Never Breaking Tradition!

Cape Breton Island is such an amazing place.  It's only small but every corner of the island is different and everyone in my family has their favourite spot they love to go to. For me, it's always been Ingonish and, in later years, Inverness, both in the northern region. Dad always had a soft spot for the Framboise area on the south coast of the island. I love that area too and, as I get older and develop a distaste for crowds and a penchant for peace and quiet, I love it more and more every year. 

 

Since I moved back home from Newfoundland in 2011, my father and I have planned a weekend camping trip in the Framboise area every year.  We put aside 2 days every summer and pack up our cars with gear and head to a remote beach about as far away as you can get from civilization. 

 

We arrived at our spot this year late morning on a clear, warm day.  It's tedious setting everything up as we have to park at the bottom of a hill and carry everything to the top.  We got everything set up when we were approached by someone telling us we were camped on private land.  Not realizing the land was private property, we had a brief conversation with the man, we agreed to pack up and camp elsewhere. 

 

While I was disappointed at having wasted so much time and energy setting up, I understood fully where he was coming from.  Other campers had been leaving garbage behind and he and his wife had their hearts set on enjoying the patch of land themselves that week.  I would probably be unhappy to find a bunch of people camped on my land too if I drove a long distance to enjoy some peace and quiet! 

 

We went to another spot we had camped at years before.  It was always our second choice anyway and it's a very nice spot that's also remote and right on the ocean. It didn't take us long to get re-set up after our little set back and in no time, we were back on schedule.  We did some hiking that day and headed to St. Peter's that evening to have supper at Jigg's takeout.  A coffee for the road and a relaxing evening drive and we were back at camp early enough to start a fire, have a few beer and watch the night sky. 

 

I slept well that evening as I always do in a tent.  I love being so close to the earth and the great outdoors.  It's where I fit in most. That morning after breakfast, we hiked a little more and packed up the vehicles to head home.  Dad headed toward Gabarus, I went to Point Michaud Beach where I enjoyed a swim in the warm, clear waters of another one of Cape Breton's finest beaches. And, surprise, an old friend was there with her family!  You never know who you'll meet when traveling around Cape Breton!

A Delightful Summer-like Fall Day in Southeast Cape Breton

What a fall we are having here in Cape Breton.  A fall that seems like a late summer!  And you know it's great weather when even the southeast coast of the island is warm, sunny and without the usual fog and wind.  

I took advantage of a lovely day with temperatures predicted to reach 23 degrees with sun and light winds.  I headed to the Framboise area for some hiking and beachcombing. 

I love this area of the island because it's remote and there's never anyone around so it's the perfect place to unwind and get away from it all.  I started the day with a scenic drive all the way to Grand River and backtracked to the long, narrow gravel road that leads to Blue Lake and a pristine ocean coastline that I knew I'd have all to myself. 

I walked along the ocean in the sand until it became to hard too walk and crossed the dunes to walk along the lake.  I intended to walk as far as I could see, switching back and forth between ocean beach and lakeside beach but I found a lovely little beach along the lake where the dunes were high enough to block the wind coming off the ocean.  This is where I sat for a rest.  

Well, that rest ended up taking 3 hours!  That place was so relaxing, quiet and scenic that I couldn't get myself to leave.  I sipped on a cold beer and skipped some rocks in the lake but mostly just laid in the sand watching the eagles soar above and the white fluffy clouds go by.  

When I finally decided to get going, the sun was low in the sky and it was too late to keep hiking in the direction I had been going if I wanted to be back to my car before dark. I instead drove to St. Peter's for a coffee before heading home along the Bras d'Or lakes...grateful to have been able to enjoy another summer-like day this late in the year. 

The Underrated South Coast of Cape Breton Island

In my opinion the south coast of Cape Breton is underrated and mostly unexplored.  This is why I'm growing to love this part of the island.  I used to love being around all the tourist crowds of The Highlands when I was younger but now that I am older, I prefer a deserted beach in the middle of nowhere and there are many on the south coast!  Whether it be Morrison Beach, Crooked Lake Beach, St. Esprit, Blue Lake or Ferguson Beach I choose, I'm always the only person there and I spend hours walking these remote stretches with only the sound of the ocean, the smell of the fresh sea air and the feel of sand beneath my feet.

