Lunch on the trail

Our weather has been cold and wet with an occasional fine day. My husband and I take every opportunity we can to ride our bikes and we’ve been on the trail recently, enjoying every minute.

We take our picnic lunch with us on the new bike racks we received last autumn, replacements for two which were ill fitting. It is great to be able to stop at any of the picnic sites around the island for lunch. The National Park has lots of tables and the Confederation Trail has tables positioned at regular intervals across the island.

Meanwhile, we rode to nearby Wellington for a picnic one day, stopping at a table by a river.

The sound of the water flowing by as we had lunch was like a dream after this past pandemic year. Nearby, noisy and nosy Common Grackles were chatting it up on a wire overlooking the scene. 

Our most recent outing was from O’Leary to Elmsdale along the Confederation Trail. Along the way we passed several locations where peepers and other frogs sang happily. One area had these cattails which looked as if they had cotton tops.

Near river banks now, Coltsfoot is in bloom, the first flower we’ve seen in our travels this spring. This type of daisy is a welcome addition to the greys of early spring on the island.

Butterflies are also busy. Despite several efforts, I was unable to photograph any as they flitted around us along the trail. 

We had lunch at Elmsdale in an area where the trail runs parallel to the highway. The traffic on the road was light at that time of day.

Back at the car in O’Leary, Rock Pigeons watched us from a nearby roof as we loaded the bikes on the rack. While there are pigeons in downtown Summerside, we have never seen them around the areas we frequent.

It has stopped raining so we are headed out on our bikes again today! Yay!

   

Joy of cycling

Cycling is one of the positive outcomes of the Covid era for my husband and me. Looking for a way to expand our lives during the Covid restrictions, we took up cycling. This week our cycling experience of the Confederation Trail was longer than last week and I felt more confident in my ability. I had started weight training to make it easier to lift the bikes to and from the bike rack on the car. 

I quickly saw a benefit for the effort and was feeling confident when I started on the trail.

We passed one other rider and several walkers but otherwise we had the trail to ourselves. Feeling more comfortable on the bike this week, I enjoyed the physical experience of the exercise.

My husband and I stayed several meters apart on the trail so I could focus on the trail rather than having to avoid crashing into him. The day was cool and I wore a jacket which was perfect for the breeze. The sensation of the air on your face, the sound of your breathing in the quiet of your body as you push forward in tune with the bicycle and the beauty of the trail are a unique combination. Add in the dance of shadows where the sun breaks through the trees which overshadow the trail and the experience is perfect. 

Meanwhile the trail itself always presents something new though we are familiar with the area from walking there. There are lots of apple trees along the trail and apples cover the ground in some areas.

Harvest is beginning on the farms along the trail. One of my favourite scenes is the hay rolled into bales waiting for transport to the storage area.

This time we rode from the horse farm to a place where the trail crosses a road in Summerside and back. 

It was curious to see the horses social distancing in the paddock when we returned.

Everyone is feeling the negative effects of Covid but cycling has been a positive addition for us.