9.27.13 Friday Cape Breton's Cabot Trail

The morning was cloudy and the wind, which had to be 30+ last night, continues.  There’s no way to keep a camp stove lit.  There was really no urgency to do anything in particular so we went into North Sydney to Walmart for a few things.   While there we saw microwave ovens on sale. Mmm...if we can’t use the camp stove… and we have electric… we could use a microwave.  At the price to eat out, about three meals will would equal the micro.  So we kicked it around but neither of us had a real gut feeling one way or the other.  We left Wallyworld without one.   Then, as we thought more about it… maybe if we got one of the smallest ones?  We looked at several stores and found a Sears store about size of a convenience store and they had just what we wanted.  It was also on sale.  Well almost...The sale ended a day or two ago.  The sales lady said to the supervisor as she winked at us “I have to sell it to them at the sale price, right?”  The supervisor grinned and said “Yea, at the sale price”.  So now back to Wallyworld to buy microwaveable food.  We weren’t on the road until nearly 1:00 PM.

 We set out for the Cabot Trail.  We joined the trail at South Gut Saint Anns (don’t ask me how they come up with the names) and headed north, or as they say “counter-clockwise”.  The Trail encircles the mountains of northwest Nova Scotia.  At first it reminded us of Potter County, PA with a shoreline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But when we reached Cape Smokey, Potter County went out the window.   On Smokey Mountain we climbed up the edge of a mountain, and I mean the edge.  The van started making funny noises…OOOH DEEEAR…OOH MMMMMY...AHGGGGGH.  Wait, that’s not coming from the van…It’s coming from the passenger seat.  The road is very narrow and winds like an snake with the hick-ups and the guard rail looks like it was used for the infield at a demolition derby! But the view is spectacular. 

Is that the edge of the world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This truck was crawling down the mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda was holding the camera so tight
 she almost got the 500 ft .drop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These guys are going "clockwise".

 

 

 

 

The view at the top of Smokey Mountain.
You can see the cut for the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at a little ranger station as we entered Cape Breton Highlands National Park (now that name makes sense).  Many of the parks camping areas are closed but the one at Broad Cove has selected sites available.  It is a beautiful park surrounded in evergreen and birch forest. 

 

We could actually cookout so I did the burgers on the grill and Linda cooked up the macaroni in the microwave.  Now that’s really is roughing it.



YUMM

    

9.26.18 Louisbourg and Glace Bay

9.26.13 Thursday

I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy with the notion that maybe someone will come along with a pitcher and fill it up.  But all this rain and wind is not filling my glass at all.  Today continues windy with light rain.  We were so soaked coming back from the fortress that the courtesy map of the grounds was like a wet paper towel.  So I thought it’s only a “rabbit’s hop” to the park so let’s get a new one. (See I’m picking up on the local lingo)  On the way we saw a couple who just entered the long drive into the park and they were walking in the rain.  They were from France and walked from the cruise ship that came in sometime during the night.  We gave them a ride to the administration building and I got a new map.

The French Connection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove around Louisbourg and out to the Louisbourg Harbor Light. 

 

 

Louisbourg waterfront

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fog horn for Louisbourg
Harbor Light

 

 

 



Louisbourg Harbor Light

Louisbourg Fortress as seen
from the lighthouse grounds




 

Then Linda saw a side road that followed the coast up to Glace Bay.  Even in the rain it was a nice drive.   Glace Bay is the home to the Cape Breton Miner's Museum.  It’s mainly an inside affair so let’s give it a try.  It was very informative.  I knew coal mining was hard dirty work, but after seeing how it was done and talking to Wishie, our tour guide, who was a miner since 1961, I find it hard to believe that anyone would do that kind of work.   But there are those who would rather be miners than fishermen.  Part of the tour included a walk down into a mine that went under the Atlantic Ocean.  There are numerous mines in Nova Scotia that go out under the ocean but the last one closed in 2001.  There are billions of tons of anthracite out there but the local power companies didn’t want to pay the $46 a ton so they started importing coal.  Now the import coal is at $200 a ton but the local mines have been shut down.  A loose-loose situation. Some of the miners were given training in other occupations such as masonry, carpentry, furniture making and had jobs for a while restoring the Louisbourg Fortress.

 

 

 

 

 

Wishie was our tour guide

 

 

 

It would take 1 1/2 hours
to go the 7 miles in a cable car under the ocean
to the work area.  The miners pay did not start
until they were at the bottom.

 

A train of 40 cars full of miners
were let down the shaft by a cable




Signals to tell the operator
what was to be done
with the cable cars



 



Later diesel locomotives
moved the cars.





Lunch boxes and canteens





Lanterns

 

 

"Bumpless Stretcher"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Typical Company Housing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern coal mover.
Big Wheel was the pulley used
 to lower the elevator down the shaft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rain continues, so tonight we went back to Arm of Gold.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to break.  It looks like a good time to do the Cabot Trail.