Posts by Zac:

My 5 Favorite Places You Must Visit in Baddeck

April 25th, 2011

Baddeck is one of the most beautiful places on Cape Breton Island, and there are many places I enjoy visiting. Some are once a week or more, others are to do at least once in your life.

1. The Bell Mansion from the Bras d’Or Lakes

You can’t actually enter the Bell estate, but you can take a schooner that passes Alexander Graham Bell’s mansion. Not only is the tour fantastic just as a schooner voyage what with the billowing sails and the waves breaking against the hull, but the view as you sail close to the cliffs under the Bell mansion is spectacular. This is the same trip I proposed to my wife on, so the possibilities with this tour are obvious! The main wharf in Baddeck is where the ‘Amoeba’ is docked, just walk to the end of the wharf  and you will see a black schooner tied up. Starting this May 30th they have tours leaving at:

11:00 AM
2:00 PM
4:30 PM



2. Delicious Food at the Yellow Cello Cafe

Wow, just the name makes me start salivating. I practically grew up on Yellow Cello pizza for supper and meatball subs for lunch. What I mean is, whenever we wanted to eat out as a family, we went to Yellow Cello, and when we needed take-out we ordered pizza from the Yellow Cello. If you are looking for a good meal this is where I would turn first.
They open May 7th from:

3. Uisge Ban Falls

I pronounce it ISH-ka-ban, but it can also be pronounced OOSH-ka-ban…it’s Gaelic for ‘white water’. The falls have 2 loops (Falls Trail: 3 Km or 1.8 miles; River Trail: 4 Km or 2.4 miles) that you can walk which a friend and I did all the time (we also biked them but I would check before you go that signs allow it). The falls themselves aren’t the most spectacular in the world at 16 metres (50 feet) but the drive to the park is gorgeous and the trails themselves are well kept, easy to hike and take you through sweet-smelling hardwood forests and over loud rivers, it’s just a captivating walk really.
Directions
Travel the Trans-Canada Highway (route 105), take Exit 9, and turn towards Baddeck-Forks (a right turn at the top of the exit ramp). After 10.3km (and crossing ONE single lane bridge) you should come to North Branch road on your left. Take North Branch ~4km to the park’s parking lot (Occasional signs may direct you from the Highway)

4. Biggest Sandwiches at Highwheeler

I love the thickness of Highwheeler sandwiches. My friends and I would use the place as a coffee shop/hang-out, usually during a day of fun we’d stop at the Highwheeler for a drink and a sandwich, or a freshly-baked bun. Great for lunch or a pick-me-up.
Hours:
May to October (6:00am to 10:00pm)

5. Bell Bay Golfing

Now I never actually played a round at this course, but I did help with the beautiful birdseye maple bar you can see in the lounge designed by Bob Lambie from the Dovetail Shop. http://capebretonisland.com/dovetail/bar.html So why is it a favourite place? I loved walking and biking the trails around the holes (again check before biking that could be frowned upon, remember I am a local!) But if you love golfing you probably already know about this world class 18-hole course. They have a Ladies Invitational coming up July 13, 2011 open to the public.

There is of course so much more to do in Baddeck, this is just a smattering of my personal favourites, for more go here: http://www.baddeck.com

 

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The Best Type of Bicycle for the Cabot Trail

April 18th, 2011

I know for myself cycling the Cabot Trail is in the top five reasons to visit the Island, but if you don’t have the right bike it could be much harder than you like. As an example my first tour of the Trail was on a CCM Ice. It was all steel only had 18 speeds and thick knobby tires which sounded like a horde of angry bees, not ideal in the least. The biggest problems are weight (because of the mountains) gears (again the mountains are steep) and rolling resistance. So, you throw all that into a mixing pot and you come out with a 27 speed thin aluminum framed slick-tired hybrid.

