We are now on the ferry to PEI, and unlike the Digby ferry, we cannot access the Wi-Fi from the ferry terminal. But I can still write to catch you all up with our travels and hopefully I'll remember where I left off. We arrived in Truro around 3:00pm and drove around town (remember most check-ins are 4:oopm). Not Much!! We find a little dive restaurant and have a quick bite to eat. We have found that after a relatively late and filling breakfast, we are not really hungry until around 3 and if we eat then we are not hungry for dinner. It kind of screws us up, but I have managed to handle the pressure and eat at both times. MACHO!!
After checking in and chatting with the inn keepers, we head out to catch a quick sight-seeing expedition. We go to the "Glooscap" museum. Glooscap was the mythical leader of the Mik'maque (mic-maw) and stood 40 ft. tall. These tribes hunted and fished for their living and were not considered farmers. They used the legendary birch bark canoe (three different designs – short, white- water types, larger inland, transport types, and even larger ocean going canoes), which the French traders/trappers were quick to copy and use for themselves. In turn, the Mik’maque copied the French boats and began using sail. The Mik'maque were close to the French, they being the first to immigrate to Nova Scotia from Europe, and supported their efforts against the British. But when the French were finally expelled, the British were not very lenient and pushed them into reservations. The Mik'maque Indians were the aboriginal natives of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI, and, like most other aboriginal natives worldwide, got the dirty end of the stick, but also like many other North American Indian tribes they still feel entitled and expect the government to take care of them. They seem to be a very poor community in all of the provinces. After the museum we had a quick dinner and retired to the B&B.
Next morning we are off to Joggins Fossil Cliffs, an archaeological treasure trove known the world 'round. Joggins was documented in Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" as being one of the earliest locations where important fossils were found helping to prove life existed millions of years ago. Because of the geology of the area, a large coal shelf had been tipped up sideways at the end of the Bay of Fundy, and thus having seen millions of years of high tides in and out, exposed the multitude of plant and animal life fossils preserved in the peat (carbon) which is also what coal is. How is that for a quick and very non-professional explanation of everything I know regarding the subject? Suffice it to say that this stop was very interesting. High tide was ~11:30am and within 45 minutes we could stroll on the beach (which was now about 10 meters (~30ft) from the cliffs) and look for our own fossils (cannot be removed but very interesting).
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| low tide |
As we walked on the beach we found two quickly flowing streams coming directly out of the bottom of one cliff. Around the exit points there were old timbers driven vertically into the ground. Come to find out these were old drainage tunnels from the coal mines, also located in Joggins that had collapsed after the mines were abandoned, still draining after several decades. abandoned, still draining after several decades. As we were leaving I asked about the tides. I was told that the water continued to recede until about 6:00pm (low tide), when it would be about 300-400 meters (3-4 football fields) from the cliffs. Now onto our next adventure. Which would take place the next day because there wasn't much more to see on todays adventure. The purported Cape d'Orr Lighthouse seen in the advertisements had been replaced with an electronically controlled one, and the coast-line could not be well viewed except from the water. Parrsboro could have been any other little town on the Nova Scotia coast, but it wasn't as interesting. Tomorrow we leave for Cape Breton with hopes that our interest will again be piqued. AND IT WAS!!! At the backend of Hurricane Igor Cape Breton’s northwestern coastline was being pounded with high winds. Our first encounter was crossing the Canso Causeway, a short, manmade crossing with a water outlet at one end to allow for a natural flow of water from the sea into the Bras d'Or Lakes and back out. This causeway bridged the gap from the mainland of Nova Scotia to the Island of Cape Breton.
Approaching the causeway we could see the white caps pounding the rock embankment, but not until we were crossing the causeway did we really understand the magnitude of the weather. Halfway across a wave crashed into the embankment and a wall of water covered the car. The wipers had been on high, but for 4-5 seconds nothing could be seen. OK, how far ahead was the car in front of me and how far back was the car behind? Should I brake, or if I do will the car in back run into me? SH__!! Oh, I can see again and everyone is approximately where they were before the wave. That night at the B&B we found out that a little later than we had crossed the police began bringing the big trucks over one at a time, and eventually closed the causeway for a short period. After a brief stop at the Information Center, we drove up the coast to Mabou for a much anticipated meal at the Red Shoe Pub. Both town and pub are famous for the Rankin Family who are country music singers. Even though I looked them up, I must say that I still have not heard of them or any of their music, but they are very famous across Canada, and I am guessing that they sing a lot of Scottish country music. When we got to Mabou, guess what - the power was out from Igor’s wind, and they couldn't serve. Bummer!!
Not to be deterred we got back in the car and drove to our next planned point of interest, the Glenora Distillery, on the Ceilidh Trail, in Glenville. (What is the Ceilidh Trail, you may ask? Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is Gaelic for party or gathering, and this part of Cape Breton is where, in 1775, early Scottish settlers were attracted by the prospect of owning their own property, and later in 1820, thousands of Scottish families were forced to emigrate during ‘The Clearances’ – a time when the landlords of Scotland, eager to consolidate small properties into large, profitable sheep farms, evicted their tenants to do so. Many of the current residents still speak Gaelic, and most have very discernable brogues. The Ceilidh Trail traces through many of these old settlements while prominently displaying Celtic arts, crafts, music and hospitality.) The power is off here too.
The Glenora Distillery is the only single malt whiskey distillery in North America. It is produced by the traditional copper pot stills method using only three ingredients: Barley, Yeast and Water. It cannot be called 'Scotch' unless it is produced in Scotland, hence, it is called Canadian Single Malt Whisky. ". It was a great tour seeing the copper stills and all copper piping, getting a detailed explanation of the distillation process, and getting a “wee taste” at the end. It was wonderful, and even though I couldn't taste or smell any of the "elongated wood undertones" touted in the brochures, I could definitely taste the butterscotch and honey. Even Vicki enjoyed it as a sipping liquor, but, alas, because it was priced at over $100 for 500ml, we only brought home "a wee bit”. We also sat in the pub, listened to Celtic music, and sipped some more of their whiskey. The Power has just come back on, and after a quick call to the Red Shoe Pub to find that they would be open again for meals around 4:15, we decided to drive to Inverness. 
The surf was pounding from the backlash of Hurricane Igor. Remember that hurricanes swirl counter-clockwise, and since Igor had nailed Newfoundland that morning we were getting all the wind on the northwest side of Cape Breton. Inverness has a boardwalk along their coastline that Vicki and I walked on and took a few pictures. Like them? 
Now back to Mabou and the Red Shoe Pub for a large portion of "the best macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten". Guess what? Not on the menu anymore, so we "settled"("settled"?) for:
Pan Seared Scallops & Bacon... Pan Seared Scallops served with a leek and pea fondu, sautéed potatoes, drizzled with a warm bacon vinaigrette
and
Thick Cut Pork Chop… Grilled bone-in pork chop served with apple chutney, creamy mashed potatoes and butter braised cabbage
All washed down with a Red Shoe Red Ale, and followed with homemade Ginger Bread with a large dollop of homemade whipped sweet cream. (Not to worry Al, we were sufficiently pleased.) While we were eating, a wife and husband came in and were going to play Celtic/Gaelic music from 5 to 7(she on fiddle and he on guitar). We left full and content and still tapping our feet from the great music at 6, and headed for our B&B in St. Ann's.
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