One Hundred Thousand Welcomes

From Prince Edward Island, we headed to Nova Scotia, to visit Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail.  Our first evening was an overnight stop in Pictou, selected because originally we had considered taking the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia; however, the size of our RVs and the fact that one of the ferries was out of service made it a simple decision to use the Confederation Bridge.   

Pictou is a town that would be interesting to explore in greater depth.  The town was established by the Scottish Highlanders who arrived on the ship Hector in 1773.  The Gaelic settlers were leaving behind cultural suppression and economic change that later became known as the Highland Clearances.

Replica of the Hector, tied up alongside the Hector Heritage Quay at Pictou.
The ship brought early Scottish settlers to New Brunswick in 1773

We found this group of young pipers practicing near the harbor in Pictou in the early..
evening.  A light rain was falling, so they were standing under a bridge to keep dry. 

From Picitou we took the Trans-Canada Highway (104) and crossed over to Cape Breton Island on the Canso Causeway.  Cape Breton is noted for its rugged scenery.  Since our focus was the Cabot Trail, we selected Bras d'Or Campground near the town of Baddeck, about half-way between the start and the end of the seaside loop that is the Cabot Trail.  Though it has a population of only 1,000, Baddeck has a high concentration of restaurants and stores because of its proximity to the Trail.  One positive aspect of our June visit was that there were fewer tourists.  On the negative side, the traditional Scottish ceildhs, social gatherings with music and dancing, usually take place in July and August.

A misty morning drive along the Trans-Canada Highway,
going from Pictou to Cape Breton

Crossing onto Cape Breton Island.  That's the back of our Columbus on
the bridge.  The picture was taken by our friend Lil.  She and Guy
were right behind us in their truck and Cedar Creek.

Approaching Baddeck and our campground at Bras d'Or Lakes Campground.  Bras
d'Or is Canada's largest inland lake and a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve

Our camp site at Bras d'Or Lakes Campground, near Baddeck.  Our truck and trailer
 are in the foreground.  Next to us, with the black truck, are our friends Guy and Lil. 

On Bras d'Or (Golden Arm) Lake, not far from our campground,
a lighthouse marks a dangerous sand bar

The Cabot Trail essentially loops around Cape Breton's Highlands National Park.  The Trail is 185 miles (300 km) in length and takes at least eight hours to drive.  On one side of the road are rugged cliffs bordering the sea;  on the other side are the far northern reaches of the Appalachian Mountains.  The west side of the Cabot Trail offers the most dramatic sea views.

Starting up the west side of the Cabot Trail you pass by
Lake Ainslie

View of the sea and the Cabot Trail, taken in the National Park.  Note the
construction going on.  The old road was being replaced with a new one.

Spectacular view from the trail as we traveled down the east
side of the trail late in the afternoon.

Shortly after entering the National Park, we stopped to take pictures of these
rocks, known as the "Twin Sisters."  Several fishing boats were working 
in the area, hauling in their nets.

The views away from the sea are almost as spectacular. This
is the far northern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain,
stretching all the way down to North Carolina and Georgia 

Lots of camping and hiking along the Cabot Trail, and a few RV parks,
but I wouldn't want to try to pull our trailer around most of the Trail.

Near the little hamlet of Margaree, this house sits only a couple of
hundred yards from a working lighthouse.

Laurence's General Store - Hardware and Groceries.
The Post Office is located in this building, too.

Among the lovely towns along the western trek of the Cabot Trail is Cheticamp, a Francophone enclave which keeps the language, culture, music, and culinary traditions of the Acadian people alive.  Between 1755 and 1763, a period referred to as "Le Grand Derangement", many of the Acadians of this region were deported from the province.  Settling in French territory much further south - in what is now the state of Louisiana - they brought their language, their music and their traditions with them.  The name Acadians soon was shortened and changed to "Cajuns", a term still used to describe the re-located French from Cape Breton. 

Eglise Saint-Pierre in Cheticamp.  The original church on this site
was built in 1800.  This one dates back to 1879. Local fishermen use
the twin spires as a reference point to determine their positions. 

