Day 21 - Canadian Maritimes 2026 - TURNAROUND DAY - Cape Breton - Cabot Trail - Cheticamp Beach

 TODAY MARKS OUR "TURNAROUND DAY" ... AFTER 2,500 MILES, 

WE ARE AS FAR EAST AS WE CAN GET. 

TIME TO TURN AROUND NOW AND 

START HEADING BACK HOME!

It rained all night long in the snug little harbor of Hawley's Cove. Sound of the rain on the roof of the RV is soothing and helps us sleep comfortably. We are cozy warm in our RV even when it's cold and damp. We put Reflectix insulation sheets on the windows and we have the propane furnace running. We also have an electric mattress pad heater that keeps us snuggly and comfortable.  Now that we've upgraded our battery to a big Vatrer lithium, also we use our Bluetti power station as a plug-in power source, we can run those things all night long and not have to worry about draining our power.

We peered out the windows and saw both fishing boats still moored tight in the harbor. Guess we didn't have to worry about being parked in anybody else's way. Nobody was going fishing on this foggy wet rainy icky morning.

There were mud puddles all around us, but we were on firm ground, I am sure after many many decades of trucks coming and going from this little harbor.  We brewed up our coffee and decided to get a start on the day and hit the road. We weren't sure how far we were going to drive with this type of fog. Looking ahead on the weather reports, it looked like the next three or four days we're going to be rainy wet and windy in this area of Cape Breton.

The heavy fog was starting to lift, even though we could not yet see the tops of the hills surrounding us. It was almost eerie to watch the wisps of moisture work their way upwards into the sky, over the tops of the hills. That's something we don't see in Wisconsin.

Driving along the oceanfront, the waves were rolling in with big white caps.  The gusty winds as we were clinging to the little road along the shore were battering us around a little bit in the motorhome.  It was another "Two Hands on the Wheel" kind of day. 

We pulled over a couple times along the route to view the Atlantic Ocean in all its fury.  With the waves crashing on the rocks, we didn't see any sea wildlife along the shorelines. It was so blustery, we didn't even see any birds.

We worked our way around the northernmost route that the highway could travel. There were some teeny tiny roads that went north of the town of Cape North. But we opted to not take those. We wanted to stay on the main highway. When I say highway, we're only talking about just a smooth two lane road, no wide shoulders, and it's not any type of interstate. lol!

We are seeing a change in the terrain, it's almost all rocks and scrubby pine trees in this area. Very similar to what Door County is in Wisconsin, or up around Lake Superior.

Being in the most rugged land facing the North and the East, I think that these trees need to be pretty hardy to be able to exist and grow on the rock.  

It's amazing how much the road construction crews many many years ago chiseled through the rock to make this nice smooth road. This route was a lot easier driving than the one on the day before.

Once we looped around the top edge and started coming down the northwestern shore, tree species got a little more varied and we saw some deciduous ones again here and there. But the colors are not as vibrant as they were further south.  It seems their color change here is just at the very beginning for the Autumn weather. 

On some of the highest ridges we could look over these beautiful serene valleys. Could you imagine having a home with big picture windows facing out to look at this view everyday? Oh my goodness...

We worked our way along with this winding road, with the chiseled rock borders guiding our way. There were very narrow shoulders, there wasn't a lot of room to pull off anywhere, unless it was a designated pull-off spot for picture taking.

I was snap snap snapping pictures as we were cruising along.

This is what I meant about the trees growing in rugged hardy conditions. It doesn't even seem that there is any dirt. The roots are just clinging to the rocks and the whole terrain for them to grow on is nothing but a big huge rock! 

We were enjoying the nice smooth ride. The road really seemed to be in great shape. But of course, this time of year means there's a chance of road construction to get things nice before the snow flies. So everything we were driving on appeared to be pretty new. Of course, up ahead, we could see an orange sign. Yep.

Now it was time to wait. Yes, it gives us a chance to look around at the scenery and hope for some wildlife. We didn't see any. Finally the pilot car came and we could get around this first section. We were hoping it was just an isolated spot of a washout that they were repairing.

