What I did on my summer vacation...

OK right off the top that's a stooopid title for a blog post.  What is a "summer vacation" when you're retired ?  It's my lazy way of saying I haven't posted for a while and have a bunch of photos I don't know how to distill into a cohesive blog post.

Ooooh Look ! Look !   I'm sitting on THE  red couch.  "Big freakin' deal" you say.  Well, to me it was. I'd heard about the red couch that would be touring Canada for our 150th birthday (I'm ignoring the fact that we claimed a land where people had been living for thousands of years).  I heard the couch would be at Pier 21 and sought it out so I could give my two cents about what Canada means to me.

I went camping.  I haven't camped in a couple of years so this was a big deal.   I've passed that age of wanting to sleep on the ground or a cot so I sleep on a mattress with real sheets and pillows ... in my Honda Fit !

Doesn't that look cozy ?

I have a Napier tent which goes over the open hatch of my car.  I don't bother to put in the tent poles as I don't need that much space ... and can't be bothered.

The tent has room for the cooler and a blanket for the dog to lie on and for a water bowl and room for me to change.

I drove up the Cabot Trail and from there took a gravel road to Meat Cove.  Once there, I was lucky enough to land this campsite overlooking the beach.   I could lie propped up in my bed and look out at the dark sky.   I woke briefly at 3 am to see a sliver of crescent moon and Venus rising above the sea and then at 5 am I woke to watch the sun rising.   Because the tent has "windows" that can provide fresh air I enjoyed a lovely bug-free sleep.  

Wendy and I hiked up a nearby hill with a marvellous view.

The trail was a bit narrow near the top and I feared I might slip and fall to my doom; but I didn't.

I travel quite light.  This is my stove.  It's a marvellous tiny little set up that nests inside itself when not needed.  I have two pots and a frying pan and most importantly can boil water for my mint tea in 3 minutes flat !

On my way to Meat Cove and the Cabot Trail I camped at Whycocomach  (say: why-co-go-mah) Provincial Park where Wendy and I (Sooki stayed home) had a marvellous hike.

 

The trail though less than a kilometer long was VERY steep, so I guess I should not have been surprised when a side path brought us out to this stunning view of the Bras d'Or Lakes.

To say that the Cabot Trail is a scenic drive would be like saying Everest is a big hill.   The trail winds its spectacular way around Cape Breton with frequent lay-bys where travellers stop to gawk at the stunning views.

It's hard not to stop at every opportunity.  

 There is a very difficult 12 km return trail that leads to remote Fishing Cove in the background (below).   The hike would be way out of my league.

I love the freedom of stopping whenever the mood moves me.

Cabot Landing.  How's that for summer crowds ?

On the way back I stopped in the town of Baddeck to see a photo exhibit of the works of Roberta Bondar at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.

 Through a friend I got invited along on a catamaran cruise on the Bras d'Or Lakes.  It was an unexpected treat.

It was the perfect end to a lovely holiday.

Who's a lucky girl !