Tuesday, July 2, 2024, Cabot Trail Full Clockwise Trip, Nova Scotia, Canada

The weather was looking good for the day so we decided to tackle the other side of the Cabot Trail. It was almost 90 miles to the western start of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park just north of Cheticamp. At our first stop, the clouds appeared like a giant wave in the surf rolling out across the sea. I don't think the picture below adequately captured the scene. It was beautiful.

This side of the park certainly had its share of hills and curves following the coastline.

Of course, there were beaches full of rocks to explore and not enough time to linger.

From sea level, we climbed some of the steepest pavement we have traveled (I estimated a 15 to 20 percent grade). The view of the water below was fantastic!

At 410 meters above sea level (1350 feet) we explored the French Mountain Bog. The entire loop was on a boardwalk. There was no solid ground anywhere. Signs told us we might see moose - we did not. What we did see was two species of carnivorous plants. The pitcher plant catches insects in water-filled bladders. When they drown they are digested by enzymes in the bladder.

Purple Pitcherplant, Sarracenia purpurea

Another plant, the Sundew lures insects with sticky nectar droplets (the red part of the plant below). Once an insect is stuck the leaf folds around its victim and digests it.

Ferns were a large part of the growth in the bog as well and everywhere we saw whispy, cotton grass.

Cotton Grass, Eriophorum

In one pond we found this Japanese Iris that seemed to be out of place in the bog.

We took a break in our drive to eat lunch. Joani had some hearty seafood chowder while I had a burger and fries. We consulted the map and realized we could retrace our journey to return to the campsite or we could continue clockwise around the Cabot Trail. Each option was just over 100 miles at that point. We chose to continue the loop.

Crossing the island to the east we encountered the steepest hills I have ever driven (even steeper than our earlier uphill climb). The woods were lush and I'm sure provided some outstanding hikes, but sadly, we just did not have the time. Swinging south as we reached the water again at Neil's Harbor we were now on roads familiar from our travels two days ago but this time we had more agreeable weather. Lakies Head was a bit more enjoyable in the warm sunshine than our previous visit.

I believe the picture below, one of my favorite views, is from Pathend Brook Lookout just south of Cape Smokey Provincial Park. Contrast this view with the one from a few days ago when it was overcast and wet.

Taken two days prior on an overcast day.

Many of the roadside signs were labeled in English and Scottish Gaelic. 

We finished the day back at our campground in time for the travel briefing for the following day. After 200-plus miles around the Cabot Trail I could have used a day off but I settled for a margarita and an early bedtime.

Monday, July 1, 2024, Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

From our campground in Little Bras D'or, NS, it was about a 45-minute drive to the Fortress of Louisburg National Historic Site. A crowd was expected since it was Canada Day (July 1st, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion within the British Empire) and park admission was free for everyone. Our National Park passes, provided by Fantasy RV Tours, made it free for us any day but we decided it was best to visit today. On our way, we had to make a quick stop in Sydney to ogle the world's largest fiddle. It stood 17 meters tall (almost 56 feet) and weighed 8 tons. It was created to celebrate the important role music played in the cultural heritage of Cape Breton Island but I think it was just to draw tourists in.

On the water, fishermen were busy even though it was a holiday.

We followed Google Maps only to be turned around and directed back to a visitor center where we had to board a bus to the site. It wasn't a complete waste of time - we caught a different angle on the fort and more fishermen in the fog.

After we exited the bus we explored an old fisherman's sod roof home where volunteers were dressed in period garb. A fellow gave us a glimpse into life in the 1800's. He explained how Cod were caught, processed, and shipped to France. It turns out you can salt and dry Cod (apparently only Cod) to preserve them indefinitely. Just rehydrate and rinse the salt away and the fish is just like fresh. I guess without refrigeration you had to be creative.

A short walk away, we reached the guard house where they actually had a drawbridge over a moat. The moat was open to the sea so I doubt it was very effective for repelling attacks.

Just beyond the drawbridge were guard barracks and then the armory and more barracks.

The governor lived in the big house high on the hill. It also contained the church and barracks for another 700 officers and soldiers.

Oddly, there was a separate guard house outside the building full of soldiers. Half of the building below was for the captain of the guard and the other half housed another dozen soldiers.

