Long weekend (finale)

Hi!

Wow...it took some time to get through my photos...you know, editing them down to size. It's nice to have that review of the trip. It has reminded me of all the stuff I didn't get the chance to take photos of...ah well!

Where were we?

Ah yes. We drove the Cabot Trail over North Mountain, and stopped to take photos. Then we found a couple of short trails to hike, one took us to a Scottish Crofter's hut, the next to a couple of pretty waterfalls. It was nice to get out of the car, even if my tummy grumbled as it waited for food!

In Pleasant Bay we stopped for brunch. We were amused by hummingbirds feeding just outside the restaurant, by sitting in a booth by a feeder. There were some beautiful ruby throated ones, but my camera was in the car. Peter got a good few shots of them though! We brunched on lobster and crab and then got back on the road.

We stopped near French Mountain to take some photos. We had driven through a lot more fog on a lot of curvy roads, but there were moments of breathtaking scenery!

We stopped in Cheticamp for gas and hit the road- the plan being to get to Peter's place in time for supper.

We made good time, and decided to rent a movie on the way back to Peter's place. Over the rest of the long weekend we played games, walked in and around town (catching some of the low in the sky fireworks on Saturday evening even though we weren't expecting any!) and went to Church. It was a fun weekend. I think I would travel the Cabot trail again- though as Peter and I agreed there were a few things we'd do differently.
1. Go in the fall. There are a lot of trees there which would colour beautifully!
2. Bring breakfasty-type foods to have in case of quiet little towns who don't open til noon!
3. Try and find a less moisture-full weekend!
4. Spend more time on some more trails

The hills were fun, I enjoyed twisting and turning, and so, I think, did Atreyu.

This weekend finds me back in Ontario. I will likely post at some point while I'm there, but don't hold your breath!

Finally- pictures:
Peter in Lone Shieling
InfoMacIntosh Brook waterfall
More misty mountains- I think this one is part of French MountainPeter, near French Mountain

Long weekend (part 2)

I know what you're thinking...the long weekend was way back at last weekend. Boy, is Naomi slow at getting to blogging. You'd be right if you thought that...but better late than never, right? (Warning-- pictures available at the end of the blog!)

Ah, yes, where did I leave off?

Louisbourg. Peter and I started off the morning packing everything back into the car, returning the key and heading out. We decided we'd try to find the fort (and got closer than we thought!) and explored a bit out past the entrance to the historic site. We found a fun tree by a graveyard and turned around to go back into town. We found a little cafe for breakfast, ate and then it was almost time for the fortress to open, so we went back. We arrived at the building only to find that we were going to be bused to the fortress. (No driving right up to it!) From there we started a day in the life in 1744. (Or rather, just a morning!) We were warned in town that the weather was unpredictable, and it was misty, so we brought our jackets...and forgot the sunscreen in the car. It was warm, sunny and beautiful, though there was fog off in the distance (and later that day!). We wandered the town, listened to stories told us by the townspeople, Peter took videos of the firing of the gun and I snapped a few photos of the town and fortress. On our way in we were challenged as to who we were, why we were visiting and if Peter's tripod was actually a weapon. I certainly didn't plan to use it as such, though I was carrying it, and they let us in.

We heard about rations and a soldier's life. We poked our noses into some of the houses to see how people would have lived. After the weapons demonstration we set back out for the gate and the car...next stop Baddeck. We stopped near the entrance to the Cabot Trail for lunch, eating seafood, like all good Maritime tourists should.

In Baddeck we visited a museum dedicated to Alexander Graham Bell. It was quite fascinating. He had a lot of great ideas. I also learned what a great interest he had in the deaf. He worked on some amazing things. Peter took photos, but I did not...sigh.

After we left the museum we set out for Cape Breton. We found a Celtic school and browsed a bit. Then started the windy roads! We made better time than I had thought we would, so we travelled over Smokey Mountain and entered Cape Breton Highlands National Park to try to find a place for the night. It being the Friday of a long weekend, we were almost out of luck!! We found a spot in Ingonish, settled in, and went for a hike to a Mary Ann Falls. It was a warm day- and a sticky warm night. I slept well in the room with a ceiling fan, but Peter chose a room with no air flow. He moved to the living room in the night, making rather strange noises and really scared me for a minute!!

The next morning we set out again-- without breakfast. We found it challenging to find a place that was open before 9am, and as we were on the road shortly after 8, we made it far from the inhabited places long before 9am. We drove right through Neils Harbour (very nice), up to White point and then to Cape North, and up to near Aspy Bay. No luck with breakfast, we snacked on licorise and held off for brunch.
More stories later-- now, pictures!
Misty morning.
Des Roches House
Peter with his 4 or 5 days ration of food!











The Dauphin Gate.




Engineer's residence- garden and kitchen.








Walking towards the King's Bastion Barracks










The Chapel.






Firing a rifle for us.











Kids playing in the street.

Peter caught!

Piper at Celtic school.












Can't remember why we stopped for this one.


On top of Mount Smokey....








A view from the Keltic Lodge- No room at the inn!

Peter on a wet bridge


Mary Ann Falls


I spy....


Low hanging clouds- we stopped at a lookout on our way up a mountain.

Long weekend (part 1)

Hi!

Back again, in my little apartment for the next 12 weeks. I've semi-completed my "move" north. I'm in, but not unpacked, as it looks like I'll only be using this bedroom for a little while.

Last Wednesday I drove down to Dartmouth to stay at my brother Peter's place. I'm getting good at sleeping on his couch- and I think it was a cooler location to sleep, with a cross breeze, than his room. Sorry buddy! Then on Thursday morning we set out. We had decided to drive to Cape Breton and tour around. I don't know if you know this, but often when Peter and I plan on touring places together we get back weather for it. Thursday morning dawned overcast...looking like rain. (Oh, also, as I drove to Peter's place on the Wednesday, as I neared Nova Scotia I drove into a thick fog-mist...and then today as I left and entered New Brunswick I saw blue sky- that seemed fitting to go with our trip!) We decided we would take a "scenic" by the ocean route to a little museum town. Lots of fog got in the way of the view. We stopped at an info centre and took some photos of a turbulent river which we had just crossed. It looked like there were remains of a mill there...but alas, I couldn't find my camera. No pictures from me for our first day of the trip!

We made it to the town where they had the olden time museum. We ate at a Chinese/Canadian food restaurant (and yes, I did get a milkshake, just for you melissa!). Then we wandered to the museum, spent a good amount of time with the blacksmith, the printer at the printing press, the potter and a bit of time at the pharmacy, the general store, the smiths' place and then drove to the water powered sawmill. It was a very neat experience. Peter took some good photos and video...but I still hadn't found my camera. We didn't chase after the sheep that got loose, but Peter was able to pet one of them prior to that. He also got some pictures of peacocks...though how commonly they were kept in the 1800s I don't know!

After we left there we drove on to Cape Breton...with the views of the day consisting of fog, trees, and more fog. We stopped in Saint Peters for supper. It was hard to see for the fog by the time we drove through Sydney and made it to Louisbourg where we stayed for the night. At that point we were hoping for a bit better weather for the rest of the trip, but were prepaired to need jackets and umbrellas!

More soon...I have to pull up the photos that I took starting day two!!