Day 4 Nova Scotia

05/22/03 - Day Four - Sheet Harbor, NS to Sydney, Cape Breton

Lobstermen set out in fog to pull pots and re-bait.

Drove along Bras D'Or Lake. Saw some bald eagles. Checked in early at a beautiful hotel in Sydney, then went to the coast to see the 18th century Fortification at Louisbourg (sounds like: weebore). That wasn't open yet, but we talked to an Acadian guide who gave us the history in a half-hour nutshell. She also added proudly with her French accent, "I'm an Acadian from Cape Breton and if anyone needs to know, that's near Nova Scotia."

It was a blessing that we didn't goof around there, because we ended up driving down a long, dirt road across the harbor to the Louisbourg Light. The fog was in and the foghorn was sounding every 30 seconds. We were the only people there for the hour and a half we needed to explore and take the following pictures. The ruins of two previous lights are adjacent to the current (1923) light.

A small cove near the light.

Another one.

Turned around from the coves to take this.

The quintessential Maritime setting.

Woman goes the extra mile to get perfect shot.

Preserved ruins of the first lighthouse in Canada; built by the French and first lit in 1732.

Louisbourg light.

Alicia gets shots of incredible purple and green rocks around the light. Louisbourg harbour is surrounded by hard, resistant volcanic rocks of the late Precambrian Forchu group. Over 600 million years old, they are among the oldest rocks in Nova Scotia. Composed of lava flows and volcanic deposits, they were formed during a series of violent eruptions. Since that time, continents have drifted apart and the Atlantic Ocean was formed. Subsequent ice ages eroded the bedrock; the last one occurring 12,000 years ago.