Landing

It used to be when I began a trip, I would build up a head of steam. When I arrived, I would keep going from place to place for a few days before I settled down and started absorbing the place I was. As I’ve gotten older, I tend to settle much faster.

New Brunswick kitsch

I left Fredericton this morning and drove straight through to Cape Breton…and directly to the Glenora Distillery. It was a fascinating tour and the Scotch was Lowland (no peat), but quite drinkable. I’ll post more about it separately.

There is something special about the land here. It’s similar to northern NY, but there’s something different. For one thing, the sea is nearby now and there are some great tidal areas. The view from the visitors’ center just inside NS from NB is quite beautiful.

The view from Visitor’s Center at the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick border.

I ran into the first construction delay on the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton–only 10 minutes or so–and it gave me to time to gape at the cliffside that has been sacrificed to build and maintain the causeway. One cliff face has been chipped away and the crusher and processing equipment remains ready to continue to churn out more crushed stone.

Cape Breton is beautiful! The wooded hills are stunning and there is music everywhere. I spent the first night here at the Bear on the Lake Hostel and it was just what I wanted to do! Belgians, Canadians, a German, and an Aussie all sat around a table, sharing bottles of wine and a bottle of local, cask strength (65% or 120 proof) whiskey.