Forza Mille - Day Two: Pictou, Cabe Breton Island, Cabot Trail, Sydney

Ferrari 550 Maranello

Monday.

Left: The start at the Pictou Lodge.

Our day begins with a nice breakfast, and glorious sunshine. Dad is freaked out thinking that we are late, since the lodge's dining hall is almost empty. The reality is that everyone is so tired from yesterday and is still sleeping in. We eat, pack, and hop in the Cruise Missile for another day of rallying. Rich Taylor is out doing his almost famous flag waving flying leap start... though the altitude has dropped a bit over the years. =) We seem to be in a pack of Ferraris, running the 82.7 mile first segment from Pictou to the Canso Causeway... the link between the mainland and Cape Breton Island.

A couple of road construction detours get us confused at the beginning, but a long stretch of divided highway allows us to make up time. Along the way we pass several of the non-vintage V-12 machines... Ferraris, an Aston-Martin, a BMW, and some Mercedes. The old Cruise Missile flys by them all. Dad is driving so I am able to hang out the side of the car, my arm extended as low as I can reach without scraping road, and get some low angle shots as we pass. Some work out *great* (like the shot of David Buechele's 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello at the top of the page) while many are just plain botched. Digital cameras are hard to use with perfect timing... I figure if I have a vague idea of the shot I want, and just keep trying to get it, eventually one will work. However for every one good one I have a few blurry asphalt ones, a few closeups of spinning tires, and a bumper or two. It would be so much easier if I had an eyball on the end of one of my fingers. =)

Above: Chris Greendale's 1995 Aston-Martin Virage Vantage 6.3 V-12.

So Dad is driving and I'm busy taking pictures since the navigation is basically: "get on the road, drive 70 miles."
Enjoy the pictures...

Left: Ferarri & the V-12 A-M in our rearview.

Left: The road from Pictou to Cape Breton Island.

Above: We *like* passing Ferraris. =).

We arrive at the checkpoint... a truck stop with the time to spare to visit the men's room, fill up on gas, and walk about. The Wolf's were there, fixing a flat on their Ferarri.

Below: Sherman & Scott Wolf patch the 275 GTS at the Canso Causeway checkpoint.

Below: The Kary's 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Farina Speciale at the Canso Causeway Checkpoint.

We zero the segment and check out for the next leg - an 88.2 mile trip to Cheticamp, where we will have lunch. It is my turn to drive. Shortly after we cross the causeway we encounter the object that strikes terror into the hearts of Ferrari drivers: road construction. The paving has been stripped and the road is dirt. The Cruise Missile handles it like a champ.... but the we encounter the the object that strikes terror into the heart of *all* rallyists: the flagger!

We wait for what seems like *hours* for the 'Follow Me' truck to arrive and escourt our line of cars through the one-lane route through the re-construction of a washed-out bridge. In reality it was less than 12 minutes, but when the average speed of this segment is 46.02 MPH, every minute spent stationary pushes that average higher and higher to make up the lost time.

The routefinding is easy, and the road, after the construction, is fine. We make time by flying low on these lonely stretches of road through the hills and along the coast. We pull into Cheticamp, where the checkpoint is literally on the curb in the middle of town. We almost have somebody pull out of a driveway as we make our final run... but thankfully complete with no penalty time.

We park and amble into the Harbor Restaurant for a hearty lunch. We sit with Don and Linda Brodie, who have been stuck to our tail the whole segment in their 1995 Ferrari 456 GT. I decide to pass on the fish and chips and partake in the 'Nova Scotia Meat Pie'... I ws feeling adventurous. It actually pays off. The 'meat pies' I had when living in England were truly awful, but this one is spicy and tasty. A nice blending of English and Acadian cuisine. (If such a thing is possible!)

We are done with TSD competitive driving for the day and have a long afternoon of scenic driving along the Cabot Trail through the northern end of Cape Breton Island. Photographs can not do the area any justice. I won't even try beyond the pittance below...

Moose & Rough Road Alert!

Wow... the Roads on Cape Breton are awesome.

Go get a convertible and drive the Cabot Trail as soon as you possibly can. It rocks.

On our way down to Sydney we run into the most unusual ferry I have ever seen. I live in a part of the world where ferry travel is commonplace... mundane even, as ferries criss-cross the inland waters and islands that surround the Puget Sound, and the North Pacific coast... however nothing there prepared me for the Angus MacAskill:

Angus plys the very short crossing of an inlet that is bridged over 90% of its width by a causeway, with a very short gap left for the ferry. The ferry has no dock or ramp afixed to the road, but instead is equipped with it's own ramps. The ferry essentially beaches itself onto a ramp of pavement extending into the water from the road, drops its ramp and you drive on. The pilot adjusts the ferry as cars enter or leave the deck and the craft rides lower or higher in the water due to the changing weight.

The span of the water is roughly 3x the length of the ferry itself, and takes less than a minute to cross... with several minutes taken to load and unload. I'm baffled why they haven't just built a bridge. Maybe somebody from Nova Scotia can clue me in.

Some of the very low slung Ferrari's had real trouble loading and unloading, due to their minimal ground clearance, and the odd design of this ferry. Thankfully no Ferrari's loaded with us, and in fact we shared the ride with another Merc and an Aston-Martin DB7.

Above & Left: Stan and Kay Graber maneuver their 2001 Aston-Martin DB7 vantage onboard the ferry Angus MacAskill.

The rest of the day was spent running the 103.8 mile segment to Sydney. The hotel there had a waterslide, but I never had time to use it... between editing these pictures and text, and the dinner at 'Joe's Warehouse' I never had the time. The sacrifices I make for you, my dear reader are many. =)

The view from our room was cool though, with a front row seat for the disembarking of a big cruise ship, and a great sunset...

