Not a cloud in the sky this morning, so we pulled the bikes out of the trailer and headed east. First stop was New Glascow, where there was purportedly a Sunday farmer's market. No market to be seen--so much for local knowledge.
After gassing up,we headed out to Cape George along the coastal route, the eastern section of the Sunrise Trail. It was a warm, but delightful ride. Mostly the road was in good shape and had its share of curves. The views were mostly farms and the Northumberland Strait. We were headed to the Cape George lighthouse. Signage on Nova Scotia leaves a bit to be desired and, of course, we drove right past it. The road, at that point, turned into a steep downhill set of switchbacks down to Ballantynes Cove, a rather picturesque little harbor.
We stopped for a break, some photos and a look into the Bluefin Tuna interpretive center. It seems that Bluefin appear in this area in the fall. What they do catch, it caught by hand and the entire catch is shipped to Japan.
After the break, we headed back up through the switchbacks to the light. The view was a bit hazy, but we could see all the way to Cape Breton Island. Back down through the switchbacks (never waste a ride through a good set of twisties) and off toward Antigonish. This section of road was one of the best of the day--good surface, lost of sweeping curves, great views and no traffic.
Since it was a bit past lunchtime, we turned off the route and headed towards the water when we saw the sign for Boyd's Seafood Galley. This lead to another little harbor and an unpretentious eatery overlooking the harbor. To add to this picture there were already two BMW motorcycles parked outside, an R1200RT and an F650GS. We didn't meet the riders since they seem to have been down by the docks and came back and rode off while we were ordering lunch. The fish and chips were pretty good too.
After getting back on the main route we ere quickly through Antigonish and followed a mix of Route 4, the old road, and Trans-Canada 104, the new highway that replaced it, back to Pictou and then the back road to the park. We only took the highway when 4 disappeared. Route 4 wound through the countryside, was mostly in good shape, and was deserted. Since it isn't a marked tourist road and doesn't hug the coast, it seems a bit forgotten, but it is a great motorcycling road. It was getting quite warm, so we didn't tarry on the way back to the park.
It was 150 miles in all; a pretty good day's ride for Ellen & Steve.
The bikes are loaded back into the trailer and ready to head to Cape Breton Island. Tomorrow... Baddeck.
Today's Ride:
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