(nb -- you can now click on the photos in the story to enlarge them and see the photos in an album)

Boy, the folks from the Cape love their mowing. It seems there are so many homesteads with not much farming going on but elaborate patterns cut into their meadows by tractor pulled mowers. The campground we were at had a hillside with a large cross of paths on it that Kell was loving running through as if it were a maze. We spent a day down at the beach at Inverness which has a long beautiful boardwalk that runs along the dunes of the beach for a couple of miles. We had a slow day of looking for beach glass, whales and little kids to play with (sadly we didn’t find any of the latter). But we had a great walk.

I had my first chance to use our new fancy digital slr – the one big purchase we had been putting off until I dropped our little digitial in Lake Charlotte. What I’ve forgotten about photography far exceeds what I remember so it’ll take me awhile to reacquaint myself with its ins and outs – another project to distract me from the daily tasks of this life on the road which can sometimes be a bit maddening. But the photos are so much better than the old digital.

Then searched Inverness in vain for propane which we had run out of only to find that the one place that allegedly supplied it was going out of business. So, the nearest propane depot was an hour away … and away we went (propane runs our water heater, fridge when we’re on the road or not hooked up and the stove and oven of course. It’s kind of shocking to realize the lack of supplies available up here. The selection at grocers as we head north is getting more and more spare. Veggies are not so great when they’re available. I was really hoping for farm stands and fresh produce this summer but it seems that this just isn’t the place for that. On top of that, I’ve been trying to buy mostly local but have quickly expanded my choice to include all of Canada instead of just Nova Scotia. So, lots of salad, broccoli, and beans.

I never spent much time in Cheticamp when I was at the Abbey so I didn’t realize how really French (Acadian) it is. Everyone assumes you speak French first and the French they speak is barely understandable to a second-rate francophone like me. But they all speak English as well so it’s not an impediment.

Today we headed up the park to the skyline trail and had a few wildlife close encounters. It was a blessing really as we had been prodding Kell onward on this 5+ mile hike promising him a glimpse of the moose. We started to lose hope of seeing one about four miles in and instead focused on the golden eagle, the small birds, a frog and grasshoppers. But as we neared the end of the hike (which is a series of boardwalks built over fragile exposed headland about 1000 feet up from the sea and overlooking the entire breathtaking expanse of the Gulf of St. Lawrence), we were hushed by the loud sounds made by a moose (looked like a young one with no rack) just off the trail. We walked towards where it was feeding and when we realized it wasn’t going to pay any mind to us, we got close enough to take some great up close photos. We were feet from it and Kell was thrilled. He managed to complete the hike with very little help but lots of prodding.

Its been raining for two or three day so it’s black fly heaven and midges are also everywhere. We’re thinking of leaving this campground and heading to the other side of the Cape to find less buggy but also more internet friendly locations. I’m hoping to get to the Abbey for some time on my but tomorrow or Tuesday. Wish me luck!