea but I'm not at my cottage by the sea (yet, more on that later).
So, off to Halifax. There are museums there I can hang out in and beat the weather.
Since I had cased out the ferry I decided to head back to where I was yesterday to take the ferry across. Hmmm parking lot is really empty. Ferry boat doesn't even look like it's powered up. Uh Oh. Doors locked. It is 9:15 am on a rainy day but....

So back to the other ferry terminal closer to the centre of town. I was avoiding that one as there was a harbour festival set up for Natal Day (Nova Scotia Birthday weekend) near that terminal and I figured I'd get caught up in the frey when I was coming home. Well I guess I'll find out what I can when I get there.

Because of the horrendous weather I guess things weren't gearing so soon. Actually they weren't gearing up until later in the afternoon so after asking some directions I found the parking (equally empty as the other terminal) and made my way to find the entrance. My whopping $2.25 fare paid and I was on the ferry making my way across a choppy Halifax harbour. Interesting that the commuters on this ferry have the same blank stare that the TTC ones do. Just enduring the ride for the 10 minute ride. Just call it "Commuter Look".

The ferry dock in Halifax is right at the mid point of the boardwalk in the historical district and all the things I wanted to see.
Armed with jacket, hat, umbrella, water shoes and quick dry pants I was prepared for the weather. It settled down a bit but was still drizzling when I took off walking. 

Loving boats and their history I wasn't disappointed.

The HMCS Montreal in Halifax Harbour

Boats EVERYWHERE! How cool! And really BIG boats too. (Like the Naval escort boat above.)
The very wide boardwalk was easy to follow along and it took me past a lot of different memorials to seafarers and there were two to the Norwegian Merchant Mariners which has been turned into a makeshift memorial to the tragedy in Norway at the present time. So many beautiful things were written on the flower packages there. It was nice to see that even in a country so far away there was a memorial appearing.

There is so much history here. Halifax harbour has been witness to so many new people coming to the country and I ventured off to the Pier 21 Immigration museum. This pier is where all the incoming passanger ships would dock to have Canada welcome (and unwelcome some) immigrants from all over the world. The display was stunning with lots of artifacts and reinactments, including a customs officer who spoke 6 languages and could answer any question posed. He was most interesting and the museum did a beautiful job with the recreation of it all. Pier 21 opened in 1928 and finally closed in 1971, over 1 million immigrants were processed here. This does not include the number of armed forces personnel coming back from Europe. There was a great display commemorating the war brides and their free ticket to Canada to be with their husbands. It was so engaging!
Though my father did not land in Halifax (he went to Quebec City) I can imagine what it would be like if he had escaped with his family and come to Canada here.

In the lower level of the museum there was a photographic interpretation of what immigration means to Canadians from the perspective of different artistic photographic media.

One artist used a series of photographs of what her father had in his wallet and what she had in hers. This was inspired in a clean up after he had passed away and she was going through his wallet and she was inspired to show what the difference was. I mention this because it was so interesting and there, displayed in the contents of her wallet was a St. Michael's Hospital card! No, really. The St. Mike's I work in! It was there. The 'Green Card' as we call them. With a "J" number and everything. Woah! Weird!! Talk about shrinking universe!

The weather had cleared a bit and I hung round outside Pier 20 where a farmer's market was going on. There were a couple of guys there playing a guitar and fiddle and man were they good. We were all clapping along, even if we didn't know the song they were so engaging to see and hear.
Uh Oh, the skies darkened quickly and we all scattered to different places.
Me, off to the Marine Museum.

The displays in the marine museum are what you'd expect to see in a museum of this theme but because of the Halifax Explosion disaster and the Titanic Disaster there are displays of more history that I knew of. The detail and overwhelming time that has been put into these displays made the history come to life. It was haunting really and again the detail was fantastic. I highly recommend coming here to see this.
Greeting you as you walk in to the museum is a Fresnal lens from the original lighthouse that greeted mariners as they entered Halifax harbour. It was soooo impressive. Behind the lens you can see a person standing so this will give you some perspective.

There were examples of all types maritime built boats and if your are a boat style freak, this is the place to be too.
There is, of course, a mascot. Each ship had a mascot. And each picture of a pirate you see has what? Oh yes, a parrot. So I met Merlin.

Merlin is a beautiful parrot who lives in the museum, quite well I might add. And like my Snowy (who is happily being cared for by The Man) she was sitting up on top of her enclosure talking to visitors. Cage door open and yakking away to who ever would call his/her name and chat.

I think she was listening when I asked her to pose for a picture!
There was so much to see there! I spent a couple of hours. In the mean time a wicked storm had picked up outside and it was just howling.
I was going to go on the HMCS Montreal but they had postponed tours due to the weather. Oh well....
What to do...
Ah! Alexander Keith's!
The maker of great India Pale ale and his brewery was awaiting.
Through the downpour and wind (I can't believe how some people do not come prepared to Nova Scotia, YA KNOW IT'S GONNA RAIN DUDES!)

The brewery, in it's older days, was huge! With modern set ups it is much smaller and some of the building is used for other commercial uses. The tour guides are fantastic and so much fun with their great Nova Scotia accents and dressed in early 1800's costumes. The brewery is still producing beverages as they did when they started in 1812 though they have some other types of beer there. I really like the Keith's Red. It's yummy!

