An easier day

After biking four days and 195 miles, Ted and I were ready for a break. Yesterday we were supposed to bike 53 miles from Cable Head to East Point and back to Souris. While both of us were physically up to the challenge, I think we were ready to slow down a bit. So we looked at the map, called our guide George for advice and decided to cut the day down to a more manageable 30 miles so we could spend some time lingering in certain spots. 

It was the right decision.

The day started like any NY summer day except we were on PEI. It was sunny, hot, humid and windless. The bad thing about the lack of wind is that an abundance of bugs can easily find you and start their morning meal right after you have finished yours. So both of us slather on suntan lotion and bug spray to mitigate the effects of the day. Time to ride.

We turn east on route 16 and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is in sight. There are some fields of potatoes and grass, but the larger crop or space are unharvested trees that line the road. There are few houses and even fewer cars as we make our way east.

We take a side trip toward the Gulf where Warren’s Cottages are located. A few farms and houses dot the side and soon we reach a cliff leading down to the water.  To our far left, the beach and cliffs are the characteristic red we have seen for most of the trip but below us is a less common white. We scurry down for a look. Removing our shoes we scrunch our toes in the white clean sand and  comb the beach.

A stream from the hillside cascades toward the water’s edge bisecting the beach. Approaching it, however, it is not that crystal clear as a distinctive whiff of manure tickles my nostrils. Rather than cross and go further we head back toward the bikes.

As we pedal back toward the road we have crossed the 200 mile mark.

Like much of the island, many of the homes are relatively small, by U.S. standards, but have very large lawns. It is quite common to see postage stamp sized houses hundreds of feet removed from the road surrounded by acres of lawn. I guess my Scott’s hand mower would be useless here.

There are a few hills but the isolation we find ourselves in make up for any extra  effort needed. We push forward on our own path with an increasingly warm wind in our face and the rolling of the tires being the only sounds accompanying us.

We turn off again and stop at the Shipwreck Point Cafe in Naufrage for a mid-morning refueling. I opt for coffee and strawberry-rhubarb pie and Ted goes for a more substantial snack of chowder and a grilled cheese sandwich. We are not disappointed. 

We bike down to the docks where one of the jetties are being reinforced. We are tempted to go in the water but it is filled with rather large jellyfish. We return to our bikes.

More farms start to populate the land and a farmer is plowing in a winter grass before planting a new crop. We pass a shed with a giant blueberry on it but the only thing inside is a hand-painted sign with “wild blueberries,” written. It is too early in the season.

Turning south on route 305, a grouping of windmills sits motionless to our right. They emerge from the forest as would a stand of large mutant white trees behind the fields that front the road. 

This section of the ride is hot and unforgiving. The flatness of terrain we were promised turns out to be a hoax and we work hard to go over successively larger hills as we close in to Souris. 

The Confederation Trail crosses route 305 at the bottom of yet another hill so instead of climbing more, we detour around following the old gravel train bed for an easy ride into Souris. The shade and dappled sunlight reminds us of our prior year’s ride on the Great Allegheny Passage. 

Getting to our destination early is a  pleasure and we have time for a leisurely and relaxing lunch down on the shore at The Lobster Shack. It being July 4, Ted had a full lobster, and I a lobster roll. We decide to hang out, do a little shopping and then head off to our B&B for a shower, a bit of a rest and then another wonderful dinner.