Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Ingonish Nova Scotia)

June 29th: Did I mention the sun is shining? Yep! It's a beautifully sunny warm day, and I am really enjoying the view from my private deck in Ingonish. 

The Sparkinator and I are taking it easy today. I had a list of things I thought I should accomplish: wash the car, do laundry, wash Sparky. But amenities are few and far between in this part of the island, so everything can wait. Instead, I've spent most of the day reading and staring at the ocean.

We did a grocery run to the nearest store, 30 kilometers away in Neil's Harbour. Then on the way back to our cottage, I bought a bottle of wine at the Nova Scotia Liquor Store and a latte at The Main Street Cafe and Bakery. 

Now, back to reading my novel, A Quiet Death in Italy by Tom Benjamin.

Cheers Lynda and The Sparkinator

North Bay, Ingonish Nova Scotia

Main Street Cafe and Bakery, Ingonish NS

Love the colour combo - Neils' Harbour NS

Driving secondary road - view of Cape North 

Dozens of dead jellyfish on the beach

Last night's sunset

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Cape Breton Highlands)

June 28th: I had a third sleepless night, and my mood was foul! 

This time my insomnia was caused by a combination of the traffic noise on the road beside the motel and a weird noise in the wall of my room. It started at 2:00 a.m. and sounded as if the people in the unit next door were sharing a vigorous shower. Except it didn't quit until 5:30 a.m., so I guess it wasn't my neighbours.

I had booked this motel for 5 days, thinking it was a cozy little cottage, with a kitchenette, located by the water. Well...it is by the water. 

I opened the curtains to more fog and thought, "Right, enough of this moping around. Fix something to get yourself out of this crappy mood." I spent a few minutes researching other dog-friendly accommodations in the area and split up the remaining 4 days between Ingonish, Sydney, and North Sydney (where I catch the ferry for Newfoundland on July 2nd).

Then I loaded up the car and we headed via the Cabot Trail to Margaree Harbour and Cheticamp on the west coast of Cape Breton. As we crested the summit near Lake O'Law, the sun broke through! 

The Cabot Trail is 298 kilometers, (186 miles) along the western side of Cape Breton Island, north to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. And according to a cheerful young woman that I chatted with, the western side has fewer fog days than other parts of Cape Breton. 

Cape Breton Highlands western side

The road winds along spectacular cliffs and shorelines then climbs into the hills. The scenery is stunning. By 2:00 p.m., we had arrived at our next destination in Ingonish, three-quarters the way along the Cabot Trail, and not far from where we started our day. But the sun was shining, which changes everything.

Last night I was able to leave the patio door and windows open and I had the best sleep that I've had in several days.

All is well with the world once again.

Cheers Lynda and The Sparkinator

Fog! Again.

The Two Macs, gifts. NE Margaree NS

Cute name for a cafe/bar NE Margaree NS

Margaree Harbour Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Highlands eastern side

Near Ingonish, Nova Scotia. My view

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Baddeck & St. Anne's Cape Breton)

June 27th: This was not a fun day. The eastern shore of Nova Scotia was still wrapped in an unrelenting fog plus I was feeling the effects of two sleepless nights, back to back. 

I stopped every hour for a break. Pee breaks for Sparky. And boredom breaks for me. Driving for seven hours in fog and rain is tiring and boring. There is nothing to see except the road ahead. My eyes flicked continuously left, right, forward, and then to the rearview mirror, looking for other vehicles, people, and animals.

We arrived around 3:00 in the afternoon at St. Anne's Motel about 30 kilometers from Baddeck on Cape Breton Island. The weather was still dismal. My room was dismal. And my mood .... equally dismal.

Raining at Historic Village Sherbrooke NS

Downtown Antigonish Nova Scotia

Downtown Antigonish Nova Scotia

Downtown Antigonish Nova Scotia

Downtown Antigonish Nova Scotia

Downtown Antigonish Nova Scotia

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Peggy's Cove & Port Dufferin NS)

June 26th: The fog is still pea-soup thick, hiding the warm sunshine. It's been a few days since I have worn anything less than jeans, two T-shirts, and a rain jacket. My Okanagan friends are basking in hot summer temperatures, and enjoying this year's crop of delicious cherries. I miss that, but I am also enjoying this adventure, exploring new places and rediscovering old favourites.

