Day 1 - Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Hi Blog!

Yesterday, we left Price Edward Island behind and drove across parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island. Friday, June 8, 2018, was our first full day in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia. Our friends, Dave Lopushinsky and Leslie Manion, recommended our campground, Plage St. Pierre. They also recommended, if we wanted a souvenir of Cape Breton, then we must visit the hook rug store. They were both great recommendations. Our campground is very convenient for visiting Cape Breton Highlands National Park, and we now have two new rugs in our rig! We forgot to take a picture of our rugs, so here is a picture we took from Proud to be Hookers!

While we have five days here to explore, three of those days will include rain. Friday morning, we just managed to squeeze in a run before the rain showers hit. By noon, the worst of the heavy rain passed leaving just a few sprinkle clouds. We decided to chance a visit to Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We had talked to a Park Ranger yesterday, and she gave us some great suggestions for hikes. There were two really short hikes near our side of the park, so we decided to chance it. Our first stop was Benjies Lake. It was about a mile into the lake, with the last few yard across a boardwalk.

We scanned the lake shore looking for moose, but none were to be found. We did watch a fisherman try his luck, but the wind was making the water very choppy. He had as much luck catching trout as we did spotting a moose.

On our walk back from the lake, we took our time to scan the forest. We noticed a number of old birch trees. When a forest is clear cut, the birch are the first to come, but they doesn't stay long. This old guy will soon be nurturing the small spruce trees all around him.

Next up - the Bog Boardwalk!

It was a dark and stormy day out on the bog boardwalk. It's interesting that the Park called this area a bog, because it was mostly a fen. What's the difference you say? Bogs get most of their water from rain or snow, while fens are usually fed by mineral-rich surface water like a stream or groundwater springs. Fens frequently have a high diversity of other plant species including carnivorous plants! We made sure not to walk too close to the edge of the boardwalk or else we might make a meal for the local carnivores.

As we made our way around the fen, we noticed lots of moose prints, but no moose. We wondered if the fisherman was having any better luck.

As we turned the car towards home, we noticed something rather large by the side of the road - MOOSE! Between our two phones, we must of took at least 60 photos. Here is the best left side of moose.

Here is the best right side of moose! We lost him in the trees. He was playing peek-a-moose with us for while before we lost him entirely.

Now that we bagged our moose, we could spend a little more time enjoyed the wide open scenery along the Cabot Trail. As we drove back down toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we looked across to the headland we hope to hike this week. The Skyline Trail goes right out to that point.

The entire Cabot Trail is 185 miles in length and completes a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands. It is named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497, although most historians agree his landfall likely took place in Newfoundland and not Cape Breton Island. Oh well, they're not changing the name of the trail. Rising from the sea and clinging to mountains, the Cabot Trail is a winding staircase that takes you from majestic ocean vistas to quiet fishing villages. Here is a sample of the "clinging to mountains" part of the drive.

All along the coast small streams tumble in to the gulf. We particularly liked Corney Brook.

Our last stop was the beach near where the Cheticamp River meet the gulf.

It didn't matter which way we looked - it was dramatic!

Just before the river meets the gulf, there are several small dams. The view back up the valley has an endless feel to it. We would have loved to linger longer, but chowder was calling. That, and it started to sprinkle on us.

No sooner did we arrive at the Seafood Shop Restaurant than the heavens opened up. While we waited for our chowder, we compared moose photos. And so ends another adventure. We hope to go into town tonight and listen to some local Acadian musicians. Ciao for now.