Well, we are off on another adventure! This time, we are continuing the Eastern Canada swing we did last year, focusing on Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. We are starting in Halifax and doing somewhat of a figure 8, ending upwhere we started. So, off we go!
Since we spent some time exploring Halifax last time, we just stayed one night there and focused our time at the Art Museum of Nova Scotia. There we enjoyed a lot of their regional art, but really focused on Maud Lewis, a Canadian folk artist who overcame some physical deformities and a lifelong struggle with rheumatoid arthritis to paint an amazing number of simple, yet compelling paintings (https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/maud-lewis). In fact, she loved her art so much, she painted the small house she lived in for several years with her husband as one extended canvas. A movie was made of her life called Maudie, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. We haven’t seen it yet, but plan to search it out when we get home.
The next day we drove up to Cape Breton Island in the rain (of which there has been a lot lately). Our principal goal was to do the Cabot Trail but, since we live on an island, we are always interested in how how other islanders live. And I have to say, I found a lot of similarities between San Juan Island and Cape Breton Island: they both are filled with natural beauty that people come from all over the world to see; the island population nearly doubles during the tourist season; there is a lot of history and heritage here that is easy to get caught up in; there is a lot of support for the arts (and artists/musicians); and it is pretty “chill” here (everyone is pretty down to earth and friendly). The first night we stayed in Cheticamp on the Eastern side of the Trail. Cheticamp’s history has been one of fishing, although tourism now seems to be outstripping it’s traditional mainstay. Having said that, there are still abundant local hauls of lobster and snow crab (we sampled both!) and further out there are diminishing supplies of haddock and cod. Most of the residents are Acadian and, if you believe the signs, every other person is named Aucoin!
As we set off to explore the western portion of the Cabot Trail (in the rain), we were struck by a number of things. First, exploring this area is a good news, bad news situation. The good news is that we had the Highlands National Park pretty much to ourselves. Where that really hit home was in the parking lot for the Skyline Trail — probably the most iconic Trail in the Park. There are actually two parking lots — each a couple of hundred yards long. When we were there, there was a total of 6 cars! While hiking, we could go for 30 minutes without seeing another human. Of course, the bad news is the Park hasn’t really entered it’s season yet, and several trails (or parts thereof) were closed for repairs. And then, of course, there’s the weather, which can be quite cold (40s) and cloudy/rainy. But, net/net: we’ll take the peace and quiet! During the day, we got to enjoy the amazing panoramas, a lovely waterfall, some interesting flora/fauna (including a young bull moose), and increasingly sunny skies. We spent the night on the eastern side of the Park in Ingonish Beach at a lovely inn. The only reason I mention that was that the innkeeper was a former puppeteer (she still does show for the local kids) who escaped the pressures of NYC and New Jersey for a more relaxed lifestyle. We could clearly relate!
The next day we explored some of the eastern sides of the Park and also a lot of beautiful locations that were outside the park, including Neil’s Harbor, White Point, and Meat Cove (the northernmost settlement in Nova Scotia). You’re probably asking yourself how did the village get named Meat Cove — we sure did. The best guess is that this was the location that hunters would field dress their kills before sending them off early in their history. Nah, I’m not buying it either… Anyway, lots of amazing views and memories.
Next stop, Louisbourg!
This entry was posted in Canada, Nova Scotia, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
