This is a catch-up entry – a bit from yesterday and today. We got busy yesterday and I never did catch up enough to write the blog. Today, just now, we’re sitting on a ferry bound for Isle-de-la-Madeleine, a five hour transit into Quebec and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Do you remember the No Mow May thing from a few days ago? I looked at it more closely and talked to some locals, and it is all about not mowing the prodigious dandelions that flower in May, in order to support the native bees. We’ve strolled through a few of the big dandelion fields and there are lots of bees, and some really nice big bumble bees. They are the coolest bees around. So I’m all the more convinced that No Mow May will be a thing for Camp Sherman in future years!
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| No Mow May fields |
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| A big bumble bee (hiding toward the bottom) in said fields |
Our first night on PEI was a real treat. The rain faded early in the evening and the couple who own the BnB where we are staying were a real joy. They’ve only been there for about 6 months so they are new to the business, but their hospitality was all a bit overwhelming. After strolling along their “cliffside” overlooking the Northumberland Strait, we joined their family for a delicious dinner of jerk chicken. They wouldn’t hear of us not dining with them. Then we went out to the fire pit and talked long into the evening as the near-full moon rose over a mirror smooth strait. Pretty nice.
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| The fire pit helps keep the black flies at bay |
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| Hanging out on PEI |
I woke up very early (so what else is new?) and watched the moon set as the sun rose. My photo does not capture the beauty of it but use your imagination.
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| Moon-set just before sun-rise |
Breakfast was awesome and by the time we’d packed up the bike to head to Georgetown, we were stuffed for the day. Our ride yesterday was about 75 km to a BnB in Georgetown. The roads were very quiet with hardly any traffic. Our route took us around each little inlet and harbour and we enjoyed watching the fishing fleets go about their work. About 50 km into the ride a pickup truck stopped in front of us and the driver got out and waved us down. He was a local who wanted us to be sure to ride out to Palmure Beach, which he said was the best beach on PEI. What the heck? We too the 15 km diversion and the beach was indeed beautiful, albeit cold in the blasting wind on the headland.
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| Palmure Bay and beach |
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| Taking a break in Montague at Copper Bottom Brewing |
The next stop was Montague, a smallish town with a new brewpub called Copper Bottom. We tried a beer and by that time it was getting late and we still had another 30 km to ride. By the time we made it to Georgetown we were both pretty tired. I did a bit of routine maintenance on the bike and we got tucked into our room – we are the only guests in the entire place. We wandered the town, which dates back to the late 1700s and had a nice dinner at the only restaurant in town that was open – we were the only diners that night. We started with 500 g of mussels and then Lorie had seafood chowder (lobster, scallops, clams, mussels, haddock) and I had fish & chips. Lorie tried an orange sparkling wine from Nova Scotia and I had a beer from Upland Brewing in Charlottetown, PEI.
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| Our BnB in Georgetown; built in 1857 |
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| The still-used courthouse in Georgetown, from the mid-1800s |
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| Orange sparkling wine |
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| Moules |
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| Seafood chowder |
The ferry from Souris (on PEI) to an archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence called Les-Isles-De-La-Madeleine is about 60 km from Georgetown. Not surprisingly based on the name, the islands of the archipelago are in the province of Quebec. Everything we’ve read and heard about the islands tells us that it will be beautiful, and more than likely, windy and rainy. But no rain today.
We awoke to an absolutely beautiful day. Cold, ish, about 5 degrees C, but blue skies and no wind. After a sound sleep and another big breakfast at the BnB, we headed north to Souris, where we catch the ferry that we’re on right now. The ride was about 60 km and we flew along. This is Amish country and we passed many families in horse-drawn carts along the way. They looked at us with great surprise, but always offered a wave. The kids seemed really interested in the oddity that we are.
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| Even the horse thought we were weird...but always a wave hello |
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| The tilled fields are quite red |
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| Ukraine, PEI and Canada |
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| The Souris to Iles-de-la-Madeleine Ferry |
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| Our chariot waiting to get on the ferry |
Cap-Aux-Meules is a tiny island that is about 60 km long and maybe 1 km wide. Because it is in Quebec there is almost no English spoken; only Quebecois. The weather is stunningly beautiful and warm and there is no wind in the notoriously windy Gulf of St. Lawrence. We are really enjoying, knowing that the weather deteriorates tomorrow and turns awful on Friday. We are staying two nights on the island and will enjoy a bit of a rest and some easy riding tomorrow
Some photos from the ferry crossing:
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| The ferry had very few passengers |
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| Steaming away from Souris |
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| East Point Lighthouse, PEI |
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| Our first glimpse of Isle-de-la-Madeleine, Isle de la Entrance |
The docking in Cap Aux Meules was amazing as the huge ferry had to nearly parallel park between other vessels. But the captain must be an old hand at it and had no problem. The port town of Cap Aux Meules is a working port and it looks a lot like the small ports in Iceland that we visited a few years ago.
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| That's the port and the ferry we arrived on. They did use a tug to get the bow of the ferry tight against the pier |
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| Cap Aux Meules |
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| The main part of town |
We walked down to town and found a nice restaurant. Lorie had moule et frites and I had a halibut burger. A couple of beers from a local brewery washed it down nicely.
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| Moules |
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| Halibut |
We will ride somewhere tomorrow, but only a relatively short ride. The direction depends on the direction the wind is blowing, and the length depends on the weather. It is kind of a rest day.
Bon soir et adieu.
