An Early Fall Camping Trip in Cheticamp

It's not very often that I get a camping trip in after mid-September but the weather has been so nice this fall, I planned a last-minute camping trip to Cheticamp.

I was originally just going to go there to visit some friends but when I saw the forecast, I thought "what the heck" and booked a site for one night in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  It's a good thing I always leave my camping gear in the car until the end of fall, just in case. 

I left super early in the morning and grabbed myself a pumpkin spice latte for the road and took my time on the long drive to my campsite.  I did many of the shops on the other side of the Cabot Trail earlier in the week so I made a point to stop at a few on this side too.  

The Red Barn has always been a stop on family outings and now, as an adult, I always stop there too.  I found some good sales and bought a few Christmas gifts and gifts for myself before heading through the Margaree Valley and onto Chetimcamp. 

I made it to the campground mid-afternoon and started setting up the tent right away.  Better to get set up and out of the way before it gets cold and the flies come out. I got it put up in no time.  For a tent that was almost impossible to set up earlier in the summer when I first started using it, I've certainly gotten used to setting it up with no issues!

After everything was in the tent and ready for the night, I sat in my beach chair with a book and some snacks and relaxed for a bit.  Later that afternoon, I went for a drive through the town of Cheticamp and stopped at the beach on Cheticamp Island to watch the sunset.  On the way back, I took the Cheticamp Back Road and kept going past the campground into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to see I could spot some wildlife.  

When I got back to camp, it was dark and a little chilly.  I changed into some warmer clothes and sat outside watching the clear night sky for a while.  When it became too cold and damp to sit out anymore, I got ready for bed and hopped into my thermal sleeping bag for the long, chilly night ahead. 

I admit, I didn't have the best sleep.  It was a little cold and uncomfortable but I made it.  Mornings are the worst after a cold night in a tent.  Everything was wet and the air was cold and damp.  I got dressed and hopped in the car with the heat up as high as it could go and drove into town for a hot coffee and a little drive along the shore. 

When I got back to my site, the sun was out and things had dried off a bit.  I started taking everything down.  After it was all packed up in the car, I headed back towards Cheticamp Island to meet my friend. 

The weather had forecast it to be warmer than it was so we thought we were going to go swimming.  Well, that didn't happen.  We went to Chimney Corner Beach and Whale Cove Beach but instead of swimsuits, we were wearing hoodies.  We walked both beaches, caught up on some gossip, cooked up some hotdogs and went our separate ways just at sunset.  

 

 

Sleeping in a Tent is one of my Summer Highlights

Nothing really ever changes at Broad Cove campground except one thing...how much harder it's getting to book the site I want!  I always book between my two favorite sites and for over 20 years, I've no issue booking one of the other. But, the last two years I either had to book months in advance or I had to book at another site. This year, I wasn't able to book well in advance so I had to make do with a site I wasn't familiar with.  I was disappointed but in the end, it worked out perfectly and now I have a third site that I can add to my favorites!

Another big change to my camping trip this year was I didn't have to worry about drafts and leaks.  My old tent had both but this year, I had a brand new tent to test out and it works perfectly.  In fact, I love it!  For one, it's huge.  Secondly, it has a "porch" separate from the main part.  It's big enough for my beach chair so I could sit in there away from rain and flies and read a book or go through pictures I took earlier in the day.  To make it even more cozy, I just hooked up a few little lights and it was like having a living room in my tent!

That camping trip couldn't have been more perfect.  I love the new tent, I loved the new site and the weather was amazing.  The site, by the way, was grassy, level and close to amenities such as washrooms.  The weather was hot and sunny the entire time and the flies weren't too bad.  I spent my days at the beaches, evenings eating takeout while watching the sun go down and nights walking around the campground and admiring the beautiful night sky filled with stars. 

There was no dew inside my tent the next morning which was something I wasn't used to.  Tear down was easy and I was packed up and ready to go in no time.  Not that I wanted to but I knew in a few weeks, I would be back.  Other adventures were awaiting me at home.  The only thing I don't like about busy summers is how quickly they fly by!

 

 

 

The Forgotten Beach - A Day at Black Brook Beach

I first started going to Ingonish as a child but I really started spending a lot of time there when I was a teenager and a friend of mine had a camper parked at the Broad Cove Campground. That was my first real introduction to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I went back and forth to that camper for several summers before my parents bought one and parked it a few lots away on that same campground.  That family I had been spending summers with prior to that had moved away and no longer came to Broad Cove but I continued to go and have been going there every year since. 