But no, no such luck. We ambled our way through stops and starts, weights and delays, and then crawling ahead of the slow pace. 

Have you ever seen a caution sign like this?

I'm not sure where the stones were flying from. If it was off the trucks ahead of us or from the cliffs alongside of us. Either way, we were fortunate not to have any hit us.  

We started seeing a few more towns. Things were getting a little more commercialized and geared towards the tourists. Things were not quite as rugged and rough anymore. We were seeing art galleries and coffee shops and gift boutiques as well as interesting bed and breakfast accommodations. Geodesic Tent Dome Glamping anyone??

The fog was finally lifting but it was still going to be cloudy and gloomy. I didn't have any high hopes for spectacular photography or anything visually enticing for today. Nor for the next 3 or 4 days either. But that's okay, we saw a lot of beautiful things on the day before to hold in our memories.

It seems like we were winding our way down down into the valleys, and then before we knew it we were climbing up up on another high ridge line. The scenes were unfolding before us, and changing with every turn.

The type of rock seems to be changing. It's more of a lighter gray and seems to be running in diagonal slabs. Can you imagine chiseling through this stuff just to create a road?  There were plenty of caution signs about falling rocks. In this photo below you can see why...

We are now about halfway down the western shore of Cape Breton. This is on the side that faces the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The winds seem to have died down and the waves were calming on the surface of the water. The rain was intermittently splattering on and off. But the road construction just never seems to end.

In this stretch, it appears to have large portions of the bank that had washed away. I think they were trying to get everything restored before winter hits. It must be a real challenge trying to get work done--- when the only route around the entire Cape is also your construction zone? 

Coming around a curve, it was amazing to see this huge rock with its diagonal striations. Just imagine the force and strength of the Earth as it was creating these rocks with glacial movements and pressure. Frozen water did that! 

The drops of rain on the windshield kind of messed up the photography. But the rain on the muddy surfaces made things slick and slippery. It almost felt like ice in some sections. We were going very slow and being extremely cautious. The motorhome and cargo trailer were also getting very, very muddy! Steve started to talk about trying to find an RV wash somewhere. Good luck with that.

We did reach one stretch of interesting rock that was more red again, like the iron ore that we are familiar with in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most of the rock that we have been seeing today was gray. When this red rock was wet, it was even brighter than I think if it was dusty and dry.

We were skirting along the last edge of shoreline before reaching the town of Cheticamp. You can see up ahead the type of roads we were on, because it finally cleared up enough to give us a view of the terrain.  Lots of ups and downs along the rocky shoreline.

We followed along our concrete ribbon, safely avoiding the worst of the road construction and finding our way down towards sea level again.  We have sure run into the variety of altitudes and weather changes, and crazy road conditions today varying from smooth and new to ongoing rough and rugged repairs. 

We were finally down to sea level and just a few turns left to get to the small beach that we were intending to spend the night. We were breathing a sigh of relief that it was time to exit this driving experience and relax for the evening.

See that little strip of sandy land over there in that cove? Yep, that is Petit Etang meaning "Little Pond" in French.  We could see it while we were still driving higher on the hill...

But as we got closer, the fog moved in! We were really glad to be getting off the road, but we were worried about finding our turnoff to get to the beach.  Are running lights / fog lights really didn't do much to cut through the haze.

We found the two signs that we needed to find r turn, and drove past a bakery that was closed right now. But no fear, it would be open in the morning and Steve would be able to try out their delicacies. We drove on further to the north and found the final turn to Petit Etang.  It was too wet to even get outside and take a picture. You'll have to wait till tomorrow's blog to see our walk on the beach when it wasn't raining.

The rain was pouring down, and it was a relief to be off the road and relaxing now for the evening.  I had a pile of fresh veggies and some chicken to cut up. It was a perfect afternoon to simmer up a pot of soup. Homemade chicken vegetable noodle soup. The process is on the video link included down below. All I can say is that it was absolutely wonderful and the inside of the motorhome smelled marvelous.  

Soup is one of Steve's favorite meals...

