Red Cape - from the Mointeach

© September '11   photo by smck

The photo is taken looking toward Red Head, better known locally as Red Cape.  If you follow the slope of that spruce covered head downward toward the right, it is where the slope reaches its lowest level that you will find the relatively narrow outlet of Grand River to the ocean.   In the early days of Grand River the river exited to the fore side of the rocky outcropping showing at the end of the surf.  There, over on the river side of the sandy gravelly bar, are the faint remains of a small fishing dock - large rocks, boulders almost, piled around the scant remains of old timbered piling and cross-members .  There too lighters unloaded store goods to a small barge to float them upstream to the store which  served the community of Grand River in the days before roads were a reliable means of travel between communities. 

Grand River from the hay meadow

© September '11   photo by smck

Standing on the slight hill above the Mointeach (mawn-yuck) just off the old mill road you can see the ocean on the south, the river's mouth and Red Head to the west, and here, looking slightly north-west, are several arms of the estuary-like  mouth of the river which is almost completely dammed against the sea. They are glimmering bluely with the sun.  This old hay meadow from which the photo was snapped is slowly being overtaken by alders and spruce - you can notice the downed spruce in the foreground.  Every few years some of these old fields have the trees and brush cut, gathered and sometimes burned but it is a losing battle unless they are working fields as of yore - for hay making, or grazing of cattle or sheep.  With the influx of the coyote/wolf cross breeds raising sheep is no longer really possible without expensive double fencing.  Few and far between are any who attempt farming in a homestead manner.

If you go to the 14 Mar '12 posting - 'The Mointeach' - the pictured wave is rolling up the beach side of a long curving bar which effectively dams Grand River's exit to the sea - at the present far up the beach to the westward there is a small tidal gut through which on high tide the ocean pumps salt water into the river estuary and for several miles up river almost to the stream in front of me old farm.  Then on low tide the same gut to the ocean becomes a rushing current draining the whole river to expose clamming bars in profusion.  It is a real thrill to body surf with the out-rushing stream into the ocean on a bright August day.

Three Deer

© August '10   photo by smck

 If you look closely you will see three deer - a doe with two fawns near the water's edge.  I was driving the Grand Gulley road from the old route 4 toward Church Point in River Bourgeois when I espied them eating quietly along the shore. This is a nice meander route to River Bourgeois on a decently maintained gravel road.   River Bourgeois "one of the oldest and most enduring communities in Cape Breton" is the name of the town and of the large river-like inlet which borders it and Cannes - Grand Gulley itself is another river-like inlet that extends eastward from Church Point giving pleasant vista's as you drive to visit this appealing area. 

Light House at the canal

© August '09  photo by smck

Located on Jerome Point on the east side of the entrance to St. Peter's canal from St. Peter's Bay (Atlantic Ocean) this lighthouse was established in 1883 but to my knowledge the present lighthouse was built in 1956. If you enjoy lighthouses and are traveling thru St. Peter's it is a short lovely ride into the Battery Provincial Park where you can park and visit the lighthouse site - although I believe the tower itself is closed.

The Blue Lobster - sounds like a Pub

© August '09  photo by smck

The lobster pound at Little Harbour keeps a fresh sea-water tank of unusual coloured lobsters and we gathered round to look and take a few pictures.  The blue one really stood out as being unusual and it truly is with an estimation of about one blue lobster in two million.  When  I checked the coloration out on Wikipedia they had commented about one being caught in New Hampshire in 2009 and another two off the coast of Prince Edward Island in 2011.  Well for sure one was caught in Cape Breton in 2009.  Just above the blue lobster, is an orange one, definitely alive, that looks like it has been cooked to a turn.