Chéticamp

Well, it is September now and today is a little overcast. It rained last night and I liked the sound of the rain on the roof of the trailer. I was snug as a bug and the rain lulled me to sleep.

As I drive over the mountain (a hour and quarter drive) to Cheticamp; the mist in the mountains gives the drive a little bit of a brooding atmosphere. Great for pictures though! As I drive the winding roads traffic slows dramatically, I can’t see why at first but then I do. It appears that a semi is towing a larger size boat to a new location. Because of the steep incline they are only going about 10 kms and traffic is backing up. These people here have nerves of steel to be towing this thing across the mountains! (Would think that it would be easier to take it through the water or on a barge if it is not sea worthy!) Once the road widens a bit he pulls over so that we can pass and continue on our merry way.

Cheticamp is a French settlement just before the park. In all honesty it is a little community with lots of restaurants and tourist stuff. It does have a nice church and it seems to have more services like a bank, liquor store, groceries, that kind of thing. There is a lot of hype about Cheticamp but I don’t see why. Historically not hugely significant except that it was a French settlement where settlers came.

The church is quite nice though and they have a great history board with it. It is called St. Pierre. This is actually the fourth church to be built here. The original one was 1.6 kms away from this one in 1800. It was replaced by a larger one in 1812 and then it rebuilt on a different site in 1861. Then in 1892 this one was built with sandstone taken from the peninsular across the way. The church is 64.6 meters long (212 feet) by 22.6 meters wide (74 feet) by 165 meters tall at the belfry (50.3 feet). It sits on the main street by the water and the towers can be seen from everywhere. There is a small pipe organ and the loft was open so I could get some really nice pictures.

I then head down to a restaurant called the Doryman Pub for some lunch. I know that I haven’t captured many food pictures this time but it is because I’m hungry and forget to take them when the food comes! This time I do get a picture of the rib steak with fried mushrooms, onions and mashed potatoes. Enjoy, I did!!

I leave Cheticamp full but a little dismayed about the hype versus the reality. The weather has cleared so the drive back through the mountains is beautiful. I stop to get some shots for you and then continue on. While I continue I find a nice little surprise: a water fall to hike to. I haven’t had a waterfall for a while now so I’m excited. It is a 2 kms (1.24 miles) walk but it is level and cleared nicely. The sound of the rushing water is promising and it doesn’t disappoint! This waterfall is part of the Cape Breton Highlands Park. The name of this one is: Beulach Ban Waterfall. It is 20 meters (65 feet) tall and is fed from the mountain run off. I have included a picture but also a video for you! Well that made up for Cheticamp I think!

I head home and enjoy my chowder (from the pub) and enjoy an evening reading. Tomorrow I stay on this side of the mountains and explore some small hamlets around here.Read more