Tourist fatigue......

 Yesterday didn't start out all that promising.......

But later, the skies cleared a bit and we set out for Halifax, taking the more scenic route.  On the above map, we are at Glen Margaret, just southwest of Halifax on St Margaret's Bay.   We headed down the bay to an area near Peggy's Cove.  

Most of the coast looks like this.....

A mile or so before Peggy's Cove, we came to the memorial for SwissAir 111 which went down 5 miles off the coast  9/2/98.

This area has seen more than it's share of tragedy with the loss of many ships , the Titanic and a huge munitions ship explosion in 1917 that destroyed much of Halifax.

We opted to visit the harbor in Halifax and skipped all of the war sites and historic buildings and grave yards and haunted sites and assorted breweries and tours.     The harbor is nicely done and makes for a good walking trail.   The Disney Cruise ship was in port.     Across the bay was this lighthouse, one of so many we've seen along the way but always worthy of a photo.....

Mike said he wasn't impressed with Halifax ( I believe he used a bit stronger language) but that's probably because he didn't take a ride on Ted Too

This was a ship of some importance I think but by this time it was drizzly again and my feet were wearing out as well as my interest in history and ships and famous battles...........

We ended up at one of our favorite spots on the way home...... a Chapters store which is a carbon copy of Barnes and Noble with a little Pottery Barn thrown in.   AND it had a Starbucks and so many tempting books.......

Moving on down the road.....

It's map time again.....  We left  Cape Breton Island around 9:30 yesterday....after an easy 5 hour drive

we arrived at a scenic area west of Halifax called Peggy's Cove.   We will stay here a week before heading north to Prince Edward Island.

While at our campsite this past two weeks, we saw a constant parade of family dogs.....I regret not getting a picture of each and every one of them.....instead of postcard-like pictures, it would be a blog of special family dogs.   In the states, we see a lot of little white dogs...mostly Bichons or Lasa's .....or the large and hairy....the retreivers, the labs and one day, TWO newfoundlands.....how long would you have to clean to get rid of all that hair every day ?????   Camped across from us was this elderly statesman,  Max....he had a look of many years and much wisdom.    Also, parked near us on weekends only was a carbon copy of our Laddie......the haircut, the stockiness and the face were the same but he was not friendly and I preferred not to bother him with my camera.  (our Laddie of 17 years...a Westie..was a people dog).

So, we are camped across the road from this view. (this was taken last evening but it is not much brighter today)   We headed out to breakfast this morning and 

it seems that there is a Kodak moment around every bend. ......   But today, the fog looks persistent and it is chilly so that will wait for another day.

It seems strange to be back in civilization with major stores, a Costco, Subway and McDonalds....AND we have TV again.   After all those weeks without it, it was positively luxurious to watch the Olympics last night.    I hope I don't get lulled back into it instead of the good reads on my list.

In family news, Becca has left her Fairy Godmother wand and pixie dust behind and will head back to college shortly.   We'll miss having her in Florida.    Her brother Alex, the one with all the broken bones and pain from lacrosse, gave that up to be a caddie for the summer.    He's an excellent golfer and was able to walk among the stars while carrying the bags at Cherry Creek CC in Denver.....aside from the generous tips, he rubbed shoulders with John Elway and Peyton Manning..........AND, he was selected as their CADDY OF THE YEAR ....   Way to go Alex.    We are soooo proud of all of our grandkid's wonderful achievements in their daily life but every  once in awhile, one of them steps out of the box to really WOW us !!



 

Cruising with eagles........

The days are winding down here in the Cape Breton area.   We had a list of 'things we want to do' before leaving this perfect place and one of those was golf.    We had our choice of beautiful links courses, historic courses, #1 rated courses or the one we played on.    We haven't played in a couple of months and are not one to spend a bucket of money "on a good walk spoiled" so we chose the local 9 hole course that is being refurbished by it's new owners.   It was flat, no water, few traps and few golfers.     One of us played really well and one of us just had a good time.    It was a good warm-up for the next course down the road.                            

On one of our first trips into the quaint and charming Baddeck, we saw this ship on the bay.....it is the Amoeba and goes out for pleasure trips several times a day.     On Friday, we hoped onboard for a  90 minute sail.    It holds 40 and we grabbed the front seats, near the bow for the best photo-ops altho we had no expectations except postcard  scenery  

Most everyone climbed up to the bow to do their Titanic thing.....I asked someone to take our pic after we gingerly made our way to the tiny platform and hung on in the breeze and motion.    She did not get the coastline in but you get the idea.    Yes, we both have a lot of extra hair on this trip......!

When the sails are fully opened , the tilt of the deck is quite pronounced ( I"m sure there's a proper nautical term for that).

And then, off in the distance came this eagle, heading right towards us......I was amazed and managed to fire off some shots....(actually, I took 289)

Initially, I thought this was a very lucky happening.......,and then learned that the crew throw a fish out at each sailing and over the years, this bird has learned to get her lunch the easy way.    The above pictures are a compilation of 3 fly-by's that this magnificent bird made.   I'm not sure how I feel about them 'baiting' the bird for a show.....sort of like feeding the sharks for divers I guess except the eagle probably can't turn us into lunch.   ( Is that my phone I hear ??  .National Geographic for sure !! )

This is the eagle nest.....it has lived here for 30 years as a pair....(they mate for life).   (There is a large bird to the right of the nest...assume it is an eagle)

Much less exciting is the Alexander Graham Bell mansion, just a short walk from the nest.   He owned 700 acres and the family resides in the several residences.    The last occupant of this place was a 101 yr old granddaughter who died this summer.    There is a Bell Museum in Baddeck which is quite extensive and interesting.

