Leaving Cape Breton behind and cruising on to Newfoundland

August 2, 2018

Broad Cove Campground to Jersey Cove

The road we will ride down is cut into the side of the mountain.  It is a very steep descent.

We leave the campground and head into Ingonish.  First stop: breakfast. The Periwinkle Cafe has some very healthy fare and we have breakfast sandwiches on homemade oatmeal bread.  Mine has avocado and pickled onions and sprouts with the egg. While we are eating two cyclists come in and sit down next to us. They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by riding the Cabot Trail on their tandem.  They are riding the route counter-clockwise which makes the mountain we are going to ride today a whole lot harder. We will descend the super-steep side. They rode up it yesterday in the 37C degree heat! They have had an adventurous life and in the short time we have together we learn that the husband is an iron man triathlete, and they are both trail runners and avid cyclists.  They currently live in North Carolina where they can bicycle up and down mountains whenever they want to (often).

It is our last day in the park and our ride today is uneventful.  We ride up and down rolling hills and then easily climb Smokey Mountain.  When I summit I realize I still have one gear left that I didn’t use. Cool!  

On top of Old Smokey - last climb in the park - now we have to get down!

Our campsite tonight is at Joyful Journeys Camping.  It is on the road leading to the “closed for repairs” ferry that we had hoped to take to Englishtown.  We had heard the ferry was closed for the entire summer when we talked to a woman back at Cheticamp. Riding around this narrow bit of water will add about 20 miles to our route and we will do it tomorrow morning.

Check out the profile of Smokey

August 3, 2018

Jersey Cove to North Sydney

Awaking to this beauty makes a great start to the day

We joyfully leave our ocean-side tent site at just after sunrise.  The ride along Saint Ann’s Harbour is scenic and the morning is clear and cool.  

This is the view from the restaurant.  Wow!

We just have to get back to that bridge - and now the day is HOT

At mile 20 we stop for breakfast at Lobster Galley. No lobsters for breakfast, though, just blueberry pancakes and eggs and bacon.  The blueberries are wild-picked and tiny and so sweet. And, we finally have cell phone service so I can call and check on my Mom who is in the hospital (but doing better, thanks.)

Right after breakfast we have to climb the last mountain that stands between us and the ferry to Newfoundland.  Kellys Mountain (240 m/787 ft) is a long, steady climb but its steepness is nothing compared to those in the park.  Tom turned off the mapping software when we stopped for breakfast and when he discovers that our climb has not been recorded he is very annoyed.  It’s like that mountain never even happened. Damn. Now, our stats are messed up.

Here is the sign to prove we were here

The rest of the ride is uneventful and much of it is on a highway as there is no other road to North Sydney.  The sun is high and hot and I just want to get there and check into the hotel and get a cool shower.

We plan to stay two nights so that we have a full rest day before the ferry crossing and the hills of Newfoundland.  

That flat line is where Kellys Mountain happened.  Really.  

August 4, 2018

Rest Day in North Sydney

It is easy to rest here as there is not much going on in this town.  It seems to me that there is potential for economic development since many hundreds of people pass in and out of here using the four ferry ships every day.  But, if they have a city manager he/she is not working very hard. We find an outing store which is located in an old bank building. The lower level of the store which has the old bank vaults has been converted to a coffee shop/pub.  It’s a bit like a dark English pub and feels cozy and similar to hanging out in someone’s living room. We pull out the Newfoundland map and the guide book and try to firm up some daily ride plans.

Tom has a Cape Breton IPA and I try a local raspberry wheat ale.  Newfoundland is looking daunting.

There is a lot of empty space in Newfoundland and the villages are concentrated along the coastline.  The main road passes through the middle of the province and the roads leading off this main artery are often unpaved.  It looks like a difficult place to see by bike. It would be a good place to see by fishing boat, I think.

That evening there is music in the hotel restaurant which is pretty much the only choice for food in town unless you are craving Tim Horton’s or pizza.  We spend the evening listening to the band and drinking a litre of Carlo Rossi house red. (for you, Sydney Trask)

Tomorrow we will begin the very last leg of our journey.  I can’t believe we have already covered over 4600 km (about 2873 miles)

I took a picture of this necessary inspiration for the days ahead on The Rock:

I have developed a lot of strength - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  Now, it's on to the most challenging part of our journey for me.  One day at a time.  For the record, Tom is not worried at all.