A Change of Plans

September 9, 2015

Wednesday we set out for the ferry to go to Newfoundland. You can’t really see in the photo above but the starting mileage is 2063.6.  My plan had been to take the ferry over to Newfoundland and then make our way to Cape Spear, which is the furthest point east that you can drive to in Canada. I had thought that since we had gone as far west as we could drive, we might as well go east.  I didn’t think this would be complicated.

I pulled up to the booth and the conversation goes something like this:
Me: “When does the next ferry leave?”
Booth: “You don’t have a reservation do you?”
Me: “Nope” innocent smile
Booth: “The next one leaves at 11:30 and then there’s one at 11:30 tonight”
I look at the clock and it’s just after 6:30 am. Ok I can waste five hours.
Me: “How long is the ferry ride?”
Booth: “It’s about six hours”
Wow
Me: “Okaaaaaaay”
Booth: “Will the dogs be staying in the car or do you have kennels for them?”
Uh oh.
Me: “I can’t stay in the car once the boat starts can I?”
Booth: “No and the dogs can’t go in the passenger areas because of allergies. But we had an expert in and they said that after that long the dogs get comfortable staying in the car. Or you could rent kennels for them and visit them in the pet area”
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa my dogs. In kennels. In a boat. Away from me. For six hours.  I don’t think so. And then do that again to leave. Ain’t gonna happen.  I did not drive them this far to do that to them; it would not be fair.

So we leave and after a brief stroll we have a new plan: The Cabot Trail.  It’s funny because I had been talking to my brother not to long before I left and he had mentioned visiting the trail.  There I was in Nova Scotia with a sudden upheaval of plans and the opportunity magically presented itself.

I stopped and bought some pancakes and bacon as we were leaving Sydney Mine and a short drive down the road I found a place to sit and eat them.  It seems like we always have pancakes and bacon in some of the strangest places and this time I sat on a section of dock that had been pulled onto the bank and we watched boats bobbing in the water as we ate.

The Cabot trail is definitely worth seeing if you’re out that way and we made a lot of stops.

And now, dear reader, I have a small confession to make: before I left for this trip I went out and bought a new camera so I was taking every chance to play with it.  This made every stop that much longer. Oohhhhhhh rocks. Take a picture. And another. And another. Oh dogs. Click click click click click. Yes I have a problem.

I stopped at the “Bean Barn Cafe” and had my first seafood chowder ever.  It was so delicious I ate it without stopping.  Or breathing.  I don’t think I even shared it with the dogs.  We left with a coffee in hand to continue with our hiking.

As the day passed, the rain came and went and the weather forecast sounded like more rain was on the way. I was on the fence about camping or not so I stopped at a campground that is also known for oysters. I had never had oysters so I decided that I could check this place out at the same time. I had the oysters. I kept moving.

A bit further down the road, I stopped at “The Rusty Anchor”. I made a bit of a deal with the staff: I’ll sit on the patio and my dogs will sit outside the patio. That way I could enjoy a real meal instead of having to pack one up to go.

The server came out and started gushing over Leo because she has a Boston too. I’m just tucking into a lobster roll (I’m in the Maritimes so I’m eating seafood every chance I get) and a man comes out asking if he can visit with my boxer. Sure why not? Talk about a small world. He lives less than an hour from me and his boxer is from the same breeder as Piper. He went back in and just as I’m about to dive headfirst into some monster chocolate cheesecake, to console myself for not going to Newfoundland of course, his wife came out and she got her dog fix in as well. She recommended a motel just around the corner. I was beat and the sky was looking ominous so I went to check it out.

The hideous pink colour was off putting but I was able look past that. And yes dogs are allowed. Wahooooo

We got settled in and went for a little walk around the motel. The place is literally right on the ocean so we walked along the beach and visited with people for a while then went back to the room.  The motel has a fire pit that they light up for guests and everyone sits and mingles and I had been planning to go but as soon as I sat down for a few minutes, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the night.