Lisa's Blog

Jeff and I tried Mom's Nintendo Wii when we were home last week and after just one fun evening bowling, golfing, and boxing with Mom and my friend Becky, we were hooked!

We bought a Wii on the way home from the airport and I'm SO HOOKED! We also got the Wii Fit Plus board.

Now instead of me sitting on my computer for hours, and Jeff sitting watching tv playing computer games, we are standing and sweating, battling each other at interactive sports on the TV.

So far my strong sports are table tennis, wakeboarding, and free throw basketball.

Jeff is better at me at most of the sports. Maybe because he is better at video games, or maybe just because he is better at sports in general.

The Wii Fit activities WIPE ME OUT! Super Hulla hoop is a killer! I never thought I'd sweat in front of the TV.

The fun part is you are always getting better, and then it unlocks a new feature, and you have new opponents.

I'll be curious to see when the fun factor wears off and when it will just be another dusty un-used toy.

Yesterday Jeff and I finally made it to the Liscombe Fish Ladder!

We tried once before, but it is at the end of a really overgrown bush road (about 3.6 km's off the highway near the Liscombe Lodge) that would be flooded in many places for most of the year.

If you go, only take a vehicle that you don't made getting scratched up as the branches of the enclosing trees reach out to scratch your vehicle as you pass by. Alternatively, you can take the hike in from the Liscombe Lodge.

To be honest, lately I've been leery of Jeff's off-road excursions since we've crossed a mountain in my car, sometimes on two wheels I swear, on 1 foot thick ice covered roads through no man's land, and through creeks. But this one turned out to be worth it!

So, what is a Fish Ladder you ask. Well it is the result of man interfering with a river to make it easier for fish, in this case salmon, to get up the river to spawn. The river is equipped with man-made steps so the fish can jump its way upstream.

Here you can see the series of steps that were put in:

Photo from the same spot looking behind us:

The river is divided into two paths. One way has the fish ladder, and this is what the other way looks like. I wonder if this is the natural river, and the steps were blasted out of the rock for an alternative route.

It starts calmly enough:

And then drops here:

Did you see that suspension bridge in the distance?

My first time on a suspension bridge!

It was really windy, and it was really moving! But I found if I held on to the cables on either side when I stepped, it didn't sway so much. Otherwise, with each step it swayed in the direction of my stride.

It did cross my mind that it was a little unusual there were no signs at all. No danger signs, no warnings, absolutely nothing. When is the last time you went to a place with no signs? I just hoped that didn't indicate the bridge was really old and abandoned but the lumber didn't look that old.

Near the suspension bridge was a really huge culvert pipe that looks like it must have been used to divert the water while they were building the fish ladder. This was the only stretch of it remaining though, so it was hard to piece together exactly how it was used, or when.

Here is the suspension bridge and stairs closer up:

From the bridge, the view upstream:

And downstream where the water rejoins the water from the fish ladder route:

Bottom of the abandoned tunnel/culvert/pipe thingey:

Here's a better view of the fish ladder from down stream:

Ever wonder how well you can distinguish colours?

FACT (that I didn't know): 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of colour vision deficiency.

Take this online test and then come back here and post your score.

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en

I scored a 7.

You know, if it was foggy, and there were fewer people around, this little tourist trap on the side of the road, north of Cheticamp on the Cabot Trail, would have been really freaky. There is just something about manikins in the fog.

But it was sunny, and crowded, so Jeff stopped the car and Wesley and I jumped out to see what the Joe's Scarecrows was all about.

There must be 100 scarecrows, all dressed up, and each one has a name and a story pinned on them.

This one says, "Hello Everybody and Welcome to Joe's Scarecrows. We would like your comments and please state where you came from! Free admission? Yes. But all we ask is for a small donation to help us get dress for next year! Thank you from Joe. God be with you all! and have a wonderful vacation! I'm Harry"

Jean Chrétien was getting a little fresh with a tourist.

My cousin Wesley came to visit for the long weekend.

He had never been to Nova Scotia before and we had a million things to show him, but just not enough time!

He did take him around the Cabot Trail though!

This might be my favourite place in Cape Breton. Here is Whale Cove:

I have always wanted to go to Meat Cove. It is off the Cabot Trail loop and is at the top of Cape Breton Island on a dead end gravel road.

I have heard so many stories from people (who likely had never been there) about this desolate, isolated town where everyone is related.

Turns out it is breathtaking!! And it really isn't isolated at all.

Here is the view at Meat Cove. The road ends at the campground you can see in the distance:

After Meat Cove, we stopped at Cabot Landing picnic park for lunch. Wesley and I could not resist tossing off our shoes and socks and running into the ocean!

I haven't touched the colour in any of these photos. They are stunning au naturel!