Waterfalls, Scenic Detours and a Biking Adventure

When I heard that there is a waterfall in New Harris, Cape Breton, just a few kilometres from the Trans Canada Highway, I told myself I would find it before summer's end.  When I heard that the road leading to the waterfall was a wood road leading through a forested area along the water, I decided I would ride my bike to the trail leading to the falls.  I am currently on the lookout for new places to explore with my bike since I now have a bike rack on my car.

I did end up making it to that trail  and to the waterfalls but not with my bike.  I drove to New Harris and as far as the road would go, looking for a trail that could potentially lead to a waterfall.  I heard it was on the right side near the bridge going toward Camp Carter.  I reached the bridge but saw nothing that even remotely looked like a trail so I stopped at some picnic tables near Camp Carter and ate lunch while enjoying the beautiful fall colours that surrounded me.

I continued on to the end of that road, admiring the colourful landscape.  When the road ended and my car could not continue on the narrow ATV trail ahead, I turned back and resumed my search for the trail to the waterfall.  As I drove over the bridge (which I assumed must have been in the vicinity of the waterfall as it went over a river), I noticed some flattened grass near the ditch on the other side.  I got out to investigate and discovered that it was a trail that led along the river and likely to a waterfall. An easy ten-minute hike through some trees brought me to what I was looking for.

 I don't know what the official name of these fall is, but I've heard people call them Camp Carter Falls or simply the waterfalls at Camp Carter.  The trail came out at the top of the falls where I could hear the water rushing and see the spray.  However, I couldn't get a good view of them from that angle so I made my way to the bottom.  Not as easy as it sounds.  A rope was involved.  And some mud and slippery rocks and a steep embankment.  But the view of the falls at the bottom made it worth it.  I rested for a bit and took in those natural surroundings with the changing leaves, the thunderous roar of tons of water coming down into the river below and the felling of cool water lightly spraying my face.  When it started to get dark, I went back up the rope (it was much easier going up!) and headed back to the car.

Instead of taking the 125 all the way home, I made a detour I hadn't taken in many years.  I took the turn-off to Black Rock for a change of scenery and out of curiosity as I forgot what was down there.  I saw some new houses, some very nice ones too and a splendid view of the Bird Islands and then it was back to the TCH and onto the 125...the route home.

 Later that week, I embarked on another late fall adventure, one that I didn't think I would get to do once the weather turned cold.  A few days before I embarked on a bike ride to the Sand Lake/Port Morien area, I was monitoring the weather for possible warm breaks that would allow me to go on a few late-season bike adventures.  A break came on a sunny Wednesday with temperatures predicted to reach the high teens by midday.  I got my gear ready and put my bike on the car rack and off I went.

I made the 40-minute drive to Marconi Towers Rd, and parked on the gravel area near the community mailbox.  It rained periodically on the drive from New Waterford but by the time I got the bike off the rack and was ready to go, the clouds had cleared and the sun was out.

I avoided the main road at first and turned onto Marconi Towers Rd. toward the old wood road leading to Sand Lake.  The wind had died down which made the drive through that rural area that much more enjoyable.  The trees were at their autumn height; bright leaves in shades of yellow, orange and red.  And there was no one else around.  No cars, no people, not even any other bikers.  Just me...until I reached the hill approaching the lake and that is where I came across the orange"construction ahead" signs. It was too late to turn around so I waited until the flag person waved me along and I reluctantly passed dangerously close to moving machinery and endured the deafening sound of their workings until I reached the lake path on the other side.  I drove until I reached a quiet spot where I could rest and take in the views .

I only drove along this lake a few times never actually stopped and took a good look at it.  It's strange how I will travel all the way to Ingonish to enjoy Warren Lake, which is a two-and-a-half hour drive away, but this beautiful lake has always been here and it's only a half-hour drive away...and I never think of going there.

I intended to reach to turn around and head back to the car the same way but I kept going instead.  It was so warm and I was loving the fall breeze on my face as I cruised those back roads.  I eventually ended up back on the highway and turned towards Port Morien and that is where I ended up.

It was late in the afternoon and the sun was getting low in the sky when I reached the look off at Port Morien.  I got off the bike and walked down the stairs to the little beach and sat and enjoyed the view of the fishing docks and calm waters of the bay. I could have stayed there all evening but I was not equipped for safe bicycling at night.  I reluctantly headed back to the car.  I took the same way back down the highway, onto the gravel road along the lake, past the construction crew and back to my car.  The sun was starting to go down by that time but rush hour had already gone by so I was in for a relaxing evening n my drive home.

