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Published: August 19th 2012
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We have spent a relatively brief amount of time in New Brunswick, but will return and see more on our way to Maine later in our trip. They claim to be the only truly bilingual province and their traffic signs are in both French and English. It has been a welcome change to have the bilingual signs.
While in New Brunswick we camped at Kouchibouguac National Park for 2 nights. While there we hiked a couple trails including the trail to the domed bog. We attended an interpretation activity at the wigwam and Marilyn, a member of the First Nation, did an excellent job of sharing information about the Mi’kmaq culture.
Now we’ve moved to Nova Scotia and we’ve settled into a campground in Baddeck on Cape Breton Island in northern Nova Scotia. This is our base camp and we have done day trips to see the sights.
One day we drove the Cabbot Trail. The weather is hot and hazy, so there is a heat haze on the vistas. We also hiked the Skyline Trail that day. The original plan was to hike just to the lookout point and skip the loop. Of course the best laid
The Highland Village
Scotland 1770-1830s: The Black House. The interpreter at this house transported you back in time and set the stage for the immigration to Nova Scotia. plans…well you know how that saying goes. The hike started out as planned but when we got to where the trail split we were told by some other hikers that there was a bull moose down the one trail. It was less than a 5 minute hike to see him. That was the trail we were not planning on taking, but temptation was too great, so we headed down that trail. Originally we thought we’d see the moose and then retrace our steps and take the path we had planned to take. The moose was magnificent and stayed for quite a while. He eventually turned away from us and at that point I moved over to where George was watching the moose. When we turned back, the moose was gone! We were both amazed how quietly such a large animal could disappear into the woods and brush.
So now we are supposed to retrace our steps. Of course while we are there we talk with some other hikers and they say they wish they had done this branch in both directions as it is much more scenic. We’ve already started this trail and we decide we might as well
keep going, so we did end up doing the entire loop.
Another day we visited The Highland Village. Their website is:
www.highlandvillage.ca where there is lots of information. We enjoyed touring the village with the houses and buildings spanning the time period from 1770’s through the 1920’s. The first house was from the 1770’s-1830’s and was to portray life in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland during that time period that set the stage for the emigration. The woman who portrayed the tenant in The Black House did an excellent job. She helped transport us back in time to days long ago when times were changing and faraway places held the promise of a better life. Through her character you could glimpse the hardships and worries, the superstitions and remedies, and her pride and determination. She was concerned that we have a piece of iron to help protect us from the mischief of “the little people.” Later at The Forge the smith made a nail for us. Now we had a piece of iron that would not only ward off the little people but all his iron had also been blessed.
We’ve had some adventures in driving around
Moose along Skyline Trail
He was very cooperative grazing for a period of time before meandering off into the brush. Everyone kept a respectful distance and we all talked very quietly while he grazed, this area. There are ferries that help save miles of driving. They cost $5.25 and run between shores as quickly as they have all the vehicles loaded. Due to the mountains and the lakes, getting from one point to another may be a longer drive than expected, so checking the maps carefully before setting out is crucial. It’s also important to pay attention, as sometimes the small towns slip by in the blink of an eye, and all of a sudden you’re farther down the road than you had planned.
We visited the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck. He had a house in this area and I think must have brought some added excitement to this area with his various experiments. We all know him for his invention of the phone, but at the museum I learned that he was involved in much more and had a passion for discovery.
Next we are heading to Newfoundland. We had planned to leave on the 10AM ferry, as that would work for everyone, including our dog Lizzie’s schedule of meals and pills. Unfortunately one of the ferries is out for some unscheduled repairs; therefore the entire ferry schedule has
Wigwam
A tepee is a plains area term...this is a wigwam in this area. been rearranged. That means we are leaving at 4:30pm. The crossing takes up to 6 hours and that does not include the time it takes to get all those vehicles off the ship. That will have us arriving late at night, so we plan to settle in somewhere relatively close to ferry. We have a nice list of places to boondock in that area and hope that there is space available.
Safe travels and bon voyage!
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24TheRoad
Lynne & George Thomas
Bald eagle
We also saw a bald eagle in a tree. Unfortunately it was not at a good location to stop and take a picture.