After stocking our food supply in Cheticamp, we stopped at our first true coffee stop in weeks. Frog Pond Cafe is a little hut on the side of the road that had delicious coffee, something that is not an easy find in Canada. Canadians love Tim Hortons and as much as I try, I just cannot understand the draw. Don't get me wrong, we do stop for an iced coffee (which are surprisingly good as long as consumed unsweetened with the tiniest drop of cream which somehow still comes too white). If you happen to make your way around the Cabot Trail, the coffee stand is well worth the stop.
The ride starts off with rolling hills, windy along the road and into Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The second campground we came to was Corney Brook, offering maybe 25 open spots that overlook the ocean, simply beautiful. No electric, no frills but they did offer flush toilets but no potable water. We pulled in just as two travelers with backpacks almost as big as them were getting out of a car. These two ladies (oddly enough both named Lisa) in their mid 20's were from Germany and spending five months hitch hiking around Canada. How brave and cool is that? I am impressed. Before long, we were sharing a sight with them and another woman Jane, a solo traveler in her 60's from Ontario traveling in her Mazda Miata with a small tent. They set their tent up and Ryan kindly offered to set ours up while we hiked. He would stay behind to rest his foot. The three Lisa's set off walking our way uphill on the road with our thumbs out heading for the Skyline trailhead.
Walking maybe a mile, we were eventually picked up by an Israelian couple also on their way to hike. Taking a seat inside, I could understood why the Lisa's enjoyed this means of travel. They have been taken in by such wonderful people and are truly living day to day, embracing life as it comes. Kudos to them.
The back half of this hike, where we left most of the tourists who walked purely for the view before turning around, we were lucky enough to come across a six pointed moose. We stood 15 feet away and snapped photos with dropped jaws admiring this magnificent animal. They are so peaceful and the only sound accompanying the birds off in the distance was the munching sounds of the moose as it enjoyed the local greens off bushes. This was our first of three moose encounters but was definitely the most serene. The last moose we came across was at the tail end of the hike, almost back to the dirt road where the cars are parked. Two women, who we later learned were visiting from Virginia Beach to celebrate their 50th birthday's, came speed walking in our direction blowing a whistle. "There is a moose coming down the trail!!!" These poor women were terrified. We calmly told them it was ok, and we could simply step off the trail to let it pass. This moose was maybe 2-3 years old and absolutely terrified, all four legs trembling and walking back and forth along the trail, unsure of where to flee. I felt so sorry for it because it had probably just been sent off from its mom and was learning the ropes. It eventually busted through the thick set of trees and stood still in hopes of being unnoticed as we passed. Just as all the others, this moose will too get accustomed to the constant stream of tourists that occupy the park.
Hiking always feels so fantastic after being on the bikes day in and day out. These unused muscles felt sore from the 7 mile walk and I loved it. We took the following day off, enjoying constantly eating (I can't imagine what our neighbors thought of our eating habits), reading, napping, swimming in the ocean and then "showering" in the spring fed creek that ran into the ocean. It was quite blissful and just that one day was re-energizing enough to make the pedal around the park more enjoyable.
The ride starts off with rolling hills, windy along the road and into Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The second campground we came to was Corney Brook, offering maybe 25 open spots that overlook the ocean, simply beautiful. No electric, no frills but they did offer flush toilets but no potable water. We pulled in just as two travelers with backpacks almost as big as them were getting out of a car. These two ladies (oddly enough both named Lisa) in their mid 20's were from Germany and spending five months hitch hiking around Canada. How brave and cool is that? I am impressed. Before long, we were sharing a sight with them and another woman Jane, a solo traveler in her 60's from Ontario traveling in her Mazda Miata with a small tent. They set their tent up and Ryan kindly offered to set ours up while we hiked. He would stay behind to rest his foot. The three Lisa's set off walking our way uphill on the road with our thumbs out heading for the Skyline trailhead.
Walking maybe a mile, we were eventually picked up by an Israelian couple also on their way to hike. Taking a seat inside, I could understood why the Lisa's enjoyed this means of travel. They have been taken in by such wonderful people and are truly living day to day, embracing life as it comes. Kudos to them.
The back half of this hike, where we left most of the tourists who walked purely for the view before turning around, we were lucky enough to come across a six pointed moose. We stood 15 feet away and snapped photos with dropped jaws admiring this magnificent animal. They are so peaceful and the only sound accompanying the birds off in the distance was the munching sounds of the moose as it enjoyed the local greens off bushes. This was our first of three moose encounters but was definitely the most serene. The last moose we came across was at the tail end of the hike, almost back to the dirt road where the cars are parked. Two women, who we later learned were visiting from Virginia Beach to celebrate their 50th birthday's, came speed walking in our direction blowing a whistle. "There is a moose coming down the trail!!!" These poor women were terrified. We calmly told them it was ok, and we could simply step off the trail to let it pass. This moose was maybe 2-3 years old and absolutely terrified, all four legs trembling and walking back and forth along the trail, unsure of where to flee. I felt so sorry for it because it had probably just been sent off from its mom and was learning the ropes. It eventually busted through the thick set of trees and stood still in hopes of being unnoticed as we passed. Just as all the others, this moose will too get accustomed to the constant stream of tourists that occupy the park.
Hiking always feels so fantastic after being on the bikes day in and day out. These unused muscles felt sore from the 7 mile walk and I loved it. We took the following day off, enjoying constantly eating (I can't imagine what our neighbors thought of our eating habits), reading, napping, swimming in the ocean and then "showering" in the spring fed creek that ran into the ocean. It was quite blissful and just that one day was re-energizing enough to make the pedal around the park more enjoyable.
Dear Lisa and Ryan,
ReplyDeletethanks for your humorous description of this wonderful experience with you. We really enjoyed this day!
Take care and travel safe,
big hugs from the Lisas