This is year four for the BCCCBs Bert Miller Memorial Fall Colors Tour and last year we toyed with the fact that Bert, being the prankster that he was, gave us a roof down day for the trail portion of our journey and blew the hell out of us on day two of our tour. Last year, on day two, we endured sheets of rain and wind so high you held onto the wheel with both hands. This year, if he has his hand into it at all, he made up for it with absolutely gorgeous weather. Early in the week the weather office predicted rain all weekend but as the weekend drew closer, the weather prediction kept getting better. There was a small shower as Paula and I drove to the rendezvous area but that was the only damper that happened this weekend, on... what I called... the Best Bert Miller Memorial Fall Colors Tour.

As you can see, when we gathered to depart on our tour, the parking-lot was wet but from here on there was no more wet asphalt, just dry roads and blue skies. As you can see, Carol and Estelle are already laughing and this is just the beginning, there is plenty more to come. Our ole buddy Barc had shown up to wish us well on our journey but had decided to sit this run out. To bad. Pic #2 shows the very clean Lotus ready for the trip, hopefully there will be no mud for the rear mudslingers to throw on the side if his car this year, unlike last year. Also, look at Don's Black LE, the roof is down. Cindy Day would never lie to him about the great weather we are expecting and you know, his roof was down the whole weekend, there was no reason to put it up.

Today, we have with us a German Healey..... and a Jeep Cambridge. Both Carol's Austin Healey and Sharon and Ricky's Austin Cambridge are under the weather and we had to give their rides for this weekend a British title to allow these cars on a BCCCB tour. Under the weather my arse, I don't see Jean and Joe's Austin Sprite nor Haylett and Nina's Austin Healey either. I am thinking that the Austins are afraid of heights and the mountains scared them off. Sorry...... I just call it as I see it.  Anyway, let the games begin. A quick call to Peter Smith to say we are leaving and we were off.

Heading down route 4, we turned off in East Bay towards Eskasoni. Boy we sure got to see some great colors along this route. This was a first for the Fall colors tour, taking this route. It is a beautiful drive in the summer and it was an even better drive with the colors of the fall surrounding us. My co-pilot is a roof up kinda gal, so as I am driving down the road, I am continuously  watching my rear-view mirror waiting to see a great shot. When I do, I throw my arm out the window and quickly position the camera over the roof to shoot behind me, hoping the shot is captured. After years of doing this, my good to bad shot ratio is improving, hence the results.

We pulled into Vi's Restaurant in Whycocomagh to hook up with Peter and we were sooooo hoping that he would take the Morgan. Now not that we were disappointed to see the beautiful E TYPE, it just would of been nice to witness the old girl negotiating the mountains and what great pictures would have bee taken, next time.  It took an hour an a half to get here from Sydney and we still had about 40 minutes to get to our next stop, Lunch, so Saddle up, and lets roll.

The temperature was around 20 and getting warmer. Bill and Moragh dropped the top on their great looking 69 B back at Vi's and we headed off towards Brook Village. All are together now and we formed a great looking line of beautiful British cars. I mentioned in an earlier story how one could only imagine what is being said in a car coming towards us and seeing this display of British Cars, and now, add in the fall colors as a back drop, I am certain many wished that they could trade placed with us.... at least for a day.

Ah-hA... The next stop was non other then... the shoe, the Red Shoe Pub that is. We stop here whenever we are on this side of the island. Angie and staff are always  very professional and the food is always great. We couldn't get a parking spot in front today and it looked like the place was full. Entering, yes it was close to full, with just enough seats to accommodate 14 hungry travelers, Great! Once again everything is coming together nicely, someone is watching over us. 

