Before I begin today, I will admit, this entry is a bit long...HOWEVER, it was a pretty amazing day, with a pretty amazing ending. What a way to celebrate our 25th Anniversary! So before you throw that first stone and remind me how long-winded I can be, just know I warned you. If you don't have time to read it all, at least look at the pictures below. We wanted to upload the video Ken recorded, but it didn't work, so you will have to wait until we get home when we can share it with you - then you'll see why this entry is so long! Regardless of how you view this entry, as always we hope you find what we have written below to be interesting and entertaining!
The forecast for the next 2 days is calling for high winds today, and rain and fog tomorrow. Knowing full well the Cabot Trail is not something you want to do in rain and fog, we were concerned, we didn't want to miss anything! We discussed once again how fortunate we have been with the weather we have been experiencing, and have chosen to take our "It is what it is" attitude and apply it to the next few days of changing weather.
The day was shaping up to be amazing in terms of weather. In short, at our highest warmth for today we reached 26 degrees with a ton of sun and sunburns on our faces to prove it - or is that wind burn!? The winds were crazy - so much so, while on the Cabot Trail, Ken and I had to coordinate who was going to open & close their door first for fear of not loosing a door or any contents from within!
We stopped in Cheticamp at the Co-op Artisan Acadian
Restaurant to enjoy a lovely lunch right on the water. Ken had his first "Canadian" meal since leaving Guelph of a hot chicken sandwich, while I stayed true to the east coast tradition...I enjoyed a delicious Cesaer Salad with Shrimp and Scallops. We split a lemon merange pie, and split the piece was ginormous! Their boutique was also quite impressive where we were shown how the locals create beautiful art pieces of "hooked rug". A very intricate and time consuming type craft and hobby.
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| Cheticamp, the Atlantic Ocean as a picturesque backdrop |
Restaurant to enjoy a lovely lunch right on the water. Ken had his first "Canadian" meal since leaving Guelph of a hot chicken sandwich, while I stayed true to the east coast tradition...I enjoyed a delicious Cesaer Salad with Shrimp and Scallops. We split a lemon merange pie, and split the piece was ginormous! Their boutique was also quite impressive where we were shown how the locals create beautiful art pieces of "hooked rug". A very intricate and time consuming type craft and hobby.
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| Tricia started our journey by dipping into the Atlantic Ocean first! |
Although I have not thoroughly reviewed all the pictures I took of our journey of the Cabot Trail from today (all 152 of them!), I am certain as beautiful as they may turn out, they will NEVER do justice to the views we witnessed. The ocean views, rolling hills, steep turns, mountain sides, and slightly changing coloured landscapes has been beyond description today. That's right, I am without words...speechless!
I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed the entire experience. Ken however spent more time climbing to the "high side" of the truck upon each approach of the massive drop in the cliff side and the narrowed hair pin turns surrounded by steep valleys of evergreens! I knew he has never enjoyed the wide open spaces or heightened cliff edges, but to see him shake in his boots after a while became secretly humorous to me! I am not trying to be insensitive, I tried to be as supportive as possible after I realized how much some of the views were affecting him, but seriously!? I guess it didn't help for me to remind him that at least we weren't seeing abandoned tour buses at the bottom of these cliffs like we did on our Alaska Tour!
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Regardless, I won't expand too much on our Cabot Trail experience today, because simply put, you just have to experience this one! I will say travelling the mountainous Highland ranges and seaside coastlines makes me long to never leave this place. If offered, I would move out here in heartbeat I think. Again, there are views here I know I would never tire of!
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To make this anniversary special, we planned the Cabot Trail portion of our trip to coincide our actual anniversary date, with the idea of leaving the trailer behind and finding relaxing accommodation, with emphasis on a great view.
