Today was a bit of an odd day for us. We were trying to make our schedules work out such that we could time the crossing into New Foundland just right and help dodge the hurricane, make a night crossing, and allow our friend, Mike, to catch up since he’s doing a slightly similar trip and was going to be in New Foundland at the same time as us. This meant we had a day to kill in the area near the North Sydney ferry terminal with no real agenda.
We had been wanting to do some paddling up here since we’d gotten to Maine. Although kayaks have been on my to-purchase list for some time, they keep getting pushed aside for other priorities, so we were planning to rent them at some of the numerous port towns. For whatever reason, time, weather, etc, it hadn’t worked out thus far. Since the KOA was on a lake/bay and had a pair of 16’ canoes, we decided to rent one for the morning and get out on the water. After a couple hours we dragged it back on shore, packed up the truck, and set off.
After talking to the proprietor of the KOA about the gravel road we’d been down the night before, we learned that it was actually part of the old road to Baddeck. Armed with a so-so road map and this new nugget of local history, we went out to find other parts of the same road. All in all it’s still there, aside from a few washed out bits. If I’m ever back in the area with some more time, or perhaps some 2-wheeled transportation, I’d love to revisit it and attempt to run the whole thing.
Not wanting to waste the whole day, we found pavement again and followed part of the “Cabot Trail”, which circumnavigates Cape Breton and highlights the Celtic heritage of the area, as well as some of the natural beauty. We stopped at a couple of galleries, and after a picnic, hiked a trail down to some falls on the New River.
By this time Mike had almost caught up to us, and it was getting closer to check-in time for our ferry, so we met up with him in Sydney for dinner and got in line for the ferry. This has been the largest vessel I’ve ever been aboard and for a ferry, I was impressed. We being a bit more budget-minded opted for general seating, which was surprisingly well equipped. I could’ve slept far better in one of the cabins, but once the lights went dim and we pulled away from port, we were both asleep for the trip across the strait.
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