So we finally got off The Rock at 4 p.m. on Monday. We made great time, and it looked like we were going to land in North Sydney at about 8:30, we were just off shore, when they announced it would be midnight before we docked, because of another ship in harbour we had to wait for. Luckily we had managed to get a cabin for this trip as well, rather unexpectedly, so we had somewhere to kill time and wait. We were exhausted by the time we got off the ship and crashed at a somewhat icky hotel. But we got up super early and headed out so it didn’t really matter much.

Yesterday we drove the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. It was a bit of a whirlwind tour and I’d love to spend more time in the highlands again, but we managed to squeeze in a whale watching tour out of Pleasant Bay with Captain Mark, and we saw Pilot whales! Lots of them, with their calves!

It was an extraordinary experience and I was so happy we could fit it in (with the Hurricane Bill delay, I thought for sure that was out of the plan). The whales were stunning. Later on we were driving up the mountain leaving the area and we stopped at a look out, and could see the boats out on the water with other tours. Way, way off in the distance I saw something huge breach the water and make a giant splash that dwarfed the nearby boat — I can only assume it was a much larger whale, like a minke or a right whale, maybe even a humpback. Maybe next time!

Oh and did I mention we had another near miss with a moose? This time it was a cow, and I did manage to snap a quick photo of her behind as she crossed the road and went into the woods. Thankfully it was early morning and we had sight of her in time to slow down.

Last night we stayed in Moncton, New Brunswick, and we’re about to take off for Quebec City. Our plan is to load up our cargo on east coast microbrews before we go. Then it’s two nights in the old city, and then home. Why can’t we be on vacation all the time?

More whale photos on my Flickr page.