Cabot Beach, PEI- North Rustico, PEI (44km)

This was a rough stretch. A very hilly and gusty 44 km along the northern PEI coast. I had no idea PEI was home to so many god damn hills. You think it would be flat. There were no places to eat for almost the whole way, and I was running low on water too.

I eventually came a across a pretty traditional lobster joint; The New London Seafood Restaurant. A tad expensive for my liking but a good experience all in all. Definitely gave me the fuel to carry forward on what was a very windy,hilly, and rainy day.

I stopped in Cavendish on the way to Blaines house in N.Rustico. The beach was awesome and is a must see for any tourist swinging through. The weather cleared up and I wish I could have spent two more sunny days there. I felt like I was in Mexico or something. This beach just killed the many Canadian stereotypes I had of the east coast.

 

Anyways, it was about 2pm, and Blaine called me asking where I was. I planned to be at his place around dinner time. He said he would pick me just down the road. Long story short, Blaine was a real cool guy and is a handy man. He does contracting work including painting, interlocking, and builds houses from scratch (including his own). His side business is in the fire wood market. He orders huge logs to his lot, and then using a bulldozer and chainsaws, manages to cut them up into 16 inch pieces, and delivers quads of them all over the island. He does very well, and needed some big help the few days I was there. A lot of large rush orders to prepare and deliver. With no time to waste, I was working at “the wood” as he called it, for the next two days. Cutting and chucking the wood and everything in between. Labour of this type never felt so good. This had to be one of the coolest “jobs” id ever done. I felt like a champion wielding a gas powered chainsaw for the first time.

Blaine was at the wood most of the time, but otherwise it was Sheldon and I sawing the wood and loading the bulldozer.

I could go on and on about how interesting the two of these guys were. But I won’t. I’ll let the documentary film (in process) speak those words. I met him through http://www.CouchSurfing.org

Blaine treated me, along with one of his girlfriends at a local restaurant; By the Bay. They specialize in steak and fresh seafood. Most people were overweight by a long shot, so you know the customers couldn’t get enough! Sort of had a flashback to Houston, TX

A storm came in after my second day at the wood. Man was I happy not to be cycling. Instead I went out the windy peer, picked up some oysters, and long story short I ended up on Blaines brother’s tuna fishing boat. We went about an hour into the middle of the ocean to bring in his fishing nets so they would not get swept away in the storm. We dropped the lines in because there was a 600lb Bluefin Tuna below us. We didn’t catch him, but we caught a bunch of Mackerel (bait for tuna).. but I ate them when we got home! A couple Cod, a lobster, a sharp weird looking fish, and a couple Mackerel came in on the nets. All food for the birds. It was not a lucky haul in the brothers opinions.

Third day I met Blaines close family. His sister owns a family farm with a cow and chickens.

All in all. These three days were some of the most exciting and interesting of the trip so far. Not hard to believe I wanted to stay for another week or so… But I wasn’t going to make it Newfoundland sitting on my ass. Time to say goodbye.

A Traditional Quebecois Sugar Party

Saturday was homework- catch-up- day for me, as is everyday in University. I had planned on staying in the night and getting a few things out of the way before the week rolled in.

As I was getting into the groove of things, I received a call from a cyclist and friend named Phil. He asked if I’d like to come to a Sugar Shack with him and a bunch of his family… I jokingly said, “what the hell is that!?” he sort of laughed and replied “You’ve been living in Quebec for almost 4 years now, and you don’t know what a sugar shack is!?”.. I thought to myself for a split second, connected some dots, and replied.. “actually, of course I do,  how could I not know! WHEN ARE WE LEAVING?!”

And then my veins started zapping with the anticipated high doses of maple syrup to come. I was only a kid but I still have memories of my frost bitten-sticky fingers.

I was 12 years old and I was on a school trip to Quebec City and then to the famed Sugar Shack in Tadoussac, QC

The memories started to come back vague and positive. We had a lot of fun there.

At least for me, living in the city, with no car, and a non-Quebecois doesn’t allow me to have such easy access to traditional outings like a “Sugar Shacks” in the country. For those of you who don’t know what a Sugar Shack is, here you go.

It is a very special part of the Quebec Folkloric Tradition and I was very happy to be a part of that.

Starts getting a bit hilly around here!

I could tell that Phil was brought back to his Quebecois roots and that he was really taking in the whole ordeal, I think everyone was!  The place was jammed with Quebecois families and also a few M’ikmaq families, who would have shared some of the same music and facilities in the 17-1800′s. Everyone seemed to be reconnected.

I liked the traditional folk music although a little cheesy at sometimes. It was nice to see all the families there and little kids enjoying themselves. It was definitely a reminder of how beautiful the country is, and how people don’t really need anything but some good food, shelter, and each-other. I think this is a commonality in most traditions. It’s too bad we as a common society have gone the way we have.

The meal started off with a fresh pea soup and some home made bread. Followed with sausages, mashed potatoes, beats, “pig ear”, some sort of shepherds pie and an omelet. Pancakes were served for the first dessert and then we went outside by the fire to make maple syrup Popsicle type things on a stick as the second dessert. Keep in mind that you add maple syrup to absolutely everything, including your coffee. All of the maple syrup is harvested on the property.

Hope you enjoyed my blurb about a personal quebec experience.

Cheers,

Mac

Thought i’d share a bit of my railroad fascination with you.

Anywhere I go, however I go or get there, I will somehow find a way to see a train or get a view of some rails or a siding.

This fascination could have evolved slowly after my parents bought me a train set when I was a little gafffer and grew even more as I immersed myself into the rail art phenomenon which I know I will always be a part of.

One of the purposes of my upcoming bike tour, and all that will precede it, will be to explore the railroads in the many provinces of Canada and in the US. Here are some pictures of the “rails” and related “artwork” that I have captured throughout Northern Ontario, Mid Eastern US, Quebec, and Vancouver.

Enjoy,