The Cabot Trail Sept 24, 2012

Woke up to NO RAIN.  Partly cloudy am and sunny/partly sunny pm.  Perfect.  Ronnie was feeling much better today, so we took off about 9:30 to do the Cabot Trail.  We started up the East coast of Cape Breton and down the West coast (along the Bay of St. Lawrence).  There's the Acadian influence up here also (especially along the West coast).  Lots of French names and most everything is written in English and French.  Not as much Scottish/Celtic here on the upper West side. 

We stopped right away at the Gaelic College at St. Ann's NS.   They had a great craft shop with most everything made at the college and some beautiful handknitted sweaters.  I tried on some, but they just didn't look right on me.  There was one....a wrap/scarffy thingy...that I sorta wish I'd bought.  Tried it on and put it back.  Ummm...regrets?

Continued on up the coast stopping here and there for sights.  The little fishing villages are just beautiful. We were a little disappointed at the opportunities available to view this beautiful rocky coastline.  The trees had grown up so high, you couldn't see anything.  The views were more available on the western side.

There was one magnificant place to stop and walk out on the walkway and see a view from a postcard.  The waves, rocks and water were all just gorgeous. 

We stopped at Neil's Harbour for lunch at the Chowder House.

 A lighthouse/harbour/view/lunch all at one place.
 The waves were crashing on the rocks...




Neil's Harbour NS

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Moose #1

Moose #2

 



The road then turned inland across the top of the island.  Just climbing corkscrew curves, forests and, believe it or not....moose.  We saw two.  One was up in the forest and the other was right beside the road. 

It was a day to just drive (like we've not done that before!)  and look.    We got back to the RV around 6:45.  Ronnie is still feeling better so tomorrow we leave Nova Scotia.  It's a beautiful place, full of nice people.

 If we ever come back, we'll fly.

Here are other sights from the route today.

Giant Sea Turtle   lol
 

The Ceilidh Trail Sept 23

Today began with ….yep…more rain.  It appeared to be on schedule to rain all day, so we continued on with our plans. 

 

We had breakfast, showered, dressed and decided we had to have the A/C on…as loud as it is, it needed to be running.  One hundred percent  humidity and 72 degrees….oh…muggy. 

 

Prince Edward Island in distance

Anyway, we dashed to the truck and took off on the Ceilidh Trail. 

 

 

 All in all, it was not a very exciting loop.  The road came into the Atlantic on occasion, but more often, the road was inland.  We did get a view of Prince Edward Island off in the distance, drove through numerous small villages….not much going on at all.  Although, everything is beautiful here.

 



Cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Shoe Pub

 

We took this picture of Mabou welcome sign.  The Rankin Family is a renown family of musicians/singers and they are from Mabou. At Mabou, we took a picture of the famous Red Shoe Pub. The ceilidh didn’t start until 4 p.m. today and it was around 1:30 (by the way, the rain had stopped by then).   As I have Rankin cousins from Benton, Louisiana, plans were to talk to the Rankin sisters as we visited the Red Shoe Pub (they are the owners).  However, that was not to be.  Our timing was not right.  So we may never know if Fred got all his talent from his long lost kin in NS.

 

We continued on down the road to the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique.  There was a ceilidh scheduled there for 3 p.m.  So we decided to kill a little time and then go back to the ceilidh there.  We returned about 2:30 and the place was almost full.  We got a table near the front and watched as more and more people came in. 

 

This is where you really notice the difference between the two sides of Nova Scotia.  On the western shores, French is prevelant, Cajun music or Acadian music is the norm.  Here on the eastern side, it’s Celtic and the Scottish roots are definitely here.  Everyone is named Mac-something….MacDonald, McIntyre, McNamara.  And the accent is different.

 

Two gentlemen came in and asked if they could sit with us at our table.  We said, sure, and met them….Gary and Raymond McNamara with the lilt in the accent.  We visited a bit and then the show began.  Howie McDonald (of course) was entertaining today on the fiddle with the Celtic tunes.  Gary began to explain what they do at this ceilidh.  They do square dance sets.  Not our dosey-do kind, but the Scottish kind. 

 

We watched the locals do their version of a square dance.  Lots of it was the same as ours….no caller, though.  They just move through the turns from memory (and sometimes it gets messed up..lol)  The footwork, now, is something else.  More of the Scottish/Irish jig.  Loved watching them, but the dance floor was much too small.  He said it’s really to be done with only two couples, but many more were out there and it was really crowded. 

