Sunday, July 29, 2018
Inverness Beach Campground riding to Kevin’s house near Cheticamp
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| A female black bear with two little cubs is the first thing we see upon entering Cape Breton Highlands National Park |
We woke up to a misty rain and rode out of Inverness Beach Campground into the coolness. It feels great to be riding without so much sun! At about mile 16, the rain starts getting harder. And harder. We keep riding as long as we are able, seeking refuge once under a very narrow overhang at the senior center and finally on the porch of the (now closed) LeBlanc general store in Margaree Forks.
We make some hot tea and dig out some cookies and try to wait out the storm. We are both completely soaked through, but it is fairly warm out. However the road is flooding and it’s not safe to continue. I can’t believe how hard it is raining! We call a warm showers host in the area and ask if he will give us a lift to Cheticamp inside the park. He agrees, but he drives to a different LeBlanc General Store - it’s quite a common name here in this Acadian area. By the time we communicate our location the rain has stopped, the sun is shining, and all the water has run down the road and into the thirsty landscape.
I am actually glad to be cycling to Cheticamp
because we have ridden every mile of this trip so far (except for the ferry trips) and it seems like a shame to get in a vehicle now. Kevin is the warm showers guy we called and he invites us to stay at his place just outside the park for the night. He adds that he is making chili and says he used to be a chef. OK. We are convinced.
At Kevin’s place we meet Amalie who is riding around Nova Scotia and then on to Moncton, New Brunswick. She is a young woman from Montreal and is a high school math teacher. She has just ridden the Cabot Trail in the opposite direction that we are riding it and has come over the last mountain today. She called Kevin for a pick up because of a mechanical issue on her bike. She can only ride in her very lowest gear.
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| Amelie and Kevin prepare a tasty dinner |
A guy named Andre is a local bike mechanic and he actually comes over to Kevin’s house, picks up Amalie’s bike, and takes it back to his home to repair it on a Sunday night! He used to have a bike shop, but now he just works from home and does support for folks riding the Cabot Trail. https://www.velomax.ca
We all enjoyed the evening together and then walked over to the sea for a very lovely sunset.
Tom and I set up our tent on the deck because it was a nice cool night to sleep outside. Tomorrow we plan to stay at a little campground in the National Park which has only non-reservable sites. I guess this means another early start.
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| clouds along the coast keeping us cool |
Kevin’s House through Cheticamp to Corney Brook Campground in Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Monday, July 30, 2018
We say goodbye to Amalie who hopes she’ll be seeing her bike and Andre again, and thank Kevin for his hospitality and all his very helpful advice about Cape Breton Park. He definitely knows all about
Cape Breton Island. Here is some good cycling information on the Cabot Trail. http://www.cyclenovascotia.ca/routes/cabot-trail/ It is a bucket list bike ride for many people - 298 km of highland scenery and beauty. Tom and I rode it together in the summer of 1985 when we didn’t know much about it and there was no internet. I remember being terrified riding down the mountains. I remember picking and eating loads of wild blueberries. I don’t remember much else. I am pretty psyched to do it again now that we have some firm planning and know what to expect.
Passing through Cheticamp we have to make a stop at the Au Coin Bakery for scones and I get a bagette for lunch too. There is no food in the park so we are carrying quite a few meals.
There are two steep short climbs to the camp which are a good preparation for tomorrow’s big climb up French Mountain. French Mountain is very steep from this side, rising at 13 % grade over 3 km.
The Corney Brook Campground has only a few sites left when we arrive at 11 am! Ours looks out over the ocean and we can watch for seals and gannets. There is a rocky beach below us with a fresh water river flowing into the ocean. The river has a nice deep and very clear swimming hole too.
