This Whole Place Looks Like a Postcard
Today was our last full day on Cape Breton, so we endeavoured to do everything we could before we had to leave. Who knew it would be such a long day!
It started with an early alarm to catch the sunrise. It came up at around 5:30, which is even earlier than Hannah has been 'alarming' us on this trip, so I set my watch. G wanted to come too (he said) so I roused him and we left the tent ad quietly as we could. I turned the heater on whe we left hoping it would be toasty when we returned in a few minutes. It was chilly out so I ended up carrying him across the soccer pitch that separated our tent from the beach and the sunrise. It was beautiful. The colours were enough to make him even speechless and the beach only added to the scene. We weren't alone either, but after a few snaps we retreated to our warming abode. I hoped we would fall back asleep for even 30 mins, but sadly it wasn't to be.
The colours of the morning at Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton.
After breakfast we went to the dish pit in hopes of finding Parka again (she went around the campground at 9:00 daily), and as we pulled in, there she was. By by the time we parked the slow-moving mascot had disappeared. As I quickly did the dishes T took the troops to try to find her. I was confident they could, how fast could she move? Unless...and 5 minutes later a park employee emerged from a camp building with a duffle bag. G was beside himself with grief. We promised to come back tomorrow to say goodbye. So much for going out for breakfast tomorrow.
There was a guided hike scheduled for 10:00 called Meandering Middlehead that looked good. At 4 km it was long for G, but the trailhead was very close to us and we thought with positive peer pressure he could get done and I could carry Hannah to (hopefully) give her a nap. We met our guide, Matt, at the trailhead and 12-20 other campers gathered. Before long we set out - G and a young guy from Ottawa (Isaiah) were asked to be the a'special helpers', and success was sure to follow. Our views were amazing and Matt did a great job.
Wow.
By the end T was carrying G, but we were all happy and ready fir lunch.
That afternoon, with the early rise send the long walk we needed some quiet time, so G and I snoozed while we watched s movie and T and Hannah had a rest down below. By 3:09 we were ready to do SOMEthing, something close. We hadn't looked at the aptly named 'Fresh Water Lake', and we could walk along the beach when we were done.
The approach to 'Fresh Water Lake'.
Next we headed back to the beach.
After a while at the beach I was thinking about food, but G wasn't done, so I decided I would go back to start dinne while the family frolicked. What a great idea, yeah? Sounds like it. Who knew it would possibly change our trip completely.
It started innocently enough. I was chopping veg and boiling water when I thought it would be ice to listen to music. The phone speaker is weak, so why not roll down the windows and crank the car stereo? Yeah? Much better. Dinner was coming together well and the tunes were great. Before long the family was coming across the field and dinner was almost done. T asked whether elicits were on, but I thought it's just the daytime running lights, aren't these tunes great? Do you see where this is going!
Then we enjoyed a lovely dinner. The music really did add to the ambiance. We had a great meal with the sounds of the surf mixing well with the music. And then I went to start the car. Click. Oh no. Were a long way from anywhere. We weren't sure what to do, so I walked the 500 m to wash the dishes, cyrsing myself out e while way. When I got back I called CAA. It would take MINIMUM 2 hours to get to us. We decided to enjoy the fire and wait. In an hour we did our best to put the kids to bed, T had to do the bulk of that while G put himself to bed, really. After 2 hours I was desperate. After 3 hours I was flagging down anyone I could find. The park security came over at about 11:45. I explained the situation and he said he'd be back in 10 minutes, he had cables in his truck. 15 minutes later, after thanking them profusely, I was laughing at myself and driving around deserted Cape Bretoners roads charging the battery. A lesson learned and a crisis averted.
Ingot to bed around 12:30 and went to sleep quickly. We had a long drive down to Halifax and Dartmouth tomorrow so with the trouble in our rear view I decided to focus on good things to come. Thanks for everything Parks Canada, thanks for nothing CAA!
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