Day 5: Sherbrooke to Guysborough - Nova Scotia and Cape Breton 2003 - CycleBlaze

September 3, 2003

Day 5: Sherbrooke to Guysborough

I got up at 7:15. The temperature got down to 5C (41F) overnight under clear skies. I zipped my sleeping bag for the first time. I got on the road at 9:05 with bright sunny skies. For the first 20km the road follows rivers that are sometimes dammed to form narrow lakes. The water and forested hills looked wonderful in the bright sunlight.

Reservoir near Sherbrooke.
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Then the road follows the coast for a few km before turning inland. For some unknown reason I started to feel bad. No energy and my stomach was queasy. I continued another 20 km to Port Bickerton and got some lunch and rested in the shade. That made me feel somewhat better and I took the turnoff for the Port Bickerton Lighthouse. The second half of the 3 km dead end road is gravel.

Road to Port Bickerton lighthouse.
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I took the tour of the lighthouse. The lighthouse itself isn't particularly impressive but the overall coastal setting is very nice.

Port Bickerton lighthouse.
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Rocky shore near the Port Bickerton lighthouse.
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I hiked a trail which led 1.5 km through a forest to a very nice beach. The temperature was 20C (68F) but the sand was very warm in the sunshine. I walked the beach barefoot, getting up to my ankles in the cold North Atlantic water.

Beautiful beach at the end of the trail.
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Then I hiked back to the bike and backtracked to the highway. I still wasn't feeling very energetic and had a long way to go still. I pressed on to the Country Harbour ferry where I had to wait 20 minutes for the ferry. It took 10 minutes to cross.

Approaching Country Harbour.
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Country Harbour ferry.
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After the ferry I climbed a long steep hill but then had a long flat section afterwards. The first few km hug the coast along the east shore of Country Harbor. For once I could clearly see the open ocean ahead of me.

Village of Seal Harbour.
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After Seal Harbour the road turns inland for a long flat section, then grazes the coast in the village of New Harbour. New Harbour has a large fishing dock that is mostly empty because there is no longer commercial fishing in the area since the fishery collapsed in the late 1980's. It was sad to see a virtual ghost town in what was a thriving fishing community 20 years ago.

Then the road turns inland again towards Tor Bay.

Looking upstream at a creek that flows into Tor Bay.
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Looking downstream at a creek flowing into Tor Bay.
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Lobster boats in Tor Bay. One of my favorite pictures from this tour.
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A little bit farther down the road I turned north on a 13 km gravel road towards Guysborough. This saves me 20 km compared to the circuitous paved route. The gravel road goes through a very scenic rural area and climbs up to 155m (510 ft). After returning to pavement I had a long downhill towards Guysborough. I was tempted to free camp at a roadside lake 10km before Guysborough but I decided to press on. It was past sunset when I got to the town. It was the largest town I had seen in 3 days but I couldn't find a campground or a motel. I asked a jogger where I could stay and he directed me north of town to a golf course/country club that has motel units. I arrived just as it was getting really dark. I didn't feel well all day, so maybe the rest in a motel will help me feel better tomorrow.

The weather was beautiful and sunny all day but I had a slight northeast headwind for most of the day. There was virtually no traffic until I got onto Hwy 16 on the edge of Guysborough. That makee it easy to wander around the road to avoid the numerous cracks and potholes in the pavement.

Distance: 105.4 km (65.9 mi) (16 km on gravel)

Average speed: 17.3 km/h (10.8 mph)

Maximum speed: 70.2 km/h (43.9 mph)

Climbing: 836m (2760 ft)

Hiking: 4 km (2.5 mi) near Port Bickerton Lighthouse

Today's ride: 105 km (65 miles)
Total: 397 km (247 miles)

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