 

Howie McDonald played a few more songs and then they were ready to do another square dance set.  Gary asked me to dance it with him.  Now, actually, I was his partner, but some of my one on one dancing was done to the “corner” and he introduced me to my corner.  So…off we go.  It was a lot of fun.  I tried to adapt my footwork  to theirs and it wasn’t too hard.  The beat was almost the same….just a bit slower. I sure can't do it like they can. Gary told me what to do, which way to turn and who to follow and I only messed up and turned the wrong way once.   Fun.  But very, very hot.   No A/C was on and it was hot and muggy.     I really enjoyed dancing with the locals....  But I much prefer Cajun music and dancing….

 

By the time we left, it was standing room only and the floor was filled with people.  I have videos but can't get them loaded...sorry.

 

We came back to the RV around 6.  Ronnie is still not feeling good, so we’ll watch a movie or something tonight.  I hope he doesn’t get any worse or I’ll have to find a hospital, clinic or something.  And Medicare doesn’t work here in Canada….oooops. 

 

Tomorrow our plans are to spend the day on the CabotTrail.  It’s supposed to be spectacular.  

Baddeck, Cape Breton Island, NS

Wet day.  very wet day.  It misted all night, rained hard around 6:30 ish this morning and rained on us all the way from Truro to Baddeck here on Cape Breton Island.  It stopped just long enough for us to get registered, parked, everything connected and then it started again. 

Ronnie is not feeling well, so he went to take a nap....it's good sleeping weather for sure!!  It's about 3:30 p.m. and we're not sure what we'll do this afternoon.  Still raining.

Cape Breton Island has about 5 "loops" around it to see various sections of the island.  We have to pick and choose which to see.  We chose the "Ceilidh Route" on the northwestern shores to enjoy the local ceilidh's going on in the area (pronounced Kay-lees; these are gatherings at various places with the locals playing their wonderful music -- mostly, on this end of the island, a Celtic/Scottish/Irish type of music)  and then, the Cabot Trail, along the eastern shoreline which is in the mountains and has the rugged, rocky coastline.  It's noted for it's scenic views and wildlife.

An interesting note:  These Ceilidhs are also called "kitchen parties"; on the other side of the island in the Acadian area, these kitchen parties are called Musique de la Baie (which we attended at the Around the Bend Restaurant)   Same things/different names/different types of music.  All good.

Plans were to do the Ceilidh Route this afternoon with a stopover at the Red Shoe Pub (famous for its food and music); however, the music doesn't start until 10 p.m. tonight (!) and with R not feeling well, I think we'll make a change.  We might just stay in tonight, get something local to eat and start fresh tomorrow and do the Ceilidh route.  I've found other ceilidh's on the way for tomorrow afternoon.  There's also one every night here in Baddeck at a local church, so I've been told. 

We're saving the Cabot Route for Monday when the weather is supposed to be better, ie, no more rain!  Hopefully, the sun will be out and we can view the views....  We only have two more days here.

It's a nice campground.  large, easy in, easy out sites with a bit of privacy on one side with trees.

It's a dark, gloomy day here.  100% humidity....just ask my hair.  High 60's, low 70's.  Not what I was expecting.  Fall has yet to arrive here for sure.  However, on the way to this end of the island, we are beginning to see a little color in the trees.  Nova Scotia is a very wooded province.  Long stretches of highway (great road) with few towns (no rest areas.lol)  A beautiful place.


Dish Network's "footprint" doesn't come this far east/south, so we've not been able to get satellite; cable is so, so bad.  I feel for these people with their choices of TV stations.  We will be glad to get back to the good ole USA to watch television.  We've got lots of movies taped so that has been a help. 

Tidal Bore at Truro, NS

Ok...just a little side note.  We had heard about the "tidal bore" that is so phenomenal around here...again....lots of "you must see this" and "don't miss it" and "you're only 15 minutes away" but , again, no directions on where it is and how to get to it.  So....since it occurs where rivers meet the ocean/bay, we went off looking for the Shubenacadie  River...a local river.

 

 

Found it just at 4:50 (tide time).   Here's an explanation of exactly what they are...By the way, we're back up near the Bay of Fundy again in the Minas Basin area.  I took a video of the river going backwards, but just can't get it uploaded.  So, check this link to see what it looks like....  Tidal Bore


The highest tides on Earth occur in the Minas Basin, the eastern extremity of the Bay of Fundy, where the average tide range is 12 metres and can reach 16 metres when the various factors affecting the tides are in phase (although the highest tides occur typically a day or two after the astronomical influences reach their peak).

Tidal Bores:

A tidal bore is a rare natural phenomenon occurring on several rivers emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The surge of the incoming Fundy tide temporarily reverses the flow of these rivers and appears as a crest of water traveling upriver. On the Shubenacadie River, the tidal bore and rapidly rising tide results in extremely turbulent waters. It is here where experienced guides offer a safe but exhilarating river rafting adventure and an opportunity to experience the power of the Fundy Tides first hand.