I remember the first time I went to Black Brook Beach.  My friends mother packed us all into the truck and drove ten minutes north into the National Park between Broad Cove and Neil's Harbour.  Of course, having never been there before, I thought we were going to take a dip in a freshwater brook!  There is a brook there with freshwater that leads to the ocean which is lined by one of the most beautiful little beaches I had ever seen. 

For many years,  I returned to that beach but, for some reason, I stopped going and started swimming at other area beaches like Ingonish Beach and North Bay. I think it was a partially because more people started going there so it got quite crowded and the beach was getting smaller and smaller every year so there was less space on it. 

I don't know for sure how long I stayed away from Black Brook but I'd say it was at least 15 years. That streak was broken this year when I finally returned to my once favourite beach and I'm sure glad I did!

I picked up a friend at the Joyful Journey's campground in Jersey Cove and headed to Ingonish for the day.  Our intention was to swim at The Point as I've had luck there recently.  It's calm, it's sandy and I rarely see jellyfish there.  However, on this day, it was calm and sandy but it was polluted with jellyfish!  We headed to Ingonish Beach to check it out and alas, polluted with jellyfish too!  North Bay was too rough and covered in seaweed.  

Defeated, I suggested we try one last place, my old favourite, Black Brook.  When we arrived, the parking lot was almost empty which was a good sign especially since it was high tide and there would be very little space on the beach. 

Things looked decent from the parking lot.  The water looked clear, there was a gentle rolling wave and there were a few people in the water.  However, I couldn't tell if there were any jelly fish lurking on the surface!  Upon closer inspection, I saw none so the remaining test was the water temperature.  

 

 We set up on the beach and stripped down to our swimsuits.  I put my toes in first.  It felt warm.  I inched in a little more.  It still felt warm.  I beckoned for my friend to join me and, reluctantly, she did.  She found it cold.  I'm sure I have a higher tolerance for ocean water as it always seems like everyone else finds it cold!  I dove in. It was warm.  She dove in and found it just tolerable.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed swimming in those clear waters for the rest of the afternoon. 

When my friend complained about her legs being numb and headed to shore, I stayed in the water for about another hour.  I could have stayed longer if I hadn't gotten so hungry.  The option to eat out is always there while on road trips around Cape Breton and there are quite a few amazing restaurants around the Ingonish area.  However, I prefer my old standby when the weather is nice and I prefer to be outdoors by the ocean; an egg sandwich, yogurt and granola bar.  This has been my standard beach meal since I can remember.  It serves me well.  Filling and healthy. 

 When the clouds started rolling in, the wind picked up and it looked like we might get a rain shower, we packed everything up and headed for the shelter of the car just in time to miss the inevitable.  When we reached North Bay, the rain had stopped and we went for an evening stroll along that long beautiful beach before making the long journey back to the campground in Jersey Cove.  

I prefer staying in a tent when I camp but a camper trailer is the next best thing.  It's closer to nature than my apartment in town. We ate some snacks and sat around a campfire before the distant thunder sounded like it was getting closer.  I slept like a baby to the sound of crickets, thunder and the water rolling ashore at the beach nearby. In the morning, I watched some hummingbirds feeding on the deck and a bald eagle soaring above. The drive home wasn't as peaceful as the drive the night before.  It was a workday for most people and everyone was heading to jobs and appointments in the city.  But that's ok because I had the memories of the day and night before to think about as I drove back into civilization.

Camping in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park After a Two-year Absence...Some Peace at Last!

Covid-19 certainly did a number on everyone's life, including mine. The summer of 2020 was a hard one for me.  Covid hit my finances and mental health pretty hard and I was looking forward to an escape from it all.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen the way I would have liked.   

My ultimate escape when I want to get away from it all is to pack up the car with my camping gear and head to Broad Cove in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  I've been going there since I was a kid and I always set up my tent at the exact same spot every year, lot 87.  

When Covid hit here in March, there were lockdowns for months. Even the provincial park beach where I take my daily walk was closed down to the public so I had to find another place to walk.  When it reopened in the late spring, things looked like they might be improving so I started to make plans for my annual camping trip.  However, later in the summer when closures were still in effect and many restrictions were still in place, I decided to cancel those plans on the advice of authorities to stick around my community unless it was necessary to leave. It was the first summer in 30 years that I didn't make it to Broad Cove. 

