Chéticamp to Margaree Valley, NS
Traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq
54 km
Overcast with strong winds coming off the coast from the northwest, 8 ºC
It’s hard to imagine a house more filled with laughter than the one in which we stayed in Chéticamp. We started the day with coffee and a huge breakfast as the wind rolled across the harbour out the window. I’ve said before that there’s nothing like outdoor travel to make you appreciate four walls and a roof; now I’ll add that there’s nothing like the winds of Cape Breton’s coast to make you appreciate those walls even more.
Michel and I drove north into the national park to photograph the coastline and look for wild animals. He told me stories of Cape Breton and of his and Lucille’s experiences entering the park and the community of Chéticamp. Some of those I’ll share later, others I’ll keep in my heart.
Lucille’s family were relocated out of the valley of Grande Falaise, so her father’s and grandfather’s names were on the national park signage at La Bloque: “Joseph à Auguste LeBlanc.”
In the afternoon Asad and I rode the tailwind down the coast to Margaree Valley, which is west of Margaree Centre, which is northeast of North East Margaree, which is east of Margaree Forks, which is along Margaree River, which ends at Margaree Harbour.
I hope you laughed because I laughed too. Parts of Canada that I didn’t know existed. Good ride and onwards to mainland.
