Maritime Provinces 2007 - Nova Scotia, Canada (Page 2)
Updated: 11/30/08
Today was a travel day. We moved from Halifax to Cape Breton Island. It was a nice ride with some great views.
If you look real hard,
you will see another HitchHiker.
(To make it easier, click to enlarge.)
The only way onto Cape Breton Island by land is the Canso Causeway.
Even the view from the causeway was pretty.
This sign welcomed to us.
At some point we caught up
with two HitchHikers
Cape
Breton is a beautiful place.
As usual, as soon as we set-up, we got back in the truck to tour the local area. We ended up in the Sidney Mines area. It is a community that has been significantly hurt by the closing of local coal mines.
Our first stop occurred after we followed a two-track road to the edge of a cliff. Mary Lou got a little concerned when Fred wanted to photograph over the edge. The surface was loose coal with a rounded edge and a straight drop. Maybe it wasn't a good idea.
Off
in the distance, we could see an interesting shaped building. We decided we
would look for that later. If you have viewed many of our prior destinations,
you know we like to find local places of interest that most travelers will not
see.
Sidney Mines had a beautiful church and was located on a scenic jagged rock plateau.
As
we drove around the area North of town, we saw another strange looking building on one
of the points. We took a two-track leading towards it. The two-track
turned into a footpath. A footpath that did not look very safe. It was small and
rounded with a drop-off on both sides.
On our drive back into town, we asked a resident what the building on the point was. He told us it was a military outpost. It had a watchtower and living quarters for soldiers. It also served as a hospital. He told us there were three in the area. This one, the one we saw in the distant and a third closer to North Sidney. (He confirmed that the footpath was not safe.)
After taking several wrong streets, we found the street closest to the building. It was another military outpost. This one was close to a concentration of houses so the locals had painted graffiti on it.
On the South end of Sidney Mines we saw a small cemetery.
It was interesting because most of the stones were laying flat on a small mound of earth.
Of course, we had to stop to investigate.
Rev.
Matthew Wilson , minister of the First Presbyterian Church, is honored with a tall
monument. He served the congregation from 1842 to 1883.
A local resident told us that the stones were laid down to protect them. As you can see, many are in poor condition.
Just before we got into North Sidney, we found the third military outpost. This one had a position for a big gun. It also had several small positions built into the cliff. The shoreline in both directions had that black 'coal like' look. A local resident explained to us that during World War II this was a heavily fortified location. Each night the military stretched netting across the harbor to keep submarines out.
The next day the
schedule called for an all-day bus tour of the
Cabot Trail
and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada. We departed the campground at 8:00am.
The day's schedule called for riding over two hundred
miles on the bus - including 184 miles on the Cabot Trail. The tour
guide posted a map at the front of the bus so we didn't get 'lost'. It was a long
day and a lot of miles. What this meant was that many things were pointed out to
us to look at . . . but . . . we didn't stop at many. This made it difficult to
make a good photograph of many of the things we saw. It got to the point that
Fred and John, the guy behind Fred on the bus, would jokingly say to each other
- "did you get that". Using the 'sport' setting on the camera and
being willing to 'delete' a lot of blurry images, we were able to make some
photographs from the bus to add to those made when the bus stopped.
The ride to the Cabot Trail was a mix of views - farmland and water.
The people in this house have a great view.
The bus made scheduled stops at a couple at commercial establishes. One was at Flora's Gift Shop. The other was very different.
The
other was at Joe's Scarecrows. It was an interesting stop. It was started by a
retired school teacher. They provided a gift shop, a small cafe AND restrooms.
Some of the scarecrows displayed
signs.
Others demonstrated the type of work they
did.
Our next stop was not too far down the road. We visited St. Pierre Church.
Three of our members
volunteered to test the acoustics.
They sounded real good.
Go with us now to Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada on the Cabot Trail.
The bus stopped at this overlook for quite a while. Everyone had time to stretch our legs and make photographs. Even with the haze, it was a beautiful location. We were able to see a school of whales. Our tour guide said they were probably Pilot whales.
Back on the bus . . .
Not too far down the road, we stopped again.
This
overlook had an interesting information panel - in addition to the view.
A
little further down the road we saw our first moose. Unfortunately, Fred was on
the left side of the bus and the moose was behind the guardrail on the right
side of the road. While our new camera starts fast, the bus was going around the
curve too fast.
Use your imagination - in the center of the frame is the 'south end' of a 'northbound' moose.
You can't keep us on a bus all day and not feed us. Our group used just about all of the seats in the restaurant. They knew we were coming.
On the road again - making photographs out the window again - still beautiful.
This is one of several survival huts along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada.
A nice picnic area ...
We passed several bays where fishing village were located.
We
stopped at the Keltic Lodge - for what else, ice cream. The view across North Bay
Ingonish was beautiful. Several of us were standing at the rail making photographs.
Every
once in a while, a sea gull pauses in mid-air for a photograph.
This sea gull was near us.
All his friends were circling a fishing boat looking for dinner.
Then, a voice came across the road, "over here". Behind the buildings across the road, the view was even better. This is South Bay Ingonish.
From the bus on the ride back to the campground . . .
