Day 12: Mabou to Antigonish

September 10, 2003

A strong wind came up in the middle of the night and it was very windy when I got up. The wind made it difficult to roll up the tent. But for once my laundry was actually dry after hanging overnight. Most of the time it took 2 nights for my laundry to dry. I got on the road at 9:05 and had a strong tailwind getting back to the main highway, then a strong headwind for a few km going mostly west to Port Hood. After that it was a strong crosswind as I headed south. The weather was totally sunny with a temperature of 17C (64F). Definitely warmer than yesterday. Near Judique I had to wait 20 minutes for road construction. Traffic was reduced to one gravel lane for several km.

I expected this to be a boring 'travel' day and it lived up to expectations. Not very many remarkable sights today. The road stays fairly near the ocean but I couldn't see it very often. The road goes up and down hills but it's by no means mountainous like a couple days ago. The road veers to the southeast for the last several km to the Canso Causeway, giving me a tailwind for a while. I could see the mainland about 20 km before I got to the causeway. The area is very sparsely populated. I didn't pass any stores or restaurants between Port Hood and the causeway.

Baseball with a view. The Nova Scotia mainland is visible in the distance.

This canal allows boats to cross the Canso causeway.

After crossing the causeway I stopped at a truck stop in Aulds Cove for a late lunch, then continued west. I followed the designated 'Sunrise Trail' which is an old highway that parallels the Trans-Canada highway. The old road is hillier and longer but has far less traffic. The hills on this route are much bigger than the hills earlier in the day on Cape Breton. But the headwind wasn't very bad because there were more trees and I was several km from the ocean. The hilltops have good views of the bays to the north. Shortly after lunch I saw a solo female touring cyclist going the opposite direction. She was flying a British flag on the back of her bike so I presume she was English. At 4 PM the skies suddenly became overcast after being sunny all day.

St. Peter's church in Tracadie. Founded in 1803 but I think this building isn't that old.

Unfortunately I had to ride on the Trans-Canada highway (a 2-lane expressway) for the last 18 km to Antigonish. It has heavy truck traffic and the paved shoulder has deteriorated to gravel in many places. So I had to put up with the noise and constantly weave around big potholes, debris, etc. I continued to the last Antigonish exit and went around the campus of St. Francis Xavier University to downtown. The campground is alongside a creek at the end of the main downtown street. I checked in and set up my tent an hour before dark. I camped next to a couple from the Yukon. After dinner (and after dark) I walked through downtown just to see the town. Thanks to the University it's a thriving downtown for a town of 5000 people. I had a couple beers at the Maritime Inn bar on the opposite end of downtown, then walked back to my tent and slept soundly.

This was a long boring day but at least the weather was warmer. The temperature is expected to steadily get warmer for the next few days. My bike started to get rather squeaky in certain gears. I thought it was coming from one of the 2 pulleys that guide the chain from the front of the bike to the rear wheel. After I got home I discovered that the squeak came from the upper pulley in the rear derailleur.

Distance: 113 km (70.6 mi) (4km on gravel)

Climbing: 852m (2812 ft)

Today's ride: 113 km (70 miles)
Total: 1,030 km (640 miles)

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