Left and Below: Sydney Harbor from our hotel window.

Go to the Next page: Tuesday.

--chuck

or...



		Monday. Left: The start at the Pictou Lodge. Our day begins with a nice breakfast, and glorious sunshine. Dad is freaked out thinking that we are late, since the lodge's dining hall is almost empty. The reality is that everyone is so tired from yesterday and is still sleeping in. We eat, pack, and hop in the Cruise Missile for another day of rallying. Rich Taylor is out doing his almost famous flag waving flying leap start... though the altitude has dropped a bit over the years. =) We seem to be in a pack of Ferraris, running the 82.7 mile first segment from Pictou to the Canso Causeway... the link between the mainland and Cape Breton Island. A couple of road construction detours get us confused at the beginning, but a long stretch of divided highway allows us to make up time. Along the way we pass several of the non-vintage V-12 machines... Ferraris, an Aston-Martin, a BMW, and some Mercedes. The old Cruise Missile flys by them all. Dad is driving so I am able to hang out the side of the car, my arm extended as low as I can reach without scraping road, and get some low angle shots as we pass. Some work out great (like the shot of David Buechele's 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello at the top of the page) while many are just plain botched. Digital cameras are hard to use with perfect timing... I figure if I have a vague idea of the shot I want, and just keep trying to get it, eventually one will work. However for every one good one I have a few blurry asphalt ones, a few closeups of spinning tires, and a bumper or two. It would be so much easier if I had an eyball on the end of one of my fingers. =) Above: Chris Greendale's 1995 Aston-Martin Virage Vantage 6.3 V-12. So Dad is driving and I'm busy taking pictures since the navigation is basically: "get on the road, drive 70 miles." Enjoy the pictures... Left: Ferarri & the V-12 A-M in our rearview. Left: The road from Pictou to Cape Breton Island. *Above: We like* passing Ferraris. =). We arrive at the checkpoint... a truck stop with the time to spare to visit the men's room, fill up on gas, and walk about. The Wolf's were there, fixing a flat on their Ferarri. Below: Sherman & Scott Wolf patch the 275 GTS at the Canso Causeway checkpoint. Below: The Kary's 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Farina Speciale at the Canso Causeway Checkpoint.** We zero the segment and check out for the next leg - an 88.2 mile trip to Cheticamp, where we will have lunch. It is my turn to drive. Shortly after we cross the causeway we encounter the object that strikes terror into the hearts of Ferrari drivers: road construction. The paving has been stripped and the road is dirt. The Cruise Missile handles it like a champ.... but the we encounter the the object that strikes terror into the heart of all rallyists: the flagger! We wait for what seems like hours for the 'Follow Me' truck to arrive and escourt our line of cars through the one-lane route through the re-construction of a washed-out bridge. In reality it was less than 12 minutes, but when the average speed of this segment is 46.02 MPH, every minute spent stationary pushes that average higher and higher to make up the lost time. The routefinding is easy, and the road, after the construction, is fine. We make time by flying low on these lonely stretches of road through the hills and along the coast. We pull into Cheticamp, where the checkpoint is literally on the curb in the middle of town. We almost have somebody pull out of a driveway as we make our final run... but thankfully complete with no penalty time. We park and amble into the Harbor Restaurant for a hearty lunch. We sit with Don and Linda Brodie, who have been stuck to our tail the whole segment in their 1995 Ferrari 456 GT. I decide to pass on the fish and chips and partake in the 'Nova Scotia Meat Pie'... I ws feeling adventurous. It actually pays off. The 'meat pies' I had when living in England were truly awful, but this one is spicy and tasty. A nice blending of English and Acadian cuisine. (If such a thing is possible!) We are done with TSD competitive driving for the day and have a long afternoon of scenic driving along the Cabot Trail through the northern end of Cape Breton Island. Photographs can not do the area any justice. I won't even try beyond the pittance below... Moose & Rough Road Alert! Wow... the Roads on Cape Breton are awesome. Go get a convertible and drive the Cabot Trail as soon as you possibly can. It rocks. On our way down to Sydney we run into the most unusual ferry I have ever seen. I live in a part of the world where ferry travel is commonplace... mundane even, as ferries criss-cross the inland waters and islands that surround the Puget Sound, and the North Pacific coast... however nothing there prepared me for the Angus MacAskill: Angus plys the very short crossing of an inlet that is bridged over 90% of its width by a causeway, with a very short gap left for the ferry. The ferry has no dock or ramp afixed to the road, but instead is equipped with it's own ramps. The ferry essentially beaches itself onto a ramp of pavement extending into the water from the road, drops its ramp and you drive on. The pilot adjusts the ferry as cars enter or leave the deck and the craft rides lower or higher in the water due to the changing weight. The span of the water is roughly 3x the length of the ferry itself, and takes less than a minute to cross... with several minutes taken to load and unload. I'm baffled why they haven't just built a bridge. Maybe somebody from Nova Scotia can clue me in. Some of the very low slung Ferrari's had real trouble loading and unloading, due to their minimal ground clearance, and the odd design of this ferry. Thankfully no Ferrari's loaded with us, and in fact we shared the ride with another Merc and an Aston-Martin DB7. Above & Left: Stan and Kay Graber maneuver their 2001 Aston-Martin DB7 vantage onboard the ferry Angus MacAskill. The rest of the day was spent running the 103.8 mile segment to Sydney. The hotel there had a waterslide, but I never had time to use it... between editing these pictures and text, and the dinner at 'Joe's Warehouse' I never had the time. The sacrifices I make for you, my dear reader are many. =) The view from our room was cool though, with a front row seat for the disembarking of a big cruise ship, and a great sunset... Left and Below: Sydney Harbor from our hotel window. Go to the Next page: Tuesday. --chuck
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