North Cape and other points west of Cavendish

Having a motorized vehicle on the island is wonderful... especially for my knees which cringe each time we drive by a group of cyclists. I will always maintain that you develop a more personal relationship with the island on a bike but there are definite benefits to having a motorized vehicle. Long distances are covered quickly, the air conditioning is delightful and i will never forget my cycling adventures in Canada's tiniest province.

We left Cavendish and headed west towards North Cape on the main highway. The plan was to leave the main highway at Alberton and take the scenic route up the coast. Plans are created so that they may be changed. And if that isn't already a rule for life it should be.

Ahead of us was a large building with a sloped roof on which was painted Island Artisans and in front of the building was an enormous, as in gigantic, replica of a woven basket with high sides and a hooped handle. "Let's stop there said" the two females and the male agreed. Inside we found the best assortment of quality handmade items that I have ever seen. One lady came up to us with thin strips of wood and explained that these were strips of ash that she had peeled from a log after pounding it to separate the layers. There was a workshop out front where she prepared the wood and at the back of the store there was a bathtub in which various thin strips of wood were soaking because the wood must be wet when you weave it. In addition to baskets (and there were lots and lots of baskets) there were colourful wooden bird houses, handmade wooden puzzles for children, other carved wooden items and so much more and all of a very high quality. The people working explained that about a hundred artisans sell their items through this store. I had a wonderful time at this store and came away with some special treasures. 

Before we left one of the ladies told Ken about a restaurant "just up the road." To an Islander everything is just up the road. About 20 minutes she said, you won't be sorry she said, the food is delicious she said. And she was right! Maybe not about the 20 minutes though because if you go up the wrong road it will take a wee bit longer.And when you come to the end of the road and all you see are boats and boat buildings you may think you've gone the wrong way. If that happens turn around and you will find the restaurant at Milligan's Wharf. The food was extremely good especially the rhubarb-cranberry custard pie that she created because she didn't have any strawberries to make strawberry-rhubarb pie. And very helpful. "No, said the owner and chef, you don't want to put that with the lobster roll, we have some nice salads available." This was the tiniest restaurant I have ever been in with the tables close enough together that conversations between tables just happen. The restautant was very busy that day because the artisan store had told most of their customers about her fabulous food! It was a quaint and memorable meal.

At one fishing harbour I was looking for the perfect angle to get that elusive perfect photo when I heard some hammering. I went around a corner and saw two men mending lobster traps. I asked if I could take a picture and the taller ones said "Aye, no matter." And this was the beginning of my education about lobster fishing. Daley and Kevin have 300 lobster traps, Davey holds the license so I guess Kevin is the mate. As I understood it, the licence is for a specific area and the areas are open at different times. This year there was a bumper harvest of lobster but the pay per lobster was the lowest ever making it a great season for the buyers that set the price and a difficult season for Davey and Kevin. And there is a lot of work involved before, during and after the designated season. All three hundred traps have to be checked and slats, netting, etc. repaired as needed. They had about 50 left to check and it was probably going to take two more