Road Trip - Cabot Trail

Every summer, usually sometime in August, there is one thing that’s on my to-do list and that is to go on a road trip around the Cabot Trail. The past 4-5 years we would rent a van so that the whole family could make the trek together, all of us in one vehicle. This year however, we had less people tagging along, so our trusting Nissan Sentra was able to take the four of us around the Trail. Before heading out, we checked the weather updates, got ourselves ready, packed a lunch and with our cameras fully charged we managed to leave the house by 8:00am. First stop was The Country Kitchen Restaurant in Port Hastings for a hearty breakfast to keep us going until lunch.  Leaving the restaurant, we got on the Trans-Canada Highway 105 and stopped in at The Red Barn Gift Shop then onto the Cabot Trail through the Margarees. Along the way we stopped every so often to stretch our legs and admire the beauty that was surrounding us. The wind was crazy that day and the waves were crashing on the shores with a loud roar sounding like thunder. It felt very refreshing (without actually having to go in)! I couldn’t pass through Chéticamp without stopping at Le Petit Chady Convenience store to say hello and meet in person a fellow Instagrammer.  It was such a pleasure to meet her, I could have spent all morning chatting.  Carl, Julie and Maeghan were back at the car ready to continue on, so Denise’s daughter took a quick snapshot of the two of us before I ran off back to the car. Soon after leaving Chéticamp, we enter the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and drove along the coastline to the MacIntosh Brook Park for lunch. We spent a little over half an hour in the picnic area where we found and set up a picnic table to eat our lunch and then spent a few minutes down by the brook before getting back in the car to head for the Beulach Ban Falls then Meat Cove and Bay St Lawrence.  By the time we arrived at the Englishtown Ferry it was 7pm. There we only had a couple of minutes wait time before getting on the ferry and it takes a couple of minutes to cross St Anns Bay. Coming off the ferry we headed for Sydney where we had a bite to eat then onto the old Highway 4 to home. So here we are at the end of another great day spent with wonderful people and being so thankful for living in such a beautiful place… 

Road trip to Cheticamp

                                           

Someone else on a Sunday drive around East Lake Ainslie

Sunday morning we headed out for a little road trip from L'Ardoise to Cheticamp. First I checked the Environment Canada website which stated a mix of sun and cloud for Richmond and Inverness Counties. The sky was mostly cloudy at the start of our road trip, but later saw the sun, more clouds and sun again later in the day. First stop in St Peter's, we picked up a coffee and then headed out towards Port Hawkesbury. From there we got on the Trans Canada and turned off  in Whycocomah and followed the highway through East Lake Ainslie, Upper Margaree, South West Margaree and Margaree Forks. We are now on the Cabot Trail and heading for Cheticamp.  Once there, we had a little lunch, took some pitures (of course) and turned around to head back. On the way we stopped at Le Centre de la Mi-Carême in Grand Etang. Here we enjoyed learning and viewing a colourful display of artwork about the history of an old Acadian tradition (La Mi-Carême) that is still being celebrated in the Cheticamp area. The way back home, we traveled the Route 19 through the town of Inverness, Mabou, Judique, Craignish and Port Hawkesbury. By 4:30pm we were back in L'Ardoise, where we still had daylight time to sit outside and enjoy the day on this Labour Day weekend...

Photo of the Week July 30, 2010

This week's photo was taken in Grand Etang during our trip to Cheticamp on July 27th. At least once during the summer, I like to take a road trip along the west coast of Cape Breton to Cheticamp and the Cabot Trail. Before we left the house that morning, the weather was fine, just a bit overcast, then we hit heavy rain from Louisdale to Port Hastings. I had checked the radar on the Environment Canada website and only noticed a thin strip of precipitation running through Cape Breton, and I believe that was what we drove through  up to Port Hastings. I figured we'll be ok weather-wise by the time we reach Route 19... and sure enough, the radar was right! The rest of the road trip was a mix of sun and cloud with slightly cool temperatures of 20ish celsius.

On this road trip, we ended up in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park as far as the Bog trail where a boardwalk allows visitors to step into a typical highlands bog environment, complete with Pitcher plants, Sundews, Bicknell's Thrush, and orchids. It's a short but very pleasant and interesting walk. From here we returned by the same route, stopping at look-offs and stopping for dinner at the Irving Big Stop in Auld's Cove across the Causeway.

Trip around the Cabot Trail

Took a trip around the Cabot Trail yesterday. Although spring is not officially here yet, it was beautiful mild day with temperatures of 5-6c. We left from Sydney, where only patches of snow was showing here and there on lawns and parking lots. Spring was definitely in the air! We started the trip via Seal Island Bridge, Kelly's Mountain then St Ann's Bay, Cape Smokey, Ingonish and up around Big Intervale,  through Cheticamp and the Margarees and back on the Trans Canada to Sydney. You can say we did the trail counter-clockwise.  The photos up above are taken on the northern tip of the Cabot Trail in the Highlands.  The snow banks on North Mountain had to be at least ten feet high. This time of the year, I don't usually look for snow, but I was in total awe with the the beautiful snow covered scenery around us. Since we didn't get much snow all winter around home, this was a pleasant change. Now I am looking forward to spring and summer...

Sunday drive to Chéticamp

Sunday morning 6:49am. The sun was just coming up in the sky and looked like a perfect day for a Sunday drive. By 7:30am, we got in the car and headed out for Chéticamp, a nice little drive to the other side of Cape Breton Island. First we stopped in Port Hawkesbury for breakfast at The Country Kitchen Restaurant. Leaving satisfied on a full stomach, we headed for Highway 19, through Port Hood, where I got out for only a few minutes to take a couple of pictures then drove right through Mabou, Inverness and many small communities. In Dunvegan we took the shore road to Margaree Harbour, over the new bridge to Belle Cote and then Cheticamp. Once there, we stopped at Tim Horton's for a much needed hot cup of coffee. The weather wasn't too bad, a cool 15-17 celcius and a few scattered grey clouds. On the way back, we took the highway going through the Margarees, then onto the Trans-Canada and back to Port Hawkesbury where we picked up a few things at the Superstore before heading back home.