On a rare sunny day among many unfit for cycling, my husband and I headed west to complete this portion of our tip to tip island cycling adventure for this year. The Confederation Trail runs across the island and this western portion being closest to home is the easiest for us to complete.
We drove to Alberton and parked at the library which is in the old train station.
The building is a surprise to my husband and I since we rarely see anything other than sandstone on the island. This fieldstone building is restored beautifully to its 1904 condition. One can almost hear the old steam engine chug into the station.
The trail is on the verge of erupting into green. It will add another layer of beauty soon.
Maintenance work made this section of trail a pleasure to ride, as smooth as new pavement. We passed a drum roller, a groomer and crew busy at work.
An old concrete culvert, dated 1923, now sits beside the trail, having done its time under the old tracks.
Marsh Marigold is in bloom now. The yellow blooms remind me of buttercups.
At Tignish, a place with a name I love, we reached the western start of the trail.
On our return, we had lunch at the site of the memorial to the worst train wreck in island history. Two trains collided and four people died during a winter storm in 1932.
Lots of robins, blackbirds and Song Sparrows filled the trees. The birds are quieter now than earlier this spring. I saw a bird among the trees and watched for several minutes as my husband rode on. It was another familiar bird, a Black-capped Chickadee. I don’t have much luck with ‘new to me’ species. However I like this photo.
Such is spring in eastern Canada.