The rain kept coming down for the rest of the day. I'm glad that we were off the road, and safe and sound. At least the temperatures were warm enough that it wasn't going to freeze. We were only going to be down in the 40s overnight. I cannot imagine it hitting down into the low 30s and trying to manage with ice everywhere and all of those hills??? 

Instead, we hunkered down and relaxed for the evening. Steve was watching some YouTubes and I was editing the next video on my laptop. This is really a pretty picturesque view for my little mini office from the cockpit of the motorhome.  I'm glad I don't have to deal with this type of rainy wet weather all of the time. But for a day or two, or three, I guess we can handle it. There's a beauty and a rugged rawness in this land that is appealing. But I really honestly don't think I would want to live here.

I guess that is all I have for this blog today. We are sad to be turning around and heading back, but also we know we still have another 2,000 miles or so ahead of us with more adventures.

Here's the YouTube that goes along with today's blog post: 

79 miles traveled 

2,578 miles traveled so far

cj cyt

Day 20 - Canadian Maritimes 2026 - Nova Scotia's Beautiful Cape Breton and Cabot Trail

Now for the next exciting item on our bucket list for our entire Canadian Maritimes Trip... Making it to Cape Breton and traveling on the Cabot Trail. So many people recommended that we do this scenic route. Including our dentist! Heck, even a sales clerk had overheard us discussing our destination and mentioned to not miss the Cabot Trail!  

This is also the furthestmost point to the East and the North that we will be traveling on this entire trip. After we loop around the end of Cape Breton, it will actually be our "Turnaround Day", meaning we will be starting our journey back home.

We packed up at our campsite at Caribou Munroe's Island provincial park, and topped off our freshwater tank.  Most RVers don't like to travel with a full tank of water because of the added weight. But we never know where we're going to boondock next, or if there's fresh water available. So we fill up when we can.

It was only about an hour and a half drive over to Port Hastings, where we would cross the causeway and get onto the actual Cape Breton Island. There wasn't a lot to see beforehand, but once we crossed onto the cape, things got rocky and hilly and very, very scenic! Time for another adventure...

It was suggested that we go around in a counterclockwise fashion. That way the prettiest views out over the ocean would be from the passenger side. Now I could be filming or snapping photos and not having to try to take pictures between Steve's chest and the steering wheel out of the driver's side window. 

We decided to pull off and fuel up in the small village of Whycocomagh. We were now only getting 12.3 miles per gallon, fighting the winds and the hills. 

They had a nice grocery store that we were able to stock up on a few fresh things. From there, we wound our way down along the shoreline of the bay to make our late breakfast/early lunch. This parking lot of the church faces out over the water and welcomes people to stop by for daytime visits, just not overnights for RVing.

It was so pretty, that we got out and walked around a little bit before cooking. The winds were starting to kick up a bit, and we were wondering what it was going to be like as we went further North. 

The sun glistening off the water had an almost magical effect, with silvery glints of light flickering back and forth inside of the motorhome. It was one of those scenes that will stay in my memory. Watching the glistening sparkles as we relaxed for a little while before getting back on the road again.

Sometimes we have to stop and take in the moment, rather than rush rush rush to get somewhere. We are learning this lesson now in our 60s. Hopefully when we reach our seventies and eighties, we are still traveling and taking our time and enjoying what we see.

We started climbing our way up through some land that was still agricultural. We enjoyed seeing the pretty little farms dotting here and there along the countryside. Soon we would be pulling into the more Northern regions of Cape Breton, which most of the land belongs to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

We rode along the St Anne's Bay, and worked our way towards Englishtown. Beautiful scenery abounded on both sides of the road. Soon we would be seeing the Atlantic Ocean off the passenger side of our rig... or so we thought??? 

In Englishtown, there is a free ferry that helps vehicles get across the bay to get up closer on the ocean shore. We have noticed while driving along, the very low water levels of the Bay, and a lot of sandbars exposed.

We wandered way down into the cute little village of Englishtown. So picturesque and quaint and pretty. Nothing touristy or overdone. Just cute little homes and neatly kept yards. We pulled up into line to wait for the ferry to come across.  Here it comes!

