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Friday 30 July 2021

On the trail again

The Confederation Trail was calling. I had fallen off my bike and hurt my ankle so I stayed off the bike until I felt 100% better and that took three weeks. Meanwhile the last section of trail, in the far eastern side of the island, was the last part of the 273 kilometre trail we had yet to complete. My husband and I were doing both directions and we had 46 kilometres left. My ankle had to be in great shape to finish this quest.


We started in Souris,





a branch off the main trail, rode to New Harmony where we had finished our last ride and headed east. This section of the trail was well groomed, taking away the challenge of the previous time when I had fallen. There was a challenge however. 





The previous day there was a short but severe thunder storm with torrential rain. The water on the trail was not dried up the next morning when we started. The water splashing up made us and our bikes filthy and it was slippery in several areas.


This part of the trail has sections which are under a thick canopy making one feel bathed in the green glow. 





Shadows dance along the trail as well, one of my favourite experiences.


We arrived in Elmira, riding beside an old section of rail bed 





as we cycled to the end of the trail. 





Nearby the old train station looked on, having seen thousands complete the trail now and the rail back when.





An old caboose is in great shape 





and the children’s play set provides the engine.





Back in Souris, we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant to celebrate our completion of the trail. We enjoyed the meal but we enjoy our own fare and picnics just as well, sometimes better.


Souris is a pretty community by the sea. The old lighthouse stands its vigil in the outer part of the harbour 





while along the shoreline, above the cliffs, apple trees with small fruit, have roots dug in for this year at least.





Having cycled the main Confederation Trail, now we will ride the areas we particularly enjoyed and some branch lines. We look forward to autumn colour on the trail before long.







29 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

That locomotive children's play set is so cool! And when we were in PEI, we loved visiting Souris -- went there twice actually! Charming little place. I grew up in a small town called Souris, Manitoba so of course we had to check out its PEI counterpart!

Danielle L Zecher said...

I'm glad your ankle is better. Congratulations on completing the trail! That's really impressive. I love your trail pictures.

Beside a babbling brook... said...

Wonderful that you completed it.

Beautiful photos.

Also wonderful, that you waited until you were 100% healed! Not all, are as wise. -smile-

✨💛✨💛✨

Debbie said...

ooooh this is a great part of the trail, i'm glad you got to see it!! and what a great sense of satisfaction finishing up the trail!! i know what you mean about bringing your own lunch...bringing favorites, packing it up just right. it is fun to dine out but it is sometimes better to have a nice picnic, i love eating outdoors!!

the playground area is adorable and the caboose is nice to see!! and you know i always enjoy seeing that beautiful lighthouse!!

i'm happy to hear that the ankle has healed!!

photowannabe said...

Congratulations on the completion ..what an accomplishment and thanks for all the beauty you have shown us along the way.
Marvelous country.
Love the photos, especially the one of the trail covered by the dense canopy..gorgeous.
Glad your ankle is healed so you could be out and about.
Sue

Anvilcloud said...

Congrats. It's an accomplishment.

MARY G said...

Third picture down. Anne with an E would write a paean. Your photo says it all.

Mage said...

Thanks for taking us along. :)

Ruth Hiebert said...

The green on the trail looks refreshing. Souris, that name rang a bell. We have a small town in western Manitoba ,called Souris.This Souris is known for it's hanging bridge.

William Kendall said...

Bravo on the completion.

DJan said...

What wonderful pictures of a delightful excursion. I'm so glad your ankle is so much better. Mine is almost but not quite there. :-)

The Furry Gnome said...

Congratulations, you've done the whole trail!

Joanne Noragon said...

An, yes, the pigoose. One of those childhood difficulties.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Sorry about your ankle. We sure here in Idaho could use some rain, but I don't want it to be torrential. I recall my dad taking me down to the railroad yard were he worked. And getting to see the caboose he rode in.
Coffee is on and stay safe

Lorrie said...

Congratulations on completing the trail, and I hope you have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at your perseverance. Such beautiful scenery along the way. I looked at a map to see just where you rode.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Congratulations on finishing your challenge. The whole thing looks delightful through your lens and descriptions - apart from the falling off of course.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I am sure you feel a great sense of satisfaction in completing the trail. Well done. As for lunch, nothing is quite as good as a homemade picnic lunch. Miriam and I do it all the time and never fail to comment how much better the food tastes eaten outdoors after a great morning of birding.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Marie,
Congrats on completing the trail. The scenery along the way is beautiful, I like the train and station images and the pretty lighthouse. Take care, enjoy your weekend!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Glad you ankle is better
Congratulations finishing the trail!

Helen said...

Congratulations, a fantastic achievement especially after hurting your ankle. I too have loved walking under the thick canopy, with its green glow.
Souris is the hometown of our daughter in law. When we visited for the wedding, we stayed in a home with a view very similar to your first image.
As I have mentioned before,it is wonderful to visit PEI through your blog. We are back in lockdown with the rampart Delta varient. I doubt we will get over before mid next year.

Linda said...

Well done, my friend. Glad you are back into ship shape.

Lea said...

Beautiful scenery!
I really like the train on the playground

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Congratulations on completing the Confederation Trail Marie, such a pretty trail it is but a wee bit tricky with those slippery roads. The trees are magnificent, I can just imagine what riding there would have been like 💚 Home made picnics are often better than cafe/restaurant meals 😉 Enjoyed seeing the lighthouse again.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. Glad your ankle is feeling better and good enough to get back on the bikes.

John's Island said...

Hi Marie, Another great post here on Island Musings. Your photos are wonderful, as always. I am sorry to hear you took a fall, but glad to hear you’ve recovered. In this post the thing that caught my attention was the photo you snapped as you rode into Elmira, alongside an old section of rail bed. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before … I may have … but I’m a rail fan, especially railroad history. I was immediately curious about the Prince Edward Island Railway and so looked it up on Wikipedia. Sure enough found the interesting story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island_Railway

Thanks for taking us along on your ride. And thank you so much for your recent kind comment on my blog. Wishing you and yours a fine week ahead. John

Glenda Beall said...

What wonderful photography! You really tell a story with pictures. Makes me want to go there and travel those roads and see what you see. Thanks for sharing this trip with us.

baili said...

heartfelt congrats for the completion of trail ride dear Marie :)

i am so happy that you have recovered completely from the previous fall .

thank you for taking along ,i thoroughly enjoyed the family picnic .

this is remarkable that how everything looks lush ,neat and exquisite in summers ,seems like earth celebrates the renewal of life to it's fullest after snow melts away ,what a pure joy !

more blessings to you and loved ones!

Bindu said...

Great achievement with the trail. Beautiful photos!

Barbara said...

That trail is so beautiful. I'm glad your ankle is better. I'm still trying to win an ebike in the contests but haven't had much luck. Can't wait to be on adventures like yours.