Personally, I love the Shoe. I am not sure if it's the food or the atmosphere but I love it. Carol and Craig had never eaten here before as they were always busy when we took the "Red Shoe Trail" but today.... yay they made it. Now, one of the empty tables was in front of the window and those facing the street had to wear sunglasses and unfortunately, with the sun being as strong as it was, they were warm. All that being said, I asked Craig what he thought and he said he liked it, very impressed with the hamburger. Leaving the Shoe I took a pic of us milling around the entrance, not noticing at the time, it looks like Joy needed a break before walking to he car, to full I guess. Also I noticed Sharon's pumpkin colored purse.... how fitting for this time of year. 

Where to next? Why not the Glenora Distillery. After a nice filling lunch at the Red Shoe, a perfect stop is here at the Distillery, just to walk off the food in our bellies. There is plenty of fall colors surrounding the place but the colors I didn't find as vibrant as other years but what the heck, there is more to these runs then just the sights, it's the people. I often said that it's the best people who own a British cars, fun loving is the words that come to mind and if you were to look the phrase up, there would be a group picture of the BCCCB there for sure.

The Chambermaids were cleaning the rooms and I asked if we could see one, sure enough and they looked great. I may just have to stay here sometime soon.... with my co-pilot of course. Not only did we get to see a room but for those of us who ventured inside, the sounds of Cape Breton Fiddle music filled the air.... you just gotta love it! For a couple of us, an after lunch shot was in order. 19 year old scotch was available and for the tidy sum of $10 per ounce, three glasses were poured. Wowzy.... an eye squinting crooked lip experience for sure.. loved it!

Leaving The Glenora Distillery we drove through Inverness and turned off at Dunvegan towards Chimney Corner. This route connects with the Cabot Trail right at the mouth of the Margaree River. From here, through a series of hill that cuts through some wind swept landscape, we arrived at our place for the night, Lauries in the Acadian town of Cheticamp.  Originally I booked 7 rooms in the Homestead section facing the road having us all together. Never thinking we need more rooms, some members had to book in another area of the motel... not to be. Paula, Don and I booked the house and what a great idea. The house is about $40 cheaper then two rooms and there is sleeping for 7 and it has a full kitchen. A great place to gather if the weather was bad but the weather being what it was, we had to walk over to the Homestead Section to party outside on the stoop with the rest of the BCCCB.

OHHH Man,  the folks of the BCCCB know how to laugh and have a good time. While we were sitting on the front veranda of th house, Bobby and Anita arrived, totally unexpected, great! More to party with. Bob had arranged for someone to cover for him and He and Anita jumped in their rare MG Midget and took off to Cheticamp to join us, Shortly after Bobby arrived, I got a call from Paul Voynovich telling me to get over here... lol when we arrived, a line of Sour Puss was poured for a celebratory toast as was Don's offering of a B52s for everyone ... in this case we should have offered up a toast to the weather gods... or Bert, for the lovely weather we were experiencing on this, the 15th of October. Good ole Bill was the life of the party, as a matter of fact, Bill and Sharon even invited folks from a neighbouring room to come join us. May as well... they sure as heck weren't going to get the chance to relax with us next door. 

SUPPER TIME! Although the restaurant at Lauries is great, I was hoping for supper the the Harbour Restaurant for a change but as it turns out there would be no driving this evening and the Harbour Restaurant was a tad to far, so Lauries it is. My heavens, were they busy. There was a lot of joking and carrying-on and I have to say that it was a blast watching Bill perform. I was worried that the nice young men in their clean white coats were coming to take him away. All in good fun..... Bill was the life of the restaurant. I am not sure if his rendition of a Celtic Dance was accurate but it sure was fun to watch. Fun to watch....... it was also fun to watch our pals in the corner getting free booze. That's right, their food was late due to how busy the place was,  so they gave them free booze to make up for the wait. I sat at the wrong table. Just look at the smiles when they did get fed.. lol. I would be smiling as well.

After supper we all gathered at the house for story telling and more laughter. It's always nice to have a place to gather but this evening there was no need to be inside, as I am sure it was still 19 degrees outside, we could have easily mover this party outside on the veranda. Earlier, after Bill and Moragh checked in, they stopped by the house to drop off some meatballs and  Jambalaya. I hope I spelled that right, anyway I have never tried it and as it appears, I am not going to tonight either as I think we are all to full but the aroma told me that I was going to be sorry that I didn't have the room for some. This is what it's all about folks... good time.

