Southwest to the Cape

Autumn is a dual season with weather reminiscent of summer with that which heralds the beginning of winter. Before that change this autumn, our last day exploring the southwest shore of Prince Edward Island was a lovely adventure on a beautiful day.

We drove along Route 14 towards Skinners Pond and spotted birds in a pond by the road. Of course we had to stop but it was a bad location for parking. We pulled in up the road and walked back to see them but of course the birds flew further up the pond. 

This pond was a wonderful find with the Hooded Mergansers 

and the American Wigeons in the foreground of this photo, neither of which I had seen before. The American Black Ducks are always an interesting find.

Meanwhile these two beautiful horses across the street came to the barrier to see the strangers looking at the birds. They wanted their photo taken too. Such curious creatures!

At Skinners Pond we walked the path to the beach, where the damage to the dunes in the distance was obvious. We later drove to Norway, Prince Edward Island, the site of the wind turbine farm hardly visible in the distance on the photo below.

As we left Skinners Pond, we passed the Stompin’ Tom Centre where shows in the summer celebrate the life and music of the Canadian singer/songwriter. Tom spent part of his childhood at Skinners Pond. One of his most famous songs is Bud the Spud.

We eventually stopped at North Cape, at the western tip of the island. Here the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence meet the Northumberland Strait. That day, you could easily see where the waters meet. The Gulf waters are above the line which extends from the sandbar, water from the Strait is below.

On that sand bar, cormorants and gulls hang out together. It was late in the season for cormorants to be about. Most are gone to warmer climes much earlier.

We had lunch near the start of the nature trail and had a good view of the lighthouse. 

We walked along the coastline above the beach where a gully had eroded a great deal since our last visit, 

as had the sea arch, which could collapse any time.

On our next visit to North Cape, we will walk the trail to the sea stack near Norway. Our next excursion will be closer to home however.