East Coast 2022

Today we’re driving the Cabot Trail clockwise.

Forgot to mention that they say we crossed over the Confederation Bridge back to New Brunswick, the ferry from P.E.I. to New Brunswick caught on fire and is still not running until Wednesday.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9012329/mv-holiday-island-ferry-passengers-vehicles/amp/

Actually going to the Glace Bay Miners’ Museum today since it’s a bit thunderstormy this morning. Tomorrow we’ll drive the Cabot Trail.

The tour at the museum was really good. We got there when they opened 10 am, but had to wait until just before 11:15 for the tour to start (they wait for them to fill up). Dad and I just looked around at the museum displays (mom read her book…think she was trying not to think about going down into the mine lol).

A retired miner did our tour. After a couple of short movies to start, he has a conversation with you about the history of mining in Cape Breton. Then he takes you into the mine, stopping at various “rooms” to chat, while in between your bending over lower and lower to go through the mine (lowest was 4.2 feet high). The museum is a real mine, but was never used for anything but tours (that’s why it was dug). A women in 1967 came up with the museum concept…before then women weren’t allowed on the mine floors because they were bad luck (apparently work would stop if one of the wives showed up, just like on a fishing vessel). Our guide would be working out 7 miles under the ocean, our mine was just under the grass by the museum. The company would get miners from all over the world there, then pretty much enslave them because they would owe so much money and much so little they couldn’t leave. Our tour guide’s father had to start working in the mines at 10 years old so his family could stay in the housing provided by the mine after his father died in a hunting accident (one person had to be in the mines to live in the housing).

Tried the Lobster Supper tonight again but they’re still closed. At least we tried one in P.E.I.. We’re at this place called the Lobster Galley at the start of the Cabot Trail if you go counter-clockwise. Tomorrow we’ll go clockwise so we’re on the inside. It’s about 300 km and takes about 5 hours without stopping.