This
orange cone reminded us of what 'good buddies' orange cones and flags were to
drivers in Alaska. They warned you of a dangerous
edge. This orange cone is giving the same message.
Towards
the end of the day, it was high tide. The tour guide and driver decided that we
would take the Englishtown ferry across St. Anns Bay to save some time and mileage. We were on the first
bus.
We waited with anticipation for the arrival of our fellow HitchHikers in the second bus to cross.
After returning to camp and discussing what we saw during the day, we decided that the two or three places we would like to revisit to make better photographs were too far away. We could not justify the second 200 mile ride.
Dolores
had announced a 'white elephant gift' game in the recreation building at 7:30pm.
So we had a quick dinner and headed out.
After starting the game, Don and Dolores
just sat back and watched the action.
The order for choosing a gift was decided by the throw of
dice.
There were many gifts.
Two of the gifts were the most desirable. No matter who had it, the next person would take it.
It
got so extreme, some people would not get back to their seats before someone
took the 'desirable' gift.
It happened so fast, the person taking it was only a blur.
The time to open the "treasures" was fun and full of surprises.
It turned out that the most interesting gift was not in either
of the 'desirable' boxes.
Doesn't every guy want a women's Red Hat!
He was invited to the Red Hat Society
Luncheon at the International Rally in October.
Do you think he will attend?
The evening ended with a "Ceilidh" (pronounced kay-lee), Gaelic for party or gathering. It started with one fiddler. Like most jam sessions, it grew in size.
Sitting in her chair, Jennifer could not keep her feet still. Eventually, she treated us to some step dancing.
Tomorrow is a free day until our Farewell Dinner at 6:00pm. With map in hand we headed for Glace Bay.
Our visit to the Marconi National Historic Site of Canada was of special interest to Mary Lou. Her father was a Ham Radio Operator in the military during WWII and later in his civilian life. That was a time when you built your own radios and used Morse Code.
At Table Head, Glace Bay, Marconi built four giant wooden towers
supporting a massive web of copper wire. A transmitter was connected to this aerial
and a steam-driven alternator used to power the apparatus.
On December 15, 1902, Guglielmo Marconi beamed out a sequence of radio waves. A fraction of second later the signals reached a sister station near Poldhu, on the southwest coast of England. The first official wireless message had been sent across the Atlantic.
Marconi's antenna system was
also used to communicate with ships
at sea. They used the same type web of copper wires.
Some
of the original antenna base can still be seen.
The area had a beautiful shoreline
This Cormorant is drying its wings.
The
Miners Museum is a don't miss attraction. We found it very informative.
When it was an active mine, the coal seam stretched miles under the ocean.
The underground tour takes you into the Ocean Deeps Colliery, a coal mine located beneath the Museum building. Retired coal miners are the guides.
The museum included inside displays, outside displays, a movie and an underground tour.
The underground tour included areas of dampness, slippery footings and low ceilings. All of which they warned you about before you buy your ticket. The tour started with everyone getting dressed in very attractive outfits. We were given a history of the mine and cautions about our safety on the mine tour. The outfits were hung on hooks at end of a rope. Miners would pull their street clothes into the air towards the ceiling while working in the mine.
Mines were a dangerous place to work.
This sign was in the
dressing room of the mine.
They were correct the mine was a dark, damp, slippery and low place. This is one place where the hard hats were needed. Fred verified that they work - twice.
The walls were part of the coal seam.
We walked by several workrooms. Some set-up for the discussion about life in the mine. Others dark and unmentioned as we past.
Workrooms and other divisions of the mine was accomplished with doors. Legend was that one workroom had a garden, created by one of the miners. It was a good spot for our guide to give us more information. We sat on the benches, giving our backs a rest.
Transportation
in the early mines was by foot, on a people hauler or horse drawn wagon (for the
coal).
The
best friend of the miners, other than his fellow miners, was the canary. If the
canary was alive, it was safe for the miners to be in the mine.
Outside,
a few buildings representative of a mining town were displayed. The houses looked
a lot like other homes we have seen. We found the 'company store' interesting.
The stories the guide to us about the operation of the company store mirrored
the Tennessee Ernie Ford song - I Owe My Soul To The Company Store. The
mining companies ran a 'tab' for the miners - they had to continue working for the company
to pay it off.
The museum included mining history, mining equipment and other displays.
The wall of honor . . .
This tin art was attractive.
These painting showed early mining operations.
Behind the museum was a graveyard for old mining equipment.
We made it back to camp in time for our Farewell Dinner. It was prepared by the local fire department auxiliary. It was held just down the road from the campground so we all drove ourselves. We include several photographs here in hopes of catching each person in at least one frame.
It was a time to build memories.
Everyone thanked
Don, Dolores, Marilyn and Curt
for a job well done.
Driving back to camp, the sun was setting on our tour.
The
next morning the Farewell Continental Breakfast provided an opportunity for
final 'good-byes'. Looking at the offerings, it is a good thing we all drive
heavy duty trucks.
With a final wave
'good-bye' . . .
. . . the 2007 Maritime Provinces HitchHiker International Tour ends.
While the 'official' tour ended, our time in Nova Scotia did not. We still had a couple places we wanted to visit. We are adding Nova Scotia 2007 (Page 3) to share those with you.
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