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| Tom had to create some shade in this campsite |
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| Sue and Julia hiking the bluff to watch the sunset |
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| Cap Rouge and the road beyond it. We will ride up here tomorrow. |
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| sandy beach by our campsite |
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| A short hike from the campsite to the bluff reveals a dramatic view to the west. This is our sunset watching spot tonight. |
TUESDAY, July 31, 2018
Corney Brook campground through Pleasant Bay to Macintosh Brook
Today we will ride from sea level up 455 m (1493 feet) French Mountain and down the other side and then over 355 m (1165 feet) Mackenzie mountain. It will be a low mileage day, but with some tough climbing. Just after cresting French Mountain we want to hike the skyline trail for the views.
It is a very popular trail and at sunset can be very crowded. The park brochure describes it as a “dramatic headland overlooking the rugged gulf coast". That is accurate. It's a 4 mile round trip trek and we are pretty much alone on the trail this early in the morning. We see a snowshoe hare or two, a little grouse, and lots of red squirrels. We can look back and see our climb and it is pretty impressive. There is also cell reception so we catch up on the family group texts.
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| --on the skyline trail hike looking back at the road we just cycled. |
French Mountain was a slow and steady climb and neither of us have to get off and walk. The plateau is nice and long and then it's time for Mackenzie which was a great descent until we hit the construction zone. The road is scraped down to actual dirt. There isn't even gravel. With the help of a pilot car we make it through a very rough and slow descent. Parks Canada has a brochure listing all the current construction and on this trip we will get to experience them all except number 8 on the map. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ns/cbreton/info/route-road
We have heard that the Rusty Anchor has very good seafood and we stop there in Pleasant Bay. The seafood wrap is delicious and we fill up on chips and salsa too. It is a short ride on to a “tents only" campground at Macintosh Brook.
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| The water in Macintosh Brook is very clear and cold. |
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| Tom chooses napping over swimming |
While cooking dinner in the common building we are talking to a young medical student and his girlfriend from Quebec who are on a month-long road trip. They are cooking their dinner on a MSR stove which uses the fuel we have been unable to find for our stove. Tom shows them our amazing alcohol stove which he built from the aluminum cans. He tells them the fuel canister saga. By the end of the evening this young man has sold us his double size fuel cartridge and arranged to have his father-in-law bring him another when they meet up in a few days. Tom thinks this one will last us through Newfoundland and now he doesn't have to carry a big bottle of alcohol. Common buildings are the best! Why don't American campground have them?
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| common building which has electricity, sinks, picnic tables, and a woodstove for colder days |
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Macintosh Brook all the way to Broad Cove near Ingonish
The campground we are leaving sits right at the base of North Mountain. The climb starts right out of the gate and it takes awhile to get up to the summit at 457m (1,500 feet). We both make it up riding the whole way but we stop at every overlook just so we can continue breathing. It is cool for the first part of the climb because it is still early. Traffic is light and only a couple of campers pass us. It doesn't stay cool very long. By 9:00 the day is hot. Very hot. There are heat advisories and the high is supposed to reach 37C.
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| Climbing |
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| still climbing |
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| resting my hands from gripping the caliper brakes |
The ride down requires just as many stops because my bike’s rims are super hot from the braking. The views are great and we can see forever out into the highlands. We ride through a long valley and at Effie’s Brook take the coastal loop leaving the main Cabot Trail. This is partially because it will be more scenic following the coast and partly because it allows us to avoid one more very long construction zone. The afternoon sun is strong and the temperature is high. At Smelt Brook there is an old boat launch and we get into the ocean to cool off. I think it takes about 20 minutes before my core body temperature drops to a reasonable level. Three young loons are swimming just beyond us and they keep calling their loony call and diving under water getting closer and closer to try to discern what we are.
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| We walked down this boat launch into the clear blue water. |
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| Someone carved beautiful fish pteroglyphs into a stone along a shore. |
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| That lighthouse is actually an ice cream shop. I had salted caramel and Tom had mint chip. |
Tons of cool pictures. It looks windy. Also I feel like you guys should find someone with a sailboat headed south and get a ride with them. I bet it’s beautiful from the sea as well
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