While we were waiting, we read the sign with the instructions. This ferry operates 24 hours around the clock on demand. You drive down on the ramp and wait and the ferry will come to you if it's on the other side. Very interesting. And of course, it is part of the Nova Scotia ferry lines transportation department and is completely free.

This would now be our third ferry ride of our trip. Or so we hoped?

We watched everyone get unloaded, including a great big huge semi truck. 

We did notice a big hump as each one was getting off, due to the ramp being so slanted between the ferry boat and the shoreline. Amazingly, even the semi truck made it. But he has a lot of clearance underneath him...

And we don't. 

The ferry operator staff came up to talk to us while we were waiting in line.  They said that anything beyond 5 ft past the rear axles is going to drag because of the low water levels. They feared damaging our RV or our cargo trailer trying to get on or off the ferry. So they suggested that we drive the paved route around instead. There is a small road sneaking up the other side of St Anne's Bay. 

The staff helped us turn around and they held back the other cars so we could get out of the lineup queue for the ferry. 

Well, that was a disappointment!

We would now be driving an additional 41 km which is only 25 miles.  But they were 25 miles of the most twisty-turney rough and bumpy road there was on the entire trip. Google maps suggested it would only be a 35 minute route, actually it was closer to almost an hour. 

Our Plan A for a campsite for the night was just on the other side of that Ferry. There was supposed to be a really nice parking spot where you could sit and watch the ferry come and go right from your campsite. Alas, that was not going to now work out. Skipping Plan A and now moving on to Plan B.

We were twisting and turning along that narrow road up the other side of St Anne's Bay. There was supposed to be a rock quarry area where some machinery had been parked long ago. RVs had used it as a stopover point and suggested it was a good place to park.  That was Plan B. 

We drove on into the lumpy bumpy lot. It looked rather rugged and the area did not look very welcoming. We decided that this was not going to work out either. We would keep pushing it and get back onto the highway where we should be. If we had been on the ferry, this would just be only a few miles down the road. 

But on up the detoured road we went, and soon reached the main highway where it was smoother and more pleasant to drive along. The skies had opened up a little bit more and we had clear blue sections shining through.  

Oh my goodness, this was the part of the Cabot Trail that everybody is talking about that is so beautiful. I kept snapping photo after photo and kept the video camera rolling at the same time. The hardwood trees were just starting to turn so there were flashes of color here and there.

Winding along, every corner we turned, was a new flash of color and beautiful rolling scenery.

So hard to describe, and even photos don't do it justice. We just kept driving along, with our mouths wide open, oohing and ahhing as we went along. 

The sceneries playing out in front of us looked like landscape stitched onto tapestries. It didn't look real. With the softened background of the misty fog, but the sun shining down in the foreground, it made for some absolutely beautiful photographic scenes. Untouched, no filter.

This is why the water is so low further down on the St Anne's Bay. There isn't much water further up in the tributaries feeding into it either.

The colors were amazing and just touching on the ends of the branches where the frost must have settled over the last few nights. We were in for a treat of color, and enjoying it as a flashed on past our windows.

It was getting much hillier, and we saw a lot of rocky stone surfaces erupting out of the hillsides. It really added a drastic feature to the rolling countryside to suddenly see these expanses of stone.

The road was a constant ribbon, dipping and swaying and winding its way through the hilly regions. We had to crawl along sometimes at 15 to 20 mph. There were inclines and declines of 15% to 18% and some even more than that which were not even marked! This was definitely not a route to go fast or to ignore safety precautions on. Every now and then we had cars coming from the other way that were too fast, inching over the center line towards us. Gasp!

It was a lot of White Knuckle Driving, and the winds were not helping it either. I had my own imaginary brake on my own side, and my feet were constantly pushing the pedal.

We worked our way along through the hills until we reached the shoreline again. Now we are back on track and...

WE were FINALLY going to be seeing the Atlantic Ocean in all of it's Glory! Just up over this hill....

 

THERE IT IS!

