Seaboard Chronicles: Day 5

Cape Breton!  Those two words have held a certain fascination since I first heard Natalie MacMaster's Blueprint CD probably close to ten years ago.  It's hard to believe my own two feet are standing upon this ground that has existed in my dreams for so long.  What a dream!  (And read on to find out how incredible a dream it really is.)

I am very rapidly becoming a believer in this whole bed-and-breakfast thing.  We rose this morning after a terrific night's sleep in comfortable beds next to windows open to the heavenly cool night air and walked across the yard to the dining room, where the hostess served us hot-from-the-oven homemade blueberry muffins, followed by made-to-order pancakes, eggs and bacon.  The other guests had breakfast before we did, so we didn't get to enjoy the full benefit of conversation between a table full of Swiss and Quebecois travelers, more's the pity.  How cosmopolitan!

After breakfast, we loaded up our backpacks and headed into Cape Breton Highlands National Park with the intention of hiking the Skyline Trail.  Suffice it to say that this was on par with some of the most breathtaking scenery I have seen.  I love pretty sights as much as the next person, but there is something about mountains, wherever they may be, that move me in a deeper way than anything else.  I think it's their substantialness.  They don't move, you know?  Seasons change, time passes, people and trends and philosophies and opinions come and go, but those mountains remain.  They provide a sense of comfort that can be hard to find in the world we live in.  Anyway, these specimens certainly did not disappoint.  The sight of their majestic peaks rolling their way down to meet the sea was nothing if not awe-inspiring.

 The trail was a very moderate 5.7 miles, although it was a SCORCHER out there - the sun blazed and the temperature had to have reached the mid-70's.  Brutal.  Interesting flora - this area consists of a lot of boreal forest, so think coniferous trees and ferns, almost what you would imagine the forests of Northern Europe to be like, as well as cleared areas covered in lichen and different grasses.

I was feeling artsy...

We saw a mama and baby moose on our way back!

After the hike,we took some time to drive through the park.  The park is huge, covering almost 600 square miles, and the drive from one end to the other is an almost 4-hour round trip, so we didn't make it all the way to Ingonish, which is the end-point opposite where we started.  We did get as far as Neil's Harbour, though, and saw some pretty amazing sights.  The funny thing about this park is the fact that there is one road (the Cabot Trail) that traverses the park.  Nearly all of the park's 26 hiking trails begin on or near this road, and it doesn't even encircle the whole park.  The rest of the park is literally pure wilderness.  You look at the map, and there's literally no sign of human life anywhere.  Just mountains and rivers.  Go Canada!

(I have a thing for barns...)

Okay, I love this picture.  Multi-colored lobster boats, for pete's sake!

We got back and took a quick break and then headed out for some authentic Acadian food.  (We are so all about authenticity!)  This was just a hoot.  Even the waitresses were dressed in traditional Acadian garb, with aprons and flowing skirts and ruffly caps.  We started the meal with fresh white bread, spread with either butter and molasses or molasses butter (for the person who prefers their toppings pre-mixed).  I thought this was really good; Dad totally dug the molasses butter but his enthusiasm cooled a bit when he poured the straight molasses onto his bread.  Like straight molasses could be too strong!  He also started with a cup of fish soup (haddock and potatoes served in a fish broth).  He liked this enough to suggest incorporating it into the meal line-up at home, which somewhat redeemed him.  Mom ordered the stewed chicken and Dad and I sprang for the sample plate - a bit of meat pie and fish cake.  It was good in a hearty, homespun way.  This is the kind of food your Midwestern grandma serves on weeknights.  Plain, no-frills food, prepared and served simply.  We enjoyed it, though.  It had heart, and that is better than the most sophisticated entree Sysco can concoct.  Besides, our bill came with homemade Acadian pulled taffy (I could never pronounce the name of it), and that alone stole my heart completely.

Ok, then.  Take a deep breath.  This is awesome.  This part of Nova Scotia is renowned for its music; Acadian fiddle playing is probably familiar to most any connoisseur of the type of folk music that includes Celtic, bluegrass and the like.  Cheticamp has really capitalized on that; several of the restaurants in the area offer fiddle music every evening.  We could hardly leave without experiencing at least a little of that, so after dinner we stopped in at the All Aboard restaurant.  We threw ourselves on their mercy; if we ordered dessert, could we please sit and listen to the music for a little while?  They most graciously complied (especially gracious considering it was 7 PM, prime dinner hour, and we were tying up a whole table).  So we ordered pie and coffee (apple and coconut cream, plus ice cream - all homemade again, and all absolutely delicious), and listened to these two guys, one on keyboard and one on fiddle.  (I asked them to play me a tune for the benefit of my friends, fully intending to share it, but the file won't load; I think maybe it's too big.)

Something about getting to hear these guys brought everything full circle for me.  To sit in a little restaurant in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia at the foot of the Cape Breton Highlands, sun setting over the ocean just outside the window, listening to two musicians who both know Natalie well (one was at her wedding and the other lived with her aunts for two years) playing the kind of music I've loved for a very long time was surreal, in the best possible way, to say the least.  I've said it before, I'll say it again.  My God is truly a giver of good gifts, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for the ones he has bestowed on me.