Week 26: Bay of Fundy to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

My second week in Canada found me leaving New Brunswick, visiting Prince Edward Island, and falling in love with Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island

On Thursday, 6/19 after saying goodbye to Alma and my new friends Jim and Linda, I drove a couple of hours on highway 15 toward Prince Edward Island (which I learned is its own Province).  As I got closer to the famous Confederation Bridge, the weather quickly deteriorated.  A “diesel pusher” in front of me was struggling even more than I was to stay between the lines.  The clouds darkened and heavy rain started.  Just before the bridge, the big rig pulled over but I continued onto the bridge (why, I don’t know).  The skies were black, the winds were howling and the thunder sounded as if it was going to split open the roof.  I was white knuckled driving across the 8-mile bridge that seemed to have no end.  Next to Smuggler’s Notch, this was the most precarious driving I have experienced.  When I finally crossed, I stopped at the visitor’s center to calm my nerves.  The women inside were watching the bridge cameras and even though they said it was rough driving, they’ve seen worse.  They informed me that the bridge will close to high-sided vehicles when it’s too dangerous because they once had a tractor trailer jackknife due to high winds; fortunately, the concrete sides proved their worth.  I was relieved to be on the ground and on my way north to Prince Edward Island National Park.

Cavendish, PEI National Park

About 45 minutes after crossing the bridge, I arrived at the Cavendish campground in PEI National Park located on the northeast side of the island.  I found a spot as close to the ocean as possible and took T out to explore.  We rounded a bend in the road and spotted a mama fox with five cubs!  I tried getting photos but they scattered with one look at Trooper.  They were an adorable welcome to PEI and scampered through our site several times that night (keeping T with his nose to the screen door).

One curious and brave little fella

Ducks with surprising balance

Eagle in flight

Forget-me-not's

Lupine... this is all over the Maritime Provinces

Welcome to Cavendish Beach!

A boardwalk leading out to the beach

Love the juxtaposition of this photo

Friday morning I met a 65 year old woman and her 14 year old black samoyed.  She recently decided to permanently move into her 1983 Roadtrek van.  We chatted for quite a while and it felt like old friends reuniting.  She was on her way to Nova Scotia so we shared suggestions people had given us and bid farewell hoping our paths would cross again.  The rest of the day, Trooper and I spent hiking through the National Park and driving along the north shore.  The little town of Cavendish has no shortage of tourist attractions from the water park to “Anne of Green Gables Village” (I later learned that Anne was a fictional character written by a local author; apparently, people from around the world come to PEI to see Anne’s hometown).  Driving along the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast was windy and cloudy producing dramatic photos of the waves and red rock cliffs.

Incredible coastline

Love the contrast with the red and green 

The north shore proved to be windy and dramatic

Which made for great photos

The Shephard’s Farm, PEI

I traveled south to Mt. Stewart to spend the evening at a Harvest Host location.  Stephen owns The Shephard’s Farm and was kind enough to let me boondock for the evening with little notice.  He and his family own a beautiful farm with organic vegetables, several different types of animals, and a small lodge where he hosts cooking classes, business events, or people in need.  He frequently travels to Africa on mission trips and has a passion for opening his heart and home to others.  Shortly after arriving, he brought me just-picked organic asparagus and fresh eggs.  He is a wonderful man and I’m grateful that my travels took me to The Shephard’s Farm.  Thank you Stephen for your incredible hospitality and for sharing your farm with Trooper and me!! The drive through the center of the island was beautiful farmland filled with vibrant green pastures contrasted against red potato fields.  PEI is known for growing potatoes and has been doing it since the early 1700s.  It is the lifeblood of the islanders with over 300 potato farms accounting for a billion dollars in revenue each year.

What a welcoming face!

And so much to go around! 

Not a bad place to call home for a night

Thank you Stephen! (these were dinner for several nights)

He even raises wild turkeys

Charlottetown, PEI

I awoke Saturday 6/21 at 5:45 a.m. and decided to head into Charlottetown, the largest town on the island and the provincial capital.  After several days of rain, the skies showed hints of blue giving us an opportunity to visit the largest town on the island.  Trooper and I walked along the harbor boardwalk and through Victoria park before making our way into the historic district.  After two hours of sporadic rain, the skies decided to make it continual so I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and mocha at Beanz Espresso Bar before scurrying back to the RV.  There are 145,000 people that call PEI home and Charlottetown houses close to 35,000 of them.  With its harbor, manageable size and historic downtown, it was a pleasant last stop before leaving the island.  I missed the morning ferry to Nova Scotia and decided to give the ominous bridge another try.  It was a good decision because I was able to enjoy the views of the bridge and Northumberland Strait.  The bridge is beautiful and is the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water.

St. Dunstan's Basilica 

Worthy of a closeup

Happy to see Starbucks made it to PEI

But needed to try out the local fav Beanz Espresso... not bad at all!

A view from the marina

Looking back at the marina and downtown

Victoria Park

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Several people along my journey highly recommended Cape Breton making it my next destination.  At a randomly-located toll both on highway 104, the gentleman asked me “Is that thing you’re driving a van or RV; and before you answer, vans are $4 and RVs are $5.25”.  I  replied “I believe it’s considered a van”.  We both smiled and I said thank you and drove away grateful for the stranger who just saved me $1.25.  I drove a little over 8 hours from PEI to Cape Breton making a long day behind the wheel, but I was excited to be in Nova Scotia.  Shortly after crossing the Canso Causeway onto Cape Breton, I headed north on highway 105 and found Whycocomagh Provincial Park to spend the evening.  I chatted with a few locals and was persuaded and excited to do the famous Cabot Trail.  

I made it!