The harbor at Cheticamp with the fishing fleet tied up.  The tall building on the pier
(center of the picture) is Cheticamp Fisheries, where the day's catch is processed

Fishing boats in the harbor at Cheticamp

Crab traps.  Several groups of fishermen were inspecting and repairing
the crab traps in preparation for the snow crab season 

One place to learn about Acadian culture is Les Centre de Trois Pignon.  One of the more interesting sections is the museum that houses hooked rugs and tapestries - most significantly those designed and created by Elizabeth Le Fort. These delicate and colorful masterpieces are amazing pieces of art.

Les Centre de Trois Pignon (the building with three gables) is built in a traditional 18th
century French design and houses a cultural museum as well as the hooked rug museum.

Typical early Acadian kitchen, part of Les Centre de Trois Pignon museum

Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy, by Elizabeth Le Forte  Not a painting
or cross-stitch, but a hooked rug.  Le Forte's work has hung in
the Vatican, in the White House and Buckingham Palace

The Crucifixion, hooked rug by Elizabeth Le Forte (1964).  Took 11 months to
make.  510 different colors in the rug,  Size ~10 ft. X 5.5 ft (3 m X 1.7 m)

For those who enjoy outdoor adventures there are several outfitters in Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay who offer kayak tours, deep sea fishing, or whale watching.  Mike and I chose a whale watching trip with an outfitter called Captain Zodiac.  The tour company guarantees whale sightings or a refund is given.  We did, indeed, see five minke whales, the second-smallest of the baleen whales.

We were in a Zodiac inflatable boat that held 12 passengers plus the pilot. All
of us were required to put on an immersion suit (or survival suit) of the type
that fishermen wear on deck, in case we fell overboard or the boat sank.

Despite it being June, it was brisk and cool on the boat, with a little rain.  We were
out almost 4 hours and did see whales, although we were never able to get pictures
of them.  (We have a lot of "empty ocean" pictures where the whales were.)

Near the far reaches of the Cabot Trail is the little community of Neil's Harbour, complete with a spectacular view, a very photographic lighthouse, and a picturesque harbor...and perhaps one of the best lunches we had on our entire journey at the Neil's Harbour Chowder House. 

The lighthouse and a very busy harbor at Neil's Harbour

Neil's Harbour Light

Murdock's Rock, one of the many reasons that the Neil's Harbour Light exists.

The hamlet of Neil's Harbour, Nova Scotia

The Cabot Trail offers views of mountains and fields as well as spectacular coastline scenery.  Today, tourism and fishing, especially lobster fishing, are the backbone of the local economy. 

Gulls flock around a fishing boat, in hopes of getting something to eat.
They were still following the boat for as long as we could see it.

A fishing boat with its deck covered in colorful bouys, tied up at the pier at Cheticamp

A fishing boat headed out on a misty, overcast morning, off the
southeastern coast of Cape Breton

Another interesting stop is in St. Ann's Bay at Colaisde na Gàidhlig (The Gaelic College), an internationally recognized school teaching Celtic song and dance as well as the Gaelic language.  It is also one of the only schools in the world that teaches "piping" (bagpipe playing) and has, for over forty years, been making and selling beautiful kilts.  The kilts, alone, are worth a stop to visit the gift shop.

The College's mission statement reads "To promote, preserve and perpetuate
through studies in all related areas: the culture, music, language, arts, crafts,
customs and traditions of immigrants from the Highlands of Scotland."

One of many churches we saw with two steeples.  In Quebec, some churches
had one steeple on each end.  On Cape Breton, most of the churches have
both steeples on the front of the church.  This church was in St. Ann's Bay.

The Cabot Trail ends only a few miles from where it began, near the town of Baddeck.

The Gaelic culture is further honored and illustrated in the little town of Iona, located at the southern tip of Cape Breton.  Here, one finds the Highland Village, a re-creation of an early Scottish settlement in Cape Breton. This forty acre village is a living history museum.  Historical buildings have been assembled from all over the province to depict the Highland Scot's way of life from eighteenth century life in the Hebrides to about the mid-twentieth century life in Nova Scotia.  Costumed animators add authenticity to the experience.  From the village there is a spectacular view of Bras d'Or Lake and the narrow Barra Strait. Following our visit to the Highland Village, we had a fun dinner in a local restaurant that was housed in a church basement a few miles from the village.

