Our room was quiet all night despite being close to the
front desk and a pub out our back window. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel early then left on time at
8am. Being in the car, we are noticing that our planned route and arrival times are usually ahead of schedule. We don't need as many fuel stops or breaks compared to being on the bike. Speaking of fuel, in Canada it costs $7 a gallon! They measure in litres, but the conversion is a bad surprise each time we fill up.
As we were getting ready to go, Rob fired up the GPS and noticed a toll bridge
across the bay. The toll was only $1.25 and saved us 20 miles, so we splurged
and drove across the bridge. Two large ships were sitting in front of that bridge.
Our route took us along the coast the entire day. It was 68-70 degrees today with heavy clouds. We had a pleasant and scenic drive for 115 miles. There were many coves and small islands along the way.
We had two lunch options on the route today. We planned for an early and late lunch option since we would be in somewhat rural areas, and weren't sure where we'd be when we got hungry. At 11am Michele was hungry so we took the early lunch option in Sherbrooke at Beanie's Bistro. It was a charming place and had many choices. Michele caught Rob by surprise with this photo. Say cheese!
A fluffy local cat was prowling about.
After lunch we continued along Highway 7 (a.k.a the Marine Drive) then turned towards Cape Breton Island. The main highways are in very good condition, it's clear that's where the money is spent. The secondary roads are kind of terrible, with potholes within potholes and many patches. Despite the bumpy roads, the scenery was spectacular today even in cloudy conditions.
This boat has a sinking feeling...
As we approached the Island of Cape Breton, we had to cross a causeway and then pass over a bridge. You can see the bridge in the distance below.
As we rounded the curve and onto the causeway, we saw this ship. We are unsure its purpose but it looked commanding in this port.
As we drove through Cape Breton, we ran into a light rain and occasional heavy drizzle.
Once in North Sydney, our destination for the night, we topped off with gas and Rob noticed there was a touchless car wash at the station. We took advantage of this service, opting for the Deluxe Wash to clean off the 2,200 miles of grime we’ve accumulated on the trip so far. No longer embarrassed by our dusty and muddy car, we drove just a few minutes to our B&B. We met the owner and quickly checked in so we could do laundry a few blocks away before the laundromat closed at 5:45pm.
A war memorial was in front of our laundromat honoring those that had fallen in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Gulf War, and Afghanistan. Rob wondered why the Union Jack was flying at the memorial along with the Canadian and Nova Scotia flags. He googled and learned that Canada wasn’t legislatively separate from the UK until 1931 and only adopted the current national flag in 1965.
We finished our laundry at about 5:15 pm. Alexandra's Pizza was a block away so we drove over to get takeout. Our B&B room has a private enclosed porch with a table, so we wanted to make use of it since we're only here for a night. We enjoyed pizza and salad overlooking the owner's beautiful garden, while catching up on highlights of the Women's World Cup.
The B&B owner has an extensive collection of depression glass and art glass. She could open her own antique shop or a museum. She must like dusting because everything was spotless and beautifully displayed.
This is the enclosed porch with our dinner waiting.
After dinner we relaxed in our room, watched a movie and a Women's World Cup quarterfinal. Total mileage today was 285 miles. Tomorrow we depart for Newfoundland via the ferry, hopefully on time if the weather is good.
