Baddeck to North Sydney, Nova Scotia

I just had a half day of riding today, as Baddeck to North Sydney is only 57 kilometres. 

My day started with an unimpressive breakfast at the Ceilidh Inn. I was dining with a large group of elderly tourists, who are touring the Maritimes by bus. I chatted with one of them who is from Hamilton and is in the Maritimes for the first time. I found them an enjoyable group to interact with and observe, but the breakfast was lousy and the coffee undrinkable. My opinion of the Ceilidh Inn was dropping, and got even worse before I left, because I asked if I could leave my panniers in the lobby, and the person behind the desk refused! My wife is flying into Halifax this evening, so I will be driving back this way in the afternoon, and figured I could pick up my bags when I came back through and save myself the trouble of carrying them today. 

Annoyed, I got started, but before I left Baddeck, I stopped at the Knox Cemetery. 

I assumed this would be a safe place to stash my panniers, so I tucked them behind this wall.

Now significantly lighter, I carried my way on out of Baddeck along Bras d'Or Lake and back onto the highway. For a stretch here I was able to get some good speed going, but then there is a turnoff to the left which is the Cabot Trai continuing northward, but as the highway continues towards the right it begins to ascend Kellys Mountain. 

It took me half an hour to climb the 240 some metres! But, I climbed it, and then the descent happens quickly! Look at what Wikipedia has to say about the descent: "Travellers should be aware of a sharp hairpin turn at the foot of the eastern end of the mountain that switches back greater than 180 degrees after a steep descent." In other words, this small "mountain" makes for some memorable cycling!

On the other side you cross Bras d'Or Lake on the Sea Island bridge.

About 25 kilometres later, after navigating some disruptive highway construction, I reached the North Sydney wharf. 

We will catch the ferry tomorrow, so rather than the ferry terminal, it was the Avis car rental agency I headed to. I picked up the rental vehicle that will take me back to Halifax to meet my wife!

Antigonish to Baddeck, Nova Scotia

Unlike yesterday, today was beautiful! I had some breakfast in the Microtel lobby and hit the highway around 8:30. I made great time early on, traveling the 50 kilometres to the Canso Causeway in just two hours. I was really enjoying the good weather!

The Canso Causeway connects the Nova Scotia mainland to Cape Breton Island. I biked across, and for the first time in my life I was in Cape Breton. I still had a ways to go to get to Baddeck, where I am spending the night, but I also got to see the distance to the Newfoundland ferry for the first time!

Early on in Cape Breton I was finding my pace had slowed considerably, and for some reason I decided to let Google guide me onto backroads, as if that might help. I should really know better than this. As lovely as it can be to cycle the backroads (and it was in the case), it almost always adds distance (not necessarily the end of the world), and Google is completely unreliable in terms of determining the condition of the roads it wants to take cyclists on. At first it was lovely--paved, empty roads, passing forest and farm fields, but eventually I was on gravel and it was becoming less than ideal cycling. So, I returned to the highway, having added an extra six kilometres to my route without much point. Oh, well...

At the eighty kilometre mark or so for the day, I was feeling quite worn out. I was fighting a bit of wind, and my morale was waning. I often do not stop for lunch on my rides now, but I realized stopping for lunch was exactly what I needed today. There is a Tim Horton's at the Wycocomagh First Nation, and imagining all the wonderful things I would eat got me the next 20 kilometres or so. 

After lunch I had more energy, and I continued along the north shore of Bras d'Or Lake (which is actually an estuary, but looks like a large lake in the middle of Cape Breton Island if you look at it on a map) for another 40 kilometres to Baddeck. 

Here I am staying at the Ceildih Inn (I had no idea how to pronounce that word--something like "kaylee"--nor did I know what it means ["a social event at which there is Scottish or Irish folk music and singing, traditional dancing, and storytelling"]).

Baddeck is a nice place, and as I laundered some clothing at the laundromat I enjoyed a little tour. 

For dinner I tucked into a lobster and mussels!