Catch Up Post - July 15

July 15 (Posted after the fact...)
So irritating! Not sure what happened to my July 15 post but I hit save and it got stuck in save mode and now I can't open it! ARG!!! Anyway, here goes...
So we left Louisbourg and headed up to the small town of Baddeck where Alexander Graham Bell and his family eventually settled after immigrating from Scotland. Of course, he's most famous for his invention of the telephone but he was a prolific inventor and worked in so many different areas, it's hard to imagine when the mad slept. Honestly - any one of his achievements would have been a life's worth and he had multiple disciplines. He initially worked closely with the deaf, continuing the work of his father. He invented the first machine to test hearing loss and worked with a "visual language" method.  He was instrumental in Helen Keller's life and helped set her on a path of communication with her outside world. He was also intensely interested in aviation and his work (with some partners) led to the very first flight in Canadian aviation history, in Baddeck. He also developed many different models of hydrofoils and one of his hydrofoils set the then world record for the fastest speed. What an amazing man. He would be on my list of people I'd like to have lunch with when I die...
What's really great is that his two daughters donated thousands of artifacts to the museum, including the transmitter and receiver from the very first telephone call he made to his assistant Watson in which he said, "Watson, come here  - I would like to see you." (or something relatively close to this...)
This is a fantastic museum that honours an incredible man who contributed so much to society, both in terms of technology and compassion. We would highly recommend this stop in your travels if you get a chance.
From Baddeck, we continued on up the East side of the Cabot Trail. There are so many artisans who have roadside galleries and shops, it's so much fun to hop from one to the next. Along this stretch is our friend Sarah Beck's Wildfire Pottery studio. We stopped in and had a great visit with her and her partner, Paul. Sarah is an incredibly talented potter and she sells a lot of her work online as well. I can't put my hands on her card at the moment (sorry Sarah!!) but google her and you'll find her website. When I can, I'll update this information.
After leaving Sarah and Paul, we continued up through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Apparently, this area looks a lot like the Scottish Highlands - gorgeous. We made it to South Cape and found a fantastic little campsite off the road, overlooking a harbour. So lovely. What a fantastic (and HOT!!!! 100 degrees!) day!!