July 22nd - A short, but good day

A primitive form of bicycle seen along the way. Yabba Dabba Doo.

 
This has been a good day. Even being the shortest day of riding so far, I probably put on about 60km's or more of riding, and hit a trail milestone of passing the 200km marker, just a few km's before Mount Stewart, my destination for the day.

The 200km signpost.

I saw a few other people on the trail in the morning, and finally saw some other tour riders when I get East of Charlottetown, usually in pairs. I also chatted with a lady doing a day trip. She and her daughter had flown in from Ottawa so her daughter could do a veterinary camp at UPEI and so she had rented a bike to tour around a bit. We chatted a bit about areas that are good to ride, I showed her the Confederation Trail Map I had, and then I went on my way.

I had to run into Charlottetown to pick up a couple of supplies - some ibuprofin (my right knee is objecting a little bit to the rough cranking with the paniers), some electrolyte tabs to add to my water to avoid dehydration again, and a poncho and clothespins, because the forecast is rain for Thursday. I'm hoping against it, but, it's better to be prepared than to get caught unawares.

I tried to stop in here on the way into Charlottetown, but there was a not on the door that they were closed due to illness, and to try back later in the week.

Dinner at the family restaurant in Mount Pleasant was what is becoming my standard fare - fish and chips, this time with scallops and clam strips. I am remembering how much I love scallops, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that most of the meal came, frozen, in a bag, to the restaurant. It was still good, but, when I saw the crinkle cut fries, my heart sank a little bit. Ironically, there's a really good chance the fries did come from PEI - MCCain and Cavendish have huge stock in the Island potato economy, including the processing thereof. I'd been hoping for something a bit fresher, especially given the salt water marsh that the town sits on, and the buoys I saw on it, which made me think there must be a thriving shelfish industry. Ah well, when I come back through on Friday I'll try the Maudite Poutine at the cafe.

In York - in a lot of these agricultural communities there's a lot of sales on the honour system.

I'm staying at a delightful B&B - The Water's Edge, with great hosts - Susan and Robert. The house is an old house (1800's), with plank floors that are somewhat uneven, and a beautiful screened in sundeck, beside the Hillsborough River. It apparently used to be the home of Doctor Walsh, an early doctor in Mount Pleasant. Plus, Robert knows about Brooks Saddles!

Today, I thought about how much excess stuff I've got in my paniers - the pants, nice shirts, sling pack, my netbook, long socks, extra shorts; and figured I really only need 1/2 or even less of what I've got with me. I needed the overbag for flying the paniers out here, the short socks, 2x bike shorts, underwear, 1 pair of shorts, 1 nice shirt, and a couple of light moisture wicking shirts, sandals, and the journal I'm writing in, perhaps a book to read, my phone, and both my cameras. The netbook is a nice extra for updating the blog, but definitely not necessary. I could have tented it with the same amount of room, although I'm liking the B&B thing. It's nice to not have to set up and tear down the tent all the time.

An encouraging sign.