Alexander Graham Bell once said, “I have traveled around the globe, and for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.”

Our travels in the Maritime Provinces had taken us from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to New Brunswick, on to Prince Edward Island and then back to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

Our two-night stay was in the resort town of Beddeck, also where Bell had his summer home, Beinn Bhreagh, and the Alexander Graham Bell Museum.

The museum houses an amazing collection of artifacts donated by Bell's daughters and has interactive demonstrations and exhibitions plus many inventions after the invention of the telephone.

Aeronautical work occupied a large part of his time in Beddeck. The hydrofoil ship was developed there by Bell with several young partners.

But enough of Bell for this story.

Cape Breton's Cabot Trail is one of the most picturesque drives in all of America. This trail, named for the explorer, John Cabot, is 185 miles in length. The loop on the trail that we traveled took us from Beddeck up the west coast, across the top of the island and down the Atlantic side back to Beddeck, all in about eight hours time.

French is spoken in many of the area's communities, such as Cheticamp, where we stopped to view rug hooking. The beautiful and artistic rugs are world renowned.

While there, we also visited a whale interpretive center and went whale watching.

A two-hour trip into the bay was deemed as a huge success as we spotted about 35 to 40 whales as they cavorted around our 30 passenger boat.

Traveling northward, The Cabot Trail is said to be a roller-coaster ride over forest-clad mountains into river valleys and along cliffs where you can hear the pounding surf and view the misty barrens.

Later, we left the park and drove through Ingonish on the east coast, a very popular resort area. The beautiful Keltic Lodge is perched on top of rocky bluffs on a narrow peninsula. One of Canada's most renowned golf courses, Highland Links, is located at the Keltic Lodge.

The Scottish and Irish influence of the early immigrants is evident in Cape Breton where the Gaelic culture, language and music have been preserved. Celtic music is very popular.

As we neared the end of our loop on The Cabot Trail, we passed by St. Ann's, which is The Gaelic College, the only one in North America.

It had been a full day of travel and unforgettable scenery along The Cabot Trail.

Fortunately, our resort in Beddeck had two wonderful restaurants, so we did not have far to stray for dinner before heading to an early bedtime.

Fortress Louisbourg, North America's largest historical reconstruction was on our next and last day's agenda. It was about a two-hour drive from our lodge.

The Fortress once had been a busy fortified seaport, having been founded by the French in 1713. Over the next 55 years, there had been a constant struggle between the French and English for local control. The English finally abandoned the Fortress in 1768.

Still, each summer the Fortress springs to life again. It was reconstructed after 1961. `Costumed actors become the town's residents and it is life again as it was in the 1700s. There are over 25 buildings open to the public.

And after our travels in this beautiful part of Nova Scotia and especially Cape Breton Island, we can easily understand why Alexander Graham Bell described it as he did as being his favorite spot of earth.

Then to the airport, and back to wondrous Wisconsin, our favorite spot.