Tag: NS

We slept in. It was really nice. The campground was very quiet until 9:00am when the campground lawnmower started. Oh well, up and at ‘em. Let’s get this day started.

Today we have lots of time as later this evening we head to the ferry port for our crossing to Newfoundland overnight. so we have the day to pick up a few items and see what we can see.

Task 1: After trying to get the BBQ quick connect to loosen up and work using WD40 we decided to simply replace the fitting with a new one. Cape Breton Trailer Sales Ltd of Bras D’Or came through and even fitted the new one for us. This was very much appreciated. Now we can look forward to some outdoor cooking.

Destination 1: With the fitting replaced we decided to spend the afternoon at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. It was a short 45min drive and our newly acquired Parks Canada Discovery passes granted us free access. The sun and cool breeze make it a perfect day to wander about this amazing historic site. The sea fog also seemed to enhance the experience.

We’re here in ‘shoulder season’ meaning that many of the reenactment actors are not yet on-site, but all of the buildings and exhibits are open for us to explore. There are not too many people which meant, among other things, that the on-site historic bakery had bread for sale in the early afternoon. It was delicious!

In the 1700’s, Louisbourg was the largest French settlement in North America and a major trading port for France. However, in 1748 and then again in 1758 it was captured by the British and subsequently destroyed. In 1961, the Canadian government undertook a 20 year restoration of about 25% of the settlement which is what we see today. One can only imagine how vibrant and full of energy the place must have been almost 300 years ago.

Task 2: When we arrived back in North Sydney, we restocked a few groceries and filled up our fuel tank before finding a park on the shore where we ate dinner and watched the ferries arrive and depart.

Destination 2: At 8:00pm we checked in with Marine Atlantic for our scheduled 11:15pm ferry to Newfoundland.

Read tomorrow’s post to find out how that goes and what we get up to on our first day on ‘the rock’.

Today consisted of a total of 120km of driving. Our shortest day so far.

Knowing we had a short day today, we slept in and tried the showers at the campground. Being a Parks Canada location the facilities are decent and clean. The showers had lots of hot water yet were small with little room to turn about as one washed. Still ranking them a 8/10.

We finally headed out at about 10:30am with our first stop being at the Home Hardware in Ingonish Beach for a small can of WD40. Applied to propane quick connect hoping it will penetrate and loosen while driving. Fingers crossed!

Our second stop was at the Pathend Brook Lookout on the Cabot Trail. Stunning views from a high cliff overlook out across the Atlantic.

From here we ambled on toward our lunch stop at the Clucking Hen Café & Bakery. A small busy roadside eatery that clearly was popular amongst the locals as well as tourists. We both enjoyed a bowl of seafood chowder and Barb had a Lobster roll and I a turkey & cheddar sandwich. We picked up a couple of pastry treats to eat along the way. Yummy. Highly recommend this as a stop.

On the road again we arrived at the Englishtown ferry and waited just a few minutes for it to arrive. The loading and crossing takes only about 10min and this cuts about a half hour off of the longer way around.

Joining the Trans-Canada again, we headed toward Bras D’Or which is where we are staying for the night at the Arm of Gold campground. We check in and park on site #1 very happy with our choice and the day so far.

And then…

As I went to the back of the van to get the electrical cabling out to connect the van to power I looked left and noticed that the covers for both storage tubes (secured under the van storing dump pipes) were hanging free and no longer secured. Evidently when we exited the Englishtown ferry we dragged the tubes on the ramp which broke both tube end covers free to dangle by the rubber restraining straps. Luckily, both dump pipes within the tubes were also still in-place after a 35km highway drive.

Ok, I’m kicking myself as I write this as I thought twice about taking the ferry because the loading ramps were steep, but I choose to proceed. The damage is on me. No problem, go to an RV service center and acquire new caps. Seems simple enough, except that neither of the two nearby have them. They’d have to be ordered in. Solution…. Gorilla tape! It will have to do until I get home (that is unless I locate another source).

Back at the camp site, I had a go at loosening the BBQ quick connect. No luck. Sigh. Looks like I’m going to be looking for a replacement tomorrow. I have two places to start. In the meantime all cooking will have to take place in the van.

Just to prove that things happen in threes, as I’m writing this Barb informs me that she has broken the frames of her reading glasses. We laugh, you can’t make this stuff up. Tomorrow will also see us visiting Shoppers Drug Mart for a new pair of glasses for her.

Keep on smiling, we are!

Tomorrow will be historic!

When you think of ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ what do the words conjure in your mind? A direction? An emotional feeling, I thought I’d do something a little different today and summarize our day around the words ‘Up’ and ‘Down’, so let’s start at the beginning of the day.

Up – We enjoyed a quiet night in the grocery store parking lot. To some the idea of spending the night in a parking lot might seem scary, or at least odd. In our experience parking lot stops have been great as they save us a night at a paid campground when all we’re really doing is parking for a few hours and heading out again. Turns out that this is actually a fairly common practice worldwide.

Down – The Canso Causeway. A sea level crossing of the Straight of Canso. Cape Breton is still an island as I’m sure the residents would be quick to point out.

Up – Glenora Distillery. The tour was fun and the tasting delicious resulting in the Whiskey going ‘down’ smoothly. A wonderful place to stop while driving the Ceilidh Trail. They’ve been producing whiskey since 2001 using all-Canadian ingredients including Cape Breton spring-fed water.

Up – Inverness beach. We stopped and enjoyed lunch in the van before taking a walk ‘down’ on the sand and pebble beach. The sunsets here must be lovely. Evidently a good place to find ‘sea glass’ but we didn’t find any ourselves.

Down – Parks Canada Park pass. Yep, still required even though park access is free as of June 19th for 3 months; however, we were told that the annual pass validity will be extended by 3 months to offset the 3 month free period this Summer, so is that an ‘Up’?

Up – The Cabot Trail, and I mean waaay up! (& down). The views today in a word were Spectacular! The Cabot Trail today was relatively quiet allowing us to slow ‘down’ and enjoy those views.

Up – Broad Cove campground. Nice level and open sites. So far a very peaceful place at which to end the day. The beach is also epic.

Down – The BBQ quick connect on our van is seized preventing the connection of our Blackstone griddle for outdoor cooking.

Up – I should be able to fix this tomorrow with a little WD40 (that I have to buy).

Down – Cape Breton Black Flies. Wow they’re thick and voracious chasing us into the van rather than enjoying the sunshine outdoors.

So… How many Ups & Downs was that? We had a great day and have really enjoyed our first day on Cape Breton. Looking forward to what tomorrow has in store for us.