Sep 19, 2013

We started off our day with a yummy breakfast at our accommodation and heard lots of great tales about a former owner who was the right had man of Alexander Graham Bell and then we headed to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and here was I who in my ignorance thought his inventiveness had been confined to the telephone! We also caught up with Sharen and Ken at the museum for a coffee as they had left their ship to tour the Museum. Really must explore our Bell family history, photos of Alexander at different ages reminded me so much of my Pop and his Dad as well as my brother Bryan.



The Bell girls…..and the sign says it all. Ha ha.



Celebrating the centenary of the first Canadian flight of the Silver Dart



And a sculpture of the Bell’s on the waterfront. I loved that they were totally devoted to each other

Happy to report the weather was much friendlier today and we didn’t have to add dri-az-a bone pants or other extra waterproof gear against the chill factor and the ride was awesome.

We followed the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton so saw scattered fishing villages and little settlements, magnificent mountains and plunging cliffs and valleys as we rode beside soaring birds riding the thermals beside us. The National Park part of the trip had some great viewpoints to take ion the awesomeness of the views. Truly breathtaking. Without doubt one of the most spectacular motorbike rides we have been on and the roads were great. Beautiful camber, hills and lots of corners and all but a couple of sections had an excellent surface. Ahhhh!!



Scattered communities like this (on the way to Cheticamp) were common



A detour off the main road found these fishing boats out of the water, an unexpected bonus



Early into the National Park this was the view…and the promise of awesome roads to come



White Point, an active fishing community though tiny (a tip from last night's host)



The Neil’s Harbour Chowder House (another tip from last night’s host) very quirky place and delicious lunch



Looking back to the village in Neil’s Harbour



A protected shore as we head south



Even a road cutting looks great



We had a ferry ride between Jersey Cove and Englishtown and the wind was giving the ferry a beating and it was struggling to straighten up to the shore which didn’t deter cars from driving off. Unbelievable! We didn’t have to wait long until it was our turn



Shortly after that we crossed an impressive bridge but couldn’t get a photo as there was roadwork happening so this one is compliments of the internet.

We were glad to get to our hotel as even though the kilometres were down a bit today the maximum speeds varied from 50 – 80 for the majority of the day so a lot slower travel than yesterday which had big stretches of 100 – 110kms so my knees were getting a bit stiff by the time we got in.

Bits and Bobs:



We found these growing wild along the side of the road heaps yesterday and more today. We call them Easter Daisies at home but they no doubt have a different name here

Last night’s Accommodation:



Broadwater Inn and Cottages
Route 205 East 975 Baddeck Bay Rd
Baddeck, Nova Scotia – B0E 1B0

(Our room was to the right of the main building and you can see our deck) A nicely maintained complex. Nice and cosy room attached to the main house. Plenty of room to spread out and nice and warm on a cold night. Breakfast included in the dining room in the main house which was a treat. Plenty of room to park and glimpses of the lake across the road and a relatively short trip back into the town proper for dinner. Helpful and friendly hosts. The bonus was the interaction at breakfast with our host and learning all sorts of great stuff re the history of the area and the involvement of Alexander Graham Bell, his colleagues and their families.