Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1955-09-02
The JEWEL
BOX


driving some of it under con-
ditions that we aren't crazy about
duplicating right away +. but by
golly, this Cabot Trail is worth it!
Did you ever have the feeling
that something is so beautiful it
hurts: That's what the Cabot Trail
is like. In 70 miles of breathtaking
grandeur, it takes you around Cape
Breton Highlands National Park,
situated in the northern part of
Cape Breton Island which connects
to the main part of Nova Scotia by
a magnificent cauSeway at the
Strait of Canso. The park, some
800 square miles, lies between the
Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of ST..
Lawrence and forms part of a great
table land that rises to height of
LOO feet above sea level.
In places it sweeps to the sea in
bold headlands, which rise almost
sheer from the water. At other
points, streams running down to
the sea have carved. deep gorges
that widen out at their lower ends
to form broad valleys "inter-
vales", they call them here.
Along the western shores, you
swoop up hills that rise precipi-
touSly from the Gulf of st. Lawr-
ence to height of 1,5OO feet. The
upper slopes are clad in forest
growths, and down their steep
sides tumble dancing amber col
ored small streams. The eastern
shores are rocky too, but sandy
coves and bays and the pounding
ocean give change of scenery.
Typical Acadian forests are
everywhere The combination of
deep valleys, green slopes, and
rounded SUBMITS broken here and
there by rocky spires and outcrop-
pings is much like the Highlands
of Scotland, they tell us.
All along the way are little vii
lagos whose residents are families
of Highland Scottish and French
Acadian ancestry. They depend
mainly on the sea for their livli-
hood, and most of them have re-
tanned their native language.
We're staying tonight at Cheti-
camp, on the Gulf of st. Lawrence
at a pleasant motel. Across the
street in a house. a bagpipe is
skirling mournfully. And we've
just left the Acadian Inn (after a
fine swordfish dinner) where Mon
sleur LIE Proprietore was spouting
French so rapidly that our poor
college remnants of the tongue
couldn't begin to keep up with
him.
Down the road march a process
sion of people, with a vanguard of
black-robed nuns, headed for the
beautiful little village church. The
sun has gone down, but over the
blue-green water not 100 feet from
our cabin is lingering, dancing
radiance as if loath to depart .
Most everybody that goes by has
a friendly wave for ''les touristes"
;. for the tourist has suddenly
become Big Business indeed to
Cape Breton.
The Butch is out. on the shore
with the children of a Detroit
minister, occupying. the adjacent
cabin, and quickly-formed clan
of Cheticamp small fry The as
Sortment of stones he is bringing
in is an astonishing and remark
able one. (How we're ever going
to get 'em all to Port Clinton, we
don't know AL is trying to see if
there is still blue paint on the
car, almost completely indisting-
uishable after covering of red
mud from the days detours
These Nova Scotians are the
darndest people, when it comes to
road work. They tear up several
miles of road, and then go blithely
on to another project. 1t won't be
long stretch, but you wallow
through it with your fingers cross
ed you aren't going to get. stuck,
and nobody around even to yell
for if you do.
There's quite bit of road work
going on in the Provinces right
now. And few places detour you
D.. they just let you go right
through. (After experiencing one
of today's detours, we're just as
glad.) For the most part, though,
the roads are good. Traffic is at a
minimum most of the natives
use horses and buggies, and out
side of business car, most Of the
vehicles we've met have been va
catiOnerS too.
Excess driving seemed to mark
this trip right from the start. At
Harrisburg last Saturday, the Auto
mobile Club advised against our
original route through New Jersey,
Massachusetts,, Conn etc., because
of the floods. We had to 60 clear
up to Albany, N. Y. and then into
Maine. And to top it all off, ii