The arrival of summer 2021 was looking much better since many restrictions were lifted and most things were opened up again.  When I heard that campgrounds were expected to be booked solid all summer because everyone was wanting to get away for the first time in almost two years, I started monitoring the booking site for an opening.  Because I was working Monday to Friday in the evening, I had to book for a Saturday morning to get the most out of a camping trip. I found an opening on a weekend mid-summer.  Unfortunately, my usual site, which is almost like a second home to me, was not available so I had to settle for another one.  Luckily, it was a nice one not too far away from my original site.

The campground was just as I had left it two years before and I felt all the weight of the world fall from my shoulders as I drove along the gravel road to my familiar home-away-from-home.  A day and night in the woods surrounded by nature was exactly what I needed to unwind and get my head on straight again before heading back to the real world that's still dealing with this dreadful pandemic.

I set up camp, I dined outdoors on a picnic table with a friendly squirrel, I sat in my beach chair under a clear, starry night. I read in my tent by candlelight and I fell asleep to the sound of waves rolling ashore and leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. I awoke early in the morning and ate breakfast surrounded by 5 AM morning dew, ordered a fresh coffee from my favourite coffee shop, The Bean Barn Cafe, and savoured it on the banks of Freshwater Lake near Ingonish Beach. 

After I took down my tent and checked out, I spent the day swimming, hiking and visiting my favourite spots around Ingonish.  Maryanne Falls, Warren Lake, Black Brook, North Bay Beach, The Point.  It was dark when I headed back over Cape Smokey and made the long drive home along the North Shore.  About a dozen cars whizzed past me (some passing on double lines going well over the speed limit) in the race to get to the Englishtown Ferry.  Some things never change!

 

The Black Black is just one of the Many Animals that can be Spotted on Cape Breton Island

Wildlife is plentiful on Cape Breton Island.  Deer, moose, coyote, fox, rabbit, bobcat, lynx and bear are commonly spotted around the island especially in the more remote areas of the south coast and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

I spotted this young black bear along the road going through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park near Cheticamp. 

The Grand Reopening of The Keltic Lodge Resort

As a youngster with a wild imagination, I thought the Keltic Lodge Resort in Ingonish, Cape Breton was a place where royalty and movie stars stayed when visiting the island.  Every time I came across a picture of the resort or admired it from nearby Ingonish Beach, it's well-manicured lawns and stately main lodge reminded of something from an enchanted fairy tale. I envisioned women with big fascinator hats and Victorian-like dresses strolling through the gardens and men in tuxedos sipping Brandy and smoking cigars in a chandelier-lit lounge. The closest I got to the place was an impromptu mini photo shoot orchestrated by my parents who thought having us kids sitting together in one of the Adirondack chairs (or Keltic Lodge chairs as I called them because that's the only place I ever saw them) would make a fun, unique photo.  My curiosity about the place was fueled even more by rumors that well-known celebrities and politicians frequented the lodge.  Many years later, I would find out what it was that attracted so many visitors from around the world.
I was already living away in another province when I found out my sister would be working at the Keltic Lodge for the 2002 season.  My first thought upon hearing this news was "she can get the inside scoop on the place and tell me what it's really like inside and who stays there".  Before she was able to spill anything, I had the opportunity to get the inside scoop myself when I traveled home that summer and visited her at her home-away-from-home at the on-site staff residence.

I was a little uncomfortable with having to drive up to the resort and trying to find my sister.  Would I look suspicious?  Would security stop and question me?  It was, after all, a grand resort where the rich and famous took their vacations and I didn't want to look like some crazed paparazzi.  I was reassured that there would be nothing to worry about and that those things I heard about the rich and famous were just fairy tales fueled by local children trying to impress us city slickers who camped in Ingonish on summer weekends.  Was she serious?  Just fairy tales?  Or was she sworn to secrecy?

I arrived one evening in the early summer of that year and parked in the main parking area in front of the Balmoral residence.   I already had the back seats of my parent's mini van taken out and a sleeping bag set up in the back as I wasn't able to stay in my sister's room.  Because this post is supposed to be about the grand reopening of The Keltic Lodge, I'll sum up my time spent there that summer like this:
I learned that The Keltic Lodge is not some untouchable place where only the rich and famous stay.  It is not a stuffy, snobby resort with gold-plated railings, crystal chandeliers and bowtied garcons.  It is, however, a beautiful, magical place that caters to people from all walks of life.  That summer was one of the best summers of my life.  Through my sister and my time spent around the lodge while visiting with her, I met lots of people from all over the world, I sampled ice cream from the Atlantic Restaurant, I embarked on a tour of the inside of some areas, I enjoyed some wonderful evenings in the Sitting Room while Cyril MacPhee performed, I was introduced to the Thirsty Hiker Pub at the nearby Glenghorm Resort and even took my turn as the designated driver back to base and, most importantly, I fell in love with that iconic white building with the red trim that I'd admired from afar for so long.

