Steve started off driving but as soon as we got onto the Cabot Trail, I took over...he can be the picture taker for a change! Nice to reverse our roles. As we drove, we basically stopped at all pull outs and viewpoints...so lots of pictures!
We thought we'd go to into Ingonish Beach and eat our lunch...
Now, that's one rocky beach!
Cruising along the Coast
You are not the only traveller cruising along the Atlantic Ocean - there are also those of the finned and feathered kind. Marine animals, such as the leatherback turtle, humpback whale and norther gannet, make long seasonal journeys to reach Cape Breton's rich feeding grounds.
Green Cove
This mere "leg stretcher" is quite fascinating. From this rocky granite headland jutting out into the sea, you can watch the ocean crash against the rocks or catch a glimpse of whales offshore as fishermen tend to their lobster traps – daring to come so close to the rocks. Notice the twisted stunted trees – known as "krummholz" – and the leathery leaves of the bayberry. Plants here have adapted to this windy, salt-sprayed coastal environment.
The rocks of Green Cove were once hot molten liquid. Here dark grey gneisses (pronounced "nices") and pink and white granite were formed. The gneisses cooled and solidified quickly, forming fine-grained rock. The granites cooled more slowly, creating larger crystals. You can see clear quartz, pink and white feldspar and shiny black and white mica in the granites.
Over time, these rocks cracked under the pressures of a shifting earth. Into the cracks flowed molten rock, creating the criss-cross patterns on the headland. These intruding rock lines, called dykes, are younger than the enclosing rock. Some dykes are older than others. Trace a dyke over the headland.
Waves and sea ice continually wear away Green Cove, building up the bordering beaches. Angular rocks, ground by centuries of wave action, are rounded into cobblestones. Further grinding produces sand. Waves and currents deposit cobbles in shallow inlets along the coast, and sand in sheltered coves.
Now we have to back track...
The Aspy Fault
Look around - way up and way down. Imagine the ground beneath you shifting upward and sideways as continents collide and shake the earth. This shifting forms faults. Over millions of years,s the earth here did just that, creating the Aspy Fault. Today you stand halfway down the fault's steep escarpment, here on the side of North Mountain.Like much of Cape Breton Island, this area was once covered by sedimentary rocks. With the help of melting glaciers, they've since eroded away to form the Aspy River valley.
Turn around now and look at the rock face behind you. These igneous and metamorphic rocks are much more resistant to erosion than the sedimentary rocks that once filled the valley. This contrast of hard and soft rocks is what makes the Aspy Fault so impressive.
Aspy Fault looking towards the Atlantic Ocean on the horizon...
Take in the view! 335 metres (1,000 ft) below you lies a small cove and grassy clearing at the base of MacKenzie Mountain which was once a fishing village. Here, the Scottish settlers fished in the Gulf waters and traded with the French for supplies. Fishing Cove is now the site of the only designated wilderness campsite in the park. Camping is restricted to a small number of people at any one time in order to preserve the wilderness experience and reduce impact on the environment. You must register to camp; bring your own camp stove and drinking water.
French Mountain BogIn keeping with Parks Canada's mandate to protect the natural environment, a boardwalk keeps your feet dry as you walk while preventing you from trampling the fragile life in this highland plateau bog. A self guiding trail, signs explain life here – pitcher plants, delicate orchids, colourful dragonflies, green frogs and gigantic moose.
When deciding on a spot to overnight, we were considering either Pleasant Bay or Cheticamp. We chose Cheticamp because it looked like a larger community. Unfortunately, being a Friday night, it was slim pickings for a motel in the price range we were willing to pay. Cheap for the area and the closest for walking to a pub for dinner, I chose Fraser's Motel. Well, it turned out to be a crazy amount to pay for what we got at $90 plus 15% tax. Although very dated it was clean.
It was after 5:00 by the time we got settled, so we walked up the street to the Doryman Pub and Grill. (left) Nothing too terribly special but a typical small town pub.
After drinks and dinner, we walked back to the hotel around 8:00 and thought we'd watch some TV. Well, the system was so antiquated...an old TV with a cable box. All the channels Steve managed to get were snowy. And the internet that they advertised as having (along with cable TV) was non-existent. Oh well...it is what it is!
That was an excellent day...we covered a lot of territory and did and saw a lot! Looking forward to tomorrow!
If you'd like to view the rest of the fabulous photos Steve took, just click on the album "Cabot Trail". Click on the first photo and use the arrows to scroll through as there are descriptions on some pictures.
That was an excellent day...we covered a lot of territory and did and saw a lot! Looking forward to tomorrow!
If you'd like to view the rest of the fabulous photos Steve took, just click on the album "Cabot Trail". Click on the first photo and use the arrows to scroll through as there are descriptions on some pictures.
Chowder by the ocean and pretty beaches and viewpoints! Love your ghost pic!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful area!
DeleteWow, those are some of the best pictures I have ever seen on your blog! Did you get a new camera? Just kidding! (although Steve did do a great job). Never hear of the term "look-off" that is kinda different.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very different experience being a photographer/passenger. Although a much smoother ride in a car for taking pictures we’re just not used to being so low to the ground with barriers and stuff in the way. Dianne gets her job back as soon as we return the car!
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