Pride in the Country and Provincial flags

Sunday morning, we commenced our journey on the Cabot Trail.  The Cabot Trail is rated as the #1 island to visit in continental North America by Travel & Leisure Magazine.  It is a 185 mile loop around the northern end of the island and cuts through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  First impressions reminded me of the Pacific Coast Highway with more dense forests.  I drove up the east side of the trail through great little surprises like Baddeck, Anne’s Cove and Cape Smokey.  The further north I drove, the more beautiful it became.  I entered into Cape Breton Highlands National Park which consumes the northern part of the island and found Broad Cove campground in Ingonish.  There was no one at the entrance kiosk and few people in the campground.  A fellow camper told me that the campground is on the honor system… a first in all my travels.   Since it was early afternoon, I geared up and took T to hike Warren Lake.  The trailhead had a sign stating that we were in coyote habitat and included all precautions, like letting people know where you are and hiking in groups (two things I lacked).  I pushed aside my hesitation and continued on… until I saw two fresh piles of unfamiliar scat.  After the coyote incident in Death Valley, I’m quite fearful of them.  Bear and Moose are intimidating creatures, but they don’t consider us food; coyotes, on the other hand, could view Trooper as several healthy meals.  We turned around, walked back to the campground and found a path to the Atlantic Ocean.  We had the place to ourselves so I let T off leash and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings and absence of carnivores.

I think I know why it's called Cape Smokey 

Dramatic Ingonish Beach on the Atlantic

Looking in the other direction

Where fresh meets salt

T prefers the fresh

Random shot of what I think is a Ruffed Grouse 

Freedom! 

Standing alert (at a log sticking out of the stream)

A moment of zen

Yes, I see you

I was in need of a day off after several long days of driving, but when I woke up to beautiful clear skies Monday morning, I wanted to get out and continue our Cabot Trail trek.  As we continued north, the landscape continued to become more stunning.  We hiked Jack Pine Trail located between Ingonish and Neil’s Harbor.  The diversity of the hike was entertaining with thick jack pine trees opening up to cliffs overlooking the ocean and the lobster boats checking their traps.  

What an office

Just keeping an eye out for some fresh-caught deliciousness 

Seagulls waiting for their share

Baby pine cones enjoying the sun's warmth

Jack Pine trees overlooking the Atlantic

A very brave chipmunk (fortunately T is on leash)

What a day!

And what a view

Around noon, I detoured into Neil’s Harbor looking for some of that fresh caught lobster.  I found a great cliffside spot called The Chowder House and ordered their recommendation of chowder and lobster club.  I was in complete bliss sitting outside at a picnic table overlooking the ocean eating a delicious lunch.  The chowder was yummy but the lobster club was decadent.  Fresh caught lobster with mayo, lettuce, tomato and bacon was palate perfection!  I was quickly falling in love with Cape Breton and all it had to offer.

The Chowder House... a great place to stop for lunch

The best seat in the house

He is a fan of the chowder 

He's eyeing up the Chowder House

Yummy!

Seriously... YUM!

The rest of Monday was spent driving around the north end and making the turn southwest along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  The scenery was breathtaking and the drive was one of the most beautiful I have experienced; at every turn, there was a new perspective to take in.  That night, I pulled into a first-come first-serve campground called Corney Creek (another honor system campground).  It was early afternoon and I enjoyed being the only one there.  As the night drew in, more folks arrived making it a small party of random wanderers coming together to watch the sun set.  My neighbors, Tara and Margaret (and their new pup Riley), were celebrating their birthdays with a road trip from Brooklyn.  We enjoyed our cocktails as we became silent and captivated by the sunset.  This day, with the stunning scenery, the mouth-watering lobster, and the sun setting over the ocean ranks as one of my best days on the road!

Can I really be this lucky? 

Enjoying the ocean

Going...

Going.... 

Gone... and spectacular!

The next two days I camped on the west side of the park in Cheticamp.  Most of my time was spent hiking and looking for moose.  Skyline trail is a beautiful 6-mile hike and the park’s most popular.  Dogs are not allowed on the trail due to the moose and fragile vegetation.  I got an early start and parked the RV in the shade to keep T cool.  Most of the hike was peaceful with few hikers and spectacular views of the ocean.  I chatted with several other photographers looking to capture the impressive moose, but luck was not on our sides that day.  By the end of the loop, the hike was getting crowded and comical as I passed five campers from the previous night at Corney Creek.  Throughout my travels in Cape Breton, I frequently ran into familiar faces creating a comforting sense of camaraderie.  

Me with my "coyote stick" heading out on the trail

Caught in flight

Skyline's boardwalk protecting precious vegetation

Wildlife!

Heading out of the meadow (no moose) and into the forest (no bear)

What a backdrop

On Thursday, 6/26 I left the National Park to do laundry and eat breakfast just outside the park’s boundary... stopping at random places to capture the beauty.  I was disappointed that I never saw a moose, but Cape Breton became a part of me.  Their advertisement is “A piece of your heart will remain”; this perfectly describes my feelings.  To me, Cape Breton rivals Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.  It is a special place where ocean meets mountains; moose, bear and coyotes meet eagles and whales; and just to throw in a little bonus, lobster boats bring you their fresh catch of the day.  It has so much to offer that it’s somewhat unbelievable, yet completely magical.

One beautiful turn after another

Traffic jam

You just have to tell me once

Aspy Fault on the west side

One of my last images of Cape Breton

Thursday evening I drove to a Walmart in Truro located in the north central part of the peninsula.  Truro was a decision point on heading west out of Nova Scotia or continuing further into the peninsula.  Since I was unsure of my next destination, Walmart was a good (and free) place to stopover.

Final Thoughts

EXPLORE!  After an amazing week of exploring Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, all I can leave this post with is get out and explore the incredible beauty that Mother Earth has given to us!!

Thanks and until next time...