Rugged rocky and raw shoreline, with nothing between you and Europe ---- nothing other than the Atlantic Ocean in view. The winds were whipping up the sides of the cliff and it was buffeting us as we parked in this overlook lot. It was exhilarating and exciting as well as a little bit scary.

We have seen the Atlantic Ocean before, when we were briefly out in Maine three years ago, and again years before that when we were out driving along the shore from Virginia all the way down to Florida. But that section of the Atlantic Ocean was not rugged and wild and exhilarating like this section is.  It was a wonderful sight to behold. 

While I was snapping some photos, I looked up over my shoulder and saw this young eagle. Perhaps he's a golden eagle? Or maybe just an immature bald eagle. He was soaring on the wind, which was blowing so strongly that he was just gliding there in one spot! Seriously, it's like he was enjoying the pressure of the wind against his wings and seeing how long he could hold himself in one position. I filmed him with the camera and it is on the YouTube link at the bottom of this blog post. He hovered there for a long time before deciding to fly away and let the drafts take him down further onto the cliff.

It was a really special moment that he shared with me. Ahhhhhhh. The song comes to mind "The Wind Beneath My Wings". 

We stopped a few times to take breaks along the shoreline. This is all rugged wild terrain and I can't imagine trying to maneuver a boat around such a shoreline. How did early sailors and pioneers find their way ashore? They would have had to scoot up and down for many miles until they found an area low enough to even set foot on land.

Clouds started rolling in, and we were losing the picturesque colors of our roadside travels. The only colorful thing we saw here was the graffiti on the guardrail??

It was getting later in the day and I was getting tired. I hadn't mentioned it, but I wasn't feeling the absolute greatest. And I was thinking it was just about enough lumping and bumping around for the day. 

We decided on Plan C.

There was a Provincial Park coming up on the other end of Ingonish. We looked ahead on their reservation site and they did have empty sites available. But they were all in rows, crammed in like sardines like back at Linkletter on Prince Edward Island. We really didn't need a campsite for the night, but we didn't see anywhere else that would be comfortable enough to pull off to boondock. 

As we were winding our way down towards the shoreline, Steve saw a small parking lot by a tiny harbor called Hawley's Cove. We were now protected from the blasts of wind in this tiny harbor with high hills all around.  

We pulled on in just as a fisherman was tying up his boat. We asked if we could perhaps park there for the night down at the end of the parking lot? He said sure, folks do it all the time. He waved us on and wished us well and he headed on out. Isn't that wonderful? We didn't even need to go to Plan C and spend any money, we had a Plan B 1/2 to stop for the night.

We looped around the end of the parking lot to face the other direction. That way if there was any wind at all it would be to the front of the motorhome and not on our back slide topper. The fabric roll out slide toppers flap in the wind and make noise during the night. 

We were finding ourselves already relaxing after the tense driving day.  This would work out very well for us.

It was quiet, and we were comfortable. I think this was much better than staying in a crowded campground. 

I can see why this made a great spot for a little harbor. The boats were sitting on calm water, securely tied up for the night. Where just further out, into the open ocean, things were rocking and rolling with huge breakers and surf.

We got out and stretched our legs, walking up and down the length of the little harbor. There were only two fishing boats tied up. I'm not sure if others would be coming or going during the night or early morning hours. I think we were parked far enough out of the way that if somebody needed to come with a truck, they could still turn around and load or unload as need be. The last thing we want to do is be in somebody's way. Especially if they are working hard to earn a living, the last thing they need is some danged tourists blocking their access. 

After dinner, we fired up the water heater and I washed up the dishes. Since the water was already hot, I decided to take a nice long shower. It was a great way to get rid of the jitters of the day. 

There's something to be said for the luxury of being able to take a hot shower in the middle of a parking lot of a tiny harbor of an oceanside town. We really do appreciate the flexibility of traveling in our motorhome. Yes, we truly do have all the comforts of home. 

And a snuggle from a sassy little puppy was just a perfect way to end a long long day...

 

Here is the YouTube video that goes along with today's blog: 

207 miles traveled today

2,496 miles traveled so far