Baddeck to Margaree Harbour

Cory and I woke up just before 8 this morning. It was a bit of a late night watching the Oilers It’s been almost 20 years since they won the conference title and I was hoping they would avenge the 2006 loss against the Hurricanes but I’m still excited we’ll get to watch them battle Florida for the right to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup!!!

We started out the day having breakfast at Highwheelers Cafe and Bakery. Their bagel breakfast sammy and cranberry apple scone were delicious. After we were fueled up we headed back to the room to finish packing up everything on our bikes and stashing our travel bags in the car. The hotel allowed us to park the car there while we are out on our tour.

The day on the bike started at 9:55. It was cloudy and cool at 10 degrees. It was a nice easy downhill ride about 5 km to the start of the Cabot Trail. Once we got on it, there were no longer shoulders wide enough for us to ride side by side. In reality, there’s not a shoulder at all which makes for some sketchy spots when cars are passing us around corners. But I never felt unsafe.

Our ride was 62 km door to door with 580 m of elevation. There was only 1 big climb today with 130 m of elevation over less than 3 km. The views were amazing and the sun came out after the first 20 km which made for comfortable riding. We made one stop at Lake O’Law picnic site and snapped a few bike vault pics!, feel free to nice or super nice in comments 😆. One of the highlights of the day was a bald eagle took off from right of us and was only 20 feet away. I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough to get a close up. Seeing a bald eagle always reminds me of my grandfather who passed sway a few years ago. I’ve had quieter a few encounters since he passed, even in the city a few times. I always feel like it’s him checking in on me.

The Duck Cove Inn, where we’re staying tonight, doesn’t have a lot of curb appeal but they’ve renovated the rooms and it’s much nice that I think either of us expected. The owners were very nice and the women who checked us in was very chatty and excited to tells us about all the work they’ve done on the place. The view from the room is of Margaree Harbour and you can see the Atlantic Ocean from out front.

We’ve been warned that everything closed early here, meaning if you eat by 7, everything is closed so we’re heading out on our bikes to grab some snacks for the room tonight and an early dinner.Read more