7/6/14 – Beautiful Day! Nary a cloud, cool here on the coast, so we decided to head west from Halifax to Peggy’s Cove. Confusing signage and maps led us astray, but eventually we were headed the right way. Peggy’s Cove is the site of colliding continents and volcanism, and much more recently glacial sculpting, leaving a rocky substrate and very thin topsoil layer, fascinating topography, pretty but touristy coastal village.

Heading back east through Halifax even more confusing – lost while negotiating narrow, steep, one-way streets. Eventually headed up the coast, but by now, Navigator Nancy is a wreck! Despite the confusion, we seemed to end up on the right roads, eventually stopping for the night a bit inland at Lakeside Campground in Lakeville, NS. As in most campgrounds here, ‘level’ referring to a site means little, but we eventually managed. Pretty location and lake, nice free showers, very friendly neighbors. Good wifi, so paid some bills and sent some e-mails.

7/7/14 – Foggy morning that turned nice, ahead the road led back to the coastal route, and we stopped at Taylor Head to hike a boggy, rooty trail thru woods, meadow, and stony beach affording sweeping views of Taylor Head and the coastline.

We drove on through Sheet Harbor, where we stopped for information, gas, and likker (wine). There was also a pretty boardwalk along the falls.

Back on the road to the town of Sherbrooke, and the Sherbrooke Village historical site – a working village. We went in to watch the printer, smithy and the woodworker plying their trades, and checked out all the interesting old houses and businesses, period-dressed guides giving us the scoop on each. The kitchen of the doctor’s house, right next to the river, had a working well pump and spout right at the countertop into the sink, and the sink drain emptied right into the river. Modern plumbing!

We spent the night just a few hundred yards downriver in a tiny campground that backed right up to the shoreline.

7/8/14 – Misty and foggy this morning, we headed on foot around the bend of the road to the village mill – a real water-wheel-driven lumber mill with huge wooden spinning wheels, belts, crankshafts, pistons, bandsaw, etc. Then we walked over to the stamp mill, where they crushed rock to extract the gold ore, and continued on a loop trail to the lumberjacks’ camp.

 Returning, we drove back to the village to catch what we’d missed the day before, and Heather showed us how she carded and spun the wool from the village sheep, then showed us how she used the ancient loom to make intricately patterned cotton towls and runners.

We hit the road again, a longer stretch taking us to the north coast at Antigonish, where we stopped for a little shopping and a propane fill. Then on eastward to the Canso Causeway over to Cape Breton.

Once across, we headed over to Port Hawksbury to catch a ceilidh (kay-lee) that evening at the civic center. No campground anywhere there, so we scoped out the local Walmart, relaxing and checking e-mails (free wifi). For dinner, we drove back into town to Miller’s Tap and Grill at the Maritime Inn, where Nancy had a tasty grilled salmon on a bed of baby greens, red onions, pecans, cranberries, and mandarin orange, and I had grilled jumbo shrimp in a medley of fresh al-dente grilled veggies. Both very tasty, very good service. Got to see Germany annihilate Brazil on the pitch – I wouldn’t want to be THERE after the game! Then, drove a block to the ceilidh and joined the crowd inside for some Celtic music and merriment. This performance was hosted by the Cape Breton Fiddlers, featuring that group, and about 30 of them we there. Sometimes, solo performance with piano accompanying, sometimes all 30 at once, all ages from teen to eighty. There was one performance by a solo dancer, a solo by the pianist, and a performance by a piper. Impossible to sit still, a whole lot of fun. Everyone was invited to head up the coast after to another town where the party would continue, but THESE weary travelers headed down the street to Walmart for the night.

7/9/14 – Headed back west to Port Hastings and then on up the west coast to Judique. There we walked a short trail to the Celtic Coastal Trail, then to the beach. We decided that the trail, which runs from port Hastings to Inverness and for at least this part used to be a rail line, was something we could tackle by bike. We went back to get them, and took the trail about 5 mi up and then back. Very easy pleasant biking, a lot through woods, but also lots of coastal scenery.

We headed on towards Mabou, and found our camp for the night shortly before town, at Ceilidh Cottages and Campground; a tent site, no hookups, and it’s humid and warmer than on the east coast. We set up and rested awhile, then headed the rig on into Mabou for dinner and Celtic music at the Red Shoe Pub. A delightful fiddle and piano concert that had the whole place rocking.

I had a bowl of Putin, fries topped with goat cheese, red cabbage, pulled pork, and barbeque sauce, Nancy had a bowl of spicy chili, and we shared a green salad – all very tasty, but filling. Then, back to camp to relax, blog, and plan our route tomorrow.