Nova Scotia

We made it to Nova Scotia at the same time as an orange weather alert. So much rain. We were lucky and missed most of it . Our first stop was Antigonish and a quick visit with cousins Kim and Darcy MacDonald. It is always so much fun catching up and comparing family stories. We had a nice dinner out and a quick tour around Antigonish. It is really growing. We had a lovely visit and even did a load of laundry. We are looking forward to seeing them again in October for a family wedding. The next morning we took a side trip to the Cape George area where my dad grew up. We visited quite often when I was young. We stopped a few times and even saw the house he was born in. There are so many more homes, some drop dead gorgeous. The views are just spectacular. We stopped at Cape George Lighthouse and chatted with a few other tourists. We had a light lunch at Fish and Ships in Ballantynes Cove. This is a spot I remember well. My dad fished out of this harbour and we spent time here when we visited. When Randy and I visited 30 years ago it was lobster season. We visited the co-op and one of the workers had been good friends of my aunt Sally. She thought I was the spitting image, her words. She was grading lobsters and was able to give us a deal on enough for a feast. This time it wasn't lobster season and nothing much was going on at the co-op. We did check out the tuna interpretive centre. Its amazing how large some of the tuna is that is caught around here. I took a walk on the beach. I rembered campfires and ghost stories here. The local kids loved scaring the heck out of the city kids. We lived in Corunna not exactly a booming metropolis but we seemed very different to them. We finished our drive and got back on the highway to get to Cape Breton. The highway was also a huge change. Most of it 4 lanes right through the rocks in James River. I guess they appropriated some of our aunt and uncles land but they were compensated well. Also they kept access to their hunting camp. There is still so much work being done to finish it. Its pretty impressive. We decided to take the Ceilidh Trail and check out the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou. There was live music tonight and we could park across the road at the community hall. We arrived around 3 and there didn’t appear to be much around so we headed to our second choice, Big Spruce Brewery. The drive was spectacular and we weren't even on the Cabot Trail. Great decision as the Brewery was wonderful. We met other travelers and had a great evening. The beer was really good too. The next morning we were going to visit Fort Louisbourg but by the time we got on the road we knew we wouldn't have time. We wandered around Baddeck instead. Its a pretty little town and we really enjoyed the waterfront. We arrived in North Sydney a little early so we parked at Canadian Tire and walked around town. We were parked beside a couple from BC who were traveling in their truck camper so we enjoyed a visit with them. We were able to get a sleeping pod for the trip and were still on the wait list for a cabin. We were really hoping for a cabin since it had a shower but no luck. The sleeping pod wasn't bad, twin beds and some storage. There were washrooms across the hall. There was live music in the lounge, Jimmy Inch and he was pretty entertaining. Seas were calm so the movement of the boat was gentle. You could hear the rumble of the engines but it was a comfortable ride. We didn't sleep well, I was feeling a little claustrophobic in our little sleeping pods. We will be taking the shorter ferry home so it won't be an issue. We had dinner and breakfast onboard. The service was excellent but the food so so. Not enough time for Nova Scotia but we did enjoy our short visit.Read more