Kayaking St. Esprit Lake

I get a lot of invites to go for coffee or to go hiking or to walk the beach but I usually don't get invites to go kayaking. I only kayaked a few times and really like it but I don't have a kayak of my own and don't know too many people I can go kayaking with. My wish to get such an invite came true a few weeks ago when a friend who kayaks asked me if I would like to spend a day kayaking on St. Esprit Lake near Framboise. Of course I said yes...but with some reservations. For one, it was late in the fall and the air was starting to cool so I was concerned that my inexperience would make me more likely to tip the kayak and end up in the water.

I packed a lunch but had a hard time packing for the actual kayaking. The weather can do anything that time of year and I had no idea what to wear. I ended up packing shorts, tanks, sweaters, jeans and splash pants and a couple of jackets of various thickness and sneakers, boots and sandals. I also packed extra of everything so I had something dry to wear for the drive home if I happened to fall in the water.

Usually I take the shorter way through Gabarus and Forchu to get to the Framboise area and take the long way via route 4 home but on this day, I took the long way there. I arrived ahead of time at what I thought was Lake Esprit and waited for my friend to show up. And waited. And waited some more. After twenty minutes had passed, I drove up and down the stretch of road to see if I could see her anywhere and to make sure I was at the right place. I saw no sign of anyone and returned to the same spot near a lake that was near a sign that said Lake Esprit.

After an hour had passed, I began to again wonder if I was in the right place. I drove up and down that strip of secondary highway again but this time I went a little bit further and that's when I learned that I had been waiting in the wrong place all along. Fortunately, it was only noon and there was still almost 7 hours of daylight left so we had plenty of time to still enjoy a nice afternoon kayaking on this lake that is much larger than the one I had been waiting near.

My friend reassured me that it would take a lot to tip the kayak and, at first, I thought she might be just saying that so I wouldn't back out. Getting the kayaks off the car proved to be a little difficult but putting them back up proved to be more difficult as I found out later that evening. Decked out in my silly-looking water shoes and life jacket with my waterproof camera in hand, I waded out a few feet and hopped into the kayak. Once I was on my way, it didn't take long to realize that yes it would, in fact, take a lot to tip the kayak! I bounced up and down and swayed side to side and was unable to cause the kayak to even near tip. This gave me some reassurance for the rest of the trip and I was able to relax.

I got soaked pretty much right away but the air, even on that October day, was warm and the water was surprisingly warm too. I did well for my third time kayaking and was doing well keeping up with my more seasoned guide. I earlier told her I would prefer to stay closer to the edge of the lake but found myself leading the way toward the middle of the lake. I felt so comfortable out there on the water.

The weather held up all afternoon. I couldn't get over how well everything came together that day. The lake was as calm as anything. There was hardly any wind. The sun was shining. It was warm.  Loons were calling nearby. The sound of waves crashing onshore could be heard on the nearby beach (the lake was near the ocean). It was perfect. It was wonderfully serene.

It took about an hour to cross the lake and reach the beach. We pulled the kayaks onshore and found a nice spot on the beach to take our lunch. After tea and egg sandwiches, we took a little hike along that beach and stole a glimpse of the rough Atlantic surf which had tossed up a bit of seaweed during recent offshore storms.

On the way back to where we started, we did a few detours and ventured into some unknown corners of the lake around some unknown bends. Some places looked dangerously shallow but we made it through the thick grass and rocky bottom and were back to smooth sailing.  Although the weather held up, it did turn cool quickly but not cool enough to keep the flies from coming out. Darkness was coming fast too and although neither one of us wanted to return to dry land, we knew we had to soon or risk hypothermia. Also, if we stayed out too long, someone was bound to spot our cars parked on that dark road and wonder if we drowned while out on the lake. If not for those two factors, I would have stayed out there on that wide open lake all night long listening to that loon and gazing at those stars.

By the time I got back to my car, my feet were so cold, I could no longer feel them. I changed into dry clothes as discreetly as I could behind some trees. With the kayaks finally secured on the car and a clear night sky above, I drove the long way home with the heat up as far as it would go. I made a little detour to St. Peter's where I stopped at a Tim Horton's to grab a coffee for the long drive home. A kayak purchase may be in my near future. This is totally something I picture myself getting hooked on!