That is of course if you don’t plan on going off road. Once you are on dirt then the game changes again. If you are driving to the trail then you can pick whatever off-road knobby tired wonder that strikes your fancy. Its when you need to ride on the pavement and then take to the dirt that you run into trouble. This is where you have to make compromises in some areas to be stronger in others. For example slicks will be helpful in low rolling resistance meaning the pavement will be easy, but when you leave the road and hit dirt you will be spinning wasting energy. Knobbies are better for the trails but on pavement they are loud, heavy,  and feel like you are riding on a beach. My solution: semi-slicks. They have much lower rolling resistance but have knobby edges and slight grooves on the tread. Now be careful coming down North mountain even on semi-slicks, the corners can be…fun, yeah lets go with fun. You can hit 80 km/h so when you reach a corner you will be leaning quite heavily putting you on the knobby edges which will make you squirrel badly and if you aren’t careful, i.e. using the brakes abruptly, you could lose it! Also be careful when using extreme narrow tires as you’d see on a race bike. The Cabot Trail is not nice to those what with random sharp edged potholes and the like. Then there is the forks. Shocks or no shocks. The Cabot Trail is quite bumpy even though it is asphalt. I recommend shocks, but just low travel 2″ to 4″ max, anything more and you will be wasting a lot of energy. Stiff forks will be easier energy-wise, but be prepared for a bone-shaking journey. I would say for a regular rider, 27 speeds is a must, you could get away with 24 speeds but make sure you have a ‘cheater’ gear, which is just a tiny front cog, or an extremely large rear cog. Obviously you want the lightest frame you can afford, those mountains punish extra mass.

So to sum up, if you are doing straight pavement i.e. the Cabot Trail, then go with a hybrid, but if you are doing trail, try driving to the trail and using a dedicated off-road mountain bike, preferably with excellent shocks and disc brakes, or put semi-slicks on your ride. Either way you should have a blast. Let me know in the comments your Cape Breton biking experience, or any questions you may have.











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Update! East Coast Music Awards Results

April 18th, 2011

Cape Bretoners might be a little disappointed waking up Monday morning, and not just because it’s Monday. The awards ceremony gave only two wins to Island acts, rock band Slowcoaster won alternative recording of the year for “The Darkest of Discos”, while Dwayne Côté won Jazz Recording of the Year. Slowcoaster had been nominated for a slew of awards including Group Recording of the Year, which went to Newfoundland based The Once, Recording of the Year, and Group Single of the Year for the song “War on War.”

I was hoping that with 3 nominations Carmel Mikol would get a nod, but Female Solo Recording of the Year went to Rose Cousins for “The Send Off” and Rising Star of the Year to The Stanfields for their debut album “Vanguard of the Young and Reckless”. I know that award ceremonies are not a reflection of the quality of a person or band, only an indicator of the overall climate of the industry, but I still can’t help feeling that some great Cape Breton talent wasn’t recognized. Well, there is always next year right? Let us know in the comments what you thought of this year’s ECMAs.

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ECMAs this week and Cape Bretoners are strong as ever…

April 12th, 2011

This weekend is the start of the East Coast Music Awards and there are so many from Cape Breton nominated including a childhood friend of mine Carmel Mikol. She has 3 nominations for her release ‘In My Bones’ for female solo recording of the year, pop recording of the year and rising star recording of the year. If you travel to Charlottetown where the ECMAs are being held you can see her showcase on April 14th at the Delta Prince Edward and on the 16th at the Cape Breton Embassy Stage, Rodd Charlottetown at 75 Kent St.

Her album ‘In My Bones’ has ten original songs showcasing Carmel’s vocal strength of which Stephen Cooke of the Chronicle Herald says “Her folk-pop melodies are full of life and personality, while her voice is clear, expressive and direct without overselling the emotion in her soul-bearing songs.”  And Wanda Earhart of whatsgoinon.ca remarks, “From the first lyrics of the opening title track, to the very last note, these first rate original songs showcase one of the most promising Cape Breton born singer songwriters, to hit any stage in years.” Cape Breton seems to consistently grow such talent doesn’t it? But then again I am a little biased aren’t I?

I remember my first trip to the ECMAs. I was only 15 or so and since it was called ‘Awards’ I thought of something akin to the Oscars or the Emmys, you know, just a stiff who is nominated who won affair. I wasn’t expecting so many of the nominees to be playing music for days before, to be able to walk up and down a hall and hear everything from jazz and fiddle to folk and pop. It’s an experience that changes a person, never mind that the very people that grew up around me were there performing. It’s one of those events which start to define who you are, or at least makes you feel proud of where you are from.