We headed off early, as usual. Even though my night was restless and wakeful I just can't sleep past dawn. The goal for the day is the Marmalade Motel in Port Dufferin, on the east shore of Nova Scotia, a distance of 366 km. 

As we neared Halifax, I veered off to visit the hugely popular, and weirdly iconic Peggy's Cove. This was my 3rd visit in 44 years. There are only about 40 people that live in Peggy's Cove, but around 700,000 visitors annually arrive to snap a photo and rush on to the next 'must see' site. 

My photo. There are much better ones on the internet

From the other side of the bay

Founded in 1811, on St. Margaret's Bay, Peggy's Cove is famed for its picturesque and typically East-Coast profile, with houses perched along a narrow inlet and on wave-washed boulders facing the Atlantic. Although this unique environment has been designated a preservation area, it is still an active fishing community. (Nova Scotia webpage.)

Internet pic of Peggy's Cove

By three in the afternoon, I was standing outside the Marmalade Motel in Port Dufferin, wondering what to do. The door code had supposedly been sent via email that morning but my phone wasn't cooperating. I couldn't access my emails or send a text. 

So many small and medium-sized properties have gone to a contactless check-in that requires the guest to use their phone. I get it. Many are short-staffed, and everyone is trying to reduce their operating costs. I can usually figure things out, but I was tired and my brain was in neutral. I finally tapped on another door and asked the occupants if they knew of another way to reach the owners. It turns out the owners lived nearby, and I was able to knock on their door for assistance. 

Much later in the evening, I discovered that I had put a limit on my data usage, and the phone had shut down. Okay, got that fixed. 

The Marmalade Motel was cute, comfy, and super quiet, but once again my brain was in busy mode for most of the night. I truly hate insomnia!

Cheers Lynda and Sir Fuzz-butt

View from my room 

View from my room - Marmalade Motel

Church near Marmalade Motel

Bed and wall decor at motel

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Ingomar & Cape Sable Island NS)

June 25th: Overnight, the fog rolled in again, making visibility and photographs difficult. We only roamed as far as Cape Sable Island, a bit to the south and west of our oceanfront cottage at Ingomar. The rest of the day was spent lounging and reading, resting up for a long drive on the 26th.

Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia 

Cape Sable Island, this made me smile

Cape Sable Island NS

Sparky, happy dog running on the beach

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Ingomar & Shelburne Nova Scotia)

June 24th: On our first full day staying at Whispering Waves Cottages, Ingomar Nova Scotia, Sparky discovered the sandy beach. He stuck his nose deep into the sand and inhaled the briny scent of the residents hiding below. And then his tail started wagging. I swear he was remembering hunting the little white ghost crabs that inhabited the beach in front of our house on Isla Mujeres, Mexico. 

Happy dog investigating the smells

After breakfast I decided to investigate the area a bit. We drove a short distance to Roseway Beach, where the Fuzz-butt was in heaven, sniffing and exploring the long white sandy beach. 

Our home for the next three days

Roseway Beach Nova Scotia

This area was hard hit by the recent, devastating forest fires. The destruction is clearly visible on both sides of the road. Evacuation orders have now been lifted and residents whose houses escaped the blaze are back in their homes. 

I believe around 60 homes, and 150 other sturctures were destroyed in the conflagration.

The ferns are already sprouting in the fire zone

Our next stop, yesterday, was the historic waterfront of Shelburne. It's a fascinating glimpse of Canada's early days. The Mik'maq traversed the Roseway River and used the surrounding lands for summer encampments long before this area was visited by Spanish, Portuguese and French fishermen.

