Autumn on the trail

It It was a cooler day, with a slight breeze and a mixture of sun and cloud. However the sun was shining as my husband and I headed out on our e-bikes. He rides more often than I do but this day we headed out together, hoping to have a picnic in Wellington, west of Summerside.

  

There are a few sections of this area of the Confederation Trail where it is leaf covered. The crunch of leaves as we rode was music to our ears as leaves were in short supply this year, many having been shredded by Fiona and stuck to windows, houses etc.

Just past Miscouche, the marsh area is flooded. 

Sometimes this area is almost dry, not so this day. Nearby, junipers or tamarack are the last trees to change colour 

and a huge wasp nest is easy to see among the bare branches of other deciduous trees. 

How that nest stayed in the tree through the violent wind of Fiona is a natural wonder.

We saw several Ruffed Grouse along the trail that day too. They were on the side of the trail and flew into the trees when we came near them. 

They are mottled browns and greys and disappear into the underbrush easily. 

This tree stump was an interesting find when we stopped on one occasion. 

It has two huge eyes looking out, a head of mossy hair and a shrub growing up through the moss. Nature always amazes us with how she reclaims her own.

The Confederation Trail has picnic areas every few kilometres. This one by the Ellis River in Wellington was a great spot for our picnic. 

Our new wide-mouth thermoses were just right for the chicken casserole we had for lunch, piping hot accompanied by a mug of hot tea. My husband and I like to have our main meal at lunch time and the thermoses allow us to vary what we bring for our picnic lunches.

While we ate, a local resident dropped by to check us out.

Curiosity is a feline trait after all. We called her Fluff. 

Other area residents were about too. Black-capped Chickadees called from the trees and Red-breasted Nuthatches walked down the trunks as the Chickadees flitted around them. Further down the Ellis River, five ducks swam around creating waves on the water which made it hard to take a good photo. Male and female Mallards, a female Merganser and male and female American Black Ducks made for lovely company while we ate. We hope Fluff will behave herself where our feathered friends are concerned.

After lunch, we rode to the park in Wellington, mere metres away. Herring Gulls 

took advantage of the quiet day on the river as we rode around the park on our bikes.

On the way home we stopped at the marsh again where the sun had broken through the clouds and the sky was reflected in the water. I love this union of water and sky.

I felt chilled that evening and it took me some time to warm up. However, the 30+ kilometres on bike weren’t detrimental to my hips and legs! Yay!

Close to home

Twenty kilometres from Summerside, the small community of Wellington is an integral part of Evangeline, the French region of Prince Edward Island. My husband and I enjoy riding to Wellington on our bikes. On the last full day of summer, we explored part of Wellington, near the Confederation Trail, which we hadn’t done before. It was a sunny day, without a breeze.

Mi’kmaq people, the first people of the island, were familiar with the valley of the Ellis River for many centuries before the Europeans arrived. They travelled through the valley on their way from the Northumberland Strait in the south to Malpeque Bay on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the north. Europeans arrived in the area in 1833 and over time, the Mi’kmaq migration ceased. Like so much of Canadian history, the ancestral people of the land were relegated to small parcels of their own land.

Meanwhile the newcomers established themselves in the area and eventually the name Wellington came into common use. By 1836, they had dammed the Ellis River and later, a mill was established there. Today, a mill stone is on display at a park in the area, a runner stone from the old mill. 

A fish ladder on the river isn’t busy with fish this time of year but the sound of the running water fills the senses. 

A bridge over the ladder provides a close up of the ladder below and the sky reflected on the water.

Nearby, tennis courts make up part of the recreation facilities in the area and are quiet like the playground that time of day.

Across a road, a caboose from the old railway which ceased operations decades ago, is well maintained. 

With it is a speeder used by railway work crews as they repaired and maintained the rail line.

The Ellis River is picture perfect as we relax and enjoy the area. Autumn is working its magic here.

We crossed the bridge at the back of the park and discovered trails which parallel the river. We will be back for a picnic and to explore those trails.