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.

Planted

The rows are straight and look like they continue for kilometers over the rolling hills. 

 

They hold rows of potato seed or other crops in rotation. Though nothing is growing yet, 

 

the planting is completed. 

 

A Global Positioning System or GPS helps take the guess work out of plowing and planting these days, as it is easier to keep the rows straight. Now, industrialized farming uses a satellite.

 

The days of horses and the plow are long gone. Less was planted in those days and the rows were not as straight. The work was labour intensive too. These days, expensive machinery takes the place of farm hands, horse and plow.

Red soil is expecting as it always is this time of year, nurturing seeds which will grow into crops harvested this autumn. The barns are symbols of the history of the industry, as they stand watch over their domains, the fertile red fields. Some things don't change.