Yoga, Hikes and Bikes

I've been doing yoga for about 5 years now.  However, I can barely be considered an actual yogi and my yoga "practice" wouldn't even be considered a practice by most yogis.  Basically, I open my iPhone yoga app each morning and follow along, Mimicking poses that I have no idea how to do properly.  I've never done yoga with a group before, never taken a single course nor did I see it necessary to watch videos to learn proper technique.  I thought the app was perfectly fine at teaching me how to do yoga.  That is until I actually took the step to further my "practice" after a friend of mine, who is a yoga teacher, persuaded me to sit in on one of her classes.

I drove the hour and a half to St. Peter's to arrive for the 10:00 class.  About 15 other students were already there setting out their mats. I felt a little like a fish out of water but soon adjusted and felt comfortable once I realized no one was paying any attention to me or what I was doing or how I was doing it.

I know now that I'd been doing yoga wrong all along.  Well, not wrong.  I was told my form was good and I learned the flow pretty quick.  However, when I had been doing it at home using an app with stationary pictures showing poses, I missed out on proper breathing and transitioning techniques.  That one hour-long class changed my whole outlook on yoga.  It had always been beneficial for me (even though I was going about it all wrong - I was at least getting some stretching and relaxation benefits out of it) but now I have the courage to take some more classes and the knowledge to improve my own practice.  I understand now that yoga has multiple benefits that go beyond stretching and relaxing and I am noticing a huge difference when I do yoga now. I felt like a million bucks after that class and I was ready for a long hike along Murray's Beach just outside St. Peters.

I hiked Murray's beach before but on this day, I hiked in the opposite direction.  My friend and I parked near the beach and had our lunch before setting out along the rocky shoreline.  I didn't walk far before almost killing myself.  I wasn't paying attention to my footing on the slippery rocks and nearly fell flat on my back.  Had I not caught myself, I would have hit my head and possibly broken a bone.  I did get wet but fortunately it wasn't that cold out.

We walked for a while along the rocky beach before switching over to a path through the woods.  This made for easier walking but the flies, even at that time of year, were really bad!  I ended up with about a dozen bites on my exposed legs and arms. We reached a point where we decided to turn around as it was getting late.  But first, we sat on the beach and drank some tea and ate some snacks while watching the little ripples on the big lake gently come ashore.

We didn't go through the woods on the way back so we ended up having to maneuver around some fallen trees on the thin strip of beach that we missed when we took the shortcut through the woods.

We arrived back at the cars in the late afternoon just in time to see two deer saunter into the field for a snack.  It was almost dark when I started the long drive home but I was ok with that.  I love a night time drive along route 4, along the Bras d'Or Lakes on that windy country road through some of Cape Breton's most beautiful little communities.

Biking is another one of my summer pastimes and this summer I added a new feature to my car; a bike rack.  Normally, I just drive my bike around my neighborhood or around the nearby town but now I can go anywhere with it.  I didn't get a chance to go biking much during August because it was so hot and all I wanted to do was go to the beach.  However, once Mid-September rolled around, I wanted to be on that bike all the time.  The municipality recently completed a multi-use trail that runs from the airport in Gardiner Mines all the way to the Mayflower Mall area in Sydney - about 25 kilometres return.  I drove to the airport one fine day and parked my car near the trailhead and headed out.  It was chilly but nice and I did the entire trail and back in a little over two hours. The trail is very well-maintained, wide and safe compared to some of the roads I usually drive on.  It was nice to drive somewhere different and not have to deal with traffic.   

By this time, it was starting to get darker earlier so I switched my evening walks at Dominion Beach to late-afternoon walks.  That will continue now until spring.  October and November are what I call hiking and biking season.  However, a few road trips are usually reserved for this time of year, particularly my yearly trip around the Cabot Trail to see the spectacular fall colors.

I embarked on a trip around the trail on a fine day that was predicted to remain fairly sunny and warm until at least the evening.  I started the trail at the Red Barn just past Baddeck with the intention of going through Margaree and onto Cheticamp and finally Ingonish.  I took my time going through the Margaree Valley as this is where the fall colours are usually at their best.

I stopped at Lake O'Law first and if the success of the day was to be based on the events that transpired in that provincial park, it would not have been a good day.  I got out of the car and made my way to the women's bathroom (which was an old wooden outhouse).  Everything seemed fine.  Someone else had just exited the same bathroom a few minutes earlier and when I opened and closed the door, everything seemed fine. Until.....I tried to reopen it to exit and the lock jammed from the outside.  Because I am severely claustrophobic, I instantly panicked at the thought of being enclosed in a small space especially a smelly, remote outhouse.  First I screamed "help" over and over.  When no help came, I started punching the door and frantically tried to loosen the lock.  When that didn't work, I started kicking the door in an attempt to literally knock it down.  I think I would have succeeded if not for a distant voice yelling "hang on, I'm coming".  I froze and listened for footsteps until, finally, the door opened.  A woman stood on the other side with a worried look on her face which surely had to be a mask for the laughter she must have been stifling.

