All in all it was a restful night. I slept quite well although I’ve been complaining about the mattress on our bed and its impact on my ribs. Connie reminded me that I was struck by that mobile post in Quèbec City and suggested perhaps that was the reason behind the pain.
In hindsight, I likely should have risen 1 hour earlier as we would have been able to pack up without rain. However, I decided to snooze until 8 am at which time Connie asked ‘what is that noise”? I suggested thunder, she said ‘no it must be the awning’. I looked outside and found no evidence of wind but who am I to argue.
As it turns out, I was right – I know there is a first time for everything! I was busy packing up and about 1/2 done when the skies opened up and the rains began to pour. We basically packed everything critical up in the pouring rain, so everything was soaked through. After all was done, here is a photo of me – drenched.
Given the rain, I skipped my morning shower and coffee and decided once we departed I’d stop at the first Tim Horton’s to grab a large dark roast (actually Connie purchased it for me while I topped up the tank in the Tundra) at the nearest Shell station.
By 10am we were on the road headed for Cape Breton. What I didn’t anticipate was the torrential downpours along the way. The benefit of this was that the trailer was washed thoroughly and the bugs were removed without the need of a car wash – the natural way. I’m not sure I’ve driven through this heavy of a rain before…and certainly nothing that lasted this long. We stopped at an Irving ‘Big Stop’, grabbed another Tim Horton’s (thanks Connie).
At about 1230pm we reached Antigonish (home of Zach’s good friend Nathaniel who is still in Toronto) – I just love the name of this town. We didn’t stop but we plan to do so on the way back. I think it is only fitting that one stops at Antigonish…particularly because I will likely never be back.
Shortly after we crossed the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton and stopped at the visitor’s centre for a bite of lunch. I took the liberty to visit the welcome centre and gift shop and purchased myself a Cape Breton cap and scarf…it will come in handy in the winter.
Within an hour we arrived in Baddeck to our campsite. Actually, we drove right by it and into town because Connie neglected to point out the turnoff to Zach and me. Apparently, we were being too critical of her navigation earlier in the day. So, we turned around and drove back to check in. We are staying in the Bras d’Or Lakes campsite, which is not spectactular but clean and green.
After getting set up, we made our way into to Baddeck to check out the town. It is the home of Alexander Graham Bell Historical Site – I can see why he loved it here – it is a pretty little town. We plan to visit the centre tomorrow, time permitting. We picked up a few groceries and some Nova Scotia beer and returned to cook a fine steak dinner at our campsite.
While we were cooking dinner, our new neighbour Tommy showed up. He was having a heck of a time backing his new tent trailer into the site beside us. So, I decided to reach out and help him navigate. I tried to make him feel better by saying these tent trailers are difficult and shared with him my experience when I first started backing up a trailer. This was all complete lies of course (I learned to do this in my early teens) but it made him feel better and that is all that matters. Tommy is from Cape Breton and he came out early to set up before ‘the girlfriend’ and her two kids arrived. I told him he was a smart man. We exchanged pleasantries. He spent a couple years in Calgary so knew where Kelowna was. I found him so pleasant…I just love talking to these maritimers.
We enjoyed a fabulous filet steak meal, with potatoes, corn on the cob, caesar salad and Nova Scotia red wine. After dinner, I helped Tommy with a few more details – connecting his power etc. Connie, Zach, and I chatted and laughed and then Connie and I walked to the lake.
When we returned, I spoke to just about every camper (including Tommy) asking them if they’d done the Cabot Trail, how long it took them, etc. In true East Coast form, we received about 5 different testimonials about how long it should take us to drive the trail, which way we should go and why. It’s just like watching CBC! I love these guys and gals and their accents!
So, tomorrow we will attempt the Cabot Trail. It will take us between 1.5 hours and 5 hours, depending on which source we decide to quote. The only thing that is certain, is we are on the east coast of Canada. I love this country – there is simply no better place on earth and I am very proud to call myself a Canadian.
Mal and Connie's Cross Canada Adventure 2.0 