Hungry by now (yeah, I bought a t-shirt in the store but it had a big Nova Scotia flag on the back so I had to) I ventured into the pub that the beer pulls are direct from the chillers. Oh YUM!
This is great!
Sitting at the bar in what was the "lunch room" of the brewery and enjoy some chips and  lobster (natch) dip and conversation. One Texan on his "off day" as he heads to Port Hawksbury for work, another a travelling musician from "anywhere I am today" and a couple from Washington DC.  It was great fun and we all shared travelling stories and what we liked about the maritimes (everything!).

It's now mid afternoon and the skies were looking nasty again. I was damp from the last soaking and I still had the rest of the boardwalk to check out. Off I trod.
Wind at my back and the little umbrella trying hard I roamed the rest of the boardwalk and found a little mall area in one of historical boat yards. I found my authentic Nova Scotia So'wester hat (needed it today)!
As I walked out a huge containership was making it's way to the loading area and I had to take a picture of it. The name of her was "Friendship". How cool is that! Oh yeah, you can see how dark it's getting and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon!

I was right near the ferry terminal so I headed there and paid my fare back to Dartmouth.
Tired, very wet and content that I saw so much that I had to sit and think about it all. Such history. Wow!
Glad to be back at the hotel as a thunderstorm hit and the winds got quite strong. Ho hum!

Oh yeah, on the next accommodation thing.
I had emailed contact information to Shelburne Cottages and didn't expect to hear back. This place has the cottages I've been looking for. Little 1 bedroom places right on the ocean near some natural attractions and things to do. Well, I got a call back from the owners! They have availability and were looking forward to hosting me. Right on!!!! Oh yeah and the price is right too!

So, I have my little cottage on the South Shore of Nova Scotia! Bucket list check! Wohoo!

I also have booked some time in Digby because I need more than one day to eat all the scallops they have there. I think my touring is working out just fine!

One last picture.
There are even tug boats that the kids just go nuts over.
This is Theodore and though I don't know his story he's just so darn cute I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Day 15-Baddeck to Dartmouth Nova Scotia

Before I begin: yesterday's mileage was 237 km and todays was a good haul at 467 km.

So, this little place I fell into to stay in was just so quaint and perfect. I certainly took my time over breakfast which I ate on the patio of the restaurant. The sun was shining, the coffee lovely and the bacon and eggs just perfect. I didn't really want to leave and Michelle said I could stay as long as I wanted! Right I could have stayed ALL day but I knew I had a long drive ahead of me and I didn't really know where I was heading in Dartmouth.

Good luck's and handshakes done I packed up my truck and headed out. This part of the trip I had done before but in the opposite direction. Again, this was showing me again that I was heading west now. Ho hum...

The TransCanada highway can certainly get you where you need to go efficiently and it's not hard to make good time but the drive is relatively uneventful. So I decided once I got to Truro I would head on a parallel route that would take me through some smaller towns.
As it was a Friday afternoon on the beginning of a holiday weekend the traffic going away from Halifax seemed quite heavy. Hopefully this will work in my advantage.

The terrain changes again as I headed from the highlands and Cape Breton Island to the relatively flat of the Halifax coastline. Many rivers boast signs as to how high their tides are (up to 3 feet in some places) and that just shows how much power a tide has when it can come this far inland.

The outlying routees from Halifax are very similar to the Southampton area. Little roads that have many cottages on them surrounding in land lakes. One area just north of Dartmouth is Fall River and it reminds me of Haliburton. Trees right to the water then little cottages perched on the edges of the lakes. Neat!

I "arrived at my destination", as my navigation system told me (thankfully I had that as I got all spun around getting here). I checked in and reviewed the maps, weather and where the heck I was now!

As per usual I headed back out again to investigate a little bit more of Dartmouth and how would I get over to Halifax and what is what and where is where.
There are two ferry's that will take me right over to the historical part of Halifax and the young lady at the front desk suggested I take those over because that might be the easiest way to get there with less hassle. Hmm I'll have to look into that.
So, for $2.25 I can take a ferry, which runs every 30 minutes, across the Halifax Harbour to the main part of Halifax that I would walk around anyway. Ha! A plan. There is free parking at the ferry terminal. Good plan.

I then decided to drive out to the Eastern shore of the province. Just drive until I didn't feel like it any more.
I found a lovely little seafood restaurant at Jeddore Oyster Pond.
Now, let me mention that the names of some shoreline hamlets are strange. Jeddore is no exception. There is Chezzetcook, Musquodoboit and Mushaboom to name a few. Where did these names come from?
Anyway Jeddore Oyster Pond no longer has oysters but it did and that's why the name stuck.
The little restaurant served an amazing lobster dinner and the owner actually came from Peterborough, Ontario 4 years ago to buy and run this place. Way too weird.
The view is great.

Time was marching on, fatigue was setting in and the clouds were gathering so I headed back to the hotel to sort my thing out and come up with a plan for tomorrow. It's supposed to rain and be nasty to I have to come up with clothing and a plan for a rainy trip. I think I'll stick with my plan to go to Halifax because there is a marine museum and the Alexander Keith's brewery tour that I can partake in and they aren't outside.
I'll play it all by ear.

So I've left the quite, serene views of the Cabot Trail to a historical urban area with the action it has of a long weekend. I have 3 full days here and I know I'll find things to make it all fit in!

