SEP 9, 2019 – Truro, NS
We decided to spend 2 nights, Sept 6-7, in a campground in Coles Island, New Brunswick CA as Hurricane Dorian smashed through the Canadian Maritimes.
We headed for Nova Scotia on the 8th even though there were power outages reported. It was a nice day for the drive and we were in search of the Bay of Fundy Tidal Bore!
Due to many locations not having power, and after stopping at two campgrounds that had temporarily closed, we opted to stay in the Tidal Bore Inn for the night of Sept 8. We managed dinner out of the RV and enjoyed long hot showers!
With some info from the Inn we headed out in the morning to a viewing location close to the Inn, on the Salmon River in Truro. We bought some coffee and got to the river around 9:30AM and started watching the fog lift. We’d been warned the bore had been barely visible the day before, possibly due to Hurricane Dorian. It showed up about four minutes after the scheduled moment, and was small but clearly visible.
After reading about the bore being a meter high I was disappointed. We were going to Cape Breton Island and the Cabot Trail and I didn’t know if we’d be back or in an area where we could see the bore again.
SEP 10, 2019 – Cabot Trail 1
Again we found several intended stops to have no power. We drove an additional hour after arriving at our destination campground and learning the power was still off and the water had just been turned off. We headed to Cheticamp where it was reported they had not lost their power. We were able to get a nice spot for the night.
We left Cheticamp on the 10th for our first full day of driving the Cabot Trail. We headed to a good half way point, the Hide Away Campground and Oyster Market in Dingwall. It was a clear and bright day which made the drive memorable. We had thought of staying 2 nights here, but the next day’s forecast was for rain, again. We spent one night in Hide Away and continued onto Broad Cove Campground which was a short drive in the rain.
On our way to the campground we detour to see the coast and find a small lighthouse museum. The small lighthouse had been moved from St Paul’s Island which we could see in the distance. It’s fun to climb up the tower and see the lens and the gears used to allow weights to slowly drop, like a pendulum, and rotate the lens. https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_hl_eng.aspx?id=14574
SEP 11-12, 2019 – Cabot Trail 2
We spent two nights in the Broad Cove Campground in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
After a rainy Sept 11 where we stayed onboard and managed laundry even though the machines weren’t in very good condition. Turns out the washer forgot to “spin” and then drying became a real challenge. It was very damp outside so we couldn’t hang things out to dry.
The morning of Sept 12 proved better and brighter and we enjoyed a great walk through the forest to the waterfront. It was apparent that the hurricane’s waves had washed up many things. It was odd to see dead lobsters strewn about and broken trees. The campground suffered considerable tree damage and noisy machines were working at cleaning up.
SEP 13, 2019 – Cabot Trail 3
We continued our drive on the Cabot Trail enjoying great sea views and coastal vistas. We occasionally stop for lunch and order the local seafood chowder. It was different and equally delicious every meal.
We departed from the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and drove to Baddeck NS which has a beautiful harbor and waterfront. We enjoy a terrific lunch before finding the campground which turns out to be a beautiful spot on the Bras D’Or Lakes with a terrific unobstructed view. Due to the hurricane the weather has been cool so the pool is no longer open. However, it’s reported, in the summer the pool and the lake are about the same temperature, the 70s, which sounds nearly reasonable.
We spend two nights and the campground has very few visitors and we enjoy the clear nights and the quiet.
SEP 15, 2019 – to Louisbourg, NS
We drive about 2 hours to get to the northeast coastal portion of Nova Scotia where an old French walled town has been restored. We arrive in Louisbourg in the early afternoon and check into the nearby campground before driving to the visitor center for the historic Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.
From there we ride the shuttle and enjoy a long walk in and around the town. It is a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress. There are numerous reenactors in costume that are extremely informative. There’s a bakery making traditional boules of bread that are very rustic and very good! In spite of the not so great weather we have a great time!
SEP 16, 2019 – to Antigonish, NS
On our way out of Louisbourg we take a slight detour to Lighthouse Point. It’s across from the Fortress and it’s a beautiful day to view the sea and the waves. On route we stop at the locks in St Peter’s Canal that separate the Atlantic Ocean from the Bras D’Or Lakes. After speaking for a while with the lock assistant, and as it was a slow day….. I was able to see the handwritten records of a lock transit in August 1983 of a boat my parents occasionally sailed on from Connecticut to the Bras D’or Lakes. I wonder if they were on the boat on this particular day?
Our next stop is Antigonish where there is a campground at the very edge of the town so close enough to walk through the town. We decide to spend 2 nights in order to have a long walking day and a stop for lunch. Again, to try the seafood chowder!