An Taigh Dubh (The Black House)  18th century stone and sod house, typical of
those found on the Hebrides Islands off of Scotland, where there are few trees.
When the Scots arrived on Cape Breton, they were able to build wooden houses.

Bedroom in a typical home on Cape Breton, circa 1900

Early home and barn on Cape Breton, circa 1888

Home, circa 1900.  Wooden shingle roof.  The ladder on roof is used to reach
the chimney to extinguish flue fires to prevent the wooden roof from igniting

Lupine flowers on a hillside overlooking the beautiful blue sea.  No wonder
the early Scottish settlers thought they had found the ideal spot to live.

From Baddeck it is about 50 miles (80 km) to the island's major city, Sydney. The  Sydney Marine Terminal is a stop for several cruise lines. We made a quick stop see "the big fiddle" on our way to visit Louisbourg.

The 60-foot tall 10-ton iconic metal sculpture, the world's largest fiddle, was unveiled
in January 2005 on the Sydney, NS, wharf.  Created by Sydney artist Cyril Hearn,
it pays tribute to Cape Breton's Celtic heritage and traditional fiddle music..  

The fiddle and bow are in correct proportions to one another.
The bow strings are stainless steel aircraft cable.  Lil's picture
of Guy shows the perspective of how big the fiddle really is.

The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest historical reconstruction in North America.  Louisbourg, originally called Isle Royale and serving as the  capital of the new colony, was founded in 1713.  The fortress was constructed to protect France's interest in the new world, especially the important fishing industry. It also acted as the first line of defense against Great Britain in the struggle for colonial supremacy in North America.  In 1745, after a prolonged siege, the fort became a British stronghold but a 1749 treaty returned the fort to the French.  After another siege in 1758 the British once again took and held the fort.  The fortification was blown up in the 1760's and the British withdrew in 1768.  Many of the original imported cut stones were used elsewhere in the province.  A political initiative in 1961 was the impetus to rebuilding the fort and two decades later the historical and interpretive site came to be.  During the summer costumed interpreters bring the fort and town to life.

The reconstructed portion of the fortress includes more than a dozen buildings
that are open to the public, including three fully-operational authentic 18th
century restaurants and a bakery.

The main gate that led from piers in the harbor into the town / fortress

During the summer months, hundreds of costumed re-enactors (or "animators")
of all ages populate the streets, going about daily life much as they would have in
1744.  This soldier is demonstrating how to load and fire a black powder musket.

Making lace with an almost impossible number of needles.  Making "needle lace"
by hand is almost a lost art, but is being preserved at Louisbourg.

By the 1740's, over 2,000 people lived at Louisbourg.  In addition to
soldiers and the priests, nuns and medical brothers who attended them,
, innkeepers, laundresses, tailors and others found a market for their services

In 1744, Britain and France went to war.  On May 11, 1745, 4,000 New England
militiamen stormed ashore.  After a forty-six day siege, the fortress fell to the
British at the end of June.

The town and fortress were partially restored in the 1960's and 1970's, using
some of the original stonework found on site.  The restoration project provided
jobs for many unemployed coal miners.

The Royal Governor's home (left) and the Chapel, with steeple

The Royal Governor's bed chamber

Traditional costume of the Mi'kmaq people, At the
De La Plagne House in Louisbourg, there is an exhibit
which explores Mi'mkaq history.  The Mi'kmaq people
are referred to as Cape Breton's "First Nation."

Whether you visit Cape Breton to experience the rugged natural beauty, to immerse yourself in Acadian or Gaelic culture, or to step back into the island's rich history, you are sure to experience "ciad mìlle fàilte" - a hundred thousand welcomes (Scottish Gaelic) - and come away with plenty of fascinating Road Stories.

Somehow, we still always find ourselves attracted to boats and the water