Another Island to explore
For the record, even against a much stronger animal, my dog doesn’t “play nicely with others”. As a result, the white wonder is limping this evening; a stress injury that means she won’t be running away any time soon. Take your relief where you can, says the little voice on my shoulder. Anyhow, after a light lunch of spicy clams, we bid farewell, had our faces immortalized digitally and hit the road. A straw vote said to continue our eastward plan and by mid-afternoon we were officially Cape Breton tourists.
My hopeful side keeps watching for famous fiddlers as we pass through Troy, Creignish, all the Judiques; similar open eye for singing siblings in Mabou (where we did sit in construction traffic for almost a half-hour). Sadly, nobody famous this trip either. The scenery changes from coastal to hilly in very short order. By the time we arrived in Inverness, the desire to find a place to sleep was strong. In fact, the deal cut with son #3 was that we could go where’ere we pleased as long as he had a bed for the night instead of a car seat with a view.
The Gables in Inverness had one room remaining, wireless and a forgiving pet policy, so we’re now out of the tent and into a room. Not a suite, but comfortable, with TV, a phone (that still hasn’t rung) and a lovely view. The town of Inverness is “savage beauty” compared to the Island. We were down to watch sunset on the beach, and then took a tour of the side streets. Interesting duplex houses that obviously date back to the period when the coal mines were still producing. Now, the rail line is a trail, the station is a museum, and the hills are green and rugged. I’ve seen maps from here, and there is a honeycomb below.
Never ones to skip a small restaurant, we checked the various restaurant review on the ‘net and sought out a cafe that has changed its name. The Village Grill serves great food. The air conditioner provokes shivering. Tradeoffs.
