We left the campground in Port Hood and headed east towards Baddeck where we would be camping for one night before we started our trek up the Cabot Trail
We set up the RV at the Adventures East campground and decided to drive up the Cabot Trail for a few hours so the next day we would just drive through without stopping.
Baddeck was the southern part of the cabot trail. We drove through the town and there did not seem to be much happening at this time of day.
There were lots of stores and bed and breakfast and hotels along the way. When we got on the other side of town the view was beautiful of the lakes and there were a lot of sailboats out on the water.
This was a chartered sailboat and there seemed to be a lot of people on board.
We arrived at the turn off to go north on the trail. The view of the water and mountains in the background was very picturesque
The Gaelic college was also on this corner but we did not stop even though it looked like the bookstore was open to the public
If we were not driving past rivers we were going through the green mountains of Cape Breton, very scenic.
There was a road to the right that would take you to the Ferry that was taking vehicles and passengers over to Englishtown on the Eastern shore of Cape Breton.
We drove up to the point where the Ferry was loading vehicles but did not go over at this time. We drove back North and from a distance you could see the Bird Islands, inhabited by hundreds of Puffins.
On the way back up North we did see a lot of Canadian Geese
The churches were everywhere in Canada and Cape Breton was no exception
We stopped at St. Ann's picnic park where there was a nice view of the river and access to the ocean
After about a 1/2 hour driving further north we decided to turn around before it got too late and headed back south to the campground. As we turned right towards Baddeck we spotted this Bald Eagle. We ended up turning around to get a picture of it. We took several and it did not seem to mind us taking pictures of it but then another car stopped right in front of it and it flew away.
After getting back to the campground Bill started dinner. The black flies and mosquitos were so bad he had to cover up the best he could so as to not get bitten.
Heading North the next morning we drove up the Cabot Trail and stopped at a few look offs on the way. As we continued, we came to a turn and this sign was letting us know about the climb we were about to make....
It was a little scary but not as bad as some people made it sound. When I looked at recommendations for the Trail a lot of people said there was no way they would take their RV's on it.
The views were breathtaking all the way up and there was not too much traffic since it was a Tuesday.
There were many harbours like this one when we went up the trail
I got out of the RV at this look off but we wanted to get to our destination and planned on coming back in the car the next day so we could take our time
We arrived at the Hideaway Campground and Oyster Market and we were able to book a site for a full hookup for one night only so we set up and decided to take a ride north where we knew we would not be taking the RV. By the campground was this beach that you had to park and walk several hundred feet to get to.
There were only a few people here and one had a big dog splashing and barking in the water
On our way up to St. Margarets on the Bay of St. Lawrence we stopped at this bridge so I could get a picture of the river but was impressed by the wooden bridge which actually you saw all over Cape Breton
There were may marshes along the way
I liked how at this cemetery they wrote "Pray for Us" out of rocks
At this port was Captain Cox's Zodiac where they would take you out whale watching.
And this was the boat.....not sure this is what I had in mind but we were considering it
We drove past the harbour where all the fishing and lobster boats were docked and done for the day
And started up a hill towards a campground we had seen a sign for past all these lobster traps
It was small but kind of cool...literally, actually windy up high on the mountain overlooking the ocean.
Again we were impressed by the signs but no fences barring you from going down the steep incline to the beach
After checking this out we headed west towards Meat Cove
It was a beautiful drive over the mountain range
Bill had to stop and take this picture from his side mirror of St. Margarets where we had just left
As we approached Meat Cove from the top of the ridge we saw the campers and the cove and it was an really awesome sight...the picture does not do it justice.
Climbing down the rocky dirt road we came to this restaurant and some hiking trails along the river
We went over the bridge towards the campground on the cove
Past the beach area
and up to the Chowder Hut where people were sitting on the deck
After some discussion we decided maybe we would bring the RV up here and camp for a night just to say we did. There was a camp attendant by the restaurant and he took our name and put us down for Thursday since we were going to stay at the other campground two nights so we could go to Ingonish down south tomorrow.
