8/20: Toured around Baddeck, checked out the Alexander Graham Bell museum and learned lots about him. Baddeck is the "home of Canadian aviation" - the first powered flight was there, and ABG was a big part of supporting that endeavor. He and his wife were very dedicated to helping deaf people learn to speak, and dedicated a large part of his life to that endeavor. And, oh yes, he also invented the telephone (in his spare time!). The museum was very interesting. They built a beautiful home called Bein Breaghh on a mountain overlooking Baddeck Bay that is still owned by his descendants. It is still a private residence, but is visible from the water. The house was designed to be self-sufficient, and he also experimented with genetics with his sheep herd, trying to develop a breed that always had triplets! A quick ice cream treat and back to the campground.
8/21: Headed out for a sailing adventure on Baddeck Bay, but got our wires crossed and missed the 9 AM sailing, so opted for the 6 PM one instead, which ended up being a great choice! Went back to the campground and Mike built a viewing box to watch the eclipse (about 28% eclipse as far north as we were). Found out a pair of binoculars used to cast the shadow of the event worked better, and shared it with people at the campground. There were a lot of kids there for a track and field event that waqs occurring that weekend, and they enjoyed seeing the shadow. Then back to Baddeck for an "all you can eat" lobster dinner. We have to admit we are not huge lobster fans (Mike describes it a as "chewy crab with not a lot of taste", but we had fun, and the ice cream they served with dessert was really good!.
Then on to Baddeck harbor for our sailing tour on the Amoeba - a BEAUTIFUL sailboat with 3 masts that took us out and around the bay. Had a wonderful time, stood on the walkway over the bow,, saw seals, eagles and lots of birds - a great event!
Alexander Graham Bell's home
The Amoeba
8/22: Up and on the road early (6:30 AM) to Pleasant Bay for a whale watching tour. However, some heavy swells (3-5 feet!) had developed over night and the captain decided to turn back after only about 20 minutes. A big disappointment, but it was very rough and the prospect of seeing any whales was very small, so better safe than sorry. The boat was "pet friendly" and Baxter got to go - not sure what he thought about the trip, but seemed to do OK
Got back in the car and worked our way on up the west coast of Cape Breton. Stopped at a wonderful bakery for a snack/breakfast and had the most amazing croissants. Also got some out-of-this-world chewy ginger cookies for later snacking.
We headed on to the very Eastern tip of Cape Breton at a place called Meat Harbor (don't know the "why" of the name!), which is as far north and east as you can get. So now we've been from one extreme (Neah Bay, WA) to the other (Meat Harbor, NS) in our travels! The road was dirt and not very good, but we made it. Then back down the east coast of Cape Breton with stops along the way to admire the scenery. Fun place names like Lone Shieling, Ingonish, Dingwal, Skir Dhu -- the area is very reminiscent of the Scottish highlands (we toured there in 1975 when we lived in Germany) and we can see why the Scot's were so at home here. Made it back to the campground at 6:30 PM, so a VERY long day, but fun. The Scottish infuence on Cape Breton is very prominent and the residents work very hard to keep their heritage alive.
8/23: Off to Fort Louisburg, which is on the south-eastern shore of Cape Breton Island. This was a French settlement in the 1700's, and was eventually seized by the English after several battles. The fort was actually totally destroyed but has been reconstructed and is pretty amazing. There are lots of people in period costume, doing crafts and tasks that would have been common at the height of the fort's activities. It was established to protect the cod fishing industry, as the French, being Catholic, needed a lot of fish to eat (they went without meat for 160 days/year at that time in observance of Lent and other holy days). The cod was caught, salted and shipped all over the world, making aLouisburg a very busy port. We bought wonderful rye bread from the baker, and had delicious soup at a little inn. We opted to eat the "common" fare, rather than at a restaurant that served food that would have been eaten by the richer people. They close the fort at the end of the day with a ceremonial cannon salute, and Mike was able to catch the cannons firing - cool!
Mike got to "wax" a bottle of rum!
The world's first self-cleaning outhouse - the tide takes care of the dirty work!
Back to the car, and Mike was happy to locate a brewery to fill his "growler", as he was out of beer. Then the 90 minute drive back to the campground.