 

We chose to just go and sit on a bench and watch it for a bit.  I wish we'd been earlier; we've seen a video of it just as the tide is coming in....really something to see.  The tide had been coming in (fast) for a few minutes when we got there.  I guess the times they give are the actual HIGH tide times and the best viewing is a while before it actually gets to the high tide. 

On to Cape Breton tomorrow.  And the entire weekend has rain forecasted.  Oh well...rain I don't mind so much, but hope it's not foggy...want to see some of that beautiful scenery we've heard so much about.

The Evangeline Trail

We began today (Thursday) in amazement.  With all the rain yesterday and last night, here was a beautiful cloudless blue sky…temps in the high 50’s…Wonderful.  We left the RV and Yarmouth and headed up Highway 1, The Evangeline Trail, to explore the history of the Acadians.  It’s a sad tale.

 

The Acadians settled here from France in the early 1600’s.  There was battle after battle between them and the English.  Finally in 1755, the Acadians were forced to either leave Nova Scotia or pledge allegiance to the crown.  Many left and were scattered to places all over Canada and the USA—some returned to France.  But many hid and managed to escape the deportation.  They suffered much hardship, but over the many years, some have returned and have regained a status in life here in Nova Scotia.  (this is my short, uneducated summation of long years of hardship for the Acadians)

 

Our first stop was to see the Cape St. Marie Lighthouse.  There is a narrow strip of land called Digby Neck that runs parallel to this area of Nova Scotia.  Between the mainland and Digby Neck is a narrow strait of water called Baie Sainte Marie or St. Mary’s Bay.  This area is where the Acadians came back to settle after they had been deported from NS in the 1700s.

 

We continued up the road through small settlements such as Meteghan, Sauinierville, Comeauville.  There were many, many beautiful churches along the route.  And it was all French.  Ronnie stopped at a “convenience” store to get us a coke and snack.  They all spoke French.  But he managed to get the coke.

 

These people take this for granted, I’m sure, but the  views they have are just gorgeous.  The houses are simple for the most part.  We’ve only seen a handful of brick homes; most are shake, shingled, wood or vinyl.  No 7-gabled roof, just a square boxy home, sort of a Cape Cod type, I think.  Ocassionally, you’ll see a Victorian with the curly-q trim.  Most are kept up nicely…some are a little run down, but I’m sure the salt water and wind are rough on exteriors.  We passed a house with a view of the Atlantic Ocean at their back door and they were sitting in lawn chairs on the road side of the house watching cars go by!!  The winters are cold and windy with not much snow, we were told.

 

We continued on to Church Point and stopped to visit the Sainte-Marie Church or the Elise Sainte-Marie.  It is North America’s largest and tallest wooden church. The spire rises 185 feet from the floor to the steeple.   Leo Melancon was hired in 1903 to build the church. 

It was magnificant. 

 

Sainte Anne Marie

Also in Church Point, we went to the Universite Sainte-Anne, the only French University in Canada.  On the campus was an extraordinary walk-through narrative on the history of the Acadians.  This was the Rendez-vous de la Baie.  Learned a lot…very interesting.

 

 

We continued down the road to Pointe-a-Major, the site where Pierre “Piau” Belliveau landed along with 100 other refuees in 1755 hiding out from the English during the deportation period.  It was a hard winter and many died.  There is a cemetery there with a small worship building  …some of the dates on the crosses dated back to the 1600’s. 

 

The next stop was at Saint-Bernard’s….a fabulous stone church which took 32 years to build….the granite had to be brought by oxen to the site and each piece was hand cut….one layer a year was laid until it was finished in 1942.  Amazingly beautiful church.  We went inside for a bit..there was soft music playing…very reverent…Saint Bernard’s and Saint Anne’s Churches were about the only Catholic Churches we saw and they were both absolutely beautiful inside.  High, high ceilings with much intricate designs.  Both were built in the shape of a cross. 

Saw this sign along the highway and felt like we were back home at Windy Ridge Farm...

 

 

 

 

Unisson at Around the Bend

Coming back down the highway tonight, we stopped at the Around the Bend Restaurant in Meteghan.  Throughout the summer/fall months they have Musique de la Baie (Music by the Sea) where local musicians will play at various restaurants around the area.  We chose this one because it was on our route home.  Wow.  Were we lucky.  The 3-piece band consisted of two guys and a girl…playing guitar and fiddle (she’d put the fiddle down and play the spoons or triangle on occasion).  They were excellent!!  So much talent, you couldn’t tell it wasn’t a full Cajun band.  We visited with Sebastion (the apparent leader) at break and talked about things Cajun….they played last year at the Festival Internationalle in Louisiana.  He had noticed Ronnie’s shirt (had an Arkansas badge on it) and they played Arkansas Traveler.  We requested one Cajun song and they immediately played it.  There was no dance floor, but we went to a little corner of the entry and found a little bit of room to dance.  Later, he went into one of his “orange-blossum special”-type songs and I spied our waitress in the kitchen clogging….had to go join her and had a ball.  The band couldn’t see us and one by one they leaned forward to see what everyone was looking at.  Don’t know what came over me.  But we played with the locals tonight and passed a good tyme.  Visited with a few of the folks in the restaurant and discovered several had been to Louisiana to visit friends several times.  I think there is great music and talent here, but it appears that no one dances....they just sit and listen.  Sorry, folks, my feets won't be still when I hear that kind of music.

