Leaving P.E.I. for Nova Scotia

Left PEI this morning for Nova Scotia.  I missed my turn for the bridge, so I got to see more of the island .. again.  It was about 45 miles from the campground to the bridge and took just over an hour. I was a little sad to be leaving the island.

They only charged me $61.00 (Canadian) to cross the Confederation Bridge (you pay round trip when you leave the island).  Since they charge by the axle, I thought maybe they would consider me 4 axles with the Jeep, but they didn’t, which was nice.

I crossed on the bridge this time in clear sunshine, no fog nor rain, and it was still a little spooky.  I don’t remember having that feeling when I drove to the Florida Keys, so I’m not sure what this was about. 

There was a sea bird riding the air currents even with the bridge; he was not moving at all so it looked like he was suspended in mid-air.  It was pretty cool to watch.

Back in New Brunswick, we are back to the moose warning signs with the flashing amber lights.  I mentioned to a ranger that I have yet to see one and she laughed.

Part of the drive to Nova Scotia is on the Acadian Coastal Drive, one of the scenic drives I drove on PEI.  This part, however, is a rough road.  It has been patched so many times it is like driving over a dirt road; a graded dirt road might have been smoother.  It got much better in Nova Scotia.

I left the potato capital of Canada in PEI; Oxford, Nova Scotia is the blueberry capital.

On Trans Canada Hwy 4 you can go 110 km/h (70 mph).  It has wooded area on both sides of the highway, with nothing by clouds in front of you, it reminded me a lot of crossing Montana.

There was a man jogging down the side of road, sweating up a storm, wearing a speedo, listening to his iPod …. Not even carrying a bottle of water.  I don’t know how far he was running; there didn’t seem to be a town nearby either way. He was getting quite the workout.   I saw another man on another day, so it must be a semi-common route.

The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, bounded on the west by the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, was the first national park in the Atlantic Provinces.

The drive up the Cabot Trail to the campground was maybe the worst drive in the RV yet. 

It was called “North Gut Road” and I felt like I was driving up someone’s intestine  … The drive is constant twists, turns, curves and switchbacks, 20 mph, while climbing up the side of Smokey Mountain. There is a sign as you start up …. Climbing 750 ft in 1.3 miles.   I managed to clear the counters of everything on them; the drive shook everything loose, including me. 

My campground is almost to the top of Cape Breton Island, so I did half of the Cabot Trail.  I have since made this drive in the Jeep 3 times, so now it doesn’t see so bad; maybe I was just tired. 

It is pretty remote here; although Gaspe Peninsula translates as “end of the world,” it is more remote here.  Ironically, I am just across from where Marconi made his Transatlantic call that made history, but I am in a totally dead spot with no communication. I drive down the mountain for meals and gas and internet.

All of the signs for the townships/villages are in two languages – English and Gaelic.

After arriving and setting up camp, I had to turn on the AC for an hour before I went to bed to cool everything off.  It’s warmer here than it was in PEI.  Fortunately, I have 50 amps here instead of 30, so I can run both units if needed.  It was a pleasant surprise; I didn’t know there was any option other than 30 amps available in the Canadian National Parks.

The sites are right next to each other and without trees.  The only trees are covering/blocking the drive; I managed to scrape my coach trying to get into my site.  Of course, as usual, my neighbor is getting shade on their site in the afternoon from my coach. 

In hooking up the hose for the water tank (it has been leaking for a while), I tried to tighten it and broke it off.  Back to the owner’s manual ….. I can fill the tank by gravity on the other side in one of the compartments.  It’s not as convenient, but whatever works!  While in New Jersey I need to make an appointment to get some work done …. I’m almost out of warranty.  My Jeep is ready for an oil change and warranty work as well.