Heritage Roads

While our quest of cycling the entire Confederation Trail this year continues, every now and then my husband and I like a change from riding that trail. We decided to try one of the Heritage Roads on the island, old red clay roads through scenic countryside which were busy roads in days gone by. We decided on the Perry Road in central Prince Edward island.

We passed through Millvale on our way to the road and stopped at the waterfall there.

The pond, name unknown, has a fish ladder alongside the dam. 

Geese floated on the pond, two parents ushering goslings between them. A cormorant, in the centre of this photo, balanced on one foot, is watching the proceedings.

The Perry Road is lined with farmers’ fields, many of which are covered in dandelions. 

We are suspicious of grassy fields without dandelions and wonder what is used to control the pretty blooms.

This central part of the island has rolling hills 

which were a challenge for us and our bikes. 

We only rode a few kilometres before we turned back. However, autumn colours will call us back for a hike on this road in the fall.

We drove to Cavendish to have lunch in the Grove, always a favourite place for a picnic.

Waves of land

Mere feet above sea level, the countryside of western Prince Edward Island where we live is flat with gently rolling hills in some areas. As one travels east, the countryside changes to hills, formed by glacial till deposited between 10,000 to 15,000 year ago from melting glaciers. 

Looking over the central countryside, it looks as if the land attempted to mirror the motion of her sister, the sea, with waves as well. These waves are bigger than those of the sea in our part of the ocean however.

As we walked along a Heritage Road in the center of the island, these land waves were obvious as we crested the hills and walked through the troughs of these static waves. 

The vegetation closed over Perry Road prevents a clear view into the distance unlike the asphalt over the open countryside. 

This area provided a workout compared to our regular routes.

This glimpse of the fields in one area along the way was unusual as the road cut through forest along much of its length. 

However, in several places, one could see the remnants of human habitation, an old gate or an old road, long grown over.

Bird greetings made us welcome but the only one we saw was this Yellow bellied sapsucker who was busy on a favourite tree.

Black flies were in abundance as the wind was calm but insect repellent helped. We check for ticks any time we’ve been outdoors these days since they are here too.

The incline on the treadmill will get a few workouts before our next walk among the waves in the center of the island.