New England Trip

Today we drove north on the Cabot Trail through the northern end of Cape Breton Island, the highlands of Nova Scotia that were so attractive to the Scottish settlers because of their resemblance to the Scottish Highlands. The highest point in these highlands is 1,747 ft. at White Hill. We drove along beautiful scenic drives with spectacular views of the Bay of St. Lawrence on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Pumpkin stayed in the motor home for the day, but Wicket went with us, and enjoyed smelling everything along the way.

At the northernmost point on Cape Breton, we took a pig trail to “Meat Cove,” a little cove where whales often come close to shore, and we saw some whales following one of the whale-sighting tour boats. We had a picnic on a bluff above the water, and watched for whales with our binoculars. The road was rough and unpaved, but there were several motorcyclists who followed us up and back. We were glad to have the Acura for this side trip, since it handles the curves and rough roads so well.

We enjoyed the drive back down the Atlantic side of Cape Breton, stopping at several turn-outs where there were beaches or rocky outcroppings that offered a good ocean view. We stopped at a few artist studios near the town of St. Anne’s. There is a well-marked road to follow for this self-guided tour, and it took us back down toward Baddeck and across to the western side of Cape Breton and our campsite. We were tired and glad to be “home.”

Several pictures follow.

1. Northwest coast (Gulf of Saint Lawrence) inside the Cape Breton Highlands National Park 2. Two pictures of upper Aspy Bay at the Northeast corner of Cape Breton 3. The northern-most tip of Cape Breton at Meat Cove 4. Green Cove on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Highlands National Park