Had I been locked in an outhouse all day, I would not have been able to continue on with the wonderful day I ended up having.  Besides enjoying the spectacular fall colours of the Margaree Valley, I went on to visit many of my favourite places along the Cabot Trail and beyond.  I made a little detour off the trail to visit a few of my favourite beaches; Inverness Beach, Chimney Corner and Whale Cove.

I grabbed a coffee in Cheticamp and drove along the Cabot Trail until I reached The Lone Shieling. I love this trail.  It's only short but it's one of my favorite nature walks; tall trees, peace and quiet with a stream running through. On this day, I was the only person there and it was wonderful.  I took my time walking along that trail, taking in every sight and sound.

I drove almost straight to Ingonish after my little hike at the Lone Shieling.  I wanted to make it there before dark and before the Bean Barn, my favourite cafe, closed.  Eating a huge slice of their carrot cake and taking a small coffee with me to Ingonish Beach has become a little tradition for me over the years. After I made some quick stops at some of my favourite places along the way (Black Brook, Warren Lake, Broad Cove), I just barely made it to the Bean Barn.  The place was empty so I sat in my regular spot and ate my cake before hearing to my spot at Ingonish Beach.  I sat in the cool sand near the surf and didn't get up again until the sun disappeared into the horizon.  I took my time going home.  Knowing this was likely my last road trip of the season, I wanted to stretch it out as much as possible even if it meant driving at night in moose country and getting home close to midnight.   

Apparently I have a lot of Favorite Places...Here are some more of them!

North River Falls – I always wanted to hike to North River Falls, the tallest waterfalls in Nova Scotia, but the 20-kilometer return hike had me procrastinating for years. I finally decided to do that hike a couple of years ago and it was worth the hike. After dodging fallen trees, dilapidated foot bridges, washed out paths and numerous other obstacles, I finally made it to the falls and what a sight to behold! A raging, cascading waterfall falling into a crystal clear pool surrounded by nothing but forest and wilderness…and I had that all to myself because not many people are willing to do that long, hard hike!

That “spot” in the Grand Canyon that hardly Anyone gets to see – The Grand Canyon has always been close to the top of my bucket list and I finally had the chance to see it in the spring of 2009. Nothing prepared me for the surprise that awaited me during the guided tour I took to the Canyon. I usually hate guided tours but, since it was my first time traveling in the area, I thought it would be fitting to go with someone who knew their way around. The tour left early in the morning and made the typical stops at attractions along the way; the Hoover Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead. While at the Grand Canyon, I embarked on a helicopter ride to the bottom and a pontoon boat ride along the Colorado River. While these aspects of the tour were amazing, it was what came next that really made me happy I took that tour. When the group met back at the bus, our tour guide gave us two options to pick from; we could pay an extra 30 dollars and do the touristy skywalk or we could get back in the bus and go somewhere that only a few tour operators were allowed to go, a place that was gated off and in a secluded area of the park. Fortunately for me, because I had no interest in waiting in line to do the skywalk, everyone voted for the second option. Remote, quiet, wild, lonely, incredible, out-of –this-world…that is just some of the words that can be used to describe that place and that view.

The Drive Along the North Shore – Just knowing that I will going to Ingonish is enough to make me happy but I also look forward to the nice drive there, in particular the section of the route that passes along an area known as the North Shore which runs from the Englishtown Ferry to Cape Smokey Mountain. The windy and often deserted road passes through an area that is home to old farmhouses surrounded by forest, large fields, distant mountains and ocean. The drive takes about 40 minutes and along the way, I like to stop at the various resting places to admire the view, have lunch or just relax in the peaceful surroundings. I often see wildlife in the early morning or evening hours and the night sky is so visible on clear nights because there are no lights to obscure it.

Mira Gut Beach – As a child, my parents took me to this beach almost every weekend in the summer. We left early in the morning and stayed until the sun went down. We swam, we sunbathed, we had picnics and we had bonfires. We were even asked to be in a music video that was being filmed on the beach one day! There are two sections of the beach; a long sandy one with less crowds and a more crowded smaller area on the other side of the breakwater. A bridge separates the gut from the opening of the Mira River and on the other side of that bridge, there is a swimming area as well. We spent most of our days on the long, sandy beach area and migrated to the river bank at night to have a fire. When I got older, I spent a lot of time on the other side of the breakwater where, over the years due to people moving away for work, the crowds got smaller and a bald eagle perched on the edge of the breakwater every evening.

