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July 24th. - Awoke to a thunderstorm and it kept pouring on and off all day.Because it was also warm, Jenny commented that it was her first real humid day, but Pat said she ain't seen nothing 'til she's lived in southern Ontario.At Fredericton city hall, Jenny sweet talked them into giving out a free parking permit for the whole day.So we had a walk around downtown and took pics of Robert Burns' statue.The Highland Gameswere starting tomorrow, and the Lieutenant Governor's "Backyard Bash" was being prepared as well.It would have been fun to stay, but we must continue.
On to St. John, skirting around Canadian Forces Base - Gagetown.Saw something called the Reversible Tides which is a phenomenon due to the world's highest tides here - 40ft. !!Unfortunately, it was quite foggy in St. John, so couldn't see much of the harbour.Lots of fun at the Walmart parking lot tonight.First a young man tried to sell us a $100 bottle of cologne for $20.Then nearby, four police cars swarmed another man in a van blocking him in.They searched his van and held him for almost an hour, then let him go.I was hoping for an arrest at least, or maybe even a take down.
July 25th- Left St. John and followedthe coast road to St. Martins on the Bay of Fundy. The tide was out enabling us to walk across the pebble beach to see some red caves carvedby the high tides. These New Brunswick people are very patriotic -the provincial flag is seen all over. Jenny thinks she will open up an umbrella shop because they don't seem to own any, even though it buckets down every so often.Bought gas today at $1.28/L, cheapest so far.
The library at Sussex was a blessing to send the last blog - either Marigold wouldn't fit in the under ground parking, or the computers did email only, and other such problems. While waiting our turn for the computer, we visited the farmers market. My keepers ended up buying some fresh veggies, but they didn't buy me any honey.
July 26th. - Crossing into Nova Scotia, we were welcomed by the swirl of the bagpipes at the border information site.We took the Northumberland coastal route called the Sunset Trail.The soil in this area is very red, as was the sand on the beach where we stopped for lunch.The locals here seem to recycle by putting all their old "stuff" at the end of their driveways.The village of PUGWASH was a treat to visit.Their harbourfest was in full swing.It was very entertaining to watch the Pugwashers' tournament, where teams throw big metal washers across the street and try to get them into wooden boxes.More fresh veggies were bought at the farmer's market.The village and Nova Scotia have a very Scottish flavour - even their street signs are in Gaelic as well as English.There was no sign of Captain Pugwash, though!Looking for a recommended winery, we saw our first bear since leaving home.Tonight sees us camped on the beach at Toney River.Some locals have come down to chat, one in particular stayed for quite while.There was a firework display tonight on the point of land across the water from us.
July 27th - Lovely sunny day as we crossed over the causeway to Cape Breton. Taking the #19 rd. known as the Ceilidh Trail, which basically runs by the north coast, saw us having lunch on an old railway right of way. The tracks were torn up ages ago. There are a few farms but the land is mainly forest. The Red Shoe pub in Mabou was advertised as the place to go locally, so Jenny treated Pat to a pint - the first on this trip. Very slow service and expensive but it was worth it. We lucked out this evening and found ourselves a lovely lake side camp spot on the shores of Lake Ainslie, where we had a swim to freshen up and do laundry. Typically, we thought it would be surrounded by private property yet there were only a few farms and buildings. The forest swept down to most of the shore. Only two other local families occupied this golden sandy beach with us. There were pin cherries, apples, raspberries, and saskatoons along the bank.
A loon cried out on the lake.
July 28th. - WOW!What breathtaking views there were driving north up the "Cabot Trail".The northern section goes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park.It was excellent as there were many pull-outs to stop and appreciate the sights.Whales are frequently seen along this coast, so at lunch time binoculars came out and literally hundreds were seen, but they turned out to be dark waves rolling into one another!However, later on we saw a whale watching tour boat and a pod of whales surfacing.The word spread quickly and other boats arrived.Not for us - we felt sorry for the whales.After that the heavens opened up, so a camp spot was in order, as it happens, on a pebbly beach.A fox with a dark, bushy tail came to visit tonight.He came quite close before heading up the trail.The city of Sidney is close by, so tomorrow we expect to book the ferry to Nfld. ( Newfoundland for those unedumacated folks ).
July 29th. - A $5.00 ferry ride made it quicker to reach N. Sydney where you book the ferry to Nfld. The first available sailing was Thursday 11pm so we had no choice and booked it. It's a 6 hr. crossing so hopefully some sleep can be had, or there may be three grumpy bears. North Sydney is a great little place and had a good library, where we caught up on emails. They also had a book sale so of course Jenny had to buy one. Marigold was over due for an oil change so it was off to Walmart !At first they said they could do it right away but then a lad came out to inform us that the manager would not do it because "this type of vehicle" is famous for stripping the thread on the drain plug. Pat showed them his mechanics licence and offered to show them how to do it, but to no avail. So he ended up on his back outside their doors and changed it himself!.
Since coming to Nova Scotia one thing has really stood out and that is the size of peoples' lawns. Their properties seem to consist of nothing but and they are the size of football fields. Mowing must be a fetish with them.Maybe after all that work they have no energy left to contemplate a veggy patch or flower border.
Having this extra time means areas that would have been explored on the way home can be done now. Tonight finds us again on the beach just south of Glace Bay on the Marconi Trail.
July 30th. - Little fishing villages are scattered all along the south east of Cape Breton Island.It's a real pleasure to drive these quiet roads.Occasionally, you come across an extra special village such as Gabarus, where we explored the lighthouse, dock, and had lunch.Then of course you sometimes get one that reeks of fish, as did Louisbourg.One man working on his boat had named it "Finally Got'er".There is a "Loch Lomond" inland and we almost swerved towards it, but ended up staying on the coast tonight.Tomorrow's plan is to head to North Sydney again to use the library internet and to do shopping etc. before taking the big boat to Nfld.Stay tuned for the next installment ofexciting adventures with Mr. Ted and his gang.
"Bye Now" from Mr. Ted.
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