And this stands at the entrance to the Baddeck harbor......There is a picture on every corner.

The Acadian side of things......

I won't refer to the map today but it is helpful in getting an idea about the history of this beautiful place.    Nova Scotia , New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island were originally French (Acadian) along with Maine in the 1600-1700.    They left France to find peace from all the wars with Britain and settled throughout this region.    The British also came, mostly Scottish (gaelic).    The western part of Cape Breton Island is predominately French, with Acadian culture dominating and dependence on the sea for their livelihood.     In the southern part, Margaree Valley (near us) is a beautiful place of rolling hills, lakes and forests....this is the Scottish/British section and agriculture is dominant.   The Eastern and Northern section is the Scottish Highlands......people who have been to Scotland say this area is just like it.    The music, the food and the crafts reflect this heritage.   

We wandered on some back roads on Monday and happened upon this farm which advertised a yarn shop.    We drove up the long farm road to find a small farmhouse, some sheep and this building for housing farm equipment

and the delightful yarn shop.    The owner, in her 30's came down from the loft, knitting as she walked down the stairs.   She said the farm had been in the family for over 200 years.    The yarns were lovely as were the knitted/felted items.    Of course, I had to walk away with something so picked up one of the colorful hanks of yarn to the left of the window for some wool sox. 

 Crafts are a big industry on the island and rug hooking among the Acadian French is proudly displayed  and sold.   I picked up two small pieces to use as coasters in the motorhome in the seaside community of Cheticamp.   

On Wednesday, we headed out for a recommended hike on the Western side (the Acadian side) of the island.   The coastline is rounder and less rugged ..... the body of water is the St Lawrence Sea and is a popular whale watching area.  

We chose Skyline as it is considered "the premier hiking trail in Nova Scotia".   The parking lot was busy, the sky was clear blue and the temperature was in the 70's when we left home.   We should have checked it  before we started out.......(it was 84 when we got back to the car).

It was HOT......and aside from this stretch, there was NO shade.....and no breeze.  

This was a more typical view of our walk, high, with a view of the sea and...did I mention NO shade.   Luckily, the trail was fairly mild but mostly uphill on the way back.

Pretty ground berries along the way..........we saw 1 robin, 1 little brown bird, 2 seagulls, 2 small orange butterflies, no whales, no dolphins, no eagles and no relief from the sun.    We did bring hats but it was too hot to wear them with my thick hair.

We only followed one route instead of the loop as it was reported to be very rugged.

At the end of the trail is a boardwalk leading down to look-out areas.....where we'd hope to spot Pilot whales......but they were deep in the water, trying to avoid the sun also.   

We ate our PB&J lunch and headed back uphill.    It would have been a nice walk on a cooler, breezy day but we won't repeat it anytime soon.     We ended our jaunt at the local Tim Hortons for ice cold smoothies.........

Sheep and turkeys

Nova Scotia is all of what we had hoped and then some.....we did very little research .... just got in the 'moving roadblock' and drove towards the sunrise....... initially, we planned for 4 days here.....but soon learned that we needed at least a week....and now we find that we need TWO weeks.   We need not rush thru these days....we have no schedule, no plan and nothing but time.          

And there is a lovely yarn shop nearby ....with plastic wool on the hoof.  

 It's time to go back to the map.    We are at the southern end of the Cabot Trail ( yellow)....near a very large scenic salt water lake.   Yesterday, we headed out in the mist and fog and followed the Bras d'Or lake on the green road towards the Northeast to Sydney.   That area was once a vibrant industrial complex and cod fishing center.    Now, it is rather gritty and unexciting.   You can catch a ferry to New Foundland if you so desire.   

Our destination was the Fortress of Louisbourg....30 min south of Sydney.

I tried to link to it but the wifi is slowing down so all you history buffs can just check it out on Bing for yourselves (and enjoy the daily photo)....Any way, the Fortress was a major French stronghold  in the 1700's as they attempted to hold on to their acquisitions.   The original settlement was in 1713 and after two sieges by the British, it was destroyed in 1758.   In 1960, partial restoration began using the unemployed coal miners from the area.   Original stonework was used and it is the largest historical restoration in North America....only 1/4 of the original was completed.

 It is very well done with real sheep and

interpretive guides in period costumes and regular demonstrations of daily life.

In a field  was this wild turkey and his handler......the handsome bird strutted about, undeterred by photographers and delighted children.

Note the change in color of his waddles (I had to look that one up !)  If he's excited it turns blue....which it was when we first saw him and then turns red when he is ready to fight !    I could see no change in his demeanor the entire time so I think he just did it for our benefit....and the camera.

While I was enamored with Tom, Paul was surrendering after breaching the wall around the fort.   By a woman no less.....don't think he put up much of a fight since he only had his umbrella.

It's hard to capture the  size of this place but I got a quick view from across the water.

The tiny village of Louisbourg has lovely B&B's  and several restaurants

and Darlene at the Visitors center knows everyone and everything.....fishing and tourism keep the town vibrant.

The drizzle continued but it wasn't cold and we made a quick trip out to view the solitary lighthouse.

before we drove home along the lake..............