Kensington For Lunch

To say that the Moving Day 80 kilometer ride took it out of most of us would be an understatement.  I pride myself in riding regularly but not every day.  The following day many of us declared we wanted a day of rest but Ken, our Summerside B&B host, suggested we take a leisurely circle route to Kensington and back for lunch.  He said he regularly took his five kids on the ride and convinced us it was doable. 

We set off on quiet country roads and it was a relaxing, rejuvenating, slower ride.  We went to Kensington’s former rail station for a delicious Pub lunch.  It was great sitting on the old 1905 railway station platform, in the sun, enjoying a Miss Piggy sandwich (bun, bacon, with fried Kessler Ham, and of course fries), accompanied by a local craft beer (Island Red is my favourite). 

Our return home to the B&B included red gravel road rides as well as timeouts, stopping to watch farmers fertilizing their fields and monitor their crops.  A stop for ice cream finished the final bit and we arrived back home just short of 57 kilometers.  A little longer than we planned but it felt good none-the-less.

We finished the evening at Lin’s Restaurant.  It is not much too look at from the outside but inside European gourmet food is served by Lin.  He is a one-man show and so shy he hovers by your shoulder until there is a break in the conversation before placing your entre in front of you.  Voted “best food” on tour.  I highly recommend the stuffed rosemary pork chop.

Moving Day

It has been awhile since our last blog entry.  We have been simply too busy.  The daily routine hasn’t left much time for reflection or the recording of our activities. 

Typically, we get up and enjoy a B&B breakfast.  Deborah eats heaps but healthy.  I do not.  Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage (and of course potatoes – you can’t insult the locals by not eating potatoes).  And then we ride, ride, ride, stop for lunch, and ride some more.  All our rides end the same way, with “stinky beers”.  No one is allowed to shower and change until the first few beers are inhaled.  And then we shower and meet for predinner drinks.  And then we walk to dinner and enjoy wine with great food.  And then we walk home and fall into our beds.  And then we wake up and repeat the previous day.

I am now sitting on a plane trying to put our past few days into words to remember.

Confederation Trail: Charlottetown to Summerside

In our last entry we mentioned finishing our first three rides out of Charlottetown and were about to set off on the Confederation Trail from Charlottetown, west to Summerside.

The Trail is 273 kilometers from sea to sea and traverses the entire island.  We completed 80 kilometers on this leg.  The Trail is former rail bed so the inclines are limited to about 2% “ups and downs”.  While some of our group routinely complete 100 k road rides on their road bikes, riding a hybrid or mountain bike on compact sand/gravel is considerably more taxing.

The weather continued to favour us until the last couple of hours in our seven hour riding day.  Just before reaching our goal the skies opened up and dropped rain all over us.  This made riding the softening sand/gravel even more challenging and the only “not much fun” section of the experience.

Along the way we stopped and visited a potato farmer hilling his crop.  When the planted potatoes breach the surface, the farmer drags his hilling implement over the barely discernible crop forming hills.  His John Deere tractor was equipped with a computerised navigation system that guided him down the rows so as not to disturb the growing potatoes.

Proud Farmer - Family Farm For 200 Years

Our goal was to stop about midway for lunch at the Hunter River Bakery.  There isn’t much in the way of amenities when riding the trail.  Lots of scenery but you had better take your lunch or plan to stop at Hunter River; there isn’t any other spot.

Again, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Boys Will Be Boys

Our Home in Summerside