Day 14-Ingonish to Baddeck Nova Scotia

True to form Nova Scotia weather was a challenge again for today. I woke up to "low clouds". Not actually fog but the ceiling looked about 15 feet above the ground. No matter I was going to stick to my plan and go the "long way" around the Cabot Trail and into Baddeck to check things out there and find accommodations.

I packed up my things for the final time from Keltic Lodge and said good bye to a truly wonderful place. It was so lovely to be there and I know, one day, I'll be back there.

The Cabot Trail is not to be driven with any type of impairment, meaning if you're tired, hungry or have to go to the bathroom. It requires 100% concentration the whole time. The 13% grades on some of the hills added a new dimension for me. I got to use the manual part of my transmission. Very neat but challenging. The hairpin turns needed to be taken with care. Add the thick fog to the equation and it is a little nerve wracking.

At one point I turned a corner and boom! There was the whole of the Western shore of the Cabot Trail in front of me. The fog was gone and the picture we all see of the Trail was there.

Yes, that "ribbon of highway" you see in the picture is the road. It really is spectacular and with little traffic on the road I enjoyed my trip a lot. Unfortunately it was a dull day weather wise and there wasn't much colour but you get the idea. The salty air smelled soooo good too.

At this point I felt as though I had gone as far east as I was going to and now it was the "west" routes that I was taking now. Interesting feeling. I still have a long way to go and lots to look at but it was the change in the routes that made the difference.

I arrived in Baddeck after an uneventful 4 hours of driving and as custom, drove through the town and back again to find what was what and how things looked. I found a parking spot on the main street and stopped at the Yellow Cello for lunch. Weird name, good food. For once I didn't have seafood! I had a great BBQ chicken pizza! Yes, there is a bright, yellow cello hanging in the main dining area!

Also as custom this time of year the wait staff ask where I'm from and where I'm staying. After mentioning that I hadn't found a place to stay the waitress (Michelle) said that she had 3 rooms in the lodge above the restaurant up the hill. I could look at them if I wanted to. Oh! Says I. That sounds like a plan. So, after checking out very favourable accommodations I settled up and moved in. It was 1 pm and I already had a place to stay and all was good. How neat is that. The room even has a front balcony that looks over the harbour. Well this is a bonus! (I type this from there!)

My view!

I ventured off to the Alexander Graham Bell museum which is up the road and had a very educational visit!
I had no idea that Mr Bell was such an inventor and experimentor. The reason the museum is in Baddeck is that he is buried not far from the town centre on the grounds of his summer home. This grand estate was picked by his family for the amazing view and the proximety to Bras d'or bay and waterfront. Many experiments of Mr. Bell, especially his hydrodrome (think hydrofoil) boats and sea planes. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in the area with he and his crew thinking up the newest thing to try and fly or float.
I spent nearly 2 hours in the museum and found the whole experience very interesting.

Rebuilt/replica hydrodrome HD-4 by Alexander Graham Bell.

The picture above does not do justice to the actual craft but this thing Mr. Bell thought the government would like to buy for the war effort in 1918 but they did not and this was left to ruin on the beach head near his home. (The recovered pieces are also in the museum) but the national aviation society rebuilt it using what they could and made replica of the rest. The motor seen here is the actual port motor from the original as is the hydrofoils. The rest is reconstructed. It was HUGE and quite a feat to build in that time or any time for that matter.

After a rest (it was now HOT) and then dinner it was time for some pictures of this lovely harbour town. It is quite the haven for all forms of boating and the local junior yacht club was out doing their thing with some games on the water. It was fun to watch. There were tons of people walking the pier and nice to see so many visitors.

The air is cooling down and the sun sets behind the building so I know tomorrow morning will be an early one I'm sure with the sun hitting the front windows.
This is such a neat place and I will investigate outside of town a little bit more tomorrow.

As I've found with all of Nova Scotia this is a lovely place to be and everyone is soooo nice.
It seems every part of this province is worth a picture.
It's great!

Day 13-East Shore of Cape Breton

Must be something in the air here.
Right, the air this morning was pretty heavy.
Really heavy.
Actually thick fog had come in and the whole area. This is what Cape Breton is supposed to look like, or so I'm told.

I packed up my things and re-organized the bags I had. I was moving out of my room and into the next one later today as I had asked to stay another night and it was probable I'd move to another room. No problem. I was prepared. I could leave all my luggage for the staff to move to the new room but figured it would make Thursday an early start with minimal running around.

Again, I can't say enough about the staff here, they are so wonderful. Sometimes they remember what I've been doing the day before and ask. They are great! 

Last night, after I posted, I hung around in the Highland lounge and listened to the entertainer. Seems live music here is something that is a drawing card if you want to stay anywhere. Fran Doyle was an experienced guitar player who put his own spin on all the east coast favourites that you'd expect to hear while in Cape Breton. He had a great rapport with everyone and always asked where everyone was from when they came in the room. It was loads of fun and I met a couple who were from the south shore of the province and we had a great time singing along. Okay there were some beverages consumed too! The nights here end early with Fran finishing up around 10:30 pm! I guess they know that most folks are up and running around early in the morning.

With the fog this morning I figured I would stick to the plan I had regardless.
There is freshwater lake that's been created by millions and millions of cobblestones that the waves and tides have deposited closing off what was once a bay. It is fascinating!  The piles of stones are 12 feet high in places and this has taken 100's of years to complete by just the sea action.

