4. "Just a minute....it stopped hailing..."

 Not Yet Quite Blue Skies

Clearing skies at dawn

Saturday May 30: 

Waking up this morning, there were no sounds of raindrops on the roof of the camper, which could only mean one of two things: (1) the rain had turned to snow or (2) it was clearing - which in fact was the case.   The lyrics of Allan Sherman's 1960's parody "Hello Muddah Hello Faddah" echoed in my brain.  

A relatively uneventful day otherwise as Cape Breton disappeared in the rear view mirror and we made our way towards the Bay of Fundy.  The temperature never got much above 50 and the skies were cloudy, but we'll take it.

Tonight finds us at a campground just minutes away from Hopewell Rocks, which we will visit in the morning as we make our way back west.

The causeway between Cape Breton and the mainland

Ponderosa Pines Campground at the Bay of Fundy

3. Whatever the Weather

 Whatever the Weather

The view through our camper window this morning

Friday May 29: 

We woke up to a windy and rainy 34 degrees, but no snow - yet.  We haven't seen the sun, or a temperature above the mid-40's, since Tuesday.  

The weather threat limited our outdoor activities, so instead we decided to take a drive over to the town of Louisbourg, on the eastern-most peninsula of Cape Breton.  Louisbourg is the location of a restored 18th century French fortress, now one of Canada's National Historic Site. 

The view from through our windshield this afternoon

The hour-long drive had us checking the calendar (late May?) and thankful that we remembered to pack parkas and gloves.

The fortress at Louisbourg was built around 1720 by French settlers, was taken over by the British in 1745, restored to the French in 1748, and sieged a second time by the British in 1758.  Determined that it never fall into French hands again, the British then demolished the fortress, distributing some of its structural and artistic pieces throughout other British colonies.  

A more detailed history can be found at THIS LINK.  The amazing thing is that the fortress and settlement was rebuilt as a historical site during the 1960's through 1980's.  Many of those employed in the reconstruction were local coal miners, retrained in construction traces after the area's mines shut down.

Although not snowing while we were there, the weather and landscape could only be described as bleak - reminiscent, according to the interpreters, of the type of weather the region would have experienced during the 18th century.  

The coastal road within the park offered some dramatic views of the roiling ocean (sorry - had to take these pics from inside the car!):

High winds and driving sleet made our visit short as we walked among the buildings, with only a dozen or two other hearty souls - in parkas and even rain pants - to be seen.

On the way back to the campground, we found a local diner, enjoying some good old comfort food with a view of the snow-covered ground outside.   
All in all not a bad day - but as I write this at 7 PM, the rain and wind have yet to come to the promised end.   Hopefully by tomorrow morning.....!

2. Seize the Day

Seize the Day

Thursday May 28: 

The sound of rain on the roof can be so comforting....but maybe not so much after several days of waking up to it yet again while camping.  At least it's the sound on a metal roof of a camper rather than on a tent!  No matter, we still have to bundle up and go outside with the dogs, and so it was this morning in Cape Breton.  The temp hovered around 40 degrees and we were happy to have brought our heavier jackets.

The weather forecast for the next few days remains bleak, with snow predicted for Friday.  Added to that is a leak in one of the camper's water pipes (another story), and we figured that, dammit, we would seize the moment and compress our intended Cabot Trail journey into this one day.  And so we did!

Many of these pictures were taken from a moving vehicle, and of course don't do justice to the beauty of the area.

Parts of the trail reminded us of the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire. The foliage is about a month behind what we have even in Vermont.

.

The study of plate tectonics is fascinating, and this poster at one of the scenic overlooks shows how this part of the North American plate was once linked to northern Africa:

We will definitely have to plan another trip here, but for now, it's time to settle in for the night ...

1. Heading East

Good-bye Old Paint

BT Cruiser, Vintage 2005 - Moving On

After 20 years and 89,000 miles, we have sold our 30-foot motorhome. In its' place, we've downsized to a travel trailer.  After a couple of trial weekend jaunts last Fall, we're ready to take it out for a longer trip, this time through Maine to New Brunswick, with the ultimate destination of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.  

New camper - at St. Andrews

We left home on May 23 and spent a first uneventful night in Skowhegan Maine.  We crossed the border into Canada the next day and settled in for a couple of nights in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.  St. Andrews is a charming little town on Passimaquaddy Bay, the virtual entrance into the Bay of Fundy - and just two miles from the coast of Maine as the crow flies.

Monday May 25: 

The rain caught up with us in St. Andrews NB on our second morning out, but I remind myself that it's what we call a First World Problem. Walking my dogs in the morning, I ran into a woman who was tenting it in this rain (been there, done that - many years ago!).  Sure, we had to put up with the odor of wet dogs when we came back in, but we did so while enjoying breakfast and a hot cup of coffee inside the heated and dry camper.

The heavy rain continued until mid-afternoon, so it was a day of walking around and light shopping in this lovely little town.

We were rewarded at the end of the day with clearing skies and a gorgeous view of the bay right from our campsite.

Tuesday May 26: 

Waking up to gorgeous skies on Tuesday, we left St. Andrews behind and headed East.  We crossed into Nova Scotia from the North as rain clouds moved in - and greeted us at the next RV park. 

Blue skies in St. Andrews - monument to those who succombed to disease on their journey to North America from Ireland during the 1850's famine there.

Weather not as favorable on our first night in Nova Scotia - but hope springs eternal for when we reach Cape Breton

Wednesday May 26: 

Ah, Cape Breton and all it promises!  Tomorrow we start the Cabot Trail - for today, the views were only "potential"....

...hope springs eternal, but the weather forecast sure doesn't look promising.  "Comfortable in the camper" has its limits, especially with two wet dogs that want to go out and play!

Should we have packed our snowshoes?   Stay tuned...!