I'm always sorry when pleasant things end
Trip Start
Jul 13, 2011
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10
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Trip End
Jul 20, 2011
Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, Canada
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
One of our first stops was Meat Cove, a side road off of the Cabot Trail. It was named because of all the meat (deer, moose) taken from the cove, but I think it deserves a far prettier name. When we drove up it was a bit misty but we could still see the rocky cliffs, beaches, and ocean. It is said to be the most remote part of Nova Scotia, but now there is regular mail and school buses and there is even TV and internet! But even with this, a campground, and hotel, it is still is a beautiful natural area. As we were leaving the fog lifted and we saw the whole cove, it was beautiful!
We got a CD audio guide for the Cabot trail. It had lots of information about the area, history, geology, and good places to stop. One of the things it kept mentioning over and over was whale watching tours. After hearing about all the whales and looking at the ocean, we decided we had to take a tour.
We got on the boat and after just about 20 minutes we saw a Minke whale! We were able to get pretty close, about five meters away! It was great to see the whale and there was beautiful scenery in the background! Our whale watching tour was about two hours and we saw plenty of whales, lots of birds and even some seals. And of course all the great scenery!
We continued our drive through Cape Breton Highlands National Park, there were great views of the ocean, cliffs, valleys, and waterfalls. Soon we were almost finished with the Cabot Trail and out of the National Park. We stopped at one more beach to get one last view of beautiful Cape Breton and the ocean.
At the end of the trail is Cheticamp, a small Acadian fishing village. There were Acadian flags everywhere and all the signs were in French and English. We loved the Acadian feel of the area.
Cheticamp is known as the rug hooking capital of the world. Elizabeth Lefort started the tradition which is still carried on today. We stopped at a rug hooking museum and gallery – it was amazing! They were like paintings in wool! Some of our favorites were Jesus holding a lamb (the halo seemed to glow!), the crucifixion, and one with all the American Presidents. Part of the last piece was actually redone by the artist after she had finished it to include the newly elected presidents and the space program.
We were sad to leave Cape Breton, it was so beautiful! But more then that, we were sad to be leaving Canada and ending our trip. But, little did we know, we had one more surprise waiting for us!