 

The weather didn't improve after an hour's walk in the beach then I walked on the top of the natural levee just checking things out and marvelling at the incredible number of rocks. Each one so smooth, from the marble sized to the melon sized ones. So neat. The sound of the waves hitting the shore made such an amazing sound too.

Pretty soaked or at least my legs were from walking in the heavy drizzle I headed back to the car and decided to head north up the coast to Neil's Harbour.

As I drove, in typical seaside fashion, the weather changed about 3 times in the 20 minute drive. The temperature guage on the dashboard said it was 14 degrees out! Holy cow that's certainly a switch from what we've had! The drizzle mostly gone but the fog was around here and there so I took a side route up to a spit of land to check it out. Again, really lovely scenery and so ocean side. Rock, trees and the pounding waves. Very neat.

Neil's Harbour is known for it's Chowder House (as well as a working harbour for crab and lobster fishing) so it was time to check that out.
I have to wonder sometimes what folks do in this area when there aren't tourists or it's snowing. Again, other than the Chowder House there wasn't a soul to be seen. Weird.

Anyway, I wandered around the restaurant property in the drizzle (again) and took a picture of the shore that this little restaurant is perched. Literally. If the erosion continues to move in the direction it is there won't be a restaurant in a few years. When there's a big storm I betcha it's exciting in the place. Oh yeah, temperature outside 13!

What I noticed more of here was the stripes of granite through the rock. It looks like someone has taken a huge piece of chalk and drawn big straight lines on it. Neat!

I was not disappointed with my seafood chowder and my lobster wrap (natch!) and the restaurant is a quirky combo of take out and "find your own seat" type of place. You place your order and take a number on a stand to take to your table. The wait staff (all 50 something women) will bring you your courses. I was sitting out on the enclosed sunroom. Wish there was some sun but it was comfortable enough but I was bundled up pretty well.

The chowder was simply awesome! Every suggestion I had been given was right. Sweet and yummy, this was living. I enjoyed listening to a couple of other tables of people, one of obviously locals talking about boats and the work that has to be done and another table of visitors from the States. They were talking about how Canadians put vinegar on their fries. They seemed so convinced that this is the way that we eat our french fries. Interesting! I'm sure there are all sorts of things that they think Canadians do but I didn't want to intrude!

On the way home I stopped at a pull off for Black Creek. There are many pull offs at picturesque vistas but with the fog and drizzle there wasn't so much to see but this creek was neat. I did get a close up of the neat shores along the Atlantic coast.

Okay, I'm weird but I think that looks neat! Kind of surreal actually.

Arriving back at the Keltic lodge I found out that my room was not changed and I was in the same one I have had all along. No matter I happily took a few things in and flopped on the bed and cozied in for a nap. Nothing beats a nice fluffy duvet on a dark, rainy day, especially when I was feeling bone tired and a little chilled from my travels and walks on a damp Atlantic coastline.

Tomorrow I leave this little haven and head north to complete the loop of the Cabot Trail and the Cape Breton Highlands. I don't know what the weather will be but I will drive it regardless. Hopefully there will be some clear weather at some neat parts of the drive.
I don't have a place booked as yet but there are a number of possibilities especially in Baddeck which will leave a short drive to Halifax on Friday.
I have certainly enjoyed my respite here at the Keltic Lodge.

Time to hit the road again!

Day 12-Keltic Lodge

We'll see if this blog will actually post in the time that I'm writing it.
The wireless internet seems to come and go around here. I am sitting in the lounge area listening to Nova Scotia music (I think it's the Rankin family right now) and enjoying an Alexander Keith's red.

Oh, there was a break in the action while I Skyped John. He came on line and we chatted for a while. It's something to have all this technology while travelling. We can share stuff like we usually do each evening and this way I can carry my computer around and show him where I am at the time of him calling.

Today was my Zodiac tour day. I had seen a flyer for this in the Atlantic room and thought it would be a cool thing to do. Now this tour place does not guarantee a whale sighting but it does offer a fun ride and some things to see that a regular boat wouldn't show you because it's smaller and can get closer to the cliffs and landscape.
Suited up in my bright orange survival suit I, along with a family from Manitoba and Sydney ventured out. The pilot, McKinnon, was a hoot telling us what we might see and just a hoot in general. 
They had seen dolphins and a whale earlier in the morning. Maybe we would too!
The waves were small but still fun to play in and McKinnon took us really close to the shore of the Middle Head land that I had been hiking on the day before. This was AWESOME.

We saw Lion's Mane Jelly fish the size of garbage can lids and with tentacles that were 20 feet long. This was the weird part. Jelly fish look very alien! I found out that leather back turtles eat jelly fish. We didn't see any turtles but lots of food for them. The cove where this picture was taken had hundreds of them floating around. They are safe to touch on the top but not to go near the tentacles.  They give you a sting much like a mosquito but lasts longer. You have to rub the sting with sand to get the little barbed thingy out of your skin. EWWW. The more I learn about these things the more I am fascinated by them. They are so relaxing to watch. Big burgandy blobs of jelly moving soundlessly through the sea. Very neat.

The Zodiac was 18 feet long and had two 100 horsepower motors on the back. McKinnon didn't open it up as there were some pre-teens on the boad and he didn't want to fly them over the side. Their parents didn't seem to mind! But he was cautious! We made good time going about 5 miles out into the see to find the whales and dolphins that had been seen earlier. After searching for a while McKinnon decided that we shouldn't be disappointed and see something so we went closer to the shoreline, or should I say cliffline, and see some seals. There we weren't disappointed. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough  to grab a picture of the seals but their heads were bobbing along in the sea and we got within 6 feet of one who found us most curious before disappearing below the surface. SOOO cute!

