Day 17 - Sunday July 16 - Dartmouth, NS

Back to Civilization - Dartmouth/Halifax

So today we bid adieu to another great location, our temporary home away from home at Ingonish Beach on Cape Breton Island, NS. As you may remember, my foolishness and love for sweet jams 

left us with a dead battery and me up much of the night waiting on a CAA tow that never came, and then driving around the deserted roads to charge the battery once a kindly Cspe Bretonner helped me out so badly needed jump. Once I got back to the tent with a charged battery I needed to unwind a bit, so I decided to walk to the beach. The sky-was-amazing. Constellations popped up all over and the Milky Way was just that. It was just what I needed. Tomorrow we had s long drive down to Dartmouth and I needed it, so thanks night sky.

The night sky in Cape Breton was one of the best surprises of the trip - and a great way to relax after a stressful evening. 

We said goodbye to the Ingonish Beach in the morning and headed on the road, but not before G got to say goodbye to his new bestie...

Parka WAS at the campground this morning and was able to get not just one hug/high-fives, but two! He was satisfied, if a little star-struck, and we piled into the car with clean dishes, full water bottles, and  a compass pointed south.

The twisty roads of the 'highlands'. Not boring.

The pics really don't do it justice. That's real steep and real impressive.

We couldn't leave the Cape without a goodbye feast, so with some Tim Horton's bagels and other pastries, a cut up cucumber and some blue berries we enjoyed a lake side lunch in Port Hawkesbury. The traffic din was quietted by the long grass and buzzing ticks and before we knew it we were all full and ready to continue our southern journey. 

Our lakeside dining spot. Unexpected, but lovely.

From there we aimed straight for Dartmouth. It was our home for the next two nights and we were looking forward to the city comforts (and were desperately hoping for laundry). The drive was long and uneventful and once we left the twisty-turns roads of Cape Breton Island we could cover quite a bit of ground quickly. The long distance to the big city took only a few hours. Hannah slept most of the way and G watched another movie - travelling parenting at its finest!

We got into town around dinner time (4:00 is our new dinner time) and were blown away by our digs. It was a 'basement', but not really. The place was full of windows and lake views (Loon Lake, look it up) - it seems we had found a relatively unknown lakeside community where Dartmouth and Cole Harbour (yes, that Cole Harbour) meet up. What a gem. We stumbled around our new oasis dumb-struck at our luck.

A lovely entry indeed.

A living room full of sun.

A spacious family room with all the creature comforts of home.

T and Hannah's room rivalled any of our digs so far.

And the deck views were the proverbial cherry on the top!

Sufficiently impressed and unpacked we ordered a pizza and a salad and T hit the showers. We relaxed and revelled in our new found luxury. Gord found a copy of Mouse Trap and our night was set. 

We ate, sipped and watched a movie - it was a relaxing night indeed.

Gord's new favourite game.

Tasty pizza, not just a clever name.

The views got even better as the sun went down.