Playing tourist. June 9

 As I mentioned yesterday, we rented an SUV ( a large, black Chevy Suburban we call the hearse) for a few days.  Other than the trail we rode yesterday, Cape Breton is not very bike friendly, as roads have poor shoulders for riding, and there are lots of hills.  We stayed in Baddeck last night, a summer resort town on the Bras d’Or estuary.  We left the our bikes stashed in their trailer in Baddeck while we explore the island by vehicle.

The locals refer to the estuary as a lake; it is brackish, tidal, and very large. 

Our first stop was at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum.  Bell lived in Baddeck for most of the latter part of his life, and he was part of a group that launched the first flying machines in Canada.  The second photo shows models of his experimental sea planes.  Bell, it seems, generally thought he could improve on others’ inventions.  Hence, he was involved in patent disputes with the Wright brothers and with French inventors who introduced seaplanes. 

We went to the Highland Village Museum, an interpretive center about the history of Scottish settlement on Cape Breton Island. The setting was lovely, and the various homes, outbuildings, church, and school, showed life from about 1925 to 1925.  The third photo shows a process similar to felting, where woven wool is wetted, then shaken vigorously by women sitting at either side of a long table.  It was described as a social activity, similar to quilting bees, where warm woolen fabric and blankets were made communally.

Spectacular scenery

Blue skies, blue water June 8

 Sorry I’m posting this a day late, as the Wi-Fi wasn’t strong enough last night 

Our ride was completely on the Ceilidh Shores rail trail up the southwestern coast of Cape Breton Island. We had intended to ride about 50 miles on the trail, but because of construction at the south end and poor trail conditions at the north end, we only rode about 39 miles.  With a trailer to haul bikes, a large van, and now for the next few days, a rented SUV, we can load and unload quite easily.  We feel quite pampered. 

I learned that a ceilidh (pronounced kayli) is a Scottish musical gathering, and Cape Breton has a strong musical heritage.  Rest stops along the trail were marked with musical instruments, including some we could play.  

 We within sight of water probably two-thirds of the way.  I would rate this trail with the Coeur D’Alene trail in Idaho as the most beautiful I have ridden.  

We know we are in Canada because the bathrooms are always pristine.  These brand new facilities along the trail had sky lights and at least in this one, art work!

What is a rail trail without nice trestle bridges?

                           Lots of apple trees, letting us know the whole area was homesteaded.

                     We are too late for fiddleheads, but the unfolding spring ferns are lovely.

A bit of sunshine, June 7

 We had an easy day today, 35 miles from Antigonish to Port Hastings.  We are still in Nova Scotia, now on Cape Breton Island.  We actually saw our shadows briefly early in the ride.  A few more miles down the road, I pulled into a gas station to put on my rain jacket, and my three companions rode on ahead of me.  Much to my surprise, about a mile before the end of the ride, one of them was riding up behind me after coming out from her own rest stop.  When we reached the motel, I was the first one in!  The other two, having taken a brief detour with a wrong turn, rode in a few minutes later.  

These two beauties greeted us while the sun was shining.  They were obviously buddies; if the big draft horse moved, the smaller horse quickly came up alongside. 

A buoy tree beside the road.

These photos were taken just outside our motel, definitely the best motel views to date. Also, this was our first sunset since we started riding!

Scottish Canada, June 6

 Our ride today was 54 miles from Stellarton to Antigonish.  The first 35 miles were spectacular, especially a stretch of about 20 miles along a coastal highway overlooking the Strait of Northumberland, which is the southern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  It all looked just like Nova Scotia is supposed to look!  We are seeing lots of Scottish names, such as New Glasgow, and references to Scottish history, as in a monument to the Battle of Culloden.  

We ended the day with headwinds, some moderately heavy rain, and then some blue sky at dinner, giving us hope for tomorrow.

Looking down to a small town, harbor, and lighthouse. 

On the other side of the road, we had small rivers and ponds.  It is very much still spring, with lots of flowering shrubs and more of my favorite lilacs. 

This old church, built in 1834, was beautifully designed.  I was interested to learn that the blacksmith who forged the square headed nails used in its construction was a woman.

Of course I had to stop at St. Margaret’s, as I haven’t encountered her often. Doing some online research later, I learned that she lived in the 11th century, was married to a king of Scotland and the mother of three Scottish kings. A bit gory perhaps, but still interesting, was that centuries later, Mary, Queen of Scots, had Margaret’s head as a relic.  Alas, she gave it to Jesuits who took it to France, where it was lost in the French Revolution.  You learn interesting things on bike trips. 

Into every life, a little rain must fall

 In Nova Scotia this week, it is quite a lot of rain.  The good news is the fires are all well under control.  The bad news is that we had over an inch of rain today, with a high about 50 degrees. We rode in the van to our destination, as these mostly septuagenarians and one octogenarian are getting soft.  Tomorrow’s prediction is light, intermittent rain, albeit still chilly, so we hope to do some riding. 

We did eat well today.   The group posed outside a very British cafe where we had an excellent breakfast, and dinner was at a diner near out hotel, where I had my second seafood chowder of the trip.  Now we just have to work it off.

Really on the road, June 4

 The rain subsided, and we were able to ride today, 47 miles from Goffs to Truro,  with 2300 feet of climbing and headwinds. I’m riding my new ebike, and neither the hills or the wind are quite as much of challenge, but we were all happy to arrive at our destination and to beat the rain.  Of the eleven riders in the group, six are now on electric bikes.  After riding with e-bikes last year who waited for me at the top of many hills, I decided that flattening the hills looked pretty good.  So far, I’m very happy with my decision.

Even though it wasn’t raining, it was cold, and we were all in layers of jackets.  Here’s Hope adjusting gear as we start down a stretch of gravel road.  Ebikes handle gravel well, too.

We are staying in a dorm at the Dalhousie University agricultural college, so we had a nice common room for our evening meeting. We gather after dinner to go over plans and routes for the following day. We have  all biked together before, so it is also a time to share stories of earlier trips. 

Back on the road, June 3

 I left Washington D.C. on Wednesday morning for a very long two day drive to Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Fortunately, a friend was riding with me to share the driving.  We were traveling with some trepidation, as there have been major forest fires in Nova Scotia this week, but we saw more smoke and haze around Baltimore and New York City than we did further north. Friday we explored Halifax a bit and particularly enjoyed the waterfront area.

Our first official day of riding was to be today, but a dramatic change in the weather, with a drop in temperature and heavy rain, had us shuttling to our first destination.  I would have missed today’s ride in any circumstances, as I had to move my car out to tonight’s hotel, where it be parked for the month, but as it turned out, no one rode.  We aren’t complaining, as we, and much more so, the local population, are very relieved that the fires are now pretty much under control.  

We walked past lots of gorgeous and fragrant lilacs yesterday, blooming about six weeks later than they do at home.

With plenty of time today, we drove out to Peggy’s Cove.  The lighthouse perched on the rocks is reportedly one of the most photographed in Nova Scotia.

We walked out briefly out to the lighthouse but retreated quickly to a restaurant for very good seafood chowder. 

There wasn’t much competition for these chairs, even though the view is spectacular.

Our tour leaders, Ken and Nancy Wright, bought a trailer and set it up carry bikes, so that we don’t have to rent a truck if we decide to shuttle, or if some people want to bike and some to shuttle.  We aren’t a young group, most of us well into our 70’s, and they very gracefully and gently recognize our limitations. I have been riding on their trips for ten years now, and I still think meeting them was one of the luckiest days of my life!