Good Morning Everybody,

I find myself at the Community Access Program (C@P) site in Arichat; a town of 300 or so people on Isle Madame. The day, not unlike the first two, started off cool, but has warmed to a comfortable twenty degrees. There are a few clouds in the sky, but they give my pictures a touch of class.

After a rather frightening "missed approach" onboard my Sydney-bound 767, I rode the 10km to the town of Sydney by the light of dusk. Unable to find a suitable place to camp, I knocked on a stranger's door and asked to make camp in his rather large backyard. He insisted that I instead sleep on his guestbed, urging me to experience "Cape Breton hospitality." I slept like a baby and awoke to Ham & Eggs at 5:30am. It made for a good start to a cloudy morning. I rode a tidy 70km through New Waterford, Glace Bay, Mira and Main-a-dieu; taking up tented residence in Louisbourg in mid-afternoon. The scenery was absolutely stellar and I was able to visit the Fortress of Lousibourg; the best maintained historical fort in the entire commonwealth.

That evening in Louisbourg, I happened upon two other bike tourists. The first was my bicycle mechanic from Toronto; the second, his wife (also the curator of another fine Toronto bike shop.) They blessed me with a warm shower in their hotel room. I camped next to the home-run wall of a baseball diamond and battled the mosquitos as I tore down my tent in the morning. I rode with my friends to Albert Bridge at which point, we parted ways.

I pedalled an arguous 120km down a road with the occasional house dotting its otherwise forested shoulders. The route remained mostly inland, but periodically paralled the shores of some beautiful coves. I stopped for lunch and a swim at Framboise Cove and continued on my way. Despite the weariness of my legs (I haven't ridden this far in a year!,) I detoured 5km to explore a place called Michaud Beach. It was worth every extra centimeter. I stayed for my second swim of the day then took on the remaining 15km to St. Peter's. I cooked a bowl of Rigatoni with a can of tuna at my crown-land campsite alongshore St. Peter's Bay. I fell asleep to the somehow soothing sound of crashing waves and didn't stir until the morning.

I'm taking it easy today, exploring Isle Madame. Tomorrow, I should make my way up to Whycocomagh and hopefully I'll have learned to pronounce it correctly by then (Why-cog-ama, I think.) There are lots of C@P sites around Cape Breton so there will be plenty of updates.