September 11, 2003
Day 13: Antigonish to Lower Barneys River
I packed up without eating breakfast and left the campground shortly after 9 AM. Stopped at a downtown café and had very good pancakes (my first and only restaurant breakfast on this tour). Then continued through town on Hwy 337 heading north to Cape George. The weather was mostly cloudy and I had a strong headwind as expected. I plodded along slowly. The road stays far enough inland that I could rarely see the ocean. But the terrain is surprisingly flat. There was construction zone with 5 km of loose construction gravel - much harder work than riding on pavement.
I stopped for an early lunch at a restaurant at the boat docks at Cribbon's Point, 2 km off the highway. The only restaurant I saw all day. The hills get big near the tip of Cape George, where the road climbs steeply to 130m (430 ft) elevation with spectacular views. I took the short detour to the Cape George Lighthouse which is at 110 m (363 ft) elevation with nice ocean views, even of Cape Breton in the distance.
From the lighthouse the road turns west, then south, going around Cape George. The road drops down to 30 meters elevation, then promptly climbs to 130 meters again. The west side of Cape George is MUCH hillier than the east side. The ocean view is much better and I had a tailwind. I detoured down to beaches at Livingston Cove, Malignant Cove, and Arisaig. The beaches didn't look very appealing even if the weather was much warmer. The temperature was 17C with a strong northwest wind. In Arisaig I stopped to look at the Catholic church that was built in 1878. This time I went inside. The town seems to have about 100 residents now but it was probably bigger when the church was built.
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The sky became completely sunny at about 3:30 PM when I left the church. Also in Arisaig I went into Arisaig Provincial Park. Its main claim to fame is 350 million year old rocks along the shore. But I was more interested in this waterfall on the 1km nature trail.
After Arisaig is one more big hill. From the top of the hill I could see Prince Edward Island in the distance. Visibility was excellent. Then the terrain starts to flatten out. I made good time for the last 20 km enjoying the sunshine and the tailwind. In the 'town' of Lower Barney's River (nothing but a convenience store) I turned west to the Cranberry Campground which is 1.5 km down a gravel road. I got a tent site far away from the trailer section and close to the water. I arrived about an hour before sunset. Shortly before sunset the grass took on a really nice golden shade.
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Then I sat on a table and watched the sun set across the bay. The sky was totally clear so it wasn't really a very colorful sunset. But the sky turned red for just a few seconds as the sun was setting.
Today I felt very lethargic as I pedaled into the cold headwind in the morning. In the afternoon I felt gradually stronger. The late afternoon sunshine definitely perked me up and I felt great by the time I got to the campground. The beautiful location and nice sunset were a great way to end the day.
Distance: 93 km (58.1 mi) (8km on gravel)
Climbing: 818m (2699 ft)
Hiking: 1 km (0.6 mi)
Today's ride: 93 km (58 miles)
Total: 1,123 km (697 miles)
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