Historic dockfront Shelburne

Then in the spring of 1783, 5,000 settlers arrived on the shores of Shelburne Harbour from New York and the nearby colonies of America. Promises of living under the British flag, and free land, tools, and provisions lured many from the newly formed American colonies to the British colonies in Canada.

In the fall of 1783, the second wave of settlers arrived in Shelburne. By 1784, the population of this new community is estimated to have been at least 10,000; the fourth largest in North America, much larger than either Halifax or Montreal.

In 1787, the government distribution of provisions was terminated. Within a few years, houses were put up for sale, and settlers left for England, New Brunswick, Upper Canada, and the United States. In the 1820s, the population of Shelburne had dwindled to about 300. There are about 2000 residents now. 

On the waterfront in Shelburne, this group was conducting a first lesson for new sailors. How to right, and get back in a capsized boat. The blonde woman in the boat was the student, the tall brunette standing in the boat, and the guy in the water were the instructors. The student managed to get the boat upright, and scramble back inside, all while keeping up a running monologue of hilarious comments.

Cheers, Lynda and Sir Fuzz-butt

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Mahone Bay and Lunenberg Nova Scotia)

June 23rd: Sparky and I were on the road by 8:00 a.m., headed for the south shore of Nova Scotia. Miss Google said the driving time was less than three hours, but I know from experience that the actual time it will take Sparky and me is nearly always double due to photo stops, pee breaks, and just poking around.

The first stop was beautiful Mahone Bay, between Halifax and Lunenburg. I have been to Mahone Bay twice before; once in 1979 with my first husband, and again in 1986 with Lawrie. 

In 1979, when I traveled across Canada with my first husband, we were near the end of our nine-year marriage and were tolerating each other in the silent way that some couples do when the marriage has lost its spark. We separated a few months later. I didn't keep any photographs and have very few clear memories of that two-month trip.

In 1986, when I traveled to the Maritime provinces with Lawrie, we had been together six years and were crazy in love. Much of our thirty-eight years together was spent laughing, hugging, dancing, and smooching. Sightseeing was a secondary activity. On that trip, we took a lot of photographs of each other, but not many of the places we visited. 

Lawrie was teasing me about something. Nova Scotia '86

Mahone Bay is where the pretty pewter sea shells that I purchased in Wolfville were created. I very carefully drove right past their cute waterfront shop. It's best to keep temptation away! This is the link to their store in Mahone Bay: https://amospewter.com/

Mahone Bay Nova Scotia - 5 church spires

Mahone Bay Nova Scotia

Mahone Bay Nova Scotia

Mahone Bay Nova Scotia

Around lunchtime, Sparky and I arrived in Lunenberg. A former rum-running and shipbuilding port Lunenberg has a collection of brightly painted buildings, many of which were built in the 1750s. 

The funniest memory I have of this area is from our trip in 1986. Lawrie and I stayed overnight at a historic inn and at some point during the day, we ran into a group of local firefighters. They were delighted to hear that both Lawrie and I were volunteer firefighters on Bowen Island. (Lawrie was the Fire Chief, and I was one of 22 firefighters.) They invited us back to the fire hall for drinks. As the night wore on the local accents became harder to understand, but the laughter was contagious. We frequently reminisced about that evening. How welcoming and kind everyone was, even though most of the time we had no idea about what was being said.

Lunenberg is also the home of the original Bluenose, a Grand Banks fishing and racing schooner launched on 26 March 1921. The Bluenose is pictured on the reverse side of a Canadian dime. On Bluenose's 100th anniversary in 2021, the Royal Canadian Mint redesigned the dime and added colour (blue ocean) to Canada's smallest circulating coin.

The Fuzz-butt and I had lunch on the dog-friendly patio at the Fish Shack, then walked around for 30 minutes resuming our journey to the Whispering Waves Cottages at Ingomar, near Shelburne.

Cheers Lynda and Sir Fuzz-Butt

Stately old homes Lunenberg Nova Scotia

In the harbour Lunenberg Nova Scotia
 

 

Lunenberg Nova Scotia

Lunenberg Nova Scotia

Lunenberg Nova Scotia