Title: Day Six – Round the Cape
Date: August 22, 2007 9:41 AM
Category: Bike
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it’s been a few days since I started, having done just shy of 1100KM since starting out six days ago. Not a huge amount, but it’s managed to improve day on day. The weather still seems to be holding fine at around the 15-20 Celcius mark and there’s again no chance of rain. This is welcome news as today is supposed to be some of the best riding in the entire province: The Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I’ll basically be following the Cabot trail which follows mostly around the entire North Coast of the cape. Todays not really a long day either, but it promises to be some of the most technical I’ve done since I left.

Leaving Inverness on the 19, the roads are typical Nova Scotia: Somewhat twisty but with a sub-optimal road surface that makes fast a somewhat reckless option. As I thread my way North, I enter Acadian territory. At once, all the signs are in French and the scenery is somewhat more bright. Small fishing villages punctuate the road, providing several options for refuelling, but I press on. Further North and the hills are getting bigger and the turns a little tighter. In other words, I’m having more and more fun and I’m not even at the park yet.

Just after a refuelling stop in Cheticamp, I reach the park gates. It’s going to cost $7.50 to ride around the park, but the road certainly looks worth it. The alternative is to head back south and forego my next two nights luxury accommodation.

Just inside the park, I stop for a lunch break at La Bloque. Imaginative name, though it gives me a chance to survey the landscape I will be traversing shortly.

After making an inukshuk on the beach, I take a quick look around the parking lot. Unfortunately, the Cape is known for the number of RVs who take the scenic road and the road is, at least at some points, not exactly wide. It’s not unheard of to round a corner only to find an RV on the wrong side the road and going v-e-r-y – s-l-o-w-l-y. This, understandably, puts the fear in me but it simply means take it a little bit easy, whatever that means.

After lunch, I can see what people mean about these roads. A long graceful climb in third over those hills above gives both breathtaking views of the park and wonderfully undulating roads that are, like Kejimkujik, almost racetrack quality. Shortly, these graceful turns give way to some very tight switchbacks as the hills get higher. Unfortunately, I am stuck behind some ratty old pickup truck with Ontario plates that seems to think that the posted 50 sign means m/h. With the curves this thick and fast, I’m asking for trouble if I try and overtake.

After a few KM, we do come to a graceful left where I can see far enough past to change down and thunder past, which of course I do. Luckily, I’ve not missed all the fun. That was the last car I’d see going my way for about 15km, which gave me chance to tuck in and savour some of the best roads I’ve driven on. It’s rarely straight, with ups and downs, hard lefts and rights coming with almost unnerving variation. Some of the downhill turns were certainly not for the faint of heart but my rubber, if not my nerve held perfectly. All things must end however and this section of twisty magic gave way to the plateau. It’s not that high up, but it’s a more traditional road, albeit still a lot of fun.

After 15km of the plateau, which for some reason or other don’t last long, there’s another twisty section, this time all downhill and consisting of maybe 12 switchbacks. This time, I am stuck however. There’s a line of maybe six cars in front of me, all frightened of plummeting down what looks like sheer cliff on one side. Reaching the bottom, I stop, briefly to let them get away and to consider the possibility of turning around and riding that section again, perhaps even back to the first set of twisties. As I’m catching my breath, a couple of RV’s and a police cruiser come around the bend and make my mind up for me. Press onward.

The rest of the Cabot trail doesn’t fail to disappoint either. While it doesn’t match the challenge of that initial stretch, it is for the most part a perfect bike road: Well surfaced, lots of twist with a goof few straights long enough to pass cars. And perhaps it was the time of year (summer is shorter in Nova Scotia) but there certainly weren’t the number of RVs and cars on teh road I was led to expect. In fact, for somewhere boasting the attraction of such a scenic drive, there were very few cars on the road at all. Perhaps I should have gone back and done those twisty sections again…

Pressing on, I reach Cape North. For those with small gas tanks, this is perhaps the first gas station you’ll see heading eastward in the park and it’s over 100km in, so don’t head into the park with less than a half tank or it could be a long walk. There’s not much here, but you can get a meal at least if hungry. It’s also, technically, just outside the park. Maybe it’s coincidence but I did see two police cars in this stretch, more than I had seen in my first five days touring the province. The roads also do get a little well healed through this section.

Pressing onwards, it’s back into the park with the scenery becoming a lot more forested. Some of these roads would look like Northern California, if only the sun was out. The road here is easy to ride, with more graceful turns than before, though there are still some surprises as you decrease in altitude.

After a days total of 176km, I reach Ingonish Beach and the Keltic Lodge which it to be my destination for the next two nights. Famed for it’s cuisine, it’s not cheap, but it is good food.

I haven’t mentioned my GPS or camera today either, something I will now rectify. The GPS was fine, which wasn’t really much help as there was literally one road all the way. The camera I did try and use but with the same results as before. It seemed to have turned itself off literally as I left. It’s looking increasingly like there will be no pictures of the roads on this trip.

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