Day 6, North Cape

As predicted, this morning was begun in the rain. Not heavy, but steady. Barry and Nancy slept in, and we had a later breakfast than usual.

Of course, one of the pleasures of being in B & B's is meeting the other guests. And one of the other people we met that morning was the reincarnation of Darlene's aunt Jean. She arrived for breakfast in her house dress, looking as if she had spent a lifetime smoking and drinking. She told us she was from Virginia and was in PEI doing the trip she and her now-dead husband had always wanted to do. And of course, she had to rush out after breakfast for her smokes.

We decided that we were now going to be about two days behind, so we would drive the route of our bike trip, as if we had biked it, and stop to look at the sights and sites along the way. And we would go all the way to North Cape, an area where there is now a wind far developed experimentally through the federal and provincial governments. We were all interested in seeing that.
First, we stopped at Samuel's coffee shop for a quick jolt, and then we were off to the west.
Along the way, we went through Mont-Carmel, stopping to admire its cathedral, a large structure built of brick in 1898, and right on the ocean. It had a large graveyard beside it, very neat and well-maintained. Unfortunately, the church was locked so we couldn't see the inside.
On we went to Cap-Egmont, where we stopped to see the "Bottle Houses". These are three structures, including a small chapel, built in the 70's and 80's by a retired carpenter entirely out of something like 20,000 bottles. He had set them in mortar, but in patterns which were quite something to see. And of course the light in the buildings was very special. I don't think anyone actually lived in any of them, but it was interesting to see what could be done. The picture is of one of the bottle sculptures he had done.




After that, up the main highway to Tignish, then to the North Cape to see the windmills, and read about the use of wind. It was actually fascinating to learn about these structures and what they are now able to do. They have a very good exhibit, and one which puts the Harper agenda on climate change to shame. Then another stop in Tignish to buy some clams for steaming, and a bottle of wine for supper.
After that, it was back down the island to Borden-Carleton where we have housekeeping unit at the Carleton Motel, just off the main highway. A bit noisy, but nice enough, and the price was right.
Tomorrow, at this point, looks good for cycling. Good thing we're not in Cape Breton today, since they are expecting over one hundred mm of rain!
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Location:Borden-Carleton