So who are some other highlights? Well how about John Campbelljohn for blues recording of the year, Madison Violet for folk recording of the year and Scott MacMillan, who is nominated along with Brian Doyle for roots traditional group recording of the year. Also fiddler Chrissy Crowley for instrumental recording of the year for her album ‘The Departure’. Slowcoaster has the most nominations (remember for Cape Bretoners this article is all about Cape Breton!) at 4 for the album ‘The Darkest of Discos’. They are in some heavy categories – alternative recording of the year, FACTOR recording of the year and group recording of the year, and it’s song “War on War” is nominated for single of the year.

All in all 2011 is looking like a big year for Cape Breton artists! Will you be there or dreaming of going? Who are you rooting for? Any childhood friends nominated? Let us know in the comments.

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Did You Miss Celtic Colours?

November 3rd, 2010

Celtic music, local dancing, concerts,  spectacular fall colours, road trips, good food; If any of the above appeals to you, then Celtic Colours needs to go on the calendar. This year was October 8-16 and featured all the usual assortment of concerts, workshops and changing fall greenery. If you haven’t yet been, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. The big difference with this event is its location: Other than being on Cape Breton Island there is none! The concerts, which can be up to 8 per day, are located all over the Island. The benefit is you get to experience the culture specific to its area, and as a bonus, it enables you to travel the Island discovering new places and seeing the fantastic colours of Cape Breton in the fall. As someone who grew up on the Island I can tell you first-hand that those colours are intense!

If you are young can you enjoy the music? Absolutely. Each year sees new talent come out of the Island, and from all over the world. A childhood friend of mine Carmel Mikol played at the Gaelic College from her debut album “In My Bones’ which just took First Place in the Folk Category of the Great American Song Contest. Of course there  is much more music to enjoy, you can choose whichever you like from the schedule (http://www.celtic-colours.com/artists-and-events/venue-schedule.html) which lists the venue and location. Then check the artists list and pick the event you would enjoy the most. So if you missed the fun this year the dates for 2011 are as follows:

October 7-15

And if you like to plan far in advance the 2012 dates:

October 5-13

By all means visit the Celtic Colours website and plan your next trip!

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Cape Breton. Why I Left, Why You Should Visit

October 8th, 2010

In previous posts I have gone to great lengths in explaining the beauty and splendor of Cape Breton. However, I have since moved off the Island. You might well be asking yourself, ‘Well if so many people leave, why should I want to go visit it?’. That’s a valid question, so let’s ask another. Why do people leave the Island? This generally doesn’t require a complex answer. Usually it’s simple: They need to find work. Sure there are jobs around, but in many cases a person just doesn’t find something suitable for their situation. That wasn’t however the case with me. I had work, I was happy, life was great! No for me it was a girl. Simple logistics, she was 3 Provinces away and I wanted to be closer. So I moved. Is that the end of the story? Boy meets girl, boy moves away? Not in the slightest. See once we were engaged (a whole other Cape Breton story) guess where we got married and lived? That’s right, Cape Breton, and therein lies the answer to the post title. I left because of circumstance, I went back because of our (my wife too!) love for Cape Breton life. To be honest, it was difficult at first. We didn’t move to Cape Breton to become rich, we had simple jobs, I as a window cleaner, her a care worker. We might not have had much, but we really had fun. Trips up the coast following the Cabot Trail to Ingonish, or a quick run up the Mira River (songs are sung for the beauty that is Marion Bridge!) I tell you, taking a boat out on the Mira with a group of friends, dropping anchor and swimming off a reef island is something I can never forget. That is why you should visit. No, not to live a simple life, but to experience what so many others have enthused about. Quiet days on the beach, oceanside bbq’s and luncheons at quaint local diners. All with the gorgeous backdrop of the Island’s powerful persona.
So maybe you lived here years ago, or you are considering a vacation, whatever the reason, give you and the family a treat by visiting Cape Breton Island. Just because some have to leave doesn’t mean they don’t crave going back. It’s kind of like an expensive restaurant, you love it, but can’t always afford it. But when you can, you go!

