My day started as usual with a peek out of my window to check the wind conditions. As expected, the wind was still making itself known, but as I'd find out when I hit the road, today's southwest wind was a bit gentler than yesterday's.Or maybe I'm getting more accustomed to having the wind in my face all day long!
A breakfast buffet was included with my room today, and in addition to the normal cereal, toast, muffins, and fruit, there was also a waffle iron and batter for fresh waffles. And you know what, waffles not only taste good, they seem to be a good energy source for me.
Before I headed out along the coast to explore the section of national park right outside of Cavendish, I stopped at the visitor center to check my email. As I was getting ready to leave I started talking with a couple from Ontario who were also about to take off. We were talking about where we were from, and where we were traveling. They had been in Nova Scotia before getting to PEI, and they met the Feldmann's on Cape Breton Island! I knew that Cynthia & Fritz & their boys are still on the Cabot Trail, and since quite a few folks here seem to be traveling on both PEI & Nova Scotia, I kept thinking that I'd talk to someone who had met them. There are a fair number of cyclists touring through these provinces, but it's hard to miss a family of four on bikes. It's really a small world, isn't it?
This morning was a time for soaking in some beautiful sights. Yes, I was riding my bike, but I was riding slowly and stopping a lot. It was a day for enjoying my surroundings as opposed to a day for traveling a long distance. I headed out to ride the road hugging the coast in the Cavendish section of Prince Edward Island National Park. Of course there was a prize involved too - since my outbound leg was heading to the east, I had a tailwind for a while. I decided to make it an out & back ride rather than coming back a little inland on route 6. Seeing the red sandstone cliffs in both directions was a real treat. With the sun coming from the east, there was a real difference in the appearance of the cliffs in each direction. Looking east, the red was really shaded, and as I was riding back to the west with the wind in my face I had the joy of seeing the red in the cliffs jump out at me. The road was pretty empty, but I did run into and talk with some other people as I stopped and walked on the rocks or headed down to the sandy beaches. It was well worth spending the morning exploring this short (6-mile) section of coastline.
Red cliffs, sand, flocks of Canada Geese in V-formations heading south, incredible beauty...
When I headed toward Summerside, I thought of what one of the staffers at the information center said to me as I asked how to get to the second beach section of the Cavendish section of the park.She told me where to turn, but then said "but it's hilly!". Yes, the roads on this island can easily be classified as rolling hills - but they certainly don't warrant the concern I heard in their voices. I wonder what the highest elevation point is on this island. It can't be very high, even though the roads insist on going up and down. The worriers were right though; the hills continued until I hit Kensington, and then the road felt like it was a little closer to flat. There were even a few downhills with warning signs for trucks. Nice fast downhills on a bike...
I met a cross-country cyclist on the road today. He started cycling in Anchorage, took the ferry from some point in Alaska to Vancouver, and continued riding across Canada. Today is the last day of his trip since it's time to for him to go back to work. He had a funny story about his entry to PEI though - he tried to skirt the rules regarding bikes on the Confederation Bridge yesterday. He made it a little over 5 kilometers before the van that transports cyclists across the bridge caught up with him. I understand that the powers that run the bridge fine cyclists or walkers who break the rule of no non-motorized traffic on the bridge, but it sounds like this cyclist merely lost his attempt to cross on his own. Yesterday was the day of that killer southwest wind, so he was getting a huge push across the bridge. Too bad he didn't make it across. I think he didn't realize how tight the surveillance is on that bridge. There are active cameras all of the way across, and it appears that they are well monitored. While there are days when the 9 miles of that bridge must be pretty unpleasant, if bicycles were allowed I probably would have left my car in New Brunswick and ridden across. Maybe someday they'll have a bikes only day. (I can dream, right?)
My destination for the day was downtown area of Summerside, a reunion with my bright blue car, and a place to stay for the night before I head for North Cape in the morning.
Before heading in to town, I had an important visit to make. When I left Summerside last Friday, I passed a sign for a shop called Periwinkle Bears. I guess the name stuck in my head, and when I saw a card from there in one of the visitor information centers, I decided I needed to stop by on my way through Summerside again. What really peaked my interest is that the bear artists not only create bears, they also weave the fabric that is used to construct their fantastic stuffed bears. I find bears and their creators very interesting - probably at least partially because my very creative mom has made her own family of bears, and some of them even share my home. I followed the sign for Periwinkle Bears, and walked my bike down Nancy Cole & John Perry's red dirt driveway. When I went in, Nancy looked at me and told me she had just been out and had seen me pedaling down the road. She quickly offered me a glass of cold water, which I very happily accepted. I was able to see some of their bears as well as their creating space. We had a very nice visit with conversations twisting between touring by bike and creating bears. What fun!
It started sprinkling when I came out of Periwinkle Bears and headed back toward route 1A, but luckily the real rain held off until my bike and I were safely under cover. And yes, true to normal Denise fashion, I am changing my plans for the next several days. My intent was to ride from Cavendish to Alberton today, then spend tomorrow visiting North Cape and wandering some more in that general area. I was going to head down the west coast the next day, and then head back to Summerside on Sunday. I have been keeping an eye on the projected path of Hurricane Ophelia though, and since the forecast now calls for rain both Saturday and Sunday, I've decided to use my car to get to North Cape. It's supposed to be dry tomorrow, so my plans are to drive, to visit the wind farm, and to do some riding around the northwest tip of the province. Then I'll use the next day to explore the west coast. I hope to ride that day too, but my bike agrees with me that she'd rather not wander in the rain. While I know it's quite possible that the forecast is totally wrong and that it will be a dry weekend, I'd like to be free to explore without requiring a wet return cycle to Summerside. (Yes, you're right, I am a bit of a baby about riding in the rain. That's my privilege though, isn't it?)
On to North Cape tomorrow...
