Along the way in 2022

As we travel around the Prince Edward Island, there are always interesting things or curiosities which we see along the way. 

There is an area of the boardwalk which I call Hobbit House. It gets a lot of animal activity when birdseed or peanuts are left there. Hobbits visit when people leave for the day.

Recently our travels took us to the beach at Yankee Hill. Someone in the area put this sign up by the parking lot. 

There wasn’t much there that day but beach toys for kids are left there often. 

Some time later, the evening news reported about the items left at the sign having been stolen. My wish is that life never gets so newsworthy on this gentle island that such stories don’t make the evening news.

This fishing shack at Malpeque has an message which brings a smile to many.

In keeping with the fishing theme, someone decided to reuse fishing buoys found on the beach at Brander’s Pond. It is a good way to keep the stray buoys from littering the ocean or the beach.

This lone Canada Goose enjoyed his time among the gulls and swimming in the ocean with a cormorant. He was an unusual sight, the first goose we’ve ever seen on the beach. 

At French River a kayaker returned to shore after a paddle through the channel. It must be nice to see the shoreline from a different perspective and see cormorants close-up. 

My husband and I are planning to take our daughter’s kayak for a spin after tourist season when the West River area is less crowded. I miss riding my bicycle and the kayak would be something different to experience. It was my husband’s idea and he is not a fan of the water, but is eager to try it. You can bet there will be life jackets involved.

 

A walk along the river

The Strathgartney trail from the Bonshaw Provincial Park in Prince Edward Island  goes under the Trans Canada Highway and follows the West River to the Northumberland Strait.

This area is popular for water sports such as paddle boarding, kayaking and canoeing.

My husband and I walked the first part of the trail, which goes along at river level initially. 

Then the bank rises from the river and you can look down through the trees to the water. We walked in silence, taking in the setting. Periodically, we heard kayakers on the water, their voices carrying through the river valley. Sometimes, we could see them through the trees.

This forest had less undergrowth than the Parkside Trail due to the density of the trees, but there were interesting things to see. 

Yellow bellied sapsuckers had a good time on this trunk.

The shelf fungus was enjoying the tree stump!

A riding park in Strathgartney has trails and a jumping circuit parallel to the hiking trail.

One tree trunk in particular caught our attention. What caused this unusual growth?

There were numerous holes in the earth for creatures to inhabit.

One old trunk was split down its length and showed the rot which takes it back to the earth.

Many tree trunks appeared to split at ground level into multiple trees. In the photo below, the trunk appeared to grow along the ground to the right, and another tree grew upward, seen here in the shade.

We had already walked another trail so we turned back when this trail divided. To misquote Yogi Berra, When you come to a fork in the road, don’t take it.