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Fun on the Water

June 17th, 2010

As the summer months are here, people start to think about heading out to the lakes. There is so much you can do, I won’t and indeed can’t fit it all into one post. I do remember some pretty interesting times on the water however. The time I went kayaking in Dundee with a group of friends from Ontario, the day I proposed to my wife on the bowsprit of a schooner, the time I went on a catamaran around Baddeck’s Kidston Island, the time I…. the list could go on but the point remains, there is much to do.
That day I went kayaking in Dundee was unforgettable. We were all staying in Port Hawkesbury and about 7 of us drove in a minivan to Dundee where we had rented individual sea kayaks. That day was quite windy, enough to create whitecaps (wind-whipped waves that look white from the froth), and I remember some having trouble getting in the kayak. The trick is to launch from a dock or a floating walkway, with a friend steadying it. The really memorable bit was the way back, but to tell the story properly you need the start of the venture. See, the day was fairly calm at first (we launched from a bay) and even though whitecaps were appearing, it was really fun and we had no problem getting to our island destination 2 kms or so out. It wasn’t until the way back we understood why it was so easy getting there. We’d had the benefit of a tailwind, while on the return we faced a headwind. Well I would love to boast that I was unfazed and my being a Cape Bretoner made me impervious, but truth be known, I was a little rattled. Mostly because I could see my friends struggling, and in fact one couple of girls were being pushed backwards even while they were paddling their hardest. The hero of the day for sure, was my bricklaying friend from Ontario who connected the struggling pair to his kayak and towed them back to safety (there are ropes designed for that attached to most sea kayaks).
What makes kayaking so fun? People will answer many different ways, for me it’s freedom. Freedom to go anywhere you please quickly, quietly and efficiently. That sums up sailing as well, except you need a ‘boat-full’ of cash (sorry I couldn’t resist). Kayaking as a youth gives you quick access to many parts of the lake otherwise difficult or impossible to get to. For my money, it doesn’t get much better than sitting in the middle of the Bras d’Or Lakes, the sound of water lapping against the kayak, sun shimmering on the waves, and the feeling of absolute peace, as you gaze at the ‘gulls playing overhead.
So there is much fun and beauty on the water, but a handful of caution is due, as it is easy to forget the power of water. Huge waves, undertow and raw power can combine to ruin an otherwise perfect day. Take a friend, check the weather report, ask an expert, then go have fun!

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Cycling the Cabot Trail

June 4th, 2010

In my last blog I mention cycling around the Cabot Trail, all 305 kms of it. How many people actually do that? I don’t know, although the 3 times I did I don’t remember seeing anyone else going all the way. There were many cycling parts of it however. Whether you feel like taking on the entire Trail or just small sections, there is just so much to do and see it will be worth it.

