Whichever Way the Wind Blows

Cape Breton beauty and wind

Cape Breton Island and the wind go hand in hand. The wind-whipped trees that surround the island are evidence of that. Today, we woke up to a howling wind, but also clear skies and bright sunshine. I checked our weather apps, and there was good news and bad news. A nice tailwind was predicted at the start of the ride, but a nasty headwind was anticipated at the end. It didn’t really matter to us since we were excited to take on the second day of the Cabot Trail, which would take us over the biggest climb on the trail and along a magnificent stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline.

Making the climb

The day did not disappoint. We had clear weather to start, and the challenging climbs were followed by long, exhilarating descents. You could feel the wind gather strength while climbing, as it began to actually push us uphill. Deep down, I knew we would pay for this joy later in the afternoon when our route would turn, and we would have to battle the headwind on our way into Ingonish, where we would be staying tonight. Despite knowing the inevitable headwind battle awaited us, we enjoyed the “free ride” moments and kept our eyes peeled for wildlife sightings. We didn’t see anything today, but as we were climbing a mountain, we heard the unmistakable sound of a bear below the guardrail. It was definitely a warning sound and honestly a bit unnerving.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/468bce_2c2bf4c7a56142ebb5db8c4e35ce0454/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

The going up may be tough, but the going down is a joy!

The Eastern Coast of Cape Breton

About 10 miles out from Ingonish, the winds indeed shifted and swirled. Some of the headwind gusts reached as high as 35 mph, and at times, it became challenging to maintain balance on the bike, let alone move forward. A couple of times while riding into the headwind, gusts slowed our forward motion to just above 2 mph. The beauty of our surroundings and maintaining a positive mindset allowed us to battle the wind, and regardless of its intense force, it was not goi

ng to stop us from enjoying a cold beer, another big meal, and an evening at the famous Keltic Lodge, where we planned to have dinner and hear live music. We arrived safe, relatively sound, and ready for a nice evening at the seaside lodge, where we will appreciatively watch the wind blow from.