Tuesday, May 21, 2019
We left camp at Amherst, NS in the drizzle which soon turned to rain and then to rainy dense fog. The temp remained constant at about 42 degrees all morning.
Eventually we made our way to the Canso Causeway which connects Cape Breton Island to the mainland across the Strait of Canso. The rain and fog turned back into drizzle and the temp went down to 40. We made our way up the west side of Bras d’Ors Lake and spotted Big Spruce Brewery in the tiny hamlet of Nyanza.
We tasted some of their delicious beer and bought some cans to take with us. We had sandwiches in the truck and continued north and east finding our campsite alongside Big Bras d’Ors (the northerly inlet to the lake) at a little cottage/ campground/ puffin boat tour establishment. We were the only ones there. The original plan was to stay over night here and then get on the Newfoundland ferry on Wednesday. But early Tuesday morning Luci and Jim got text alerts from Marine-Atlantic Canada warning of bad weather and that the crossing might be cancelled. Even if it was running, bad weather was still not a good thing! We re-scheduled for Friday hoping for a calmer, sunny 100 mile crossing.
250 miles today
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
We awoke to cold wind and rain. Actually it poured and blew a gale all night. Our campground was fortunately sheltered from the wind. After a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, and Jim’s blueberry muffins we retraced the road we came up toward Baddeck (Bad-DECK). As we crested Kelly’s Mountain (240 meters) there were snowflakes mixed in with the rain. We stopped at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck. Bell was born in Scotland and became a US citizen, but his summer home and most permanent of his residences was in Nova Scotia. Bell, of course, is most famous for the telephone and a good portion of the museum is devoted to that. But he was also a tireless inventor, often taking existing technology and making it work better. The Gramaphone was Bell’s version of Edison’s phonograph.
A few years after the 1903 Wright Brothers success at Kitty Hawk, The Silver Dart, the first airplane to fly in Canada, was designed by Bell and flew off the ice of Bras d’Ors Lake in Baddeck. Later Bell worked on hydrofoils and produced a watercraft with speeds up to 80 mph in the 1920s. He also dabbled in agriculture, perhaps not his forte. The plan to breed sheep that had extra nipples and always bore twins did not work out so well!
As we left the museum the rain had stopped and we spotted a few glimpses of blue skies. We turned north up the Cabot Trail. The day got sunnier, if not slightly warmer, but the wind persisted. However, the Trail was much as we all remembered, including steep hills, sharp curves, and dramatic views of the shoreline.
We all wished we could continue on, but we turned back a little past Ingonish Beach. By the time we got back to the campsite, the sun was warming the camper nicely and most of the condensation had dried out.
179 touring miles today
Thursday, May 23, 2019
We awoke to brilliant sunshine!
Today we explored Louisbourg National Historic Site. The Park is is just getting started for the season. The famous red chairs are just being set out. Although some of the Louisbourg buildings were open, none of the artisans that portray 18th century life were there yet. But the buildings and the signage were fascinating. There were battles between the British and French, life in the early 1700’s, and dedicated French nuns teaching young girls of families in the fortress to learn about. As happened so often, the fortress fell into ruins after the battles and treaties. Bricks, stones, and boards were repurposed and after 200+ years only foundation lines remained. In the 1920s dedicated individuals found the original drawings and plans of the fortress in France, and through sheer determination convinced private donors and eventually the Canadian government to finance restoration with about $25 million. The buildings thus far represent approximately 20% of the original community. They are beautifully built with great attention to detail.
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Back on the road tomorrow! Newfoundland here we come! Oh, pronounced locally as New-found-LAND, not NEW-found-land. Eh!
Rory and Luci
Blog: https://roryandluci.wordpress.com/
Westward Ho! 