To Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail

After the wet ride into Dartmouth (near Halifax) the following morning was overcast but dry, despite the predicted rain. We rode in fog along the Nova Scotia coast to Sherbrooke, where we stopped for a break and found a great cafe with excellent coffee. The waitress, a tall lady in her 50's or so, has a son who lives in San Francisco and she's visited there many times, once to run the SF marathon. We also met a couple from South Carolina on cruisers (a Harley and a Kawasaki). The weather gradually cleared and we crossed the causeway to Cape Breton Island and spent the night in North Sydney.

This morning (Thursday, August 15) was chilly, a bit overcast, and very windy. As I was packing the bike I spoke with two guys on bikes who live in Newfoundland and were heading back on the morning ferry. I couldn't wait to put on my fleece jacket liner, and they were in t-shirts. The Cabot Trail around Cape Breton is named after John Cabot, an Italian explorer (real name was Giovanni Caboto), who landed on Cape Breton in 1497. It's a beautiful ride through rugged highlands and along the coast. There are quite a few crafts shops - pewter, pottery, quilts - along the way and Cape Breton is also known for a distinctive style of Gaelic music. Breakfast was at a small bakery/cafe and I had a delicious blueberry scone that was warm from the oven. The day became sunny, but it was very windy. We stopped quite a few times for pictures, although since I live near the northern California coast the scenery was somewhat familiar. We got off the Cabot Trail to ride to Bay St. Lawrence at the very tip of the island, and then rode down the other side, stopping in Cheticam for lunch, which for me was a lobster roll and strawberry/rhubarb pie. I will probably gain 5-10 pounds on this trip. We are spending the night in Port Hawkesbury - still on Cape Breton Island.
Tomorrow we'll ride back into New Brunswick and take a ferry to Prince Edward Island, setting for the Anne of Green Gables books.

Beanie's Bistro in Sherbrooke.

I'd already had breakfast, but I couldn't resist the warm scone.

Dan checks out the coast.

Looking back towards Bay St. Lawrence from the road to Meat Cove.

As far as we can go at the northern end of Cape Breton.

The harbour in Bay St. Lawrence.

The coast on the other side of Cape Breton is more rugged.

View from the Le Gabriel restaurant in Chetticamp where we stopped for lunch.