Once everyone left, we cleaned up the house and washed the dishes we headed for bed. I think I was asleep before I hit the sac as I don't remember going to bed. Waking up at 6 am to get ready to start our day, both Paula and I were laughing in bed reminiscing about the day before. Time for a shower... what the heck! The soap is in the shape of the MG logo! Now I have to say... is this a sign or what that someone is watching over us? From this point on I knew this was going to be a great day. And it was!  Above, Don took advantage of the big comfy couch in the big comfy house to lay out and take in some TV before breakfast.

Now, many have their own idea of a good breakfast, some a coffee others a tea and a muffin as for me..... bring on a full all you can eat buffet breakfast any day. Lauries offered up an fantastic buffet but I was frightened when we arrived and seeing that Brent got here before me, I thought all was gone, boy can this guy put it away. All was well, there was plenty left, I noticed Bill and Moragh sitting a little quieter this morning then last night, good ole Bill must have been danced out. Maxx the waiter was on hand again this morning but Bill wasn't up for Celtic Dance lessons today. A few cups of coffee and some cool mountain are will get him going a little later on.

Time to wave good-bye to Cheticamp. I said...... TIME TO WAVE GOOD-BYE TO CHETICAMP! Not so fast. Bridget the Midget was a tad cranky today. I get no enjoyment from taking pictures of our cars with the bonnets up... aahhh who am I kidding, yes I do. Anyway, traveling with the group from the BCCCB there is always one of us with some useful information to fix anything that can be fixed on the road, so it's never much of a worry when a hood goes up, I just take the picture out of badness. A little fancy wire work and Bridget the Midget roared to life. Now.... Time to wave good-bye to Cheticamp and start day two of the B.M.M.F.C.T.

Moragh was snapping pictures like a pro and she took this pic of Paula and I in Paula's blue B, at the foot of French Mountain. I don't think one ever gets tired of driving or seeing pictures of the Cabot Trail. I mentioned in a story a while back that if you dropped your camera while driving around the trail and the impact caused the camera to take a picture, it would be a great picture. That being said, I was snapping pictures like a nut knowing that it was going to be a great shot. The picture of the Bs and the Lotus in the shadow of the mountain and the outcrop of land behind them, caught in the early morning sunshine looks beautiful, filled with all the fall colors.  

Bill and Moragh's B with Paul and Estelle's intimidating Lotus close behind and the Trail cut through the colourful trees behind them looks great. Just look at the slope of the mountain beyond that. It's hard to believe that so many years ago someone decided to cut a path along these slopes. What were they thinking? But I glad they did. Last year while touring the Gaspe, we came across almost the same rugged shoreline. Here the road was fairly flat and skirted the coastline for miles and miles, with a seawall separating the road from the fierce waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The design of the Cabot Trail is much better. If the road did skirt the coastline there would be no dramatic look-offs like the one we stopped at. Seeing the road laid out along the side of the mountains makes this stop a must.

It was a nice morning and one or two brave souls had their roofs down. As I was passing Brent and Joys great looking B, I could hear what I thought was the valves tapping as I got closer I noticed that the car wasn't running, it was Joys teeth chattering as the poor girl was near frozen to death. But being  the troopers that they are, they forged on topless. Next we see Peter trying to get the best angle for a picture of his 1969 E TYPE. Peter surely loves his cars but wouldn't his 1966 Morgan look good as the king of the hill. Next time.

I can never get tired of this sight from the look-off on Mackenzie Mountain. Far below you can see the twisting road descending down the mountain side and Pleasant Bay off in the distance. Now this particular look-off is on a very steep, quick, switchback and I was watching cars come around the corner, all eyes are drawn to the sight of these great looking British cars, and why not. Surely not something you see everyday. 

