Dunes and fields

Cavendish Grove in the national park on Prince Edward Island was our starting point. We unpacked the bikes and headed to the Homestead Trail which my husband and I have cycled before. The trail passes beside New London Bay with a view of the Cavendish sandspit on one side and farmers’ fields on the other. It was a perfect spring day, with a breeze which made the ride interesting.

The trail begins through mixed forest 

where a young chipmunk went about her business, unaffected by the seniors cycling by. 

A ride down slope leads to sea level where a view of the bay opens before you. Gulls were busy on and over the water.

MacNeill Loop travels along by the water where we noted a perfect picnic spot, sheltered from the wind. Next time! 

The ride around the Loop provides views of the nearby Cavendish sandspit 

and the community across the bay.

Further along the trail, a farmer was preparing his fields for the spring planting. 

The experience of land and sea so intricately intertwined is one of the reasons I love this island. 

We completed the Homestead Trail and rode to the Cavendish Beach area along the Dunelands Trail. The dunes along the length of beach are a pretty backdrop for the pond.

Lunch back at the Grove with our friends the Canada Geese was a treat as usual. One of the females is nesting on a island across the pond, 

and her partner stands watch along the bank, but ignores us. He doesn’t see us as a threat.

It was another great day at the park.

Bicycle by the sea

It was a beautiful September day and we drove to the national park on Prince Edward Island in advance of post tropical storm Teddy. A year ago, a similar storm, Dorian, caused a tremendous amount of wind damage and our visits to the park were finished for the year.

With the possibility of another park closure, we had what could have been our last picnic in Cavendish Grove for 2020. We picnicked on a red bench which in the spring offers a great view of the water where ducks and geese swim with their young. This time of year, the pond is dry and grown over. Asters bloomed around us.

We brought our bikes along for our first expedition off the Confederation Trail. We started in the Grove after lunch and cycled to the Homestead Trail, through forest and farmland along by the sea. This trail was an adventure. 

It has a gentle but long downward slope which sounds great for a cycler. However for this senior, new to biking, the trail had a rut which I had to stay in as I sped downward, brakes engaged and nerves frazzled. If I strayed out of the rut, I was in the trees or up on lumpy grass and who knows where. Either way would have been disastrous. The shadows on the trail and my poor eyesight made it hard to see details of the trail too. I cycled downhill on a balance beam through a tunnel of trees with impaired vision.

At the bottom of the slope, I stopped and cheered. It was scary but exhilarating, an adrenaline rush. My husband, behind me on the trail, watched the whole spectacle and thought I was a goner a few times. His experience on the E-bike was more controlled, or he is more skilled. Luckily we could loop back to the entrance rather than have to cycle up that particular slope. Otherwise, I’d be there yet.

After the balance beam, the trail opens to a clearing beside New London Bay.

In the distance the sand dunes on the other side of the bay are visible. As you follow the trail, you can see the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the far side of the dunes. 

A pond empties into the bay and we heard unfamiliar birds along its perimeter. 

I had the wrong camera for photos when they flew away.

The upward grade required I walk the bike a few times. 

The view of the water, both sea and pond, kept me going however. 

Besides, what choice did I have?

The last part of the trail with the dancing shadows 

and the smell of apples fallen from the trees were perfect precursors to autumn which was a few days away at that time. 

The ride was exhilarating but difficult. However, I am stronger with each ride and always enjoy the surroundings and the company. Cycling has been a great addition to life for my husband and me. 

Update:

Post tropical storm Teddy hit us yesterday afternoon with high winds and torrential rain. There was a lull in the storm overnight but it’s miserable again this morning. This evening we will find out about damage around the island. However, this storm is not as bad as Dorian by the look and sound of it.

Happy autumn or spring to everyone around the planet.

Homestead Trail

There are a number of trails in the National Park on Prince Edward Island which my husband and I haven’t explored. Recently we hiked part of the Homestead Trail, which was a new to us. It was a beautiful day, without any wind and too early in the season for mosquitos. The day couldn’t have been more perfect.

The trail cuts through forest,

runs alongside New London Bay, 

ponds, 

sand dunes 

and farmland with fog rising in the morning air.

The trail is well maintained and flat but the setting is varied enough to make it interesting. There are benches and picnic tables along the way. We did the shorter of two loops.

Sea gulls, ducks, yellowlegs and geese abound as we hike the area. A squirrel enjoyed his perch atop an old piece of farm machinery and stayed while we admired him. 

However the most interesting animal for us was a snake. 

Being from Newfoundland where there aren’t any snakes, it was exciting to hear something in the grass just off the trail and discover the Maritime gartersnake. We watched it for a long time as it flicked its tongue and turned its head to follow our every move.

We had a picnic at the end of the trail. The day was a holiday and by the time we finished lunch, the area was busy with walkers and bikers. The crowd was a glimpse of the number of people who will visit the park this summer.

The beach at New London Bay lighthouse

Walking on this beach is unusual because of all the activity mere meters from shore in New London Bay. The beach stands at the entrance to the bay and a channel is marked for boats. My husband and I took my brother, Frank and my sister-in-law, Michele there when they visited last week.

We walked the beach within sight of the lighthouse 

 

 

as the lobster

 

or mussel fishing boats 

 

powered alongside us in the bay, headed home after a morning of work. We waved to the crews who waved back or blew horns in response.

For Frank and I, the shoreline with the boats in the background, brought to mind our grandfather O'Brien and his fishing career. When he first began fishing in Newfoundland as a young lad with his father, Edward, they rowed to the fishing grounds, fished all day and rowed home. We wondered what he would say about these boats and the seafood fishery.

Some crews threw offal overboard as they motored into the bay, 

 

causing a feeding frenzy for the gulls. 

 

The flutter created great photo opportunities.

 

The beach showed the effects of winter but little garbage. The only garbage we saw was a deflated helium balloon from some occasion which is but a memory now. We were reminded of the hazards such balloons present to wildlife. This one was mired in the sand.

 

The old lighthouse stands watch as it has since the 1870s. Its tapered construction makes it look small from a distance. Behind the sand dunes, it is protected from the sea as it operates on solar power these days. The lonely hours tending the light are part of history now.

 

Much has changed with the fishery too, a modern industry today, which developed over the one hundred years since our grandfather rowed to the fishing grounds for cod. Today, this area of New London Bay is a great location for watching these modern boats as they head home from work.

What work did your grandfathers do?