View from the lighthouse.....
 

 

Tomorrow we leave for an overnight in Truro then on to Cape Breton.

Friday:  Just now getting this posted....boring, dark, dreary, misty (but not cold) day to get here at Scotia Pines RV...fairly decent park....lots of pines (not Arkansas pines).  We're getting some exercise, cleaning the RV and may go see if we can find the famous Tidal Bore when the tides come in later.

 

 

 

Yarmouth NS

Ewww...what a dreary day.  Rained all day off and on while we drove down.  A non-eventful drive.  Touched the coastline a few times, but mostly the TransCanada road ....pretty dull.  We did spy a beautiful lighthouse along the way.

Got to Camper's Haven (?) CG about 12:30 p.m. and the bottom fell out of the skies just as we got inside.  But had to get out and see what we could see.  Drove down to see a lighthouse and drove through a little fishing village.  Raining all the time.





 Dashed into WM for a few items, but discovered they had NO produce at all.  It was a really dinky little store.  We found a SuperStore and they had it all...will be using them from now on.   It's just rained all day so we came back to RV.  It's foggy, so we can't see anything.  We did make a stop downtown at the Visitor's Info Center and got a plan for tomorrow...supposed to be sunny.

There appears to be LOTS to do around here....lots of brochures, booklets, etc., but we can't seem to find it.  We are taking the shore road tomorrow up towards Church Point (hind sight:  should have stayed there at the CG--we'll be backtracking a lot) and visit some Acadian culture sites.  That's the  history I want to see.  Tomorrow night, we'll stop at the Around the Bend restaurant for some local food and hear the local musicians as they play.  They do this at restaurants here and there around the area....it's just finding them, the schedules, and driving to them....It's not exactly what I imagined.

We had pork roast (cooked in crock pot last night); fresh field tomatoes from the farmer's market; broccoli/carrot/celery for dinner.  There is no tv at all tonight, so we're catching up on the PC (we do have wifi) and watching a movie.

Aylesford, Nova Scotia, CA

We made it…..we’re in Nova Scotia.  We left Moncton NB around 9:30 this morning.  Easy on, easy off and in about 30 minutes we entered NS.  We are doing counter-clock wise tour of the island.  We went through much farm land, corn and apple orchards loaded with apples.  Farmers were out in their fields.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was still in the USA….McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s…..At each exit for a town along the TransCanada highway (wonderful road!), they have huge signs…more like murals..depicting what the towns are noted for or famous for.  Oops..ended with a preposition.  Very colorful.  This part of NS is very rural.

 

We had one little hiccup.  As we stopped for diesel (which we’ve bought already in Canada and all along the way), our credit card was denied.  So, we had to park (thank goodness, we were at a truck stop and there was plenty of room) and call Chase ($$).  Yes, they were just protecting our account…not sure if it was us using the card.  Ughhhhhh.  They immediately reactivated it and we were on our way.  We just should have called before we left and told them. 

 

We got to the RV (???) park around 2:15.  These so called Rv parks up here are 97% permanent Rv’s and small mobile homes.  They call them “seasonal”….nope, they are here all year.  But it looks safe enough.

 

We drove down to the Bay of Fundy (same one we saw yesterday, but from the other side).  Oh my goodness, it’s beautiful here.  Homes are build right ON the coast.  Can’t imagine that cold wind off the Bay in the harsh winters. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw this French Cross marker in Morden, NS. which begins the tale of the Acadian culture here.  We learn more about that tomorrow in the Yarmouth area.

 

Bay of Fundy Coast

Baptist Church/Margaretsville NS

Then drove down to Margaretsville for a view of the lighthouse.  Thoroughly enjoyed the Fundy Bay Coastal area.  Saw lots of churches, and , interestingly, most were Baptist.  It’s an entirely different way of life here.  On our way back to the RV, we stopped at a farmer’s market and bought our favorite apple from their orchard, the Honey Crisp; some tomatoes for BLT’s tonight. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, Walmart is in the route—out of fruit and other stuff.  (Actually, had to eat it all up before we crossed the border).