North Sydney Nova Scotia to Port Hawkesbury Nova Scotia 233 miles
Forgot to mention yesterday that I saw two mink run across the parking lot while the tire was being changed. Once again the skies are grey and look like rain. We ate breakfast in the room and then Rob went out to change the tire. The air in the tube seems to have held. Unfortunately the car doesn’t start without a pull. We head to the Visitor Center to get an update on the road condition on the Cabot Trail. The center shares a building with the museum and the library. We parked closest to the library and went in there. The Visitor Center doesn’t open until 10:00 and it is only 9:30. Luckily the librarian had a tourist map and also knew the road was passable. When we got back to the car a guy who had offered help when we were here before spotted us. He is trying really hard to get us to use a friend of his to fix the car. Rob told him we were looking for Wire Dryer. He took us to two different auto parts stores. Neither of them had any. He called a third which did have it but they are 15 kilometers away. Rob thanked him but said we really needed to get on the road. So we each went our own way. We thought we knew how to get to the trail. We just needed to go north on this one road that would take us to the start of the trail. We got to the road and it said east west. Well we took the wrong one. That cost us over twenty kilometers. When we did get on the right road it started raining. The rain lasted about twenty kilometers. The rest of the day was mostly cloudy but didn’t rain. Up and down over three major hills and lots of small ones. They seem really big when you are running in first gear. We used a small ferry to cross in one spot. No charge. The crossing takes less time than loading the cars. We are both surprised a bridge has not been built. Maybe the ferry union has more power here? We came to the site where the rain washed the road out. It was not long but a lot more work needs to be done. The road conditions change every few miles. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes terrible. A few small towns are along the way. Houses are in between. Lots of forest similar to New England in the states. The colors must be spectacular in the fall. We stopped briefly at a small shop advertising Celtic quilts. They had one that was already sold. They also sold other quilts and crafts. They get their fabric from the states. The librarian recommended a restaurant near Inverness. When we got there it was closed. We eventually found a small restaurant in a house. Connie got a lobster roll so she has finally had some of the lobster they talk about. Quite tasty. The northern part of the trail is in the Highlands National Park. Hiking trails are everywhere. Just like before if you are just driving through you don’t pay. The scenery on this drive is incredible! We left the Cabot Trail a little early and drove the Ceilidh Trail. This is best known for the golf courses and Celtic music. The road signs have a picture of a guy playing bagpipes. They are also into square dancing. Rob put some of the Sea Foam in the gas tank. Time will tell if that helps.
Spoffords Travel 