Another character filled us in on life in the barracks. Each bed was assigned to three soldiers. Each had a straw-filled mattress for 8 hours of the day. They cooked in the room, washed in the room, and slept in the room. Work details ran 24 hours a day and the soldiers were basically a labor force to build and main the fortress.

The number two man lived in the house below. It was probably well appointed and comfortable in its day but now it housed Legos, lots of Legos.

Only one room was inside the house now and it was covered by a Lego model of the entire fortress. It was fascinating to study the details someone had worked into the model. They had a sense of humor as well judging by the gulls and lobsters spread throughout.

When we left the Legos we walked into a fog bank that transformed the landscape. It lifted almost as quickly as it had rolled in.

In the garden area behind the captain's house, Joani found wild Columbine flowers that were colorful but less full and varied than today's blooms. The captain, by the way, was quite the devious one. He also ran a pub and kept the soldiers in debt so they would have to re-enlist to pay their tab.

As part of the program, a cannon was fired at the close of the fort each day. A detail of soldiers marched through the streets to the sea wall to perform the ritual. Drummers drummed and fifers fifed as the crowd built behind them. 

We followed for a bit and snapped our pictures. Joani found this little guy to be precious as he directed his parents to follow the soldiers.

The crowd grew larger as we approached the fortress wall. We realized they were all going to head for the bus as soon as the cannon was fired. We decided to get ahead of the crowd to the buses instead of waiting for the big "BOOM". We reached the bus and boarded with no wait. Almost immediately after the bus started rolling it started to sprinkle. By the time we reached our car, the rain fell in earnest.

Friday, June 21, 2024, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, Capitol, Art Museum

We had a full schedule of things to see in Fredericton so we headed out early starting in Le Jardin Botanique de Fredericton (Fredericton Botanical Garden). It was a huge open park. We read the map wrong, which led us down a steep utility trail that we thought about returning without seeing any gardens. At the bottom of the hill, we discovered the south entrance and another map. Finally, we understood where we were and followed the correct path to the flowering beds.

Behind the "Ferns and Fiddleheads" was a noisy bog. After a few moments, we spotted a half dozen croaking frogs and some bonus dragonflies. 

The uphill climb back to our car was not as bad as we imagined on the winding garden path as we logged about 4,000 steps before 9:30 in the morning.

Next, we toured the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, or what we would call the Capitol Building.

Our docent, Max, was a political science major finishing his degree. His first question - English or French? Three Canadians from Ontario and New Brunswick joined us and we all chose English (which I suspect was his language of choice). It was clear he enjoyed his role as a tour guide as he gave us all sorts of insight into the history of the New Brunswick government. In the lobby, he related a story of rambunctious kids who, left unsupervised, had used the painting for archery target practice when it hung in the lieutenant governor's (their dad) residence in the 1800s.

Most of the desks in the legislative chamber were original (over 200 years old.) The previous house had a fire that was confined to the second floor, so much of the furniture was saved.

Up the cantilevered staircase we reached the gallery where, if the assembly had been in session, we could have watched the proceedings.

Max gave us some history about the two chandeliers. A hand winch originally lowered each for maintenance. They were replaced by an electric winch that, on its first use, failed to stop on its way back up. The chandelier broke loose and crashed onto the desks below. Fortunately, the manufacturer still had replacements for much of the glass and they were able to rework the brass restoring it to like new condition. They reinstalled the manual winches still used today.

New Brunswick owns a complete set of 16 illustrated Audubon bird volumes worth an estimated $22 million. Nice appreciation since they bought them for $800 originally. 

Directly across the street was the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. This was a nice surprise and one of the finest galleries we have visited.

Some of our favorite paintings are captioned below.

A Passing Storm (1876)

by Jacques-Joseph Tissot (1836-1902)

oil on canvas

Karen Kain (1980)

Andy Worhol (1928-1987)

screen print with diamond dust on paper

Overfalls (2023)

Michael Smith

acrylic on canvas

San Vigllio, Lake Garda (1913)

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

oil on canvas

Santiago El Grande (1967)

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

13 feet tall oil on canvas

We spent more than two hours enjoying the many rooms of the museum and this blog only includes a small fraction of the pictures we captured. 

We returned to the campground where our Wagon masters and Tail gunners treated us to a fantastic dinner of salad, pulled pork, baked beans, and chocolate eclair cake for dessert, Yum!