We searched the Doers and Dreamers Guide to help refine our search, and called several places to find the exact experience we were hoping for. In calling Keltic Lodge Resort & Spa, we spoke to Craig, who was extremely helpful and patient with our numerous questions and inquiries. Our conversation was long, however while he searched for the "best rate" and accommodation based on our specific requests, he answered questions regarding travelling the Cabot Trail, places to be sure to stop and visit along the way, how long we could expect to be on the road at a leisurely pace on the trail, and with rainy weather approaching in two days, which direction would be best for us to travel the trail. Our conversation ended on a very high, pleasant note, allowing us to feel quite confident our tireless search for the perfect place to spend our anniversary was found!
When we arrived at the Inn , we were absolutely beaming! The peninsula on which the Inn stood and the surrounding ocean waters was absolutely breathtaking. We experienced high winds all day, but the entire ambiance was like candy to our eyes upon approach. This was exactly what we envisioned Cape Beton
We were heartbroken to find out there was an error in our reservation. The king-size "room with a view" in the Inn portion of the Lodge we thought had booked, was booked (by human error) for the day previous, not for the day we arrived. Joshua (Front Desk Staff) and Lisanne (Bell Girl) tried to make us happy, showing us several alternatives; the shared cabin environment, a king-bed room without a view and a double with a view (however all of these rooms would require an imagination for the "view").
Disappointed we settled for the double bed accommodations with the "view". As Joshua made the arrangements, he could tell we were disappointed, and in a final effort, I asked to speak with the manager on site. We realized there was likely little more that could be done to correct the booking error as we recognized the staff was already trying to pull out all the stops to make us happy. In speaking with the manager we really just wanted to explain why it was so important to us to have an amazing experience, and how we had searched hard for the perfect evening, only to be dashed and disappointed upon our arrival.
Sally, the Manager listened to our explanation and concern and without missing a beat, searched the computer one last time to see if there were any other alternatives for us. Within minutes, Lisanne was showing us down the hall and up 3 stories to the Executive Suite where luxury and ocean views were surrounding us from every angle. We had absolutely no expectation on any level to be treated to anything even as remotely beautiful as this suite! In disbelief, we walked from room to room gazing out on the beautiful landscape surrounding us! This is where YOU check out our room...take a gander at the tour!!
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| One window Atlantic view... |
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| View from the loft overlooking our
living room. the Loft was equip with
telescope for viewing the
Atlantic Ocean. |
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| Our master bedroom, one of 2 LARGE bedrooms, both equip with their own 4 piece baths. Missing is the dining room, study, hall ways and winding staircase which leads up to our meek accommodations! |
We enjoyed an amazing dinner in the Purple Thistle, with our server Sheila, who tended to our every need with precise and appropriate timing. A MUST have while here is the Coconut Yogurt Panna Cotta (with passion fruit cream and mango french macaroon) - Do NOT leave this facility without trying this dessert!
After supper, we then went into the Highland Sitting Room Lounge, to be entertained by singer/song writer Buddy MacDonald, a Cape Breton
This morning we enjoyed a beautiful brunch, served by Susan, which boasted with flavour and was a delicious way to begin the second leg of our journey around the remaining portion of the Cabot Trail. Even though our day will likely be one of rain and fog, our hearts are light and the experience which continues to wait for us remains to be bright and full of promise!
The facility is amazingly clean and well maintained. Our stay was amazing, not just because of the "upgrade", but mostly because each staff seem to genuinely care about your comfort. We simply can't say enough about this aspect of our stay. Even with the booking error in the beginning, every single staff person here deserves a HUGE thank you from us. Each of them were friendly, personable, courteous and down-to-earth sincere. It will not be difficult at all to remember this milestone anniversary. The experience makes us chuckle to think the Keltic Lodge would be a wonderful place to get married all over again, in another 25 years!
Well, we "filled our boots" as they say here, with the bountiful beauty of the surroundings! Good thing too, since we can't "nellie see two feet in front of us for fog", we'll have to leave the landscapes we miss today to our memories of yesterday!
Cheers,
Ken & Tricia
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