A day at North Cape

One of our most memorable outings ever was to North Cape on Prince Edward Island which we visited recently. We saw on social media about seals at North Cape and changed our plans that morning in the hope of spotting some. We weren’t disappointed with the seals but they were a small part of the experience that day.

North Cape is on the northwest tip of the island and on a beautiful autumn day, the hour drive was enjoyable. When we arrived, the seals were obvious, 

on the rock reef, part of the longest such natural reef in North America. There the waters of the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence merge.

Double crested cormorants and a variety of gulls enjoyed one end of the reef 

while the seals took up two areas at the far end. 

Looking at the water nearby, bobbing heads of the furry mammals basked in the sun between fishing forays into the briny blue. 

Meanwhile, human fishers shared in the bounty of marine life as well.

We walked along the shoreline to the sea arch in the area which has greatly expanded since our last visit. Storms may make a sea stack out of this arch in the near future.

The trails along the shoreline are lined with grass which was full of crickets in an orchestra that was loud but tuned. As we walked by, dozens of Savannah Sparrows flew out of the grass and flew nearby, waiting for us to pass so they could continue lunch. This one landed on a nearby rock on the shoreline.

We had lunch at the head of the Black Marsh Trail, and listened to the sounds of the crickets and the sea. Afterwards, we walked the trail and watched three Turkey Vultures as they sailed on the thermals above the shoreline, smelling and looking for carrion. 

The trail meanders along the edge of the shoreline and through trees nearby. One viewing area lets observers see what lies ahead. 

The wind turbines in the scene always give me hope that one day, humankind will be easier on our environment.

At the black marsh, we sat and looked out over the landscape, a marsh which is familiar to Newfoundlanders like us, containing cloudberries and pitcher plants. 

We continued on to the sea stack, past the remains of the trees along the shoreline. Weathered by sea spray and wind, they stand as sculptures created by nature’s hand.  

When we arrived back near the reef, we noticed sea birds enjoying the area too, floating around among the seals bobbing in the water. Eider Ducks, Scoters and Mergansers added to the nature quest for the day. 

Nearby, a small flock of Sanderlings landed on the rocks in front of us.

On the way home, we stopped at St. Simon and St. Jude Roman Catholic Church to see man’s creation compared to the natural one we had just left. 

The church is a beauty, with some stained glass windows, not often seen in island churches. Its ceiling is reminiscent of a night sky.

It was a gorgeous fall day on the island and at every turn, there was something to appreciate and enjoy! 

 

To the Grove

The national park on Prince Edward Island received a great deal of damage from the storm known as Fiona. Recently, after much work by park personnel, a few areas of the park, including Cavendish Grove, were opened to visitors. The last several weeks, high winds with lower temperatures have precluded picnics, but on a cold day, with less wind, we took a picnic and headed to the park, anxious to see for ourselves what was left of one of our favourite places on the island.

My husband and I stopped at Cavendish Grove to see how the old trees in the Grove fared with the storm. We had a quick look and decided to return there for lunch since, to our surprise, many of the trees in the Grove appeared to have survived. 

The overlook at Oceanview in Cavendish is open in spite of damage to the viewing area. We could see Cavendish Beach in the distance, but people are not permitted on the beach due to the damaged dunes. 

Off-shore, birds which I couldn’t identify at a distance provided a challenge for the camera. However, later looking at the photos, I saw Long-tailed Ducks, gulls

and Common Eiders.

We continued along the Gulf Shore Parkway to MacKenzies Brook where the sea arch, seen here in late October,

became a sea stack last month. The arch was weakened by the storm and it was only a matter of time for the top to collapse.

We drove on to North Rustico where down by the lighthouse, the damage from Fiona is evident.

Back at Cavendish Grove, we cleared the ice from one end of a picnic table and covered the bench with layers of towels against the cold.

The beef stew was delicious, piping hot and with the hot tea, warmed us to our toes.

A walk to the beach followed. The damage to the trees along the way was sad to see. 

This trail used to be beneath a canopy. It will be different next summer. However, along the way, shots of colour from the wild flowers and shrubs lifted our spirits.

Nature does her best in the harshest of conditions.

The beach is closed to visitors but some dunes were visible through the trees. 

The Lake of Shining Waters was shining with a skim of ice over its surface that day. 

We only saw two other people in the park that day but it was good to see that the park will continue in spite of the damage.

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.

The north shore

We were slow to return to our excursions around the island after Fiona. Trees are down everywhere and trails are slowly being cleared. Two weeks post storm, we returned to the boardwalk and later to beaches where we love to walk and have picnics. My husband and I will enjoy autumn as much as we can since we will be limited by the weather soon enough.

On one recent outing we went to the north central shore, first to the New London Lighthouse which I have featured numerous times on this blog. The old sentinel made it through another storm unfazed by the look of it. 

Not the beach and sand dunes however. In June this year, you can see the extent of the beach across the channel.

Post Fiona, the dunes are greatly reduced and the sand washed out to sea. It will be a slow return.

Closer to the lighthouse, the storm surge destroyed the Marram Grass and dumped sandstones over the area.

We walked the beach towards the cliffs where our daughter fishes for bass. We had never been to this area before and on such an autumn day, it was the perfect time to check it out.

The red sandstone stood out against the natural blues. 

The faded October grass and wildflowers at the edge of a farmer’s field cling to the red soil as long as possible, hanging over the edge as more soil washes or falls away.

A lone tree nearby shows the direction of the prevailing wind and withstood the wind speeds brought by Fiona.

A sea stack, difficult to see in its entirety from the path, is beginning to become a sea arch. If you look closely, you can see two glimpses of sea blue through the sandstone.

Anglers park along the cliffs and take a path down to the shoreline below  It is too treacherous for these old legs to attempt such a walk. We will return when our daughter is fishing there one day.

The wind was cold requiring gloves and a hat so we decided to have our picnic in a more sheltered area. On our way to North Rustico, we passed a flock of mallards enjoying the day at French River. I hadn’t seen mallards in some time, so it was a treat to watch them for several minutes 

and meet a new friend too.

The gazebo at North Rustico has a view of the harbour and is a great place to have lunch. Our turkey soup hit the spot, warming us to our toes.  

Our excursions will continue as long as possible this autumn and a hot picnic lunch will be on the menu.