The coast line is really cliff into the sea. That's it. No beach no nothing. Just rock then water.
I can only imagine what it would be like to see this land for the first time. Wow!

After 3 hours on the water, covered in a salty spray and my hair looking like it had been spiked on it's end, we headed in to shore. Along the way we went around Ingonish Island and there saw at least a dozen bald eagles. The birds are HUGE! So easy to pick out with their very white heads and tails. I can see how majestic they are in the trees. No wonder they are used as a national symbol to the States.

The local gentlemen (brothers and brothers in law of the owner of the Zodiac tours) gave me the local gossip on what to see and where to eat. One old timer did have to repeat himself for me as I had NO idea what he was saying with his thick Nova Scotia accent. I LOVED listening to them.
So, I needed to go to the Chowder House in Port Nelson up the road and I needed to go to the Seagull for their seafood lingune. When they found out I'm here for another day they said I could do both with no problem.
I also got directions to go to the complete northern tip of Cape Breton. Not to be missed.

"Have to drive it. Must do. Don't not now because I'll know," my new friend Mason said, "I'll know your truck and I have friends that will keep and eye for ya". Oh what a hoot. I better go.
"Sit for a while", I'm told, "there will be whales and all ya get to see is the blow. The what? I asked. "The blow. The spout of water they blow up when they come to grab more air before going down again. If I'm lucky I'll see a tail go up in the air. Gotta make a wish then."
Right, I now have my marching orders.  

Oh I was having fun by this point.
These two guys have grown up in this area and wouldn't live anywhere else in the world.
So, heeding their advice I went to the Seagull for lunch.

8 Mussels, 4 scallops, 6 shrimp and 2 lobster claws on the most perfect bed of linguine in a cream sauce. Oh YUM!!! Forget dinner....

It's lunches like these that I'll remember while I'm chomping on my egg salad sandwich from the St. Mike's cafeteria.
Seafood, Soooo awesome. And so fresh.

I decided to stay another night at the Keltic lodge. What the hell. I'm only going around once.
I was supposed to check out tomorrow but I still have things to investigate! There is the beach shore, the freshwater lake (created by years of stones being organized by the tides to cut off a bay and it became desalinated, the other short hiking trail and the "beanery" down the road that roasts it's own special coffee beans.

I'm not ready to go. I could get so used to this lifestyle here and really I seem so at home here and everyone is so nice. This is what it's all about. Hmmm it's nearly 5:30 pm here and it might be time to spend on a nice chair overlooking the ocean for a while. Or I might just stay in this lovely lounge, with the local music playing and have another Alexander Keith's.

This is the life. So great!

Day 11-Keltic Lodge, Ingonish Nova Scotia

Today's post is actually being written tomorrow!
Huh??
I lost internet connection last night when I was just about done the post so ho, hum. I have to start again.

No matter!
I started my day (this is a Monday I think. It's so hard to keep track!) after an amazing hot breakfast with a hike on the Middle Head trail.
This trail follows a path to the end of a piece of land that separates Old Smokey Bay with Igonish Bay. It really is an amazing piece of 950 million year old rock.
The literature says it will take about 1 and 1/2 hours. So, packed with a jacket, sunscreen and water, my hiking boots on I headed out.

I'm certainly glad for the hiking boots because of all the roots and things sticking out on the trail. It was a walk that required focus because the one side was sheer rock wall and the other was a sheer cliff to the water about 100 feet below. Yikes. One miss step and it would be messy.

At the bottom of the picture you can see a bench, the legs indicate the elevation at this part of the trail.

The sun was shining and the air warm and it was quite a work out to get to the end but man was it worth it. Along the way there was the typical vegetation one would find in a  forest except for this one little toadstool. It was so perfect and cute I had to take a picture.

It was a walk that children shouldn't be on because the cliffs didn't have any barriers on them. At the end. Where I sat there was nothing stopping you from dropping down the great cliffs into the sea.

If I could only add in the sound of the waves, wind and seabirds it would make this all so perfect. I had to sit for a while and take it all in.



All I could say is "Wow" every time I looked around. The scenery was something I'll never forget. I'm glad I have pictures but really they will help my memory of the moment. It was great.

The return part of the trip took a loop back to the lodge that went on the other side of the peninsula and a different side of the rocks was seen. Again, all on fairly challenging trails. So glad I took the time to do that.

Really needing a jump in the pool I headed there after I got back. I include a picture because it's built into the side of the cliff and you can get a great view of the Bay as you float around in the water.

A few hours later, my tan worked on sufficiently I headed back to my room to catch some Z's. I was really tired and the very comfy bed was calling my name. Isn't that what vacations are all about? You need a nap so you have one. Oh it's soooo great!

Day 10-Summerside PEI to Keltic Lodge, Ingonish Nova Scotia

I can honestly say, right now (it's 9:30 pm), I'm pooped.
Warn out.
Spent.
Done....

For the moment.

I can't believe 13 hours ago I drove out of the parking lot of the hotel in Summerside and now am sitting in a lovely suite in Keltic Lodge overlooking "Old Smokey" and the Atlantic ocean on the Cabot Trail.

