Monday, 17 October — Port Hood to Pleasant Bay

I arose at 8h10 to an overcast day with signs of recent rain, though none was falling as I loaded up the car; its thermometer registered +13 (55) as I drove to Harbourview for breakfast at Sandeannies. They go on winter hours on 11 November and resume 7-day-a-week operation on the long week-end in May. The forecast showed partial sun at 15h so I was in no hurry to head north; as I sat in the Port Hood Day Park soaking in the scenery, it began misting and then stopped; three cars of people were there out beach walking, but I didn’t have the ambition to join them. A bit past 10h45, I drove to Mabou and tended to an errand.

As I drove north towards Inverness, Cape Mabou appeared to be very colourful as best as I could tell through the clouds, fog, mist, and light rain that accompanied me on the way. I took the Strathlorne Scotsville Road and drove to Scotsville, stopping for photos at the bridge over the Southwest Margaree River; while I was there, a local friend recognized me and asked me to drop by for tea, which I did. I left there about 13h.

Guardrails were being installed along the repaved Highway 395 as I drove north through Upper Margaree, where I stopped at a new pull-off for some photos of the colours, at peak there, as they were along the Strathlorne Scotsville Road. Along the Cabot Trail north of Margaree Forks, I found beautiful colours along the west side of the Margaree River, but not as much colour north of Margaree Harbour up to the Chéticamp River. There were great colours in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, but much of the Highlands was under clouds; that didn’t deter me from stopping and taking photos at several points anyway—although I am not normally much of a fan of such photos, sometimes foggy/cloudy pictures turn out better than expected. I waited for a follow-me truck at the Corney Brook construction where they were spreading gravel. Traffic up French Mountain was one lane, controlled by an automated light, as they’re blasting the rock cliffs to move the road inland from Jumping Brook; it was scary with dense fog yielding 10m or less visibility. Once on French Mountain, the fog was mostly above the Cabot Trail and I had no problems. I stopped at the French Lake look-off where I wrote these notes and observed some of the tamaracks showing early changes.

There was now pavement from Benjies Lake to the uppermost look-off on MacKenzies Mountain, making for a greatly improved drive, though a second layer of pavement was still being laid on the north end. New parking areas had been constructed at Benjies Lake and the southern Fishing Cove trail head. At the very northern end of the construction, the temporary pavement markings were almost impossible to follow when the visibility in the dense fog, which reäppeared near the northern Fishing Cove look-off, was under 10m (30 ft), so I was some glad to get back to the normal markings. My apologies to the jeep driver behind slowpoke me: he was in a hurry but couldn’t see to pass, so I got off at the first look-off to let him by. Descending MacKenzies Mountain was fog free and offered good views of the colours. It was much nicer in Pleasant Bay, though the forecast clearing at 15h hadn't yet materialized at that hour.

I got a room at the Mid-Trail Motel in Pleasant Bay, where I took more photos from the motel. My room was in the mountain-view section instead of the ocean-view section, but it had just as fine views as where I stayed previous times. I read and relaxed until it was time for dinner; the sun didn’t appear until sunset, as I walked over to the restaurant in the main building; grrr… For dinner, I had mussels (different, but good, with onions and a bitter taste (from beer?) and a pinky orange colouring); a bowl of chowder (OK, but not as good as many); a house salad (large and tasty—top drawer with nuts and raisins); and the halibut dinner (two large inch-thick cuts grilled to perfection and moist and juicy, served with rice pilaf, a vegetable medley (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower), and coleslaw, all superb); it was very reasonably priced. I then returned to the room and, still tired from Celtic Colours, retired at 22h.