There was nary a breeze and the sun was toasty warm on my back as I walked. There remains a few crickets chirping and the occasional call of the meadowlark settles in my heart. Not far away I can see the dust and hear the steady hum of a tractor and cultivator at work as harvest is long done in our area. The colours of autumn are showing their awesomeness across the prairie and it fills me with joy. Even the dogs taking a dip and getting muddy could not dampen my mood. But… there’s always one isn’t there?
Even if just for my own purposes I wanted too tie up the trip to Prince Edward Island. Took me long enough that I can call it a throwback Thursday!
The numbers are finally in. The big ride days equalled 376 kms and we did 75 kms riding to suppers and sightseeing for a total of 450 km in 11 days. Longest day was 78.6 and that one did my hand no service but I am already recovering from my handlebar neuropathy.
Another important set of “numbers”:
Zero
Falls off the bike
Rain while on the bike
Getting lost
Cookie cutter neighborhouds
One
Scuzzy cabin
Idiot driver
Sleeping in a lighthouse!
Unfriendly islander
Countless
Beautiful beaches
Charming houses
Pastoral scenes
Outstanding suppers
The end result was a stellar trip that we powered with our legs. We were 2 of the approximately 1.5 MILLION visitors to PEI. No wonder accommodation regularly has No Vacancy signs. It bears thinking about. The impact of that many people descending onto that small of a space. While we did power ourselves our luggage went by vehicle but it was never just ours as they move people, bikes, walkers and luggage daily.
How many of us think about our environmental impact from a holiday? We went to an interesting display in the Confederation Center that traces the tourism industry on PEI throughout the last century +.
The one cranky islander I met was a tour guide. Seems a bit odd to me that he was but I guess as I wasn’t a paying customer he didn’t feel obligated to be polite. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that he hates Anne, L.M.Montgomery and anything to do with either of them. But that’s what initially put PEI on the map.
The tourists, who pay him, come to see the Prince Edward Island that she wrote about. She lamented in her journals in the late 20’s that the cars and tourists were running amuk on the island (this is, of course, my own paraphrasing of it). Interestingly enough we felt it was quite unspoilt other than for the power lines.
“You never know what peace is until you walk on the shores or in the fields or along the winding red roads of Prince Edward Island in a summer twilight when the dew is falling and the old stars are peeping out and the sea keeps its mighty tryst with the little land it loves.” – Lucy Maud Montgomery
We practiced the “take only pictures and leave only footprints” motto. Easy to do there as almost every garbage can is a triple “decker” with recycling, compost and garbage sections. It’s a very clean province with no litter. The Confederation Trail was well maintained but the highways could use a consistent shoulder on them. Drivers were over the top courtesy except for one idiot who scared the heck out of me and the guy coming towards him.
Home now for just over a week and the travel high is subsiding but the memories will be cherished forever. Such a great part of Canada to explore via bike. Now where to next??
The day stretched ahead, all new territory. Down the hill, through the thicket that hid Bishop’s Rest, onto the trail. Overhead, yet again, blue skies and sunshine. The birds chattered in the trees and our tires crunched noisily along the trail. Who knew what we would discover?
Our paths today turned up island via the big wheels of a van. The tour company picked us up, far too bright and early, but it was because we shared the trip with another couple who had 40 kms to bike versus our stay and “play” day. We started at the North Point Lighthouse and worked our way south. And hey I actually had my directions today.
It’s a story decades in the making and deserves to be recorded. I’ve been “commisioned” to create the ending of it. A label is simply not enough in this case.
There are some moments as a parent, even of adult children, that your heart swells. This past week provided such a warm glow that I felt it was worthy of sharing.
Equipoise Life 