Peggy's Cove, Halifax, & Cape Breton, N.S.

After a few hours touring Lunenburg and seeing the Bluenose II in its berth, we moved on to an RV site 8 km. outside of Peggy's Cove. The next day we drove into Halifax to get an oil change and tour Halifax harbour and the Citadel overlooking Halifax. We didn't have a lot of time there as we needed to get back to the trailer and pack up for the long drive the next morning to Cape Breton. On the way out of Halifax we came across a vendor selling scallops, cod cheeks, mussels, etc. and decided on the cod cheeks that taste much like scallops (delicious!). The weather is starting to improve as well.

We got away early the next morning and reached Port Hawkesbury in good time. We had pre-booked a campsite at Baddeck that we thought was central to the various events but were disappointed they did not have wireless! Baddeck is home to Alexander Graham Bell's summer place and where he and his wife are buried. The museum there run by the Federal Gov't is very well done.

Our first Celtic Colours event was in Sidney at their music hall @ the Big Fiddle. The performances were exceptional with artists from Spain, Denmark, Scotland, and Canada. The mindset is Celtic music has such rich history and is made up from many inputs over the centuries. Unfortunately we had an hour's drive back to the campsite at midnight but did so safely.

On Monday, we drove around the north part of Cape Breton, known as the Cabot Trail. As the photos will show, the views were spectacular! As Kathy says, this had to be one of the most outstanding drives we have taken. Being a Thanksgiving Sunday the traffic was fairly heavy in the National Park but with all the shunting around from one viewpoint to another, there were few delays. At one point overlooking 3 valleys, all brilliant with fall colours, there were two tour buses and 10 vehicles all trying to park in a small area. No one was saying much but staring in awe.

We were on to another event on Monday night in a little community that was one of the original Irish settlements (Lower Inhabitants Settlement is the name of the community). The small community hall was packed to hear local favorites belt out Cape Breton tunes, an Irishman (one of the Black family) who is currently living in San Francisco, and a musical quartet from Ireland. One of the things that amaze us are where members of the audience are from... several draws over two nights had winners from Germany and the United States eg.

We golfed a very hilly course at Dundee on Tuesday and we were very glad we had power carts. Every hole was either uphill or downhill.. nothing in between. The day was pleasant (about 15 degrees C) but when the sun started to drop with a breeze off the ocean, everyone was looking for extra garments. Kathy was wearing shorts and one of her legs turned blue and fell off. Golf is going to be interesting in future!

We are at another event tonight at St. Peters and then on to St. John, New Brunswick tomorrow as the weather is supposed to change. We have had brilliant weather since Lunenburg and are grateful given what we have seen on the national forecast for some of you.

After St John we will be heading into Maine and will be starting the American portion of the adventure. We have 6 mos worth of health insurance to tide us over. We plan on avoiding snow and all types of drastic weather and we will go where we choose when we chose to do so. The next deadline we have to meet is Branson Missouri Nov. 18 to meet Larry's sisters for a week of music and nostalgia.

Oct 11, 2006

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