What a journey!
Oh yeah, and I forgot to look at the milage when I finally stopped the trusty Equinox today. I'll give a summary when I remember to get that info!

The ferry from Wood Islands to Caribou, Nova Scotia was uneventful and I was certainly wind burnt from the trip. The clouds and rain had lifted at one point and it was just lovely on the top deck watching the Northumberland Strait go by. It didn't appear wavy but the ferry was definatly rocking from side to side. I think ferries are a neat way to travel and it certainly cut a significant amount of time off of my journey.

 

Bye Bye PEI, from the NFL Ferry Confederation on the way from Wood Island PEI to Caribou NS.

So, onto a new province! I've never been to Nova Scotia and so many people have told me how awesome it is and what a beautiful place it is. I thought PEI was pretty special but I'm going to be awed by this place I'm sure.

The transCanada highway is well planned out through this mid part of the province with many passing lanes up hills created so it doesn't create a back log of traffic. There is work on a divided highway too but it will be many years before it is completed all the way to Antigonish.
After a short lunch break in Antigonish (home of St. F-X university!) I continued on my way.
The sun out now and it was becoming a beautiful drive.
I began to see the twisting turning roads of the Cape Breton and the lovely green hills to remind me of Vermont. Traffic was steady and behaving itself.
Once on the Cabot Trail itself the roads are narrow and require a lot of attention to navigate them. I did see one car off the road in the ditch going the other way and that just solidified to me that 100% focus is needed to drive this. There is no need for maps though because there is only one way to go and no side roads to worry about.
I can only imagine what this road would be like with some snow on it! Yikes!! I'm glad it was dry and sunny. Every turn was a truly amazing picture!

I have 3 nights booked at the Keltic Lodge in Ingonish Nova Scotia. It is within the confines of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I was told I had to pay the park fee, which I did but I'm wondering if others did. Hmmm. I'm helping the whole national park thing anyway. It's their 100th anniversary so I figure it's a birthday present.

The Keltic Lodge is a site of a golf course, cottages, Inn, main lodge and spa. There are hiking trails and nice chairs set up all over the grounds. It's spectacular! My room has a WALK IN CLOSET! How cool is that! I've never had one of those ever!
There are 3 restaurants on site (one of more formal dining for dinner) and a lounge that has live entertainment each night.
Many of the staff wear kilts (this is lovely I might add! ;-)

I unpacked my things and decided a swim was in need. The pool is set a little down the hill from the Lodge and a lovely place to lounge around and enjoy the view of the ocean below it. Really something.

After a nice dinner with a spectacular view (really that's why you're here, the view) I ventured back to the Lodge and took pictures as I went.

Tired and needing to unwind I returned to my room to review my information pamphlets and think about how awesome the drive was today. I'm glad I'm taking a couple of days to regroup!

Some photos for you all. Though you don't get the full effect without the crying of the sea gulls and the wind and waves crashing on the cliffs. That you have to BE here for.

Keltic Lodge; Ingonish, Nova Scotia. Entrance in on the right an my two windows are on the second level, fourth and fifth from the right.

Old Smokey from Keltic Lodge. Yes, I drove to the top of that and back down. Quite a drive! The water is the Atlantic!

 

Me and the cliffs of Cape Breton Island at Keltic Lodge (yup, the wind is blowing quite hard!)

So another successful and safe arrival at my spot for the next few days.

I can't wait to explore the next part!

Day 9-The Eastern section of PEI

This morning I awoke to the world shrouded in fog. The good old Southampton type fog. The kind you want to cut with a knife just to see what's on the other side. Hmmm what to do today?

Islanders have been complaining of the humidity. The what? Here? Naw, not like what I've been used to. Guess it must be REALLY bad in other places when the locals are complaining. The fog this morning certainly didn't help.

So, sight seeing out (for the moment) it was off to Charlottetown (or Ch'town as it's abbreviated here) to see what's up there. As I was heading there the fog lifted. Just kind of floated up into the sky and disappeared. The weather is so weird here and I think it's because it's an island and things can change quickly because there's no land for any weather pattern to get established.

Road trip change! Off to East Point.....

I have been to one end of the island and East Point is the other end. I have to get there. A goal. I love goals.

Driving along the Atlantic coast was quite dramatic compared to the other side and I happened upon a lovely harbour.

Naufrage Harbour isn't listed on any "look out" point on any map but there is a lighthouse! This picture is PEI to me. Maybe it's because I've seen too many jigsaw puzzles The Mother has done over the years but this is so picturesque. I loved it. After a few pictures and a little walk on the shore I continued on my journey.

East Point is the part of the world where two converging waters meet. It's really quite something to see. The warm waters of the Northumberland Strait meeting the cold waters of the Atlantic. The warmer water creating the weirdest looking waves when it meets the cold water. It's no wonder the marine life likes it there. In fact I saw a SEAL! Just one. All by itself playing in the colder side of the point. It was a grey seal I was told (I had to ask in the Lighthouse) and they are seen periodically but more in the cooler weather. If the fish are plentiful so will the seals be. Very, very cool.

East Point Lighthouse with Fog Horn Building to the right

The fog started to roll in again and it made it rather damp so I toured on the "other side" of the point down the Strait side to Charlottetown. There were many pull offs to take pictures but with the fog moving in and out and the sun being in the wrong spot they didn't turn out so well. Without the fog it was downright steamy so it was off to my PEI favourite ice cream place. COWS.