Freshwater Lake – Ingonish Beach is one of the most popular beaches on Cape Breton Island and one of the reasons it is so popular is because there is so much to do there. There is a long, sandy beach, a freshwater lake and a hiking trail to name a few things. Freshwater Lake, in particular, is one of my favorite places on the whole island. When I am staying in Ingonish, I wake up early, grab a coffee at the Bean Barn and drive to the lake area. I take my place in the sand or on a nearby picnic table and watch the sun come up over Cape Smokey Mountain. It is so quiet there first thing in the morning and the sounds of the ocean on one side and the deep woods on the other make for a great start to the day.

That Sandwich bar at Pearson International Airport – Almost every trip I take via plane includes a long layover at Pearson International and I hate that place with a passion. Long lineups, poor signage, rude employees who hate giving directions…and the list goes on and on. However, amidst the chaos that is Pearson, I once found a little sanctuary that I now retreat to every time I am there. It is a little sandwich bar (I can never seem to remember the name of it) with a quiet and relaxing ambiance and the best veggies sandwiches I have ever eaten!

My bike route along the shore – I have a bike and although I don’t really have the time these days to ride it much, I do, from time to time, go for a ride on warm summer mornings or afternoons on the weekends. And I always take the same route from my house in Lingan along the shore to the lighthouse in New Victoria. I love this route especially in the summer when the sounds of children playing and softball games at the field I drive by and the smell of barbecues fill the air. I try to stick to the roads that are close to the shoreline so I can watch the sea with all the ferries and fishing boats coming and going.

The Rocky Beach in the Little Village where my Mom Grew up – At the end of a road at the edge of Cheticamp in Northern Cape Breton is a long, rocky beach. I first went there as a child when my mom took me there every summer to spend time in the place where she grew up. She always told me stories about how she used to play on that beach as a child. Now that she is gone, that place means so much more to me. I feel like her spirit lingers in that area she cherished so much. Whenever I’m in Cheticamp, I take my coffee to the parking lot above the beach and sit for hours, just watching the waves roll in and imagining my mom there as a child. Sometimes I walk the beach and I am always the only person there which makes it even better.

The Lonely roads of Mira at night – One of my favorite places to drive at night is Mira. Those lonely, deserted, dark roads through dense forest areas and small villages are almost spooky at night. The stars are always brightest out there where there is no light pollution and the foxes, deer and raccoons are on the prowl. If it is nice enough, I stop at Mira Gut and sit on the beach and watch the night sky for a while before continuing on my way.

Squeaker’s Hole – At the far end of the parking lot at Black Beach near the village of Ingonish in the Cape Breton Highlands is the entrance to a short walking trail. This walking trail leads hikers to a place called Squeaker’s Hole and a place where I spent much of my time over the years. The trail snakes off into two directions at one point; one trail leads to the bottom of Sqeaker’s Hole and the other leads to the top. Some days I will hike to the bottom where I can swim out to a rock in the middle of the little cove and watch the rough seas churn around me. Other days, I will hike to the top where I can sit on the side of the cliffs and sunbathe, read a book or just relax to the sounds of the birds, the sea and the other natural sounds around me.

Why Was I too Afraid to do this all Along!

I know I said I would post everyday about something new I tried or a new place I found and today is no different except that I didn't actually start doing this new activity today. It has been a few weeks since I have started but it is something new that I have really started to enjoy. I'm talking about biking. Yes, I did have a bike as a child and drove it everyday but for almost twenty years, until recently, I either walked or drove in a car to get everywhere. I never thought to get into biking again, I was just not interested. I also didn't have any extra cash to get back into it. A few days after I moved back to Nova Scotia, I paid a visit to my dad and noticed he had a brand new, hardly-used, state-of-the-art mountain bike stowed away in his storage room. I knew it wasn`t being used because it was collecting a lot of dust and the tires were flat so I inquired about it. The bike belonged to my sister who used it a few times on some trails when she lived in Newfoundland but when she moved back here, she just lost interest and stored it at dad`s. A quick phone call to my sister ended with me being the proud new owner of a new bike without having to pay a cent! I took it back to my house and put some air in the tires, lowered the seat and bought a new helmet and lock for it and than it just sat in the shed for a few weeks. I know they say you never forget how to ride a bike but I was terrified to get on it! After some encouragement from my friend who was looking for a buddy to go riding with, I finally started small. Driving up and down the driveway and than eventually on the straight stretch in front of the house. Finally, I decided to go for my first long-distance ride into town and back and when I got back home, I was left wondering "why have I been walking and using a car to get everywhere when I can ride a bike and have fun, save money and get a good workout all at the same time"? Now I try to bike everyday. I hear there are lots of trails that I didn't even know existed in the area around where I live so you will be reading about those adventures in the near future! Biking - Canada Trails Cycling the Cabot Trail Pedal and Sea Adventures Velo Cape Breton