Continuing on the Cabot Trail we turned the bend at Pleasant Bay and headed south "down" the Northwest coast of Cape Breton. As we climbed Mont Mackenzie, it was overcast and misty, but we still had dramatic views of the coast. So it was up, up, up, along the crest, then back down to ride the rim along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

We passed alongside Presquîle and into Chéticamp — a quaint seaside town that has held onto its Acadian roots and charm. We found a soda shop and headed in to order our milkshake lunch — this had become a favorite routine on the trip. While we waited we enjoyed the company of a very friendly local. His accent (a mix of Acadian and Scotch/Canadian?) was almost as thick as his belly, and we struggled to understand him. He was great fun and a real character.

South of Chéticamp, a couple of things along the route would catch my eye. A beautiful bald eagle was one — perched on a shoreside tree limb.

Then, a double take and a "what ...?" Turn around! We were in St. Joseph-du-Moine and this is what we saw:

After I wandered among the strange souls for a while, feeling weirded out and delighted at once — an Acadian woman came up to me. She gave me some information about the history of the Mi-Carême, a tradition celebrated in French communities since the Middle Ages. During a one-day break from Lenten penances, commoners had fun disguising themselves with masks and costumes and visiting neighbors. Now in this area of Cape Breton, Acadian artists have revived the mask-making custom. I enjoyed talking with this woman; she had the rhythmic, wonderful Acadian accent ...

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