If you've never been to COWS it's the island's version of Ben and Jerry's or Hagen Das. There are also whimsical things to buy. I love COWS. It's cute and fun and the ice cream is awesome. I had cowberry. This is blueberry really but soooo good.  Ice cream and purchases in hand (yup, I got a t-shirt and towel) I played tourist and sat on the main street of Charlottetown and watched the world go by. I went over my mental check list of things still to do in PEI before I head out tomorrow. Better get going!

Back to Summerside to ride my little folding bike along the new 6.5 km boardwalk along the shore. Sun shining, breeze blowing on shore and waves crashing it was a fantastic ride on a very nice paved bike path beside the wooden boardwalk. My little Dahone carried me along quite nicely. With the wind (the first I've experienced on a salty shoreline) giving me a briney scent to pedal along to I thoroughly enjoyed my tour. Check that off the list.

Off to the pool at the hotel! oh yeah, another thing off the list.

A rest then off to the laundromat to get some clean clothes for the next part of the journey. I have a feeling that the super hot weather will be gone on the Cabot Trail and I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to do this  chore until maybe Halifax. Check that off the list too.

Subway, the sub sandwich place have an Atlantic Lobster sub. Well now, I guess I might as well complete my list of things to do by having one of those. Dinner!
Check!
By the way it was YUMMY! I wish we had them in Ontario....

As I finished off my check list there was a storm gathering. Again, not understanding how the weather works in this province I watched it with some interest. No, they've never had a tornado here, hurricanes yes, but no tornados. hmmmm don't want it to be a first time. I was safely back at the hotel when it all came in. Just a dramatic cloud and a complete change of wind direction and cooler air but the rest of the guests (many from Nova Scotia) were in awe of the whole thing.
I took pictures of course. I love my clouds.

Trivia time! Did you know there is a Southampton, PEI? yup but there's not a whole lot going on. The sign was the most remarkable part of the tour there.

One final picture.
I haven't had any problem with traffic in this province, I think everyone drives very responsibly and the locals are tolerant of us rubber necking tourists.
When there is some construction it appears out of no where with little warning. The road we were directed on to today (Saturday I remind you all) was quite a challenge with the recent rains and dampness making it very slick and made me glad I have all wheel drive.
I add, also, that TRANSPORT trucks were also on this road. Thankfully I was not behind one.

So it's good bye to PEI tomorrow as I take the ferry across to Nova Scotia and up to the Cabot Trail. It's been fun!

Day 8-Prince Edward Island-375 km

This province has lots of nick names and one of them is the green isle. I understand why. With the rain that this place gets it's no wonder. The weather changes here with each tick of the clock and you have to be prepared for everything. Today I was initially wearing a jacket then the sun came out and it became a sauna outside.

The wind is always blowing here and it's a challenge to figure out what window to keep open at any one moment. Oh yeah and it's just plain damp here too. I don't know how many people would do with arthritis living here.

My initial destination today was North Cape.  I've never been there before and I thought it was a good place to head. It's where the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the Atlantic ocean. After a great scenic drive along the St. Lawrence coast line I arrive at the north tip of the island. There were the wind turbines that I had seen from the beach in New Brunswick. This is an experimental area where several types of wind turbines are being tested. The University of New Brunswick is also experimenting with the creation of Hydrogen using wind power to split the molecule from regular water. Way too educational for me. I just walked all around the tip of the point and took pictures. With the low tide it was interesting stuff.

The most northern part of Prince Edward Island.

I'm fascinated by seaweed, naturally we don't have this type of stuff in Ontario so I love all the different kinds.

PEI is a unique place for so many reasons. The north area is very flat, where the centre part is very hilly and some of the roads take dangerous drop offs (kind of fun actually!).
From North Cape I took a tour by another lighthouse at Northport and checked out more scenery and the omnipresent typical maritime fishing boats. Many are up on dry dock as the true lobster season is not until 3 weeks from now and many repairs and repaintings are happening.

With no direction after my picnic lunch I found myself in North Rustico. I realized I was following 2 tour buses. Uh oh! I guess this would make a busy visit. Oh well I'd find my own things to see. Really though there isn't much to see other than the seashore and that is more than enough.
I spoke with a gentleman (who didn't want his picture taken!) who was restringing lobster pots. This is a very intricate and time consuming job. Kind of like macrame but there are secrets to how to tie the knots so they don't come untied underwater. Good tiers have their way and don't want to share. Interesting. I took a picture of the finished product and the specific floats that the fisherman uses.

Throughout my drive around North Rustico and Cavendish I saw a lot of Vacancy signs infront of cottages and motels. I guess this is a sign of the times here too. Though Cavendish with it's Anne of Green Gables tourist grab it was busy at the usual touristy areas but the roads were flowing nicely.

Though one of the things I wanted to do was sit on Cavendish beach, today wasn't it. It was raining and the forecast is for thunderstorms. It was after 3 pm anyway and time to head back to the motel. I'd been on the road since before 9 am.

