Inspired

This is the story of two people in their late sixties determined to ride bikes again like they did when they were kids. Well, not anything like that but you get the idea.

This pandemic has inspired us and many others to buy bicycles. We tried our daughter’s bike and enjoyed the freedom of the open air along the way. We’d like to take our bikes to various areas of Prince Edward Island to ride the trails.

One of the blogs I enjoy, Debbie @ It’s all about purple, link below, has an ebike which she uses in and around New Jersey. She inspired me. My husband was eager to try the ebike too when he learned of it. Debbie

We ordered two Rad Power bikes, one of which arrived this week. Mine will arrive in September. These bikes are peddle assist with a battery which can help if you need it. We have health issues which will make the assistance valuable when required. Our younger selves could never have imagined such a bike. We had to try it. 

Off we went at 7 a.m. to one of the local trails. It was going to be a hot day but the early morning breeze made the heat bearable at this early hour.  I had our daughter’s bike again and my husband was on his new Rad. We were doing well until I had to go through a gate to the trail. Down I went on my left knee, as if in slow motion, onto a mass of tiny pebbles below. It was hard to rise with the bike on top of me. I had pebbles stuck in the broken flesh of my knee but no other injuries. I was able to continue on and even tried the new bike with and without the pedal assist.

Along the way, a man in a wheel chair wheeled himself along the trail while a friend walked beside him. That man was an athlete in every sense of the word. While we were stopped to clean my knee, a man with a prosthetic arm sped by on his bike. These men also inspired us.

We hope to ride in different areas of the island on the Confederation Trail, the Heritage Roads and in the National Park on the bike trails. Cycling is another dimension of physical activity and experience we hope to enjoy for as long as our health allows. 

I feel like a kid again waiting for her new bike and so excited to ride. I hope my knees can take it though. I’ll keep you posted.

Black Marsh Trail 2

It’s a long way down so I didn’t want to stand too close to the edge. Fences keep people safe in a number of areas.

Lookouts, strategically placed, provide good views. The coastal path of the Black Marsh Trail is one of my favourites.

This trail parallels another trail through the forest along North Cape, each part of the trail providing a unique island experience. Both open to the Black Marsh, a huge peat marsh which drops off the sandstone cliffs onto the beach 10 meters below.

There are some unusual plants on the Black Marsh. The only one we could find was the pitcher plant. 

My husband and I are from Newfoundland and know this plant well since it is the provincial flower of that island. The plant lacks chlorophyll and is carnivorous which attracts insects into the pitchers on the ground where they are digested. The flowers are unique. We didn’t expose the pitchers in the bog at the base of the plant because we didn’t want to disturb the marsh.

Walking along the coastal trail near the marsh, one sees the effect of the icy blast of winter on the trees along the cliffs. 

They are art now, weathered remnants of former majestic glory. They have found an artistic raison d’être in this natural gallery until the sea finally claims them.

The sea stack draws visitors to this place as well. It has changed over the years of course, from its days as an elephant in the late 1990s to the shape it presents today. 

On the way back along the coast, we stopped at the lookouts. 

The trees clinging to the edge of the cliff defy gravity.

I walked the trail to the lighthouse and watched as seagulls floated on the breeze. 

Bank swallows darted overhead. After numerous photos, I captured this shot of one leaving the nesting area. It’s hard to capture bank swallows in flight.

We had a picnic and made a few more stops before we headed home. 

Black Marsh Trail 1

The Black Marsh Trail is one of my favourite trails on Prince Edward Island. Located at North Cape on the northwest tip of the island, the trail has two routes, through a forest and along the coast. My husband and I have walked a number of forest trails on Prince Edward Island but none is as unique as this one.

I vividly remember the last time we walked here in April 2017. Snow lingered among the trees then and everything was brown. The effect of the icy blast of wind off the water/ice has a huge impact on the trees which is particularly obvious in winter when the deciduous trees are bare and the other vegetation is dead. 

However, you can see the effect in summer as well.

This is the location of a wind turbine farm so if the sight and sound of wind turbines bother you, this is not the trail for you. I don’t hear the sound after a few minutes. My husband does but enjoys the trail in spite of it. 

The seaward side of the coniferous trees along the forest trail show damage from the icy blast of the wind along this coastline. 

The deciduous tress and shrubs, if they survive, grow to fill in the path through the forest along with some wildflowers. We stopped several times to take in the green tunnel.

The open parts of the trail pass beside the turbines in some places. In various areas the trees show the damage. The Queen Anne’s Lace and goldenrod are some of the few wildflowers which can live here.

Before long, we came upon one of the entrances to the coastal part of the trail. 

The two sections merge before you reach the Black Marsh. But that’s part 2.

Sunflowers

There it stands, facing south near where the stream empties into the harbour at Summerside. It is easy to miss this sunny beauty with the two buds waiting their turn to shine. We smile when we notice it. 

My husband and I saw a sunflower along this bank a few years ago. The sunflowers are probably from the birdseed left by admirers of the animals in the area. A seed planted itself along the bank when it floated downstream or a bird dropped it. Whatever the method, there it planted, sprouted and grew, which is no small feat.

While it was windy this day, it was low tide. On days of high tide and high winds, sea water breaches the bank and floods the stream and salt marsh. How did the little seed survive and go on to thrive?

A few days later, we looked for the sunflower from our perch on the gazebo again. “Look, there are more,” I said as I looked left along the bank. 

We walked down the boardwalk and along a trail out to the shore. The sunny faces rimmed the shoreline.

