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| Cape Breton, NS |
Planning is great exercise. It helps focus the mind on the task(s) at hand. It helps us visualize the future, and that, as far as we know, is uniquely human. Funny thing about plans though. They change. Sometimes a lot. Sometimes by a whole lot. This is not to say that we shouldn’t plan; it’s still good to do. But we need to remain flexible as well.
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| Quebec City from Ile d'Orleans |
Flexible is my middle name. Lady Adventurer? Yes, it’s in her bones as well. Hurricane Dorian certainly had something to say about our plans this time around. She (we think it’s a she) would arrive in Nova Scotia (NS) at the same moment in time that we would. Isn’t that something? Our flight was proactively canceled.
(Re)planning began immediately. We had always wanted to drive up to the Maritime Provinces by going through Montreal and Quebec City, but (thought us) that was going to have to wait for a day when we had more time. Except now we did have more time – at least a couple days that we wouldn’t be able to get into NS. So we changed the outbound flight to go into Quebec City with the thought of spending a bit of time there before driving the rest of the way to NS.
Quebec City was wonderful. We walked around the old town area, and, as advertised, it was just like walking around any old city in Europe. Of course French is the primary language, which only adds to the allure and atmosphere of the place. So does the co-ed public washrooms. We walked for miles and miles, mostly exploring the Upper Town, Citadel, and Plains of Abraham area. The only other thing we did, and there are certainly others, was explore Ile d’Orleans. It’s a wonderful island in the St. Lawrence River with pastoral scenery and great views of the mainland.
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| During the long walk, we stopped in for a flight at a QC brewery |
Did I mention that it’s a twelve-hour drive from Quebec City to Cheticamp, NS? As that thought sank in more, we decided to split the trip in two. This re-planning had us stop in Moncton, New Brunswick for the night and arriving in Cheticamp early in the afternoon the following day. The scenery across Quebec, New Brunswick (Nouveau Brunswick if you’re a Francophone), and Nova Scotia were sublime. We were particularly impressed by the lack of people or development of any kind throughout New Brunswick.
Time out for some geographical orientation. Nova Scotia is a Maritime Province in Eastern Canada. The northern 25% or so of NS is an island known as Cape Breton. Cape Breton Highlands National Park takes up a good portion of the island, and it’s a gem. Cape Breton is also the home of the famous Cabot Trail. The Cabot Trail is a road that loops around the island, and it’s justifiably called one of the world’s most scenic drives. Part of the Cabot Trail lies within the park.
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| The Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park |
Just south of the entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, along the Cabot Trail lies the quaint coastal village of Cheticamp. After checking into our B&B-like Motel, the Auberge Ducet Inn (and being relieved that they had power following the storm), we immediately entered the park and proceeded to the Skyline Trail Hike.
Skyline is the quintessential hike in the quintessential national park. With perfect weather, beautiful vistas, and even good footing, we enjoyed every step during this 5.5-mile stroll along the ridge-top.
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| Skyline Trail Hike |
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| Look-off on the Skyline Trail hike |
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| Along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park |
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| Meat Cove |
What to do after a long day (the second in a row, mind you) of driving and hiking? Why dine on lobster and other seafood (the second in a row, mind you) of course. I predict: there will be no trifecta in the lobster dinner arena. The day after? Who knows.
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| Middle Head Hike |
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| Middle Head Hike (we surprised this fellow) |
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| Middle Head Hike (I am on a rock in the upper right) |
Every single Canuck we’ve met has been exceedingly friendly. I know that politeness is part of their culture, but they seem to go over and beyond anything called for.
After two days of spectacular weather in Cape Breton, we finally had a rainy one. That did not deter us from doing one more good hike in the national park. We did have to cut the Le Vieux chemin du Cap-Rouge trail hike a little short, but three miles is better than none at all.
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| Last day in Cheticamp |
What to do during a rainy day in Cape Breton? Stop in at the Alexander Graham Bell museum and national historic site in Baddeck of course. The museum was okay (he invented lots of stuff besides the telephone), but the cool part was witnessing the swearing-in of new Canadian citizens.
Before the ceremony, Lady Adventurer wandered over to the ladies room. During this time, I swear that a Mountie, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police kind, walked right by me. He sported his full regalia, consisting of the bright red uniform, big boots, eight-foot-tall hat, etc. With the hat and all, he probably stood about seventeen feet tall. When Lady A. re-emerged, I excitedly told her about my Mountie encounter. She acted like she may have believed me at first. That is, until we scoured the whole museum, unsuccessfully looking for the guy.
After that stop, we drove on to the Residence Inn, Dartmouth, where we would be spending the final three days of the trip. We parked on the Dartmouth waterfront and took the ferry across the harbor to the Halifax waterfront. Had a nice lunch/supper at the Baton Rouge. The ferry is fun, and for $1.75, it’s nearly as good as a much pricier harbor cruise.
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| On the ferry to Halifax |
The fourteen-hundred kilometers we’ve driven so far on this trip just hasn’t seemed like enough. So rather than hanging around Halifax another day, we drove up to the Bay of Fundy. It took us a bit over an hour each way – that’s nuthin’ these days. The Bay of Fundy is a scenic (are you surprised?) area north of Halifax, and the water lies between New Brunswick and NS. That water comes and goes with the tides more than any other place on the planet. (By the way, we’ve also been to the second-highest tide place in New Zealand.)
We were lucky to catch the beach at Blomidon Provincial Park at low tide. We walked far out on the sand and rocks, beachcombed, and admired the view of the red dune cliffs and waterfalls. As the tide began to rise, the water began to pour back, and it was almost scary.
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| Blomidon Prov. Park, Bay of Fundy |
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| Blomidon Prov. Park, Bay of Fundy (notice the low tide) |
To round out the side trip, we poked our heads in at a couple of wineries in the area. Wolfville – the town up there – has some good ones.
Our final full day in Nova Scotia was a gem. We drove to Peggy’s Cove, which is a quaint and picturesque fishing town with a classic looking lighthouse. After a lot of walking there, we drove back to Halifax proper, parked, and did a lot more walking. We went up to the Citadel, down to the Harborfront, and then round and round looking for restaurants. It was all very much worthwhile, though exhausting.
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| Peggys Cove Lighthouse |
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| Halifax Citadel |
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| Halifax Citadel on the way out |
The last lobster dinner (for Lady A,) and seafood boil (for me) was the final icing on the cake.
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| Halifax Harbor |
