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Published: June 13th 2017
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Geo: 46.6921, -60.3673
Day 9 – Happy Trails
The Cabot Trail
We headed out from the hotel for a day-long adventure along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Lonely Planet declares it one of the prettiest drives in North America.
We headed north along the eastern seaboard. Our first stop was an overlook called Green Cove. Weather: sunny, warm, windy. It looked very much like coastal Maine.
We traveled north and northwest to the highest peaks on North Mountain (Highlands). Allison said if we were going to see moose, it would be there. Unfortunately, not there.
We then headed southwest to Lone Shieling, a replica of a Scottish hut, made of stone and thatch. Nearby, we took a short hike among the many sugar maples. Unfortunately, the colors haven't changed. And we experienced a high of 86° F today. Yikes! Tomorrow is October.
We then stopped at Cap Rouge, an iconic Canada view similar to California's Big Sur or the Amalfi Coast. Quite dramatic.
A park ranger was there with information about the many kinds of whales in the waters far below. She talked about their size, how they fish and how many millions of fish they swallow each day! She had a section of a whale's "baleen" on exhibit; when a whale opens its mouth underwater and takes in water, animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and remain as a food source for the whale.
We ventured down to Cheticamp, the farthest point for our day. We stopped at Les Trois Pignons, a museum of rug hooking. The featured artist was Elizabeth LeFort, professional hooker (you heard me!), who grew up in the area; her work was so fine and so intricate that it is displayed in the White House.
Lunch was nearby at Harbour Restaurant where Patrick and I tried Acadian Pie, a specialty of the French community. It was quite tasty – sort of like a dry-filling chicken pot pie with a foccaccia type crust.
Across the water from the restaurant, there were cows grazing near a beach. Cowabunga! When's the last time you've seen that?
We began our return trip (round trip was 140 miles) on the same path. We stopped at an overlook with signs showing all the different types of whales living in Pleasant Bay below.
During a lull along the way, where we were once again trying to spot moose, Allison had us do a team activity involving moose. It was most amusing.
Two
other stops: one overlooking a Montana-size valley filled with maple trees that should have been changing. She tells us that typically Maritimes' color lags behind New England's. NOW you tell me!
The other stop: Neils Harbour, a fishing community established by Newfoundlanders. At the time, cod were plentiful but the Russians overfished them so a moratorium went into place in 1991 and it's never been lifted. The harbor has a typically Canadian lighthouse of wood frame, with a red “hat”.
This evening was a great social gathering. We met in the Atlantic facility of the hotel, designed for private events. During cocktails, Deron Donovan, a local folk singer,entertained us with Nova Scotia folk songs and held a sing-a-long with music from Kingston Trio to Johnny Cash.
A buffet dinner of salmon, prime rib and other dishes was set up in another room. We dined with Dan and Peg Ryan, and Christine Tomczak and Dan Basore, all from northwest Chicago area. It was quite an enjoyable evening.
PS. I have added photos of hikers, naturalist and chef to yesterday's entry. Thanks to the contributors.
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