Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island

We agreed to meet our neighbors for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. They knocked on our door at 7:00 and said that they were ready. No problem. We just hurriedly got ready. We had a nice breakfast in Picou, NS and discussed similarities in our lives, Nova Scotia must sees and general life philosophy. We returned to purchase some lobster, and found the store open when we arrived a little earlier than it was supposed to open. Great, we could buy our lobster and get on our way. Then we drove to Cape Breton Island. We saw cashmere goats (we used to raise them) and lavender farms much like home. The tall hills and pine forests along coastal ways also reminded me of Whidbey Island. There were many charming towns such as Gosling Glen and Duckling Dell which were near each other. I was also fascinated to see that most place names were marked with bi-lingual signs; not French, but in English and Gaelic. Names that take one or two words in English seem to take four or five in Gaelic.

We camped outside of Baddeck, NS and I went into town, about 4:00 p.m. to see if I could get a haircut. I went into one shop and the woman sitting there said that the beautician had gone home. I thought she left a little early, and asked if there was another place in town she could recommend. She gave me a look that said “I can’t believe you are asking this”, and said, “not at this hour”. I went back to the campground and asked about the time only to learn that we had missed a time change when we entered New Brunswick. No wonder our neighbors showed up so early in the morning and the lobster shop was open. We had functioned for three days on the wrong time!

Disintegrating roads here too!

Bras D'Or Lake

                                                             Common sight!

                                                      Wind blown old farts!

The next day we drove around Cape Breton Island, a trip of about 180 miles. We saw beautiful beaches and took a long walk on Ingonish Beach. We went over a pass by White Hill that at 1745 feet is the highest point in Nova Scotia. We stopped at galleries, view points and one ice cream store that DID have milk shakes. It was a wonderful day.



I went to an AA meeting that was very interesting. Prior to the meeting I asked a gentleman what people did in the area to earn a living. He said that most of the people there worked in the coal mines. Checking on-line after the meeting, I learned that Cape Breton Island has two underground coal mines. I don’t know where they are; we didn’t see any sign of them. The same gentleman had to cough after every two words. I suspect he has lung problems from coal dust. So sad! The accents at the meeting had so much brogue that I only understood about half of what was said, and much of what I did understand included an “eh” at the end. I loved the meeting. Attending meetings is such an opportunity to really see what the local culture is like.

I hated to leave the Island. In some ways it is so much like home with lavender and fish and beaches, but it also has more snow, which I miss on Whidbey Island and the people are very colorful. I could easily live there if the Canadian government allowed me to and my family agreed to move with me. I must visit again!

Crossing New Brunswick and entering Nova Scotia

We entered New Brunswick on a gray day in the middle of the province.  We drove around Fredericton rather than through it and took the freeway to Moncton where we planned on staying at a casino.  We arrived to signs all over the parking lot that read "no overnight camping".  We went inside and asked why and were told that "the neighbors complained."  We looked around and the only "neighbors" was the hotel next door owned by the same tribal group as the casino.  We decided to take our usual $5.00 each to see what we could do.  We walked out forty minutes later carrying $180.  Not bad for the penny slots.  The staff told us about two nearby campgounds.  We couldn't find one and don't believe that it really exists, and the other was closed.  We decided to drive on. and landed in a campgound just across the border of Nova Scotia. What a long day!

We noticed that when in New Brunswick, if you want to paint your house, you go to the store and buy "house paint".  You don't need to specify the color because all of the houses are white.  Old houses, young houses, small houses, big houses, they all are white!  While the freeway did not have the soundproofing walls that destroy the idea of scenery, the freeway was bordered by a 20 foot deep band of forest, so that anything else was hard to see.  We did stop at a couple of small towns.  I surprised at how much french influence there is.  When I asked one gallery owner if the locals say "eh", she said no, that only the people in Ontario say "eh".  I beg to differ, it is very common in British Columbia and Alberta as well.

We didn't see the ocean until we crossed into Nova Scotia.  And initially the ocean water was very brown.  I didn't know whether it was because we were on the edge of Hurricane Igor, or if it was the normal color.  After a few days, I learned that it was from the red dirt that rivers flowing into the ocean pass through. The first night we stopped in a very empty campground.  It was late and we just cooked some dinner and went to bed.  The next morning, we followed the north coast of Nova Scotia.  We stopped in Pugwash to stretch our legs.  It is a quaint little town with a wonderful art gallery, and we didn't see one dirty pug.  I guess they had all been washed.  

 We camped at Caribou Provincial Park near Picou, Novia Scotia.  The wind  from Hurricane Igor was really blowing by the time we arrived at camp and continued until late in the evening when it suddenly stopped. Who knew that we would be affected by a huruicane so far north in Canada!  The camp was on a bluff looking out over the ocean and the park was charming.   Bernie and I went for a long walk on the beach.I was taking pictures and got down on my knees to photograph the beach.  I looked in the viewfinder expecting to see sand and sea weed, but instead, there was Bernie, looking very serious.  The birds were playing in the wind and we walked and walked. The gulls here are a brown color rather than white and gray like the ones at home. At one place I saw many oysters sitting on the beach and began excitedly collecting some for dinner.  Then I saw the sign that said shellfish on this beach were not safe for human consumption.  It made me want to not be human.  Darn! 

Sheltered plants.

Same kind of plants in the wind.

view from camp

We went to a local fishing warf to buy some lobster, and found that they would not be open until the next day.  We were so disappointed that we went into Picou and had great fish and chips at a local restaurant.Of course we returned the next day and got two live lobsters.  (When I cooked them, they did not immediately stop moving in the boiling water like crabs usually do.  I am sorry lobsters!)

Every post has a bird!

We pulled out the camp chairs, sat by the fire and watched the moon rise over the ocean.  We talked with our neighbors some.  They are from Halifax but come to this park frequently.  He is retired from Canada Air so he and Mike had much to talk about.  We agreed to go to breakfast the next morning and they said that they would stop by our camp at 8 a.m.