We were excited about this and left with anticipation about this experience to come
Just before sunset we drove through the town of Dingwall which was close to the campground. The water was calm around the harbor and it was a small town. We continued on south shortly arriving back at our campsite.
The followng day it was raining and foggy beyond believe but we decided not to cancel our plans. We had to move the RV to a non sewer sight (in the rain) and Bill decided to not put the awning up since it was just caddy-corner from where we had been. Well......that turned out to be a poor decision because he forgot it was down and clipped it with a tree branch...it loosened it up at the screws but luckily did not tear the awning. You can imagine how Bill felt about this decision....
We finished setting up then got in the car and headed south to the beginning of the national park.
On our way down we took a different road closer to the ocean and happened upon Neils Harbour. There was a restaurant here by the lighthouse that we figured we would come back to later even if it was only for the chowder they advertised as the best in Cape Breton.
It was still really foggy and raining but we continued on to get to Ingonish Beach where the National Park started
We parked and ran into the visitor center to get out of the rain and obtained some information. The ladies working there said that we could purchase the ticket on the other side of Cape Breton tomorrow when we were there so we left and drove around Ingonish a little.
We drove down a dead end road where there were some older homes and also some beautiful big homes looking over the water.
At one dead end street was actually what looked like an old boat ramp and if it was dark or too foggy you could drive right off into the water
From a distance we could see the Keltic Lodge
So we drove up to it and around the parking lot. We were not sure we could even get up there without showing proof of a daily pass for the National Park but there was no gatehouse
Starting our drive back north there were a few parks you could stop and do some hikes and if it wasn't raining we would certainly have done that
Instead we continued on and stopped at this look off up the road called "Green Cove"
The rocks were wet and made them look really red with the black stripes in it
From the rocks there was a Zodiac out whalewatching
Bill walked out with Ty to view the water from the edge of the rocks
Of course Ty made me nervous so close to the edge
Spending about thirty minutes here we continued north and there were several places selling old lobster traps for as cheap as $2.00 a piece, painted lobster buoys and other items made from wood like minature lighthouses and minature lobster traps.
We arrived back at Neils Harbour and the Zodiac we had seen several miles back was pulling into the harbour.
We parked at the Chowder House and went in for some Seafood and Clam Chowder which was really good especially on a rainy cold day. Bill also got some Poutine, the fries with cheese and dark gravy on them.
After we left there we headed back towards the campground. I liked this house with the picturesque windows
We took one more detour towards another harbour called White Point. Bill liked the flag on this boat
As we were parked at the top of the town a car drove up and a couple got out looking for some graveyard that was supposed to be from a wreck or something of the sort. We did not know where it was so she went and asked one of the locals and they told her if they kept walking up the hill they would find it.
They were on a two week trip from Ohio and were on a mission so they continued up the trail to find the gravesites
We got back in the car and continued and came upon these interesting metal figures in a yard
Not too far up the road from that was this barn
We then came up on this store with these signs but it was already closed for the day so we arrived at the campground and it was still raining! Not a great weather day but we did what we could.
The next day we left Hideaway campground and headed west towards the west coast of Cape Breton. Since it had been raining continuously we decided it was not a good idea to take the RV up to Meat Cove campground as the road was rock and sand and probably not in the best of conditions.
It was foggy up in the higher elevations but at least it was not raining
When we arrived in Pleasant Bay we decided to stop at the Capt. Marks Whale Watching to reserve for the next day as it was supposed to be good weather. As we turned the corner there was this cute Folk Art store
We parked the RV in between two of the Whale watching tour companies and I went inside and reserved our spot on the Zodiak for 10 am the next morning. I am glad we stopped because if had not made the reservation and arrived without one we would not have gotten a spot.
The competition between the four tours must be fierce though because a minute after I got back in the RV someone from the other business on the other side of the RV came to the window as asked us to move because we were "blocking their sign". We learned the next day that they were like vultures and as soon as you parked they were outside yelling that if they wanted to go on a tour right away they had one leaving....