Now we're talking. Driving into Pleasant Bay you get to see some amazing colors and with the trees pretty much covering the road you feel engulfed if colors. What's this! did Brent finally feel sorry for Joy? Or did the chattering teeth become to much to bear? Regardless the chattering teeth could be seen through a smile as Brent made the decision to put up the top and heat up Joy. Good move! Now just look at the colors in the foreground. Got to love it! 

If I had to say what my best stretch of road was on the fall colors tour, I would have to say the road by Lone Shieling. Just look! Now you can't see it in these pictures but the leaves were dropping like snow flakes. You can see that there are many leaves on the road and along the road, this spot is perfect for pictures.

I turned into Loan Shieling but it was more of a drive through. I am sorry that I didn't stop as I love the tranquility of the place but the way my brain works, I am always worried and thinking. Thinking that we still had stops to make and miles of roads to pass and then to stop for lunch. All this had to be done before dark and we all know how early the sun sets this time of year. As it stands, we did finish up our day at around 5pm, we still had an hour or so of sunlight to spare. The pictures above are are at the foot of North Mountain, what can one say about the colors, this is perfect. Bill's B and Peter's Jag sure looks good amongst the colourful back drop. What's this.. A Chevy Colorado mixed in the group, it has no British title for this run... get out of here!

I zoomed ahead to get pictures of our group coming down North Mountain but only managed to get the Jag and the Lotus and don't they look good. Again, what do people think when they see these cars come at them on the road. 

A couple of perfect picture. These cars were built for these windy twisty roads and the Mountains of the Cabot Trail was the perfect drive. Now I can't speak for everyone but once again I had brake fade, as the mountains and my speed/braking habits proved to be a bit much for the brakes, so a quick stop at a look-off gave the brakes some time to cool. And everyone thought that I just wanted to take another picture. A method to my madness.

Where is next... oh yes, Bay Saint Lawrence... The top of the Island. I am sure I have been here before but it was many yeas ago. When we parked on the dock at the end of the road there was one or two cars from the village who followed us, just to enjoy the sight. We gathered at the wharf for a leg stretch and a chat and to observe some construction on the entrance of ... Deadman's Pond. We didn't stay long as the air was a tad chilly but as we left I discovered Money Point Road... this road is not something one would take an old British car on but one day I hope to drive it to the end.

Moving on, Bay St. Lawrence is now behind us and don't the old cars look great as we left the dock, all lined up. This is perhaps the last of the good roads for the next little while. We turned off to take the scenic route to Neil's Harbour..... Big mistake. This road was horrible to drive on. There was some patch work but it failed miserably to make the road a nice drive. I think the dirt, Money Point Road might have been a better drive. Scenic route, what a laugh, you couldn't take your eye off the road to enjoy the view. That's all behind us now as we rolled into the very lovely village on Neil's Harbour.  Plenty of sights to see here. The group of British Cars passing over the bridge at the end of the village with a fishing boat high and dry beside it is a true Cape Breton photo for this time of year. Still a lot of green leaves in this area and with the sun as strong as it is I think fall is going to bypass this area altogether. 

I panned for lunch to be at the Main Street Restaurant in Ingonish but a pit -top was in order at the Chowder House here in Neil's Harbour. Here Bruce Hatcher, a local B owner met up with us. We met Bruce a few years ago and stopped buy his place to see his great looking B. Bruce is a busy man and doesn't get much of a chance to enjoy his car. Maybe one day he'll get the opportunity to go on a tour with us. The two pic above, Sandy and Peter's Jag as well as Paul and Estelle's Lotus are at the parking lot of the Chowder House with the tranquil community of Neil's Harbour in the background.