8/24: Lazy morning, then off to the Gaelic College. Listened to presentations on fiddle playing (a very big art in this area) and dancing, story telling, and weaving. We had lunch at a ceilidhs (pronounced kay-lees), which is a traditional gathering for eating, dancing and fiddling. The college teaches the Gaelic language and works to maintain the culture and heritage of the Scots who came to Cape Breton in the 1700's and 1800's. Toured around the area a bit more and then back to the campground to get read to depart for Prince Edward Island.
8/25: Travel day to Prince Edward Island (PEI) via the ferry at Caribou. The crossing takes 75 minutes and you are not allowed to remain on the car deck. However, we were able to take Baxter up on deck with us so that worked ot OK.
Unloaded and headed to our campground near Brackley Beach, on the northern shore of PEI. Got settled in and took a drive to have dinner to a wonderful place called Rick's Fish House. Very good fish and chips, Mike had a beer, we bought some croissants for breakfast at the bakery there, and took a drive on the way back to the campground through one of the parks.
Came upon signs warning about feeding the foxes (there are lots in the area) and lo and behold, there were two foxes near the road on our way back. Got some good pictures - they are little beggars but we didn't feed them! The more aggressive of the two got tired of waiting and rustled up somethng on his own in the bushes - did the typical fox leap/pounce and came up with a snack!
8/26: Did the "Eastern Shore" tour of PEI, which took up most of the day. Seafood chowder at the Shipwreck Point Cafe in Naufrage, then on to East Point, which is the furthest northeast point of the island.
Glennis and Baxter dipped their feet in the Atlantic at Whispering Sands beach, but we didn't hear any whispers!
Lots of beautiful farm land and views, many small communities. We were struck with how neat, well-maintained and orderly everything is on the island. We didn't see any houses in need of maintenance, the yards were all neatly mowed, the roadsides were clean - it was really amazing and such a contrast to the US. However, the roads were terrible (understandable due to the harsh winters) and the signage left lots to be desired. Drivers are terrible, too. They just pull over and stop on the roadway if there is something they want to see! Everyone else is expected to avoid them. Another long day on the road, but lots of scenery to admire when not dodging cars.
8/27: Did the "Central Island" tour of PEI, starting with the farmer's market in Charlottetown. It was disappointing as there were only 2 stands with produce and no bakery goods at all (we had planned on breakfast there). We did get some wonderful beets and PEI potatoes from one of the vendors. PEI is famous for their potaqtoes - they have approx 200 family farms on the island that provide 25% of all the potatoes for all of Canada! Back in the car and off to a bakery recommended by one of the produce vendors at the market - opted for sandwiches instead of pastry and back on the road. Our "find of the day" was Cows Creamery on the west side of Charlottetown. It is a local creamery that makes amazing ice cream! They only produce 1,000 gallons a day, so it is only available through their Cows Creamery outlets, but it was delicious! We each had a double scoop!
Drove the rest of the central island coasts, including Green Gables, home of Anne of Green Gables author. More lighthouses, beautiful scenery, potato farms, etc! but very nice!
8/28: Our last day on PEI. Did the ""Western Shore" drive, lots more potato farms, also corn, wheat and soybean were common. Saw more lighthouses, and a fun "roadside attraction" of bottle houses made by one of the locals as a hobby.
Also saw lots of wind farms with huge wind turbines. Visited the Potato Museum and had lunch there -potato soup for Glennis and lobster-stuffed baked potato for Mike.
Quite a bit of French Acadian influence on this side of the island. Lots of beautiful wooden churches, with a few glorious stone ones thrown in every once in a while. A few more lighthouses and lots of wind turbines for generating eletricity. This trip means we did the extreme northwest, extreme northeast and extreme southwest capes of PEI!
A good reminder that the winter weather in this country is ugly!
An interesting perspective of the true size of the nacell (the top of the turbine tower that the blades attach to)! Note the people standing next to it
Back to the campground and got the motor home ready to head out in the morning for the long drive to Bar Harbor.
8/29: On the road by 7:55, headed for the good old USA. Counted our Canadian money and there was just enough for lunch on the way, so nothing to try to exchange once we got back across the borner. Drove the Confederation Bridge from Borden-Carleton across to New Brunswick. The bridge is 13 kilometers long, and was completed in 1997. Up to that time, the only way to PEI was by boat or air! The bridge is quite the engineering marvel....
Crossed the border at the "downtown St. Stephen" crossing at about 4:30 PM - much friendlier board crossing agents than the Canadians. However, we did have to leave some firewood, 2 limes and an orange with them -- not sure why on the citrus fruit, and the firewood was from the US to begin with, but "oh well"! We were glad to be back on our home soil!!!
