Three More Days on Cape Breton Island

Days 54, 55 & 56 of Trip, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, August 2, 3 & 4, 2014

We've spent 3 wonderful days here...and it makes us want to either stay longer, or return. We've felt that way about almost every place we've been. Perhaps we shouldn't make reservations for our next stop until we've really gotten our fill of our current visiting place...because it always seems like we're leaving too soon. 

The days here have been a feast for the eyes. Rugged mountains rising out of the sea, tall pine, fir and spruce trees towering above the many deciduous trees in the forests, picturesque coves and small fishing villages, groves of white birch trees, and many shades of green and blue everywhere we look. Of course, we know full well that the winters are brutal here, so summertime is definitely the time to visit.

Curt has been embracing the frigid Canadian waters, both the salty North Atlantic and the fresh water springs. Brrrrr! I've been happy to be the one standing on shore taking the photos!

Here he is waving to us...mostly to show us that he hasn't quite yet frozen to death!

And here he's standing in an icy pool at the base of a waterfall, watching the teenagers jump off the rocks above.

Here's a brave young lady! The jumping off spot is about 20 feet above the water. I used to do that stuff...now I'm very happy to be the observer!

We've taken some lovely hikes. We kept hearing people mention a place called White Point. They all said that the hike takes you to the most beautiful view in the world. What could be more beautiful than the sights we had been seeing, we wondered. We found out. The trail started just above a little fishing village, which was lovely all on its own:

It wound up through the most heavenly smelling ground cover. I have no idea what the fragrance was, but I took a shot of just the ground cover...maybe somebody can recognize these northern plants and let me know what it is.

Of course, we DID recognize wild raspberries and blueberries. And we certainly knew what to do with those!

There was a lovely little cemetery overlooking the water, where many local fishermen and their families have been buried over the years, including a grave for the Unknown Fisherman.

And once we got to the point, the views were truly breathtaking in every direction. The photos don't do it justice, but I'll post them anyway. You can use your imagination for the rest of the experience!

We spotted a huge bird on our drive today. From the size, we think it's an immature bald eagle. What a treat that was to see so close!

We've also met wonderful people on this trip. We're staying in the National Park campground. There are a couple dozen families from various parts of Canada and the U.S. who come here for their vacations every year...many have come here for 30 years or more, and two families have been coming for over 50 years without missing a summer! Their children have all grown up knowing each other, and have looked forward to these vacations every year. They were kind enough to adopt us into their big, loose, happy group, and Curt and I have ended up providing their campfire music and entertainment for the past couple of nights. It's been so much fun! We sang till almost midnight the first night. Last night I said we HAD to quit earlier...so we managed to wind it up at 11:40 p.m.! Ah, the life of a traveling troubadour! But it's not without its rewards. One woman made me a s'more last night (yum!!) and another brought us a basket of Cape Breton strawberries. I've enjoyed those all day today!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will be another long traveling day. We're headed for Halifax, Nova Scotia for the next few days. We may be able to connect with some new friends we have made on this trip, so we're looking forward to that. Also, people have told us that this is the week that the "buskers" will be in Halifax. Apparently there are many street musicians, jugglers, and various other entertainers who will be all over the city this week. That sounds like fun to us!

So, our last farewell to you from Cape Breton. We love all of you!