Time to wave good-bye to Neil's Harbour. I said.... TIME TO WAVE GOOD-BYE TO NEIL'S HARBOUR! I know Paul is going to kill me for this. As we pulled away from the Chowder House my phone rang.... Sharon Cousins this time (her and Ricky were the shepherds on this run watching over the flock). Paul and Estelle's Lotus refused to start she said. I guess the poor excuse of a road that is called the scenic route, shook a wire off the battery. A quick little fix and away we went.  The Neil's Harbour Lighthouse behind Peter's Jaguar was a nice shot.

Once again, the church on the side of the road in Ingonish with Peter's Jag in front. Next stop... Main Street Restaurant. All the restaurants we passed look as if full and here was no different. Most of us had to park our cars in the Liquor Store Parking lot. Anyway we went inside and waited about 10 minutes when the waitress asked how many. 16 was my reply... this took the wind out of her sails. Only two waitresses and they were run off their feet. Within an matter of minutes we were all seated and our meals were ordered. As a matter of fact, except for 4, we were all seated close to each other... I think someone is watching over us.     

Time to move on. Gosh what a pretty time of the year. It's all a matter of timing to capture the best results of color around the trail. A week either way would mean very little color or very little leaves. Once again the crew from the BCCCB hit the correct time to observe Mother Nature at her best. The scenes climbing Smokey were nothing short of breathtaking and I just love looking at my rear view mirror and seeing all these old British cars with the fall colors surrounding them. How could anyone pass this trip up? Life is good!

Time for the twisty turny decent of Smokey Mountain. The first part of the mountain looks like a barren arctic landscape, void of trees. It 1968 this area was devastated by a raging forest fire and 43 years later, it's still trying to recover. The lower portion of the mountain appears to have either been spared the devastation, or recovered much faster then the top of the mountain. Regardless, top or bottom there is always great photo opportunities and add in some old British Cars and heck, we make a barren arctic looking landscape come alive.  

Ahh the final three pictures. When I am scooting down the road on a tour in my British car, I try to sink in all the sights, I don't wanna miss a thing. But today I did. Passing over the Barrachois River bridge, the view looking up the river is amazing this time of year and I took the time to look up the river. Quickly glancing back at the road I seen the lights blinking saying the ferry was out of service. Knowing that there is a string of cars behind me, jamming on the brakes to turn towards St. Anns wasn't an option. I coasted past the light and pulled over, I am guessing Paul and Don did the same rather then being rear ended. Those who made the corner continued along their way but a few stayed behind to wait for us. This is great because there is a look-off overlooking the river that is nothing short of breathtaking this time of year and to my knowledge those who stayed behind had never seen this place before, a great opportunity to show them. There were plenty of pictures taken here as the colors lit up the place. Moving along, the colors of St. Anns were once again very appealing to the eyes. Behind me I had Brent and Joy in their B, Paul and Estelle in their Lotus as well as Craig and Carol in the German Healey, each looked great manoeuvring through the colorful corners along this great sight seeing road. In front of us, Moragh had taken a picture of Peter in the Jaguar and Bobby and Anita gracefully navigating  the colorful lines roads with their MG Midget. We are getting close to the Trans Canada intersection and the end of the 4th annual Bert Miller Memorial Fall Colors Tour, a tour that will be hard to beat.

There you have it, the kaleidoscope of colors from the Cabot Trail. It's no wonder Cape Breton has been deemed the top Island destination in North America and number 3 in the world, Cape Breton is gorgeous. Believe it or not, there are still scenic treasures to be found here on Cape Breton. Many are tucked away at the end of dirt roads but one day we will seek them out. We may have to take the Jeep Cambridge but by George we'll find them.

This was a great trip. This trip was made up of great sights, great food, great weather, great cars, great people..... what more could you ask for. When we left our houses on Saturday morning, our final destination was ...... back home again. We took the path home through some amazing color lined roads, we took the path home through some huge mountains and deep valleys but most importantly, we took the path home that was filled with laughter and good time. 

Well, I am sorry to say. If you weren't there you missed it. And that's to bad. Come along next time.

Photo contributions -- Moragh MacDonald