A few plants were still in bud while others were in different stages of blooming. 

One bloom was perfect, the centre of its face more green than the more mature flowers. 

All were in the shadow of the gazebo. 

“Remember those sunflower seeds I bought a few years ago?” my husband asked. “I nurtured them for weeks. They weren’t as perfect as these accidental ones.” 

And once again, nature shows us how it’s done!

The walker

This is a story about seniors. When people see the word walker as it applies to seniors, many think of the walk assist device in common use in nursing homes. However, this story isn’t about that walker.

Early mornings this summer before humidity makes the day unbearably hot, my husband and I walk the boardwalk. 

We enjoy seeing the animals which are active early in the morning but also the cast of human characters which we see most days as well.

A number of people, like us, want to beat the heat and hit the walkway early. Many, like us, enjoy the animals along the way. Many also walk their dogs as we walk the golden grand-dog when she visits. Georgie, like many of the boardwalkers, loves watching the animals.

Dogs are great conversation starters. People stop to admire Georgie and ask her age. Sometimes we query others about their dogs. Dog owners are a breed unto themselves.

One morning, an elderly woman walked slowly behind her small dog. I commented what a cute little pup he was. She said, “He keeps me active. After I feed him, he stands by the door until I take him for a walk.” Our dogs keep us moving.

The other animals are conversation starters as well. The squirrels, chipmunks, 

muskrats and birds are the sources of much enjoyment as people bring cameras, peanuts or birdseed to the area.

A mother mallard has raised her brood of ducklings while we walk. There are several people we meet regularly who are also taking photos of the maturing ducklings and we share news of the day’s sighting.

One man appears every morning with a bag of peanuts in shells for the squirrels and raw peanuts for the chipmunks and birds. He thoroughly enjoys the animals, taking great delight in their every move. He is the animal whisperer of the boardwalk.

There are a few younger people out early in the morning too but the vast majority of early morning walkers are seniors of all shapes, sizes and physical abilities. One woman is a retired nurse who uses her cane as she walks along, enjoying the setting and the animals. Dogs recognize her for the treats she offers. She’s made a lot of friends along the way.

An 87 year old man and his wife walk early too. He brings along his camera and is always looking for an unusual animal shot. Recently they saw an albino squirrel which we are never fortunate enough to see.

Topics of conversation include the weather, the animals, cameras, wildflowers, the setting, news in the community or the province and the pandemic. It is a great place to socialize. Old friends talk longer than people who have met along the boardwalk but everyone manages a, “Good morning,” or “Beautiful day,” or at least a nod. 

People who walk the boardwalk make a little community of our own. We look for the same people every morning and wonder about them if we don’t see them for a few days. We share sightings of the animals and stories of encounters with them. Not only does the walking keep us active, it adds to our social life as well. Being this type of walker may delay our need for the other kind.

French River summer during the pandemic

The lookout over French River is where I take seasonal photos for the header of my blog. This place shows the connection between the land and sea on Prince Edward Island and it keeps drawing me back. However, the province wide shut-down of all but essential businesses due to Covid 19 has had a huge impact on this island. The pandemic has impacted this scene, more obviously in some ways than others.

Our most recent visit to the area occurred after the end of the spring lobster fishery when fishers had returned their traps to the wharf and fishing shacks. While the fishery began after a late start, decreased demand affected prices this year. Restaurants were closed for months and eventually opened with reduced capacity. Prices were down and demand decreased. 

Along the channel from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the mussel beds hold their briny treasures, 

waiting for the boats to harvest them. However demand for this product is down this year too.

Meanwhile, in the fields, potatoes are in blossom already. 

However, there aren’t as many fields planted with potatoes this year. Covid has kept the demand for potatoes and many other food products down.

The golf course across the channel is open but not as busy as other years due to tourism restricted to Atlantic Canadians. 

Around the wharf, the heartbeat of the community, the gently rolling hills are lush and green. Everything looks serene.

While life continues through the pandemic, the economic lives of families who rely on the land and sea around French River and indeed all of Prince Edward Island has been hugely impacted. This peaceful scene doesn’t tell the whole story.

 

Along the way 4

As we walk the trails and beaches of Prince Edward Island, even the most familiar ones, there is always something different or unusual to see. This collection of items is from the last month.

This is Tate the Tater,

a mascot for the Prince Edward Island Potato Board. He was present the day Farm and Food Care PEI gave away bags with potato, turnip, cabbage and milk to islanders. This is the second such giveaway in our area. The farmers and producers on the island have been really generous during this pandemic. Thank you!

This rabbit is the first one we’ve seen on the island in our ten years here. I took the photo with my daughter’s cell phone and couldn’t manage a clear shot.

One early morning recently, we spotted a number of slugs making their way along the boardwalk. While some are squashed into the wood or gobbled up by birds, others manage to avoid the predators and footfalls as they retreat for the grass. 

Along one of the trails at the Rotary Friendship Park this nest is visible in a tree at eye level. It is much bigger than the tiny nests made by the sparrows around our house. I wonder which bird makes such a big nest?

A few weeks ago our daughter transported a bat to our house on her vehicle. This week we found this swallowtail caught in the grill of our car. Unlike the bat, sadly this butterfly didn’t survive.

During our recent trip to Chelton Beach, what we thought was the sound of a motorboat was actually a front end loader in the distance. The loader carried rock which it deposited along the shoreline in front of a cottage along the beach. Erosion is a problem all along the coastline. This cottager is attempting to hold on to his waterfront property for another few years.