Blogs from Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

Chéticamp, Nova Scotia, 5 juillet La célébrissime Cabot Trail se déguste, on s'y attarde, on s'ébaubit et on en redemande! Ces trois cents kilomètres d'une des routes les plus photographiées au monde offrent des paysages magnifiques... Je retrouvai le coin avec bonheur, y étant passé en vitesse il y a sept ans avant de m'embarquer vers Terre-Neuve (sans parler de la visite en famille au milieu des années 1970...). Ingonish (la plage de galets ronds et la Keltic Lodge), White Point (la vue sur la baie d'Aspy, oula!), Cabot's landing (ici, il y a controverse car on prétend aussi à Bonavista, Terre-Neuve, que c'est l'endroit où Giovanni Caboto a découvert le Nord de l'Amérique en 1497) et surtout Meat Cove, ce bout de route et bout du monde où j'ai campé sur la pointe (de là, ... read more

What an awesome time at Cape Breton! What a breath taking drive. I took so many photos that I will have to add a separate blog post on the pictures on the trails through the Cabot Trail. The next chapter with the trail photos will be uploaded shortly. They are a must see as well as these ones. Hopefully you will experience some breath taking views in both chapters. Again words have escape me and pictures will have to tell the novel. Interesting that we noticed that each province so far have different moose and deer crossing signs. One of the most beautiful drives in my life.....if nothing else the journey just to this trail was more than worth it! We have been having the time of our lives!... read more

Day 2 of my trip around the Cabot Trail starting from Pleasant Bay. Hiked the Skyline Trail; one of the more popular trails in the park. A 9.2 km looped trail taking around 3 hours. It culminates in a boardwalk of 265 steps ( I counted), which takes you down to numerous observation points overlooking the rugged coast. You can also catch a glimpse of the winding Cabot Trail as it snakes its way up and down. This was followed by a short hike along MacIntosh Brook trail - a 30 minute return trip with a small waterfall at the end. Off to Beaulach Ban Falls, the highest waterfall in the park. Luckily it can be viewed as a roadside waterfall being at the end of a short gravel road. It was flowing feebly this day ... read more

September 14, 2013 Ceilidh Trail Said goodbye to Halifax and Dartmouth at 8:15 AM, nice cities but we're ready for some countryside. We crossed the Canso Causeway onto Cape Breton Island, one of the "must do's" of this trip. The island's roads are divided into themed "trails" by the tourism bureau. We started out on the Ceilidh Trail up the west side of the island. The focus of this trail is Celtic heritage and music and you hear it everywhere you go...in stores, in pubs and restaurants, and even from car stereos. We decided to stop by the Red Shoe Pub for lunch in Mabou which is owned by the famous (not to us, though) Rankin sisters, an experience we highly recommend. At noon it was as lively as can be with loud conversations and Celtic ... read more

I left Gros Morne for JT Cheeseman Provincial Park. It's right by Port Aux Basques and the ferry. By crazy coincidence, I met Jacob and his dad on the highway so I got an early hug in. Sometimes, I believe that I am just going to cruise through a place, do chores and nothing will register. The campsite was really great, big sites, hardly any people. My site was on a loop where no one else was camping and a stream bordered one side with a huge brook and water fall bordering the other side of my site. I slept well to the sound of running water, even though there was also torrential down pour over night. By morning, the winds had picked up; the rains had not stopped and the ferry was cancelled. I was ... read more