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.  

 

 

Family Time on the Banks of the Bras d'Or Lakes

I love Iona and the areas around the Bras d'Or Lakes, but I don't spend a whole lot of time there.  Perhaps that will change since my sister moved home and her little family has a summer place there.

I was looking forward to finally seeing her place the day I hopped in the car and made the long drive there.  Actually, the drive is usually not that long but I took a little detour because I had to stop at my friend's trailer in Jersey Cove to pick up something I forgot there a few days earlier. 

Instead of taking the 125 and exiting towards Boisdale or St. Peter's, I exited onto the Trans Canada Highway.  After my stop at Jersey Cove, I turned right onto the TCH and took the exit to Little Narrows.  After a little ferry ride, it was a short drive to Iona.

I was given directions on how to get there and they didn't sound too complicated.  I found the road I had to turn down or at least I thought it did.  I found out later that there were two roads with similar names.  I took the wrong one, of course.  I got lost, made some wrong turns, ended up back on the main road and had to call someone to meet me and lead me to where everyone was waiting for my arrival.  

 My little nephew was the first to come greet me. A little game of run around the tree and peek-a-boo and it was off to the nearby beach where we spent the rest of the day.

It was a warm evening and I had my swimsuit so I went for a dip.  No one else wanted to come in with me because there were so many jellyfish but I didn't really care.  I just brushed them away and kept an eye on them to make sure they weren't getting too close. 

That day was the first time I used my underwater action camera.  And yes, it worked perfectly!  I got some pretty neat pictures of those jellyfish from underwater.  

When the sun started to dip towards the horizon and the air started to cool, I retreated back to the beach to dry off .  I sure tired out quickly running after my little nephew.  He just never stops.  He's back and forth to and from the water's edge, back and forth to the edge of the forest, rolling around in the sand with his dinkies and just being a little ball of energy.  I got a little break from the action when I took a relaxing stroll down to the end of the beach with Dad.  

When it was almost dark, we piled back into the cars to go back to home base.  Everyone had an SUV except me.  Everyone pulled out of the sandpit just fine except me.  First, I got stuck and had to be pushed out.  That was fine until I was driving down the gravel road and started hearing a scraping sound that sounded like something was being dragged beneath my car. One look under the front end and I could see that I had torn off the engine shield.  A "perfect" end to what was a perfect day up to that point!

Long story short, we temporarily tied the flimsy metal up as best as we could and I drove home with no issues except for when the low-hanging piece hit a high part on the road.  I took it to my backyard mechanic and he had it fixed in no time.  Nothing like car repairs when you least expect them!

 

 

A New Trail, an Old Trail and some Big Waves

I may not have traveled all that far this summer, but I certainly had the opportunity to do a lot of new things.  In particular, I got to hike a few new trails and explore some new places I had never explored before.  One of the new trails I hiked was at the Ben Eoin Provincial Park.  I actually didn't even know there was a trail there.  I'd been to the park many times but I guess I never noticed the sign pointing to the trail leading up the mountain.

I arrived at the  park in mid-afternoon and ate my lunch before heading up the hill.  It was a beautiful afternoon for that late in September.  There was hardly any wind, it was sunny and the air was just right - not too hot and not too cold, just comfortable. Perfect hiking conditions.  I was the only person there that day and I found that both strange and disturbing considering it was the weekend and the weather was so fantastic.  I can't get my head around the fact that so many people would rather spend such a splendid day in a mall buying material things they don't need when they could be outdoors enjoying the spectacular beaches, trails and natural surroundings of one of the world's most beautiful islands.

With my lunch done and all ready to hit the trail, I made my way up the mountain, not having any idea how far the trail went or how long it would take to get up the hill and back down.  The trail was quite steep for a while until it leveled out.  I swam, walked and biked all summer so I'm quite fit.  The only thing bothered by the incline was my bad knee which seems to act up going up hill and even more so going down hill.

The trail isn't very long but it's nice.  Tall trees with sunlight coming through made it look almost like an enchanted forest.  And the views!  Spectacular!  A clear straight view down to the Bras d'Or Lakes and there happened to be a sailboat right in the middle when I arrived at the top. I lingered for a short while before heading down, which was more difficult on my knee than going up.  I made it safely though.  Instead of driving back the same way I came, I went through Northside East Bay and onto Eskasoni and eventually arriving in Iona and Grand Narrows.

I stopped to rest and enjoy the view from the Highland Village parking lot before continuing on my way.  While driving along the road leading through Boisedale, I came across another road that I thought ended up in George's River.  I had heard about such a road so I took it and got to see an area of the island I don't recall ever seeing before.  And yes, it did end up in George's River and eventually back to the 105 and the route home.

The next day, I ventured to the other side of the island and ended up in Louisbourg at Kennington Cove Beach.  Weather warnings were posted warning the public that the surf around the island would be high that weekend.  Louisbourg is the perfect place to safely enjoy high surf.  And yes, the waves at the beach were very high!  And the water was still warm too.  Not that I went swimming but I couldn't help but put my toes in the water for what just might be the last time this season.  

That evening, I took a sunset stroll to the old fort near the Lingan Wind Farm.  I miscalculated the time it would take to get in and out and ended up walking out of there through some thick forest at night.  It was just starting to get dark when I arrived at the shore and I lost track of time while taking pictures and looking for deer in the field.  It seemed like it took three times longer to walk out than it did to walk in.  Every few feet I would hear something move in the woods and wonder if it was something that could have me for me lunch or just a branch moving in the wind.