by Phil Rowe
Prologue : Yes, it's a long way out there to delightful Cape Breton Island in Canada's eastern maritime region. But it's well worth the trip and your time. It's a place not to be missed.
Tuesday we moved our camp, but not far. We drove just 20 miles northeast to Sydney and then 50 miles west along the northern shore of Bras d'Or Lake to Baddeck. The reason was to position ourselves for the journey around the Cabot Trail. That's the 200 mile drive circum-navigating the upper end of Cape Breton Island, mostly along the coastline but partly inland too.
We set the trailer up in a very fine 4-star KOA campground just north of Baddeck. Now we're across the lake from where we were for our Louisbourg touring. Jean packed a few snack items and off we went, headed north to the Atlantic coast and the shores of Northumberland Bay which separates Cape Breton from Prince Edward Island. The manager of our campground advised us to make the trip today and not wait for tomorrow as the good weather isn't supposed to last. We agreed and headed out.
The route is roughly elliptical in shape. One can drive it in either direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise. We chose the former because that would get us up the western side while we still had good weather. The roads are narrow, winding and quite rough, even though paved all the way. Many places are like a washboard, forcing you to slow down. Even though the posted speed limit may be as high as 80 kilometers per hour ( 57 mph ), road conditions often don't allow that much speed. And many places the limit is half of that.
The western side of the island is predominantly populated with French settlements. There are no cities or large towns, just small hamlets and fishing villages. They are very picturesque and often colorful. Houses come in many colors. Most are quite well kept and reflect pride by the owners. The same can be said of the lobster and fishing boats.
We stopped at various scenic pull-outs, which the local signs declare as "Look Offs". Many are great places for taking photographs, something I did frequently.
Part of the drive takes you through the Cape Breton Park. Admission for two seniors ( Heh, heh .. we qualified this time ) was four dollars. There are numerous picnic grounds, hiking trails, camp grounds and interpretive areas with signage to explain the terrain, coast or other features.
At one pull-out "Look Off" we were surprised to see above us, flying north at about 3000 feet, eight WWII vintage single engine planes in loose formation. They looked a bit like T-6 trainers, except they all had fixed landing gear. Hmmmmm. I wonder what they were, and why they were in formation headed for Prince Edward Island fifty miles across the ocean.
It was 1:30 before we stopped for lunch at a very small cafe. That was at Neils Harbor, a quaint and interesting fishing town on the northeastern shore. I had a lobster burger. It's alot like the lobster roll served on a hotdog bun, only a round burger bun was used this time. It was garnished with lettuce and tomato and very delicious. Jean, not much of a seafood fan, had a hot turkey sandwich plate. It came with a heaping pile of French fries, which I helped her eat. Then I had a scoop of ice cream, very good maple walnut. The bill came to under $18.00 Canadian.
The drive southeast back toward the start of the Cabot trail was over even rougher roads. I sure am glad I was not towing the trailer. And a few steep hills, coastal mountains they call' em, would have been challenging with the trailer. Quickly the road rises to 1500 feet above sea level and then drops back down again. There were several of those sections, mostly near the northern tip.
We stopped at a place called The Gaelic College. It's a school for people interested in preserving the Gaelic arts. One such art was demonstrated for us. A bagpiper performed in the breezeway of the main building. He was very good and the sound carried quite a distance. The gift shop, quite possibly the most interesting building there, features a variety of Scottish and Gaelic material. There are many souvenirs, some top-quality stuff and some obviously just junk. I bought a hat. Jean got a picture book with excellent color photos of Nova Scotia. And we bought a coffee cup ( mug ) with a Cape Breton Island scene.
The rains caught up with us at the Gaelic College and we drove in it the last 40 miles or so. It was raining lightly as we drove into the campground. Yes, it's a good thing we took the drive when we did. We are not at all complaining about the trip's weather. For themost part it's been very good, even exceptionally good at the most important places. And besides, all this rain is a novelty for us.
It rained all night Tuesday, hard at times but more often lightly. There was no rush this morning to get out of our warm beds. This will be a day of rest and for taking care of administrative chores (like paying bills and writing checks to be mailed off to various places back home). Our only touring, likely in the rain, will be to the nearby Alexander Graham Bell museum. He was a resident in later life in this part of Nova Scotia. And it will be necessary to refuel the truck to be ready for tomorrow's drive to Pictou. That's where we plan to leave the trailer for our Prince Edward Island visit.
Our short visit to Baddeck was pleasant this morning. We posted some mail to the states, exchanged U.S. money for Canadian (rate of exchange now 1.34 to 1, but banks charge a $2.50 fee for the service to those without accounts). Exchanges made through merchants run about 1.32 to 1. Take your pick.
We then enjoyed coffee and scones at a small cafe/bakery. That done we headed for the Museum. It's right at the eastern edge of town. Admission for us old folks was $2.50. The place is quite nice and very well done as a tribute to the versatile inventor and humanitarian. There are several film presentations about various aspects of Bell's life and creations. He was quite a pioneer in communications, aerodynamics, animal husbandry and teaching the deaf. His wife was the business expert, quite wealthy in her own right and became moreso with the products of her husband's genius. He was the creative, romantic and inventive member of their team. Theirs is also apparently a life-long love story.