Blogs from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

The process of leaving Newfoundland involved questions about root vegetables. I had to surrender my one potato, even though it was from the USA. Potatoes don’t have any identifying marks for country or province of origin, so it was assumed to be one from the island and therefore not allowed to leave. They even had what looked like a tire and underbody wash device for use on some muddy vehicles. We didn’t get to see it in action, but they are serious about keeping their soil and whatever is in it on the island. Our ferry ride was smooth and uneventful but did take 7 hours rather than 6 hours. This time we were on the Highlander and it has better accommodations for this length of crossing. There were plenty of seats that were similar to ... read more

Driving the Cabot Trail On Wednesday we drove along the Cabot Trail, which is touted as one of Canada’s most dramatic scenic drives. It’s hard to capture in pictures the drama of driving along a coastline where the mountains meet the sea, so we made up in quality for what we lacked in quantity! The day started out sunny, but as we crossed to the eastern shore, dark clouds rolled in with fog and rain. Our much anticipated picnic lunch on a beach turned out to be a quick stop by the side of the road. We then headed back over the mountains to sunshine and warm weather. We didn’t drive the whole trail, but we still put 150 miles on the car and had a lovely day.... read more

De busstakingen waren nog in volle gang toen wij de reis zouden vervolgen naar ons volgende WWOOF adres op Cape Breton Island. We waren dan ook erg blij met het bestaan van 'shuttle busses', kleine personenbusjes, die onze richting op gingen. Deze keer gingen we naar een 'Wilderness Resort' gerund door een, oorspronkelijk Zwitserse vrouw en Amerikaanse man, Barbara en Paul. De ligging was prachtig, aan een meertje en met uitzicht over zee. Vanaf het resort strekte zich een bosrijk gebied uit omgeven door water. Dit was de 'achtertuin' van het resort. Je kon er heerlijk in dwalen. Op dit moment was alles bedekt met een dikke laag sneeuw. Wij hebben het gebied dus ontdekt met sneeuwschoenen. We vonden onder andere het skelet van een yurt (die zomers in gebruik bleek te zijn), een 'pontjeshaven' om ... read more

Last Day of Vacation.... We woke up and decided to try a different Puffin Tour boat. We drove to Big Bras d'Or hoping Bird Island Tour Boats would have two available seats. Success! :) The boat set off at approximately 10:15 a.m. The boat was operated by Captain Van Schaick and his son. They both enthusiastically shared information about all the birds and seals we would see at the Bird Islands. We saw Atlantic Puffins, Bald Eagles, many Great and Double Crested Cormorants, Blue Herons, and Grey Seals. On the return trip we even saw Northern Gannets diving for fish, rare for this far south. We then headed to the Fortress of Louisbourg. This is a 1744 historic reconstruction of a French fort, the largest in North America. People were dressed in period clothing and demonstrated ... read more

Hi all. We drove all day today from one end of Nova Scotia to the other. These strange and friendly people were nice enough to wave hello to us as we drove by and Margaret was all "What is up with that?" I just explained that outside of NYC most people are friendly.... LOL We stopped on the way at the oldest winery in Nova Scotia but alas they were not open yet and no booze for us at 9AM :( We moved onwards to Truro where we caught the Tidal Bore in the nick of time. Thankfully, that did not take too long because I would have lost it with my A.D.H.D. We stopped at the Bulk Barn where they had lots of goodies. I found corn nuts, candy-coated sunflower seeds, Cajun trail mix...yum! We ... read more