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Published: October 22nd 2008
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No continental breakfast for us. This motel didn't even have a coffee maker so being the caffeine fiends that we are we were up, dressed and packed in record time.
We went into downtown Inverness and found a local restaurant where we had breakfast...good old fashioned eggs, bacon, toast with not a muffin or bagel or a continental anything in sight. We drove up and down the main street of this tiny town and then set off for the coast road to Cape Breton Highlands National Park along the Cabot Trail. Our destination is Baddeck, home of Alexander Graham Bell. We will be driving the west coast which is the St. Lawrence Gulf, over the top of the park and then on the easten shore of the Atlantic. My understanding is that the interior of the park is only accessable by foot. We will be traveling the Ceilidh and Cabot Trails.
Don't even try to pronounce "ceilidh" without professional help. Actually I looked it up and it is pronounced "Kay-lay" with emphasis on the kay. It is a Gaelic word meaning a social gathering or concert. They are held in hall, pub or tavern where people pay admission to
be entertained by a 'Celtic performance', primarily by instrumental music. We saw all sorts of signs and fliers in all of the fishing villages for Ceilidh's. Had it been a Friday night I would have tried to go to one but it wasn't...I don't think. I've completely lost all track of day...and time since we've been gone.
A brief history of Cape Breton. The island was inhabited by the Mi'kmaq Nation until it was discovered by John Cabot in the 1400s. After that it was settled by English, Irish, French and Scots. After the British took over they threw out the French settlers from New Brunswick and PEI. Some setteled on CBI, in particular Cheticamp. There are many Acadia settlements in Nova Scotia and Maine as they made their way finally to Louisiana. Fishing and lobstering are the dominant industries in the area.
We followed the west coast road north that overlooked the St. Lawrence Gulf, drove up and over the park and then south on the Atlantic side. We made many stops, particularly on the Western side, the scenery was so incredibly beautiful. It seemed like every turn in the road brought more beautiful scenery to the
point where we just quit talking about it.
It was an overcast morning with light rain, especially in the higher altitudes that burned off as the day progressed. As we drove we climbed into the highlands where it was much like tundra even though the altitude was well below the 10,000 foot treeline. We were in the clouds sometimes at the higher altitudes. I'd say the highest altitude was only about 2,000 feet according to girl guide GPS but it could have been higher.
We stopped at a little fishing village called Whale Cove that was near the town of Margaree. We were looking for a place that had coffee but had no luck at all. Sitting on a bluff above Whale Cove is Whale Cove Cemetery which affords a beautiful view of the small town and the coast. We took some pictures including this grave marker that really got my attention. It seems to be relatively new and I wonder whether it is a replacement for something very old or if it is recent. Either way, I found the sentiment on the marker very telling...I hate to think that a women's status hasn't changed all that much,
somebody's wife, somebody's mother, nothing in her own right. Not even her first name.
We continued north and found a small grocery store in one of the fishing villages. We stopped because I had to go and Cal was still in search of coffee. The place was as cold as a meat locker! I don't know if they had the AC going or what was going on but it was 20 degrees colder in there than it was outside. Still no coffee.
We stopped several times and between Margaree and Cheticamp we saw a lookout that had a lot of people standing around. Of course this is an invitation to go see what everyone was looking at so we stopped and walked out on to some flat rounded rocks that overlooked a cove. We were told there were whales feeding close in to the shore. Whoopee! Whales. There seemed to be quite a bit of movement and I snapped pictures like mad! Problem is, those black things out there seemed to stay in the same place, never dove and never blew. To quote our illustrious president "Fool me once, shame on you...shame we twice...well you shouldn't fool people".
It was rocks. So now I have about 30 pictures of the same damn rocks!
We stopped at Cheticamp, that is situated at the entrance to the park. It was settled by Acadians and there is still a lot of French spoken by some of the older residents. This was a completely typical village. Fishing dominates although Cheticamp is also famous for the hooked rugs that are produced here. We stopped, took pictures and were off. We didn't stop again until we had rounded the park and arrived in Ingonish which is a pretty seaside area where there are restaurants, motels and touristy stuff. We finally got some coffee. We decided not to eat lunch and it seemed like both of us were much less drowsy in the afternoon. Up until today, lunch has been brutal and we would both have to switch driving because we would become so sleepy.
The road after we left Ingonish headed inland and it was very curvy until we got near Baddeck. It was an interesting drive.
As we approached Baddeck in late afternoon we checked our guides, found a B & B that sounded nice and was priced reasonably, called
and got a room, directions and found out that we could get internet. So far so good.
We arrived at Baddeck Heritage House B & B at about 4:00 and met the owners Posey & Josef McKinnon. They seemed really nice and we met the other couple that was staying there. The room was simple but clean and comfortable. This was one of the places where the bathroom was not ensuite but down the hall. Not a big deal, just don't go down the hall nekkid.
We were hungry after not having lunch so we left to find a place to eat. We ended up at the Telegraph Hotel and Restaurant. We had a good dinner and then drove around Baddeck. We found Baddeck wharf where the headland and lighthouse are visible as well as the Alexander Graham Bell statue that was dedicated June 30 of this year. It was a nice place to take some pictures although it was getting dark so my statue pictures are a little blurry.
We headed back to the B & B and sat in the lounge and talked to the owners. The other couple arrived and we all sat and
talked for a while. Josef, the owner is retired but does wood sculptures that are quite whimsical. I would have considered purchasing one but they are way too big to lug around and would not be checkable at the airport. I am hoping that he has something on the internet so that I might be able to order one online. The McKinnens live in Baddeck about 2/3s of the year and spend the winter months in their home in Sydney closing down this B & B. I don't suppose there is much of a tourist season when the winter comes as I'm told winters can be brutal.
The other couple was from Montreal, although they are not French. She was originally from Ontario and he from Great Britain. They are about our age and are trekking around by car and bicycle. Jeesh.
We went to bed late for us, about 10:00.
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