The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, NS - August 18, Part 3

After barely surviving our interminable trek, we continued our drive to Meat Cove. Stopping at a gas station along the way, Dad talked to the guy there while the gas tank filled.

"A little bit of the road is unpaved," he told us.

(Oh, okay, we thought, if it's only a little.)

"I guess it's about... hmm, maybe the last six kilometers."

Unpaved Road (so called by the GPS)

Bad things about remote, unpaved mountain roads:
1. There are no other cars, so you can't play Yellow Car.
2. They are nerve-wracking.
Driving along this bumpy dirt road after all the well-kept highways was like the end of the day at an amusement park where you've been on lots of very safe modern rides, and then spot the wooden roller coaster, and just past the point of no return in the long queue, you hear the people in front of you read off a sign, "The coaster was built in 1927 and survived lightning strikes in 1942 and 1953, and a hurricane in 1946" or something, and you start having second thoughts. 
Okay, maybe that analogy's pushing it, but it was a quite unnerving ride. It was, after all, in the mountains, and at many points we were pretty much driving along a cliff to the ocean.
However, this was not exciting for everyone.

We arrived at Meat Cove in the early evening.  The place we were staying, Meat Cove Lodge, was great for if you're hiking in the nearby remote mountains and need a break from sleeping in tents.
It was also great if you happen to like being stared at by creepy dolls while you sleep.

The toys, prior to our arrival, had been neatly arranged on the shelves.

Yawning? Crying? Awaiting a bottle? You choose.

(Nevertheless, a good bed-and-breakfast.)
We stopped at a restaurant-slash-information-center across the dirt road, where they had free and functioning wi-fi (despite being miles from any radio signal, gas station, or supermarket). They told us that there was a great boardwalk that led to the beach and was a quick walk. Mom wanted to see the sunset on the beach, and since it was a quick walk, we decided to go. 
This seemed like a good idea at the time, but the very narrow boardwalk went up and down like the aforementioned metaphorical wooden roller coaster. It was maybe a twenty-five minute walk, surrounded by forest, and with a rocky cliff on one side. We spent about four minutes at the beach before turning around and rushing back to the lodge. To understand our paranoia, you should recall that we'd spent the majority of the day at a national park, which was filled with signs with titles like  "What to do if a coyote attacks" and said really helpful things like:

• Don't run - the coyote will outrun you.
• Don't hide - the coyote will find you.
• Don't break eye contact - the coyote will chase you.
• Don't play dead - the coyote will eat you.
• Fight the coyote with whatever you have.

With these things in mind, we speed-walked back like maniacs, wanting to get out of the forest before the bloodthirsty wild animals came out. Then we went to the restaurant and enjoyed the tea (and the wi-fi). The people there were really friendly, and told us that they'd been the ones to build the boardwalk. Very considerate of them, because otherwise the pleasant stroll to the beach would require a machete.
In the morning, after making Dad sleep in the creepy toy room, we enjoyed delicious complimentary muffins. More about the next day upcoming.
And now for pictures!

As you may have guessed, the sign for the lodge.

The lodge.

The beach

Steep boardwalk, leading to said beach.

You don't miss your wi-fi 'til your signal goes dead.

Dad found this very hilarious and insisted that I post it.