Day 14 - Whale Watching off of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ! Amazing !

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Yesterday was a long and exhausting day but we had so much fun and made so many unforgettable memories. When I woke up this morning in Scotia Pine Campground in Truro, Nova Scotia, I had to pinch myself and make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I’ve always wanted to see Nova Scotia and I truly never thought it would happen, but here I am and it is real. (smiling really big) It was freezing cold this morning as the thermometer read a mere 43 degrees but we had to get out of bed and get the ball rollin’. We made our way over to the “pay showers” and began our morning routine. (still can’t believe I have to pay to take a shower) By this time, we all pretty much had the schedule down pat. It may surprise you but everything really seems to run smoothly around here in the mornings. You would think with five adults it would be a disaster but everyone pitches in and we always seem to be on the road within an hour and a half of waking up. Heidi filled out some post cards and Lynn washed the dishes while Jason helped Tim outside. Soon we were leaving the campground and heading towards The Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. As we were driving down Highway 105 someone spotted a Tim Horton’s so we stopped by for some breakfast. After our delicious and healthy breakfast (Not !), Tim continued to drive as Heidi and I had a fingernail party at the dining room table and Jason and Lynn continued their moose patrol. We were all bound and determined to find a moose and if not a moose, then a bear ! No luck yet but we’re not giving up ! We eventually crossed into Cape Breton somewhere around 11:30 am and the temperature had only risen to 55 degrees. We were definitely going to need our jackets for what we had planned today. I was so excited; Lynn was taking the entire crew on a whale watching tour out of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ! Not only was I actually in Nova Scotia, I was going to go whale watching in Nova Scotia ! How cool is that ? Lynn is the bomb and with my birthday coming up soon, this was surely going to be the best birthday present ever. We were taking the sunset trip and didn’t have to be on the boat until 5:45 pm so we had some time to kill. We went on and found our campground for the night and got our spot reserved at the Terrain de Camping Cheticamp Campground in the Cape Breton Highland National Park. Now we would know where to go once our day was complete and we wouldn’t be searching into the night for somewhere to sleep. We freshened up a bit and then made our way towards The Love Boat I. We stopped by the grocery store in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton to pick up a few staples we needed and then we headed into town for a late lunch. We dined at Le Gabriel in downtown and it was delicious. We laughed and talked and just had a really relaxing time together. I was enjoying the company and the food as the waitress walked by headed for another table. I noticed a grapefruit flavored drink, in the bottle, on her tray so I asked her to bring me one. I was drinking water but I really needed something to wash the crab taste away so what better than grapefruit. She brought it to me with a glass of ice and I poured away and then I began to drink away. Just as I was chugging this delicious grapefruit drink, Lynn looked over at me and says “Did you read the entire bottle before you ordered that drink or did you just see the word grapefruit?”. Well, I had just seen the word grapefruit and I like grapefruit so I ordered it but come to find out it was a grapefruit flavored vodka drink ! Lynn read the bottle to me and in big bold letters it said “VODKA”. Oh well, it couldn’t have had that much in it because I drank it down and never even tasted it ! I guess I’ll have to look a little closer next time, LOL ! We finished up and went back to the motor home to gather our things and put on some warm clothing. I was getting sooooo excited and was trying to imagine in my head what it was going to be like. It was almost time to be on the boat so we drove on over to the pier and hopped on the Love Boat I. The Captain gave us his little speech and we were soon headed out to sea. We followed the peninsula all the way to the end and then made our way into the ocean. I was watching and pacing and hoping and praying, all I wanted was to see one little whale jump high up out of the water and make a huge splash. About twenty minutes passed by and still nothing. The Captain’s assistant and our new friend, Tina, kept telling me to be patient and it would happen. She was really sweet and helpful and I think she kinda took a likin’ to us, it was probably the accent ! Lynn and Jason made their way to the front of the boat and talked to the Captain as he was driving and searching. These two are so inquisitive and they weren’t going to just sit around and wait they wanted to know exactly what was going on and how and everything. They were up front looking while Tim, Heidi and I were in the middle looking but there were still no whales in sight. We were all walking around and changing spots and somehow I ended up in the front beside the Captain. I had the binoculars and he was telling me what to look for and I was squinting and stuff and all of a sudden there it was, a fountain of water burst up into the air like Old Faithful !! I was in such shock I really don’t remember but they tell me that I turned around and came running out of the door, jumping up and down and screaming like a mad woman, “It’s a whale, it’s a whale !”. That really doesn’t sound like something I would do but if they say so then I guess I believe them. (wink, wink) I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about anything! As we got closer, there wasn’t just one whale, the Captain said there were about a dozen of them. They began to swim around us, moving through the water, jumping in and out of the water and it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. I was hootin’ and hollarin’ and being all crazy, I just couldn’t believe it ! I did eventually calm down a little bit and relaxed and really got to enjoy the beauty of what was going on. Although, it was tough to contain myself when the one whale came right up to the boat and followed us for a few seconds and then made his way under the boat and to the other side. He was so close Tim reached out and could almost touch him. This went on for several minutes and then we were on to search for more. We came upon another group of whales and they were just as amazing as the first. The sun began to set and it was time to start heading back so the Captain turned us around and headed for the shore. As we were on our way back, I turned to everyone and said “I’m about to go drive this mug !” meaning that I was going to go politely ask the Captain if he would let me take over the wheel for a bit. I asked in my sweet voice and he said yes ! The next thing I know I’m sitting in the Captain’s chair driving a boat full of people across the Atlantic Ocean. Does life really get any better than this ? I don’t think so ! Some of the kids on board saw me driving and they wanted to drive too, so Heidi came up front and took over the helm from me. Yes, she’s still a kid, at least a kid at heart. She continued to drive for a while until we began approaching the tip of the peninsula. She even learned how to work all the little monitors and the control panel stuff and everything. She was really getting into it, as a matter of fact, she was so into it she turned to Jason and told him that she now wanted a boat of her own ! I’m not really sure where they would park a huge boat in Grant Park but hey, who am I to rain on her parade ? The Captain eventually took control of the boat and drove us over towards land where we were able to see two bald eagles, in their nest, perched on the side of the cliff. That was an extra little surprise and we really enjoyed seeing the eagles in their natural habitat. The sun was setting on our way back to the pier and it was just so serene to watch it glimmer across the water. I remember looking out across the ocean and thinking to myself how I wish our parents were here to see this. WOW, what an incredible day, I just didn’t want it to end but it had to and we were soon back on land and back to reality. We said our goodbye’s to the Captain and Tina, exchanged Facebook information and then made our way to the motor home. Thank goodness we already had somewhere to stay for the night so all we had to do was drive there. Terrain de Camping Cheticamp Campground, here we come ! We made it to camp safely and began preparing for bedtime. Thank you Lynn for such an incredible experience that we will all cherish forever. We plan on spending the day tomorrow finishing up The Cabot Trail and then making our way over towards Halifax for what will be another exciting day I’m sure. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Summer and all is well. Take Care !

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