Roads and signage were not much improved on this side of the border, but we made it to our campground in Bar Harbor by 7:45, with some help from our GPS. Drove by lots of blueberry fields, but they aren't like our bushes - they are very low ground cover and are very small, but good! Glad I don't have to pick them though. Parts of Maine are quite different from Canada - lots of "junky" houses with unkempt yards, dead cars, poorly maintained buildings, etc. What a difference!
8/30: Headed for the visitor's center and the shuttles around Acadia National Park/Bar Harbor. Finally figured out "Bar Harbor" refers to both the town and the general area, and that Acadia National Park is a series of properties, not all connected, that form the park itself. Taking the shuttle was highly recommended, as there are lots of tourists here and parking is limited. They are pet friendly so Baxter was able to join us, but wasn't allowed in a lot of the buildings.
We hopped on and off as we saw things of interest. This little beach was interesting - the only shell beach on the island.
The scenery is truly beautiful and striking, and now that we are oriented, we will probably drive ourselves, as the crowds have thinned out a little. Although this weekend is Labor Day, so will have to wait and see.
One of the things that sticks in our mind is how much in a hurry everyone is in. We have not turned into "old geezers" that drive 10 mph under the speed limit, but we do like to take our time and look at what is around us. So often, we have someone right on our bumper, pushing us to go faster. Very distracting - we try to find a spot to pull over and let them pass, but on the bad roads in this area, that is not always feasible. They need to slow down and take the time to smell the roses!
After our tour around the central part of the island, we had dinner at a local brewery in "downtown" Bar Harbor and Mike got more beer!
Back to the campground, did some laundry and to bed.
8/31: Lazy morning, then off to the Wildwood Stables for a carriage ride on the Rockefeller Carriage Roads in Acadia. What a fun event! Our horses were Percherons named Gub and Peter. Gub is 10, Peter is 14, but they are full brothers (same sire and dam). Gub is white and Peter is black. We toured all around one of the mountains and learned a lot about the history of the area and the construction of the roads. Many of the wealthy people of that era (late 1800's and early 1900's) built "cottages" in the area - huge mansions with over 100 rooms and every luxury imaginable. The carriage roads are now limited to carriage, horse, bicycle and foot traffic only, and there are 58 miles of roadway with amazing stone bridges. The roads are designed to have easy grades for the horses and the attention to detail that went into building the roads and bridges is astounding. Fun to pretend you are an Astor or Carnegie or Rockefeller and out for a little drive in your carriage on your private carriage road - can't even wrap our heads around the kind of wealth that allowed for that.
Mike wanted to tip the horse and kiss the guide!
This is the gate-keepers house - his job was to keep the islanders from driving their cars on the carriage roads built by Mr. Rockefeller. Just s small little 30 room dwelling!
After the carriage ride we went to the Asticou Hotel on Northeast Harbor and had seafood chowder and AMAZING popovers for a leisurely lunch. They bring you one warm from the oven as soon as you order, along with butter and blueberry and strawberry jam. Then comes your chowder, along with another hot popover, right out of the oven. We ate outside on the deck and had a wonderful view of the harbor and some pretty awesome boats.
Yes, he does remove his hat when prompted to do so!
Yum!
View from our table...
Back in the car and back to the campground to check on Baxter (he couldn't come on the carriage ride) and then headed into downtown Bar Harbor for a trolley ride to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunset. Beautiful sunset, but windy and cold. Back in the trolley and back down the mountain (glad we didn't drive as it was quite dark on the way back down and lots of traffic).
Walked around downtown a little bit, found a moose and Maine charm for my charm bracelet, which made me happy (charms are harder and harder to find), and checked out menus for crab cakes (our plan for dinner tomorrow night). Back in the Jeep and then to the campground, ice cream for dinner, some reading time, and to bed.
Mike and Glennis
Things we learned:
- US Customs agents are much friendlier than Canadian ones!
- PEI grows lots of potatoes
- Travel is still fun, although a "down" day once in a while is nice, too
- There are no RV washes in Canada - our motor home is FILTHY!!
- Canada was very neat and tidy
- Canadians are very polite, but TERRIBLE drivers!
- Carriage rides are fun and much less stressful
- Warm popovers loaded with butter and jam are WONDERFUL!
- We have become chowder connoisseurs/snobs
- Lakes are called "ponds" in Maine
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Very cool. :)
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