Nova Scotia Days 9 and 10 - In Baddeck, then on to Digby

Day 9 was originally intended to be another full run of the Cabot Trail, this time running the course in a clockwise direction. After riding the entire Trail on Day 8, however, encountering numerous construction delays that made for a painfully long day, we decided to run the Trail clockwise from Baddeck to the War Memorial above Cheticamp. We had already decided to run the Trail all the way up to the memorial, then choose our overlook stops as we headed back to Baddeck.

We ended up stopping early to resolve some camera and GoPro issues, and then I passed the war memorial and ended up going all the way up to the beginning of the longest construction zone before starting our return trip. One of my posts on social media said, "We enjoyed this so much the first time we decided to come back." And that's exactly how we felt. The views are spectacular.

We stopped in Cheticamp for a bite of lunch, then returned to the Inverary Resort, where the girls had been enjoying a "rest" day in the spa. Continuing the pleasantries for the girls, we set out on a sailing excursion on Bras d'Or Lake before enjoying a pleasant dinner together.

Day 10 was a travel day - moving us from Baddeck, where we enjoyed the Cabot Trail, to Digby, where we will go whale watching on the Bay of Fundy.

The day started early with light rain falling. All suited up for the weather, we stopped for a quick breakfast at Tim Horton's then we were on our way. The route had us jetting south, taking the fastest route to the Canso Causeway and on to the mainland of Nova Scotia.

Once in Nova Scotia, we traveled the Marine Road route, skirting the eastern coast all the way to Halifax. Much of the view of the coast was shrouded in heavy fog, but at times, we were able to catch glimpses of the beauty we would enjoy later in the day. The coastal road was, without doubt, the bumpiest I have ever ridden. We laughed uncontrollably as we listened to one another grunting and groaning as we bounced along.

Part of our route included the Country Harbor Ferry, a quick journey that was quite an experience. We arrived just minutes after the ferry departed on it's hourly round trip voyage, so we had time to visit the not-so-pleasant "facility" and laugh together about the experience. Watching the ferry emerge from the fog was like watching a scene from a scary movie. The journey went well, however, and soon we were on our way south again.
The rain finally cleared and we were able to increase our pace, riding the winding coastal road at a challenging pace.  We slowed at times for memorable views of the coastline. After a gas / refreshment / rest stop just outside of Dartmouth, we took to the "interstate", traveling from the east to west coast of Nova Scotia. At Digby, we were ready to head due south on the Digby Neck to go whale watching.

The Admiral Digby Inn was our destination for the night. This utilitarian establishment served us well. The rooms were clean. The onsite restaurant stayed open late for us and we enjoyed a surprisingly-good meal. I had "world-famous" bacon-wrapped scallops and steamed lobster (again). The boys took off on a late-night fuel run, then we called it a night, looking forward to the whale watching excursion to come.


More pics from Days 9 and 10: