It had been 8 months since my double knee replacement and this was my first official hike. Equipped with walking sticks, hiking boots, and water we headed out on the Skyline Trail (8.5 km return). Just a short one. It wasn’t too difficult and it was well-groomed. You definitely need layers for the cool mornings and warm afternoons, even in October. By the time we got to the lookout, Shannon had peeled off her sweater and was sleeveless. It was a beautiful day and the view over the water was spectacular. The best part was my knees held up!

You are so high up and the sun felt amazing on our faces. As we moved further into the National Park, the tree colours were really showing off. Don’t forget if visiting a National Park in Canada you must get a permit and post it on your dash.

It was time to get back on the road again and head over to our next stop, Ingonish. The colours were amazing and my phone camera was getting a good work out. We heard there was a great place to have chowder in Neill’s Harbour but unfortunately it was closed. That’s the chance you take when travelling off-season. I do hope that it was closed for that reason versus Covid. So many restaurants and small businesses have had to close. We may not have had our chowder, but we found this sweet lighthouse.

Checking into the Keltic Lodge, in Ingonish was a little slow, but everyone was kind and gracious. I howled when Shannon described it as “Kellermans” from the Dirty Dancing movie. She was spot on! They have a casual bar with entertainment and so we headed there. The wait was extraordinarily long, but we made the best of it by ordering drinks in the lobby and when we finally got our table, enjoyed a bucket of mussels, scallops and some music. A great way to end the day. Tomorrow we are heading out on a shorter hike.

#cousinroadtrip #cabottrail #skylinetrail #fallleafwatch