We continued around the trail and were again climbing up where we came to this look off.
It was a beautiful view looking down at Pleasant Bay where we could see the whale watching boats lurking around the waters.
The weather was a little cooler up here but the sun was out and made it quite pleasant
Just behind us was the fog and this osprey looking for his lunch
We drove to the next look off and there was a biker talking to a Park Ranger and we could hear him state he got rid of the wife and bought the bike. A few minutes later he asked us to take his picture which Bill did. Then he asked if we wanted one and as he was taking it he said," girlfriend or are you married?" When Bill answered married he said "sorry to hear that". Nice guy!
This highland Plateau has barely changed in millions of years due the the resistant bedrock
The bedrock is one of the oldest in Nova Scotia which is also the hardest yielding little to wind and water erosion
At every turn we saw the beautiful landscape of Cape Breton
We continued on up, down and around the winding road of the west side of the Island heading to the campground
We arrived at the campground gate without a reservation but it was not a problem. The Ranger told us to drive through and pick a site and come back and tell them which one we picked.
We found one that was mostly in the sun but had trees behind it and after returning to the Ranger Station we set up for our three night stay
We walked around the campground and found a few trails. One of them was closed off and had a sign that said "beware of bears". There was a stream running through the campground that we found led to the Salmon River.
After our walk we decided to go to the visitor center and sign up for the guided sunset walk on one of the mountains the next evening. We then decided to drive back up the trail to maybe hike a couple of the small trails along the way.
Now that it was later in the day and the sun was more on the west side of the Island, the view was even more breathtaking then when we came down a few hours before
After a few stops along the way we were driving to one of the trails and saw a few cars stopped. There off the side of the road were a could of moose just eating and looking behind them once in a while to make sure nobody was coming too close.
A ranger drove up and we figured he was going to make everyone keep moving so we turned around and found the lake trail we would hike.
It was mostly ferns and pines on this trail but a great place for bird watching. We got down to the lake but it was pretty muddy from the previous rains that had come through the day before so we turned around and headed back up to the car.
We then drove less than a mile back down the road to the Bog Trail. The bugs were kind of bad at the bog but we walked the boardwalk that took us on the trail through it.
The plants in the bog were plentiful. There was nobody else out there so it was quiet except for the frogs and a black backed woodpecker that was behind us in the pine trees.
We took our time walking through the bog enjoying the peacefulness of it and then headed back down the trail.
As the sun continued to get lower, the colors of the bedrock were a beautiful orange
Instead of going back to the campground we decided to keep driving south to the town of Cheticamp.
This was a nice neat town with a very heavy French influence. On the east side of Cape Breton the signs were in English then French but on this side it was just the opposite.
We headed back north after driving through the town to another trail we had seen that would take us up a mountain to view the sunset.
We made it up to the top just in time to watch the sunset over the sunrise.
I could not resist of course taking pictures of the flowers blooming up here
The sign at the bottom showed that the trail looped so we figured we had time before it was totally dark to walk it
After a while we decided it was going to be too dark if we went any further so we headed back down the mountain to the car.
At the trailhead where the car was I saw this sign...after we got back.....good thing we did not see any bears!!!
The following day we headed back to Pleasant Bay for a reserved Whale Watching Tour
After signing in and getting our life jackets on we headed down the dock to get on the Zodiac
Captain Mark was waiting for us and after we all chose our seats he explained how the radio worked in case of emergency and we headed out to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Captain Mark explained how he had lived here all his life and helped his Uncle in his early years with his lobster business setting traps. He took us a little farther than the other boats until we came across some pilot whales.
At first they were quite a distance from us but eventually they got closer to the boat, so close that we would get sprayed when they blew the water from their spouts.
We could see a baby whale staying close by it's mommas side as well as many others. Captain Mark explained that the females and the males will remain in their Mother's Pods, an unusual trait
He said these whales actually come from the waters of South Carolina in the summer. All the other species of whales had already moved on for the summer but it was still great seeing these amazing creatures.