So, the story. My 45 year old friend calls up and asks me if I want to take a mountain bike trip around the Cabot Trail. You have to understand, at this point I am maybe 16 years old, go to school full time and I don’t even own a bike. “No problem”, he says, “My friend can lend you one”. Great I think, I can take on an ‘old’ man on a mountain bike. Sure I wasn’t in the best shape, but I had like 30 years on the guy! We started off in Cheticamp which is an Acadian fishing town on the northwest corner of Cape Breton. His plan was to go clock-wise so as to minimize the mountain ascents. (slightly easier grade) Now, at this point, I haven’t even seen ‘my’ bike. His on the other hand I had, and it was a beauty. A Specialized hybrid, with a 1” travel front suspension, but a road bike frame and road tires instead of knobbies. Needless to say, perfect for Cape Breton’s not so smooth tarmac. It had the best of both worlds. Smooth and fast on the pavement, but a little give for the bumpy sections. This is the kind of bike you want for the Trail. When I saw the ride he had for me, my heart sank. A CCM Ice, pre aluminum era. So full steel frame and only 18 half-working gears. It must have weighed 50 lbs no joke. Well after all this you might be thinking that I had a horrible trip. Lets recap: Not in shape, heavy bike, 300+ kms to go. Right, recipe for a bad time. Except you’re leaving out the final ingredient: Cape Breton Island’s Cabot Trail. It winds its way along the Atlantic coast, over time-worn mountains that Alexander Graham Bell himself said were his favorite of all the mountains in the world, with sights along the way that you get to feel and smell as you go. Well at least until you hit North Mountain, one of the steepest ascents you will ever do at close to 15% grade. Again having the proper bicycle will be paramount. I however did not (remember, CCM Ice) and so after only 10 minutes up I had to start walking. My 45 year old friend kindly waited for me at the top, and graciously said little about it. When I started the descent I thought, “what a relief”. Then I started to really pick up speed, and while I had so wanted to stop at the look-offs for the spectacular views, my bike sadly was not capable of slowing me down fast enough once I came around the corner and noticed the view. (this was rectified the next year when I had my own new bike) If you’re thinking of going, don’t be concerned. Modern bikes have excellent brakes, some even with the same technology as cars, disc brakes. We stayed the night in a B&B a few miles from the base of the mountain. I was very grateful of the rest, sorely needed I tell you. We left at dawn, or shortly thereafter, and headed toward Ingonish. This is a fast ride with the ocean always right with you on your left (remember we are travelling clock-wise) and can get quite windy. We stay the night in Ingonish (next year we don’t, we keep going) as we are a bit slow, or rather I am a bit slow. The next day is going over one of the biggest mountains named ‘Cape Smokey’ which is 366 meters high. We are going clock-wise so it’s easier, but the ride down the other side is absolutely thrilling with tight switchbacks and cliffs that plunge directly to the ocean! I stay the night in Baddeck as by this point I am technically home (that’s where I lived) and more importantly am completely exhausted. (rectified the next year by doing actual exercise) My buddy kept going of course and made it back to Cheticamp that night.

Well that was my first adventure on bicycle around the Cabot Trail, and before I moved off the Island I had done it twice more, the last time in only a day and a half! (one 10 hour day, one 8 hour) It was a point of pride that neither of us walked our bikes up any of the mountains (French, North, Smokey) on the last two runs, although by reason of his easiest gear being slightly harder than mine, he ascended North Mountain 45 minutes quicker than I. (2 teeth less!) Also don’t eat a meal replacement bar right before any of the big mountains, we did that the second year and had no energy for the climb as our stomachs were busy processing.

So go ahead and enjoy the ride! If you do it in 2 days, or 5 days, you will have the ride of a lifetime.

French Mountain with MacKenzie Mountain Facing (they merge)


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An Introduction to Our Blog Section On capebretonisland.com

May 6th, 2010

As you can see, there have been many changes to the website, this blog space included. This section will have blogs dedicated to thoughts, notions, events or anything else regarding the Island. Growing up in Baddeck, Cape Breton is something I cherish and take with me wherever I might be. Cape Bretoners usually say something like that. Why? Personally, there is a tangible “specialness” to the Island. Maybe it’s a sense of history; When I crest the ridge of Beinn Bhreagh on my cross-country skis, and look down on the Bell estate overlooking the Bras d’Or Lakes, I can’t help but be enchanted by the past history amid the present beauty. Many places have “history”, but are often ruined by modern civilization, or the beauty has been tarnished. I never felt that in Cape Breton. Whether it was biking the Cabot Trail (yes all 305 km of it!) or kayaking around the lakes, I felt the beauty and power of the Island. I have so many memories of just standing and staring off into the distance, contemplating what was before me. Even the 55 minute school bus ride I took every day from Baddeck to Sydney Mines never got boring. The view going past Englishtown on the way up Kelly’s Mountain in the morning, with the fog is in one word surreal. I always looked out the window and drank in the sight.
So when you hear people wax lyrical about Cape Breton Island, it may be because the beauty, power and history of the Island combine to create strong emotions that stay with them forever!
In future blogs I will go into more depth on those biking/kayaking/hiking trips that I enjoyed, not as a simple memoir, but as a sort of guide for anyone else who wants to know how it might be done. For example the 305 km bike ride around the trail: How many days? Where did I stay? Did I take a partner? Stay tuned.

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