8 June 2015
The Cabot Vomit Trail, Cape Breton, NS
Probably the main reason tourists visit Cape Breton is to
drive (and explore) the Cabot Trail, a 4-5 hour loop (without stops) around the
northeast portion of the island that weaves in and out of Cape Breton Highlands
National Park. It’s been compared to
California 1’s Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), and has been called one of the most
beautiful drives in the world. Along the
route, there are plenty of pull-offs for photos, numerous hiking trails, and
beaches galore. We did a bit of research
to see where along this super long route we wanted to stop (4-5 hours is a long
time for kiddos, and that doesn’t even include side excursions) and which
direction to drive it. From what we’d
read, most people drive it clockwise to favor the inside of turns, but those
who drive it counterclockwise have the advantage of views from the cliff-side
of the road and to catch the late afternoon sun on the west side, though some
sources said it was only for the “brave” driver. We chose counterclockwise.
We set out, mommy behind the wheel, moving at a rapid pace, trying
not to doddle through the inland areas of what could be quite a long day in the
car for the girls. (Once you set out on
the trail, you either finish it or turn back; there are no short-cuts through
the middle). Juuuuuust as we got to what
is known as the Great Smoky (or something like that) part of the drive, the
part we’d read is the biggest hill and some of the best vista points, we hear
Sissy cough twice and then gurgle. The
stench of vomit filled the car, as what was once waffle, pureed fruit pouch,
and milk filled Sissy’s carseat. We
raced up the mountain to the first place we could pull over, and assessed the
situation. It was not good. And we were ill-equipped to manage it at the
present time. There really was nothing
to be done at that moment besides drive on and find somewhere to deal with the
mess.
Within 5 minutes or so we were at the entrance to the
National Park. The lady working there
gave us a few tips on where to go to find a gift shop (she needed a change of
clothes) and a campsite (for a shower).
Unfortunately the gift shop was closed, as was the first campsite. About 15 or so minutes later, we got to
Ingonish, the first town area we’d come to on the coast going
counterclockwise. Ingonish is known for
it’s golf course and hotel. We pulled
into the hotel to scope out a gift shop.
(We assumed there’d be a good chance she’d be wearing a kilt the rest of
the day). The gift shop had some kid
t-shirts, and the guy was nice enough to also provide us with some (a lot of)
paper towels, plastic bags, and a big garbage bag. There was still nowhere to shower her off,
and in the midst of the vomitous mess that she was, she fell asleep en route to
the hotel. (It may seem that way, but I
swear she didn’t have kegs and eggs for breakfast). A t-shirt was a good start, and we were able
to finally find a campground in another 10-15 minutes or so. At this point, Matt took her into the shower
area at the campground, and cleaned her off (we happened to have Eloise’s soap
in the car), and I tackled the carseat, a fussy Eloise nearby, taking it all
(more than she’d bargained for) in.
It was this moment that I feared when I purchased the Clek
Fllo. It’s antimicrobial and
stain-resistant fabric just isn’t the same as a good ol’ washable removable
cover. I did talk with John at Clek
(several times – I loved that when I call their customer service, you actually
have a good chance of talking with the same person more than once) who said
there is a way to remove and wash the fabric, but I realized at this moment
that I never looked into it, nor did I bring the manual with me, though I could
probably have Googled or YouTubed it.
Anyway, it was disgusting. I did
as best I could with paper towels and baby wipes, only realizing as we were
putting her back in it that I had laundry detergent with me the whole
time.
Fortunately, as she sat there in the sun, wrapped in Dada’s
t-shirt and a blanket, she said she was feeling better. That morning she’d said her throat hurt, and
when she vomited, I was afraid it was all just going to go downhill from
there. I took the turns a bit slower after
that, and she was back to her normal self shortly after. Unfortunately, we also bypassed our first
planned hike and some of the most scenic parts of the trail due to the
circumstances. But there was plenty more
ahead of us, to include several attempts at finding Sissy-sized pants for sale
along a pretty remote coast and in the late off-season, and snatching two
abandoned lobster traps as souvenirs: one that had washed ashore on a deserted
rock beach, and one that was being thrown out.
(Apparently, we chose trash day to see one of Earth’s most beautiful
drives… and not just weekly trash day, this seemed like a once-a-year (or even
decade) spring cleaning trash day. Every
other house had ovens, mattresses, and furniture tossed to the curb, to the
point where I could have even made a set of blue armchairs out of two different
garbage piles. It was as if the whole
island purchased kitchen appliances at the same time, and they all stopped
working simultaneously). When we finally
stopped for a picnic lunch and our first hike to a waterfall, I realized we had
brought both girls footsie jammies since it was going to be such a long
day. So Sis got to do the hike in fleece
footsie Santa Claus jams, her semi-vomit-covered slip-ons, and a fleece
jacket. Fleece on fleece, so hot right
now.
We wound up stopping at a few pull-offs that afternoon for
some photos (so far we’d blown through most of the trail), and finally came
across a beach that was covered in really smooth rocks. Sissy and daddy enjoyed skipping rocks, mom
enjoyed taking photos, but poor Eloise is not a fan of the sand in her
toes. She’ll have to learn better. After Dada gathered enough driftwood to make
a fire, we finished up our memorable (for all the wrong reasons!)
circumnavigation of the Cabot Trail and decided to grill out for dinner back at
the Casita. After some ribs and sides
that we ate in the campground lounge (think overly nautical seafood restaurant
décor) we all scrub-a-dub-dubbed ourselves, and I tackled the Clek carseat with
laundry detergent, cleaning spray, and Dreft wipes. (All the nooks and crannies those things have
when it comes down to a deep clean!) I’d
say it was time to call it a day after that.
Baby Gear Used Today:
Transportation:
Carseats: Today I was an Advocate
for a more washable carseat than the Clek Fllo.
I’ll get back to you on this when I attempt the full disassemble wash at
a later time.
Hiking: Kelty Hiking Backpack and Ergo Sport.
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