Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail
Tuesday, September
27, 2016
Iona, Nova Scotia,
Canada
A Last bit of NL and then Nova Scotia !!!
Tablelands
As we head west in Newfoundland,
we think about all the places we did not see, and realize, 13 days in NL is not
enough. Back again across NL heading west
to Gros Morne National Park, we want to see the earth's mantle exposed. We
arrive at the Tablelands just south of Gros Morne, by a long winding tree lined
road along water … lots of water. We stopped at the Discovery Center and at this
late time in the season, we are the only ones there with three park employees to
chat with, learn from and be entertained by. One strummed on his guitar, the other
showed us to a large auditorium with a film about the earth’s mantle and its orange
rock, and the other told us where to find great food at the other side of the tablelands.
In the midst of miles and miles of Spruce and Fir, the Tablelands stand out in a
barren beauty.
We took a short hike to a great
view, looking for pitcher plants … did not see any, but I took a picture of a giant
one in the center that they use to educate children. As there were no children there,
the park ranger explained the pitcher plant to us and showed how it thrived on insects.
That restaurant ... The Seaside in Trout River. Wow … the most
delicious cod and scrumptious chowder, caught the night before right there in the
inlet off the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The picture is the view from our table ... at
the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
On the way across the Cabot Strait,
the sea was calm, the sky was clear as we watched a pod of porpoises breaching the
water. A wonderful crossing as we sat at a table at the very bow of the ship on
the 7th level deck. The view was mesmerizing and meditative.
On the ferry (these things are
HUGE) we befriended a lovely couple, Dan and Thelma, who have a house on Saunders
Bay in Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula. We may even have driven by their house
a couple weeks ago. They were so friendly and shared some great things about NL
and what it is like living there ... with whales on their beach frequently and the
salt and the wind and how beautiful it is all the time. They go to St. John’s NL
for the winter.
The passage was 10 hours counting
waiting, loading, going and by the time we disembarked, it was bedtime … so North
Sydney, Nova Scotia, Walmart here we come.
Nova Scotia (NS)
September 24, 2016 – 5 ½ weeks
into our trip and a plan that was conceived 50 years ago. Now that we are in Nova
Scotia … the focus in on heritage. Vicki’s grandparents on her father’s side were
born in Nova Scotia. It has been about 50 years since Vicki wished to visit Nova
Scotia someday. Living the Dream! More about the ancestry exploration later.
Cabot Trail in Cape Breton
Cape Breton Island is part of Nova
Scotia … the north islands … so amazing … so many places to stop and just say Ahhhhh.
These are the ones we chose in order of travel ... traveling the Cabot Trail counter-clockwise
… north to west then south.
- Gaelic College in St. Anne’s Bay – the only college in N. America devoted to the study and preservation of Gaelic Language and Culture. Found lots of Forbes objects and tartans.
- Clucking Hen Café – scrumptious gingerbread with caramel sauce, and blueberry scones.
- Cape Breton National Park headquarters – Ingonish Beach, took a bike ride to shake up the bones and get the blood running, walked on the sandy beach.
·
Continental Fault Lookover – this foggy valley
is the Aspy Fault. This is the place 350 million years ago when Africa was connected to North America
as part of the Pangaea Land Mass. it was probably created when two continental plates
collided and pushed the seafloor upwards, also creating the Appalachian Mountains
... which run all the way up to Nova Scotia and into the sea.
The map is Pangaea.
Hello Africa ... the yellow arrow points to where we are ... the Aspy Fault. The foggy valley picture is that spot.·
Also on the west side, we discover
the opulent French. The flag is Acadian (more later on these people.) The flag at
the house is the French Flag with an added star in the upper corner … which now
makes it the Acadian Flag.
On the west side of Cabot Trail,
the most amazing sunset greeted us.
Camped overnight at National Park
campground at Cheticamp on the west side of Cabot Trail.
Took a tiny ferry upon leaving
Cape Breton … $7 … 5 minutes from loading to unloading … over to Iona.
Highland Village in Iona
This living history village introduces
us to not only the history of the Scots in NS, but also a example of how to do Living
History! The townspeople in the village were there in heart and soul. You were actually
talking to a Scotswoman in 1750 in a sod house and a weaver in 1810.
The farmer responsible for all
the animals and vegetable gardens.
We participated in working the
cloth with the voice of a wonderful Gaelic girl who sang along. "Waulking"
of homemade cloth for household use was carried out by pounding the material against
a board by a few women who sat around a table singing a song, working the stiff
freshly woven cloth, and passing it around the table in a circle. We had seen this
in the television series “Outlander”. If you have read the book or seen the show
… you would know what unpleasant liquid they used to soften the cloth.
Next … a few days in Nova Scotia
… tracking down ancestors and soaking up the spirit of the Island.
Comments
Wish I could be there with you. Post pictures
of ancestor gravestones if you find them. Love, Wendy From Wendy Rector, on
Oct 2, 2016 at 05:43PM
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