Although I never had the opportunity to actually stay at the Keltic (besides sleeping in a van in the residence parking lot), I've visited the grounds many times and often park in the big parking lot near the restaurant during lightning storms (best place in the area to watch lightning, hands down!) when it's too stormy to stay in my tent at nearby Broad Cove.  I've always wanted the resort to succeed partially because my sister worked there, partially because it employs so many local people but mostly because it belongs on the Middle Head Peninsula.  It's the heart of The Highlands and without it, the area just wouldn't be the same.  A few years ago, rumors started to spread. The beautiful resort needed some major repairs and that it was for sale and that perhaps it would even have to close.  Those are just some of the things I heard.  That's why when I recently learned that some major renovations were done and there would be a grand reopening to show the public that the Keltic was, in fact, still alive and not going anywhere, I clicked on that "attending" button on the Facebook event page and made plans to attend it back on June 25th, 2016.  I wanted to be there and show my support for the new initiatives being taken to revive Cape Breton's premiere vacation destination.

A number of people were already roaming the grounds when I arrived but I was still able to find a parking space close to the building before it got too crowded.  I entered my name in the draw to win one of several great prizes (one of which was for a stay at the resort) and walked around the newly-renovated area.  I started to explore the Inn area on my own when a very friendly, well-mannered young man offered to give me the grand tour.  I was very impressed with what had been done with the suites and especially loved the ones with the glass doors overlooking the bay.  The spa was also very impressive and I especially loved the hot tub on the outside deck looking toward majestic Cape Smokey Mountain.  As I wandered around admiring the spectacular work that had been done to an already spectacular place, I heard the faint sound of a lone piper. And than I heard another.   

The ribbon cutting ceremony wasn't due to start for another couple of hours so I decided to take a spin around Ingonish to visit some of my favorite places.  I went to Black Brook, Warren Lake, Broad Cove, North Bay Beach, The Point and Ingonish Beach.  I even stopped along the way to buy a Frisbee at The Outdoor Store but there were none left. Guess a few people had that in mind for the weekend seeing as, in Ingonish, you are surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches perfect for a game of Frisbee.  On my wanderings, I noticed that there seemed to be more tourists around than usual for that time of year.  A telling sign to come?  Word is getting around.

I returned to the Keltic just in time for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and speeches.  Everyone involved in the resort's present and future success were so full of energy and promise for a bright future.  There was even mention of making the Keltic a year-round resort which I think would be fantastic! Unfortunately, I didn't win any of those door prizes but I felt privileged to be in attendance at such a wonderful event in honor of the resort and to be among the first people to learn more about what is coming from Cape Breton's premiere destination...which may sooner than later become Nova Scotia's premiere destination or even Canada's premiere destination.  And why not?  It has everything - The world-class golf course, beautiful scenery, sandy beaches, fun activities, warm hospitality and scrumptious food and drink.
I ended that afternoon with a hike on the Middle Head Peninsula Trail.  I hadn't done that trail in many years and thought it would be a fitting end to the day.   The breeze coming off the water was nice and there were no flies.  I walked right to the end of the peninsula and stood at what felt like the edge of the world and admired the awe-inspiring views.  On the way back, the wind died down and the flies came out in full force.  The final leg of the trail was pure torture.  I stopped at one point to get some bug spray from my backpack (I found everything but) and heard something fairly big moving in the bushes not far from where I stood.  I froze in terror thinking it might be a bear and when I got the nerve, I started moving slowly down the trail before speeding up again.  Fortunately, I was closer to the end of the trail than I thought and within minutes I was back in the safety and comfort of my air-conditioned Sonata.

I ate supper at the Seagull Restaurant before heading to my favorite cafe in the area for dessert.  One of my traditions when in Ingonish is to have a piece of that delicious carrot cake they serve at the Bean Barn Cafe and grab a coffee to go and enjoy it along the shores of Freshwater Lake while the sun sets.  But, much to my disappointment, The Bean Barn was closed early that day.  Despite that one hiccup, it turned out to be a great day in The Highlands.  One that made me appreciate that shining star on the Middle Head Peninsula even more.  The Keltic Lodge has always been special.  Amazing.  Spectacular.  Grande.  Now it will be all of those things and more for generations to come. And perhaps someday, I will leave the tent in the trunk and forego a night at Broad Cove Campground to spend the night in one of those luxurious rooms with a view.