July 8, 2011
St. Peters, Nova Scotia Canada
Battery Provincial park
Holy Mackerel !!!
Driving today from mainland Nova Scotia heading west / north, up through Cape Breton, known as ~ile Royale to the French, en route to Newfoundland.
Crossing the Canso Causeway at Port hastings, jumped onto hwy 104east past Port Hawksbury, eastward to St Peters.
St. Peters, formerly known as "Port Toulouse", is a really unique place as it's the southern sea inlet / passageway to Bras d' Or lake, one of the worlds largest inland salt water lakes / fjiords. The northern entrance is 40+ miles north near North Sydney... our destination to get a boat to Newfoundland.
*** from wikipedia
French Colony (1630-1758)
St. Peter's is one of North America's oldest European settlements, tracing its history to the 1630s when a small fortified settlement named "Saint Pierre" was built by merchants from La Rochelle, France on the isthmus. In 1650, La Rochelle merchant Nicholas Denys took possession of Saint Pierre and encouraged the fur trade with local members of the Mi'kmaq Nation who used the isthmus as a canoe portage route between the Atlantic Ocean and Bras d'Or Lake. In addition to establishing a fur trading post, Denys later used the isthmus as a "haulover road" for portaging small sailing ships from Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic and vice versa.
The village of St. Peters was founded early in the 1800s. Local residents rehabilitated Denys's old "haulover road", laying wood skids for portaging small sailing ships across the isthmus. The route through Bras d'Or Lake was considered a much shorter and safer voyage to Sydney than travelling around the exposed southern coast of Cape Breton Island. In 1825 a feasibility study into building a canal was undertaken. Construction of the St. Peters Canal began in 1854 and took 15 years of digging, blasting and drilling through a solid granite hill 20 m high (66 ft) to build a channel 800 m long (2,600 ft) with an average width of 30 m (100 ft). The canal opened in 1869 at the dawn of the industrial age on Cape Breton Island. There can be a tidal difference of up to 1.4 m (4.5 ft), thus a lock was designed to regulate water levels. ***
Passing through the small town of St. Peters, an overlook of the Atlantic, went and secured a campsite at Battery Provincial park. The lighthouse is still a working lighthouse. To scout out, wanted to go down and see the canal and lock to Bras D' Or lake.
Boats were tied at the channell / lock. A couple of local guys were fishing. I don't pass up a chance to throw out so.... fished right off the canal wall.
In 30 minutes had about a dozen mackerel... enough for tonights supper. T-bird caught most and said some people had said mackerel was an "oily" fish... I guess I get my omega 3 fatty acids intake tonight.
Cleaned mackerel using the mini "K"-bar that Marine buddy Keith gave me.... T-bird seasoned w/ some garlic, pepper, couple of pats of butter, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a sprinkle of oregano... wrapped in foil. Laid directly on the charcoal red/ grey coals for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
Sunset is forming while they cook.
NOT oily !!! Fresh,... I mean caught and cleand and an hour later on the grill IS FRESH !!! Like pristene fresh flavor, natural , wild fish taste.... just fantastic! Better than any fish supper you can imagine!
Fresh romaine lettuce salad,... and could not finish all the mackerel.
Watching a great sunset now; A truely great day! Thank you!
I could get used to this.
MARNE 19 # 57
July 8, 2011
St. Peters, Nova Scotia Canada
Battery Provincial park
Holy Mackerel !!!
Driving today from mainland Nova Scotia heading west / north, up through Cape Breton, known as ~ile Royale to the French, en route to Newfoundland.
Crossing the Canso Causeway at Port hastings, jumped onto hwy 104east past Port Hawksbury, eastward to St Peters.
St. Peters, formerly known as "Port Toulouse", is a really unique place as it's the southern sea inlet / passageway to Bras d' Or lake, one of the worlds largest inland salt water lakes / fjiords. The northern entrance is 40+ miles north near North Sydney... our destination to get a boat to Newfoundland.
*** from wikipedia
French Colony (1630-1758)
St. Peter's is one of North America's oldest European settlements, tracing its history to the 1630s when a small fortified settlement named "Saint Pierre" was built by merchants from La Rochelle, France on the isthmus. In 1650, La Rochelle merchant Nicholas Denys took possession of Saint Pierre and encouraged the fur trade with local members of the Mi'kmaq Nation who used the isthmus as a canoe portage route between the Atlantic Ocean and Bras d'Or Lake. In addition to establishing a fur trading post, Denys later used the isthmus as a "haulover road" for portaging small sailing ships from Bras d'Or Lake to the Atlantic and vice versa.
The village of St. Peters was founded early in the 1800s. Local residents rehabilitated Denys's old "haulover road", laying wood skids for portaging small sailing ships across the isthmus. The route through Bras d'Or Lake was considered a much shorter and safer voyage to Sydney than travelling around the exposed southern coast of Cape Breton Island. In 1825 a feasibility study into building a canal was undertaken. Construction of the St. Peters Canal began in 1854 and took 15 years of digging, blasting and drilling through a solid granite hill 20 m high (66 ft) to build a channel 800 m long (2,600 ft) with an average width of 30 m (100 ft). The canal opened in 1869 at the dawn of the industrial age on Cape Breton Island. There can be a tidal difference of up to 1.4 m (4.5 ft), thus a lock was designed to regulate water levels. ***
Passing through the small town of St. Peters, an overlook of the Atlantic, went and secured a campsite at Battery Provincial park. The lighthouse is still a working lighthouse. To scout out, wanted to go down and see the canal and lock to Bras D' Or lake.
Boats were tied at the channell / lock. A couple of local guys were fishing. I don't pass up a chance to throw out so.... fished right off the canal wall.
In 30 minutes had about a dozen mackerel... enough for tonights supper. T-bird caught most and said some people had said mackerel was an "oily" fish... I guess I get my omega 3 fatty acids intake tonight.
Cleaned mackerel using the mini "K"-bar that Marine buddy Keith gave me.... T-bird seasoned w/ some garlic, pepper, couple of pats of butter, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a sprinkle of oregano... wrapped in foil. Laid directly on the charcoal red/ grey coals for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.
Sunset is forming while they cook.
NOT oily !!! Fresh,... I mean caught and cleand and an hour later on the grill IS FRESH !!! Like pristene fresh flavor, natural , wild fish taste.... just fantastic! Better than any fish supper you can imagine!
Fresh romaine lettuce salad,... and could not finish all the mackerel.
Watching a great sunset now; A truely great day! Thank you!
I could get used to this.