After watching these whales for at least 30 mintues we headed closer to the shore viewing the caves and clear green water inside and around them.
As we were speeding along the relative of the Puffin, what Bill called the sea pigeons were flying all over the cliffs near the water
We then saw several seals in the water as we sped by the cliffs
We got back to the dock and gathered our things and got off the boat heading to the car. We drove over to the jetty and saw Capt Mark going out again with another group of people.
We watched as the Gannets dove straight down to the water to get their fish.... they are the only sea birds that do this dive bombing ritual. They have no external nostrils, are the largest sea bird in North America, have binocular vision and have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin allowing them to dive from amazing heights to hunt their fish. There were dozens of them and it was quite a sight watching them off the jetty.
We left the Marina heading back down to the campground and as we were driving Bill spotted a red fox close to the road in the swale. I tried to get a closeup picture but as he looked up at us he decided not to stick around and headed for the trees.
We arrived at the campground and had lunch a relaxed for a little bit before deciding to take Ty on a short hike
We started up the Salmon River trail walking past this tree stump which had recently been chewed by a beaver.
Walking about a mile we turned around and headed back towards the RV. There were quite a few bicycle riders at the group camping and more coming in. We had driven by quite a few as this was some sort of bikeathon that was going on along the trail...nothing unusual for this time of year.
Dinner was early so we could get to the sunset hike on time so we fed the dogs and headed out to the mountain where the hike was to begin. There were about 20-30 others on the hike and we headed up towards the trail walking at a fast pace at first. We stopped at a fenced off area where they were doing some re-foresting. The Moose were so abundant that they had destroyed much of the landscape over the years so they had to build a sort of corral around the area.
As we proceeded on the walk we spotted a moose off in the distance. This bull was one of the largest the ranger had seen here at the park. He kept his distance from us as we all took pictures from the trail.
After a few minutes we continued on and came to an overlook where we could see the road on the other side of the mountain. It was a great view of the valley below and very quiet except for all of us.
We finally arrived at the top of the mountain where there was a boardwalk you could walk down. The ranger said it was over 100 steps and to not forget you have to come back up.
We took our time walking down stopping along the way to enjoy the view. The sunset was not going to be as good as the night before but the view made it worth the trip.
It was windy and chilly up here as the sun set and we stayed as long as we could but darkness was upon us so we headed back to the trail. It would be about and hour before we got to the car.
As we headed back in then semi darkness we saw some of the hikers ahead of us stopped and watching the Moose. As we began to approach them we looked to our left in the trees and there was a female moose eating among the trees. We stopped and quietly got the camera out and Bill began to snap some photos. She did not seem to mind us there as long as we did not get any closer. The ranger and a few others came up and we motioned to them that the moose were close by.
We continued to walk down the trail and the bull was just up the hill a bit and we could see him in the light of the night. We also spotted a mother with her two babies following behind. It was an awesome night hike and we were glad we did it.
On Saturday we got on our bikes and headed up the Salmon River Trail. It was a little up hill at first and not much of a view of the falls but after a while we came to a view of the river.
The trail took us up high where we could look down at the river and then it would take us down close to the River where we could climb on the rocks and enjoy the sound of the water rushing over the rocks.
There were not too many people on the trail and we only passed a family and one other person on a bike. Everyone else was walking the trail which was about seven miles according to the map.
There were a couple pools that during season were used for salmon fishing and supposedly very crowded with fishermen but this time of year we were the only ones down by the water.
Each stop we made was a different view of the river and always better than the last one as we made our way up and down the Salmon River Trail.
There were several very narrow spots along the trail that were a little scary especially when my bike would skid on the rocks.
I was wondering how the extreme mountain bikers did this trail with no problem. A few times I got off my bike and walked not sure of myself or my bike.
We came to a spot where we could not take the bikes so we hiked for about 20 minutes before deciding it was time to turn around and get back to the campground.
Again it was a great experience and I would not trade it for anything.
On Sunday July 31 we left the Cabot Trail and headed west in Cape Breton to Louisbourg where we would stay one night.