Things I've noticed:

• Humpty Dumpty, McCain, Frito Lay, Cavendish Farms and O'Leary's all have processing plants on the Island, can you blame them?
• When you drive past the huge Cavendish Farms plant the air is filled with the odour of hash browns....don't go by hungry!
• Potato blossoms smell really pretty when there are millions of them in bloom. Which is kind of everywhere.
• O'Leary (the town) has not only a potato blossom festival they have a potato harvest festival as well. Just one party after another with the mighty spud.
• The laundromat at the far end of town is also a tanning salon and is open until 8 pm. Oh yeah and they sell soap by the scoop. (59 cents) I love multitasking establishments.
• Gas is cheaper on the island ($1.22/litre)
• You can drive onto the island for free but they getcha leaving ($63.00 by ferry, $49.50 by the bridge).
• 102.1 SPUD fm in Summerside sounds like 98 the Beach in Saugeen Shores, even the morning guy sounds like Joe Carter. Weird.... made me think of home...
• PEI red dirt does not look pretty on a white truck....but at least I look like I belong!

I leave you with one last picture of the Church of Notre Dame in Mont Carmel. The church is right near the shore and the cemetary over looks the Northumberland Strait. Really a nice final spot I think. It's also the largest building in this end of the island by far.

Day 7-Shediac NB to Summerside PEI-260 km

On to the next province! Today I leave New Brunswick behind and head on to the next Maritime province. I can't belive a week ago I was cleaning up the cottage and packing the Equinox for the beginning of this tour. Wow!

Seely's motel in Shediac is really a stopping place for travellers, business people and long haul drivers. The accommodations were fine and everyone seemed to be scrambling to get going in the morning. I have found the maritime pace now, it's only taken a few days, and I took my time packing the car and getting things organized for the next stop.

One last stop in Shediac was to take pictures of the worlds largest lobster. Just a sculpture but supposedly the best rendition. He really is quite large and of course a touristy thing to do. One of the few things touristy that I've seen in New Brunswick.

Can you see the small child in the bottom right of the photo? That'll give some perspective.

In New Brunswick there is one neat place to go in the area that I'm in and that's Magnetic Hill. Yeah, it's the place where you put your car in neutral and the vehicle goes BACKWARDS up a hill. Yes, UP a hill.

Right, I had to do this.

So, off I go. It's well marked on the locator signs on the highway. Can't miss it. Of course there's an amusement park there too.

For $5 you drive to a spot marked by a white pole on a seemingly boring little dirt road on the side of a hill, then you put your car in neutral and take your foot off the brake.

What the????

The Equinox simply sailed UP the hill. I had to steer of course (no, the rear view camera was not working in neutral despite the fact that I was going up hill.)

How Cool Was That????

True to form I was there early and there was no one else in line so I begged the nice young lady at the top of the hill to let me do it again. She hesitated but then let me!!!!! Wheeee!!!

I have no idea how it works but even on the second time it was just as weird and it's not a slow ride, you MOVE up the hill backwards with no engine assistance what so ever. I'm glad I was a tourist today.

In many maritime provinces there is not much originality in place names. Yes, there is a Toronto, Southampton and Cornwall, PEI I have discovered but there is also a Port Elgin New Brunswick and since it was on my way I headed there for some pictures. The town is really a hamlet and not much goes on but it was still neat to go.

Okay, so the picture isn't great because I had to set it up on the hood of the truck then run to the spot to point at the sign. Hey, I'm trying....Yes I'm wearing a Toronto Argo shirt.

Taking back roads to the base of the Centennial Bridge to PEI I saw some beautiful country side and the long salt flats of dune grass that grows on the calm side of the Northumberland strait. The perfume coming off of the weed flowers (kind of like a baby's breath flower and a queen Anne's Lace) the drive was lovely but the road quite uneven and the Equinox was bucking like a bronco! It was a fun ride.

There used to be a ferry that ran from Cape Tormentine to PEI. That is the last way I got across. The bridge was being built at that time. Now the ferry docks are left to ruin and the little town is all but closed up. Sad really. Even the light house, which looks identical to the range lights in Southampton ON, was faded and broken. That was very sad to see.

The bridge is 12 km of 2 way traffic that can only be called exciting in inclement weather. It was neat to drive it and the temperature dropped about 5 degrees as I continued along the bridge. It was overcast and the visibility was hazy but you get the idea.

A change of maps before I headed over the bridge at my picnic lunch and I was ready to tackle PEI.

First impression.

Potato fields.

Miles and miles of potato fields.

It is understandable given it is the major import from this province.

I checked in at the Inn outside of Summerside and rested a bit.

Then off to be a tourist again.

I had done a drive through of the town and had an idea of where to go so I headed back to the harbour. I bought myself a "PEI dirt hat". It's a thing here to have clothing or something dyed using the red PEI dirt. The Man has a shirt and I think it's a cool idea to have something like that as a keep sake. So. I got a hat. Need one with the sun roof open in the truck. Goofy but fun.

The rain was coming down in buckets and the wind starting to pick up so for the first time a jacket was needed. I wandered down to a seafood restaurant on the wharf and found the friendliest people and the most amazing scallop dinner. (I'm taking a break from lobster for just one day.) The rain was getting worse and I figured it was a good time to head back to the Inn and beat the humidity for the evening.

The weather report for here was for increasing rain and some fog. The radio stations in PEI are SPUD fm and The Ocean 100 and CBC of course, personally SPUD fm makes me laugh so I'm going to listen to it.

Again another fun day with lots of different things to do and see. Tomorrow I plan to go to the North Cape which I saw in the distance when I was at the beach in New Brunswick a few days ago, I could see the wind turbines in the distance. This will be a nice tour on the North Cape Coastal Drive.

Isn't there a song about being "a spud in the red, red mud" ? Hmmm I'll have to check on that.