Cape Breton- Part II

Today we drove along the western section of the Cabot Trail, which has a different physical and cultural feel than the eastern side. The western areas we drove through included the Acadian Margaree Valley and the town of Chéticamp and most of the road signs were in English and French. The east side is mostly forested with exposed rock along the shore, while the west side has lush green valleys with farms and huge open pastures.

   

I've been really struck by the fact that there are lots and lots and lots of homes right along the coastline (in every coastal town in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and every single one of them is a regular house. Most of them are one story, a few two, some modular, some with a front door that has no steps leading to it because it looks like people go in on the back where they park. No McMansions, no estates behind tall fences or a wall of trees, no landscaped grounds or security gates or no trespassing signs. These are houses with views that include breathtaking cliffs, lighthouses, beautiful bays, and open ocean. Houses that people live in year-round with their families.

They're are lots and water views that people covet at home and pay millions of dollars to own and then more millions of dollars to develop. I just keep thinking about the Vineyard as I drive through these seaside towns, enjoying the unobstructed views as much as the people who live here do. In New England, water views have become exclusive and private and only good for a few weeks every summer to an exclusive group of people. I don't know if there are regulations in these provinces that prevent people from building monstrous vacation homes, because it certainly seems like someone with enough money could have a killer ocean summer retreat here. This trip has been a good reminder that not every Atlantic coastline is ruined and that there are still places where EVERYONE can enjoy the ocean.

Our plan for today was to drive almost to the northwest corner of the Cabot Trail and take the Skyline Trail hike. This is the most popular hike in Cape Breton because it's a mostly level walk and the views are incredible. The trail winds through a boreal spruce forest on the way to the ocean and partway through we had to pass through a gated area the size of six football fields where moose are being kept out.

We had been told in Newfoundland that moose there are a non-native species and since introduced 100 years ago have decimated many forested areas. While they are native to Nova Scotia, they have no natural predators and on Cape Breton the population is four times what the environment can support. They eat young tree leaves including spruce and other woody plants, which means there's very little forest regeneration, and grasslands have replaced forests in many of the uplands. The park fencing is part of an effort to bring the natural forest back.  

When we got to the end of the trail we realized why it's so popular. You come out of the woods to a series of wooden stairs and platforms with views for miles into the ocean, and south along the coastline with the Cabot Trail winding up the mountains. Amazing!

It's also the perfect place to spot whales. And today was flat calm on the water so the best weather to spot whales. Guess what? NO WHALES!

We stopped on the way back to Sydney for lobster because Jen has wanted one since we arrived. It's not lobster season right now in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland (which explains why we've seen dozens of yards with picturesque piles of lobster pots), so we actually had to seek them out! Baddeck Lobster Suppers is in the town of the same name, which was the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell so there is a national historic site and lots of other Bell Bling throughout town. We were just there for the food, though.

Tomorrow we head to Halifax where we'll base ourselves for the last days of the trip, with day trips to new and exciting places in Nova Scotia's southern and western areas.