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Published: June 13th 2017
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Geo: 46.6921, -60.3673
Day 7 – Trail Mix
PEI to Cape Breton, Cabot Trail
Today was pretty much a travel day. It takes a LONG time to get from Charlottetown, PEI to Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton, NS.
We began with a bus ride through beautiful PEI countryside. Because it was mostly travel with only (!!) pretty scenery to entertain us, Allison put on the video of "Anne of Green Gables" which most of us had never seen. It was actually quite good; even entertained the men, despite the fact that the intended audience is children. It stars Colleen Dewhurst, Canadian-American actress, among others.
The scenes from the movie look like they were shot on Prince Edward Island … place after place from yesterday looked familiar. But for budgetary reasons, it turns out that very little was shot in Prince Edward Island; most of the film was shot near Toronto.
We took the Northumberland Ferry “Holiday Island” from Wood Islands, PEI to Pictou, NS. We traveled east and north along the Trans Canada Highway. We stopped at The Cove Motel in Frankville, NS for a sort of pub lunch along the water. Some liked their food; others did not.
We had hoped by now that this travel day might have fall foliage as a highlight, but no such luck. Sure … a branch here, a branch there, but no real color to speak of. It was actually 80°F, which was record breaking. The color might still be two weeks away, after Tauck stops running this trip.
We continued our journey north, across the Strait of Canso, onto the island of Cape Breton (still part of Nova Scotia). We drove along the Bras d'Or Lakes Scenic Drive, stopping in Bedeck to refuel. From Bedeck, we followed the Cabot Trail along some mighty impressive roads overlooking some mighty gorgeous waters. Finally, the red-roofed gables of the Keltic Lodge could be seen off in the distance. Fooled us, it was still more than a half-hour away, on another peninsula, at Ingonish Beach.
A note about John Cabot: In 1497 the first Europeans, led by explorer John Cabot, arrived in Canada. Cabot's discovery (some say Newfoundland, and others Cape Breton) led to eventual settlement by Europeans, mainly Scots, Irish, French and English. Many of these folks settled along what is now known as the Cabot Trail.
The hotel is quite pretty, although not exactly up to date. The baths were renovated a couple of decades
ago and there is Wi-Fi. But there are no refrigerators, which we usually have with Tauck; and our inn is a 10-minute walk from the main lodge and restaurant. There's a shuttle, mind you, but you can't just run to the lobby for something. Like when our room key didn't work and we needed another; we waited almost 15 minutes for one to be delivered. Also, the TV is on the same wall as the bed, which is sort of odd in my opinion. You either have to sit up straight at the table or get a crick in your neck!
These are luxury problems, however. The property is beautiful. But remote.
Between arrival and dinner, we had drinks out on the back lawn, sitting in Adirondack chairs, with fellow travelers, watching the sun go down. It turns out there's another Tauck group in the hotel as well.
Dinner was at the Purple Thistle in the main lodge, with lovely windows overlooking the water. We dined with Gail and Dick Ungerer, and Mary and Sam Woodrow. All seemed to enjoy their dinner. Especially the desserts. Don't pass them up.
This was probably the least appealing day of the tour. Basically, it was a
day filled with getting from one place to another … a logistical issue of covering a lot of territory.
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