Day 61-Tackling North Mountain and South Mountain

Day 61 Thursday, July 8, 2010 Distance 71.21 km. Time 4 hr. 45 min. Total so far 4336.69 km. We left the back yard of The Black Whale in Pleasant Bay and in a slight drizzle which I think helped. We made our way toward North Mountain which is 475 m high. It required mostly the lowest gear and I was glad that there was no traffic as once in a while my bike zigzagged a bit but I was determined not to get off. Halfway up we took a break to wipe off the sweat and cool down as it was very damp this morning. I wear a sweat band which helps a lot and sometimes I hang a towel from my handlebar bag. We made it to the top and Dave said "Give me some more!" On the way down, we again stopped halfway to cool the rims. I'm sure glad I had two new rims put on earlier in the trip. We stopped at Sunrise for an ice cream for me and Dave met Frank outside. He works for the National Park and was full of information for us. He rides a bicycle, canoes and is an avid cross country skier. He told us the best time to ski here is March and that Ian Murray, now training in Canmore, skis for the North Highlands Nordic Ski Club from here. As we passed Cape North, a van stopped and the lady talked to Dave. It was the same family that had camped next to us ten days ago in Lunenburg. We went into Neil's Harbour for lunch. We saw two tourers rounding a corner going away from us and two young female tourers came the other way but didn't stop to talk. We went to a little park for lunch and there I practised my French with a young lady from Quebec and her parents and brother from France (I need to have lots more French practise!). After lunch, we climbed and descended South Mountain and stopped at various lookouts along the way. The only place at Ingonish campground was right out in the open sun and it was about 90 degrees or warmer. While there we met a young guy who had passed us while out for a ride on his mountain bike at Cheticamp yesterday. He was impressed at how far we had come. He was in this area today with his vehicle to go hiking with his girl friend. We headed down the road where I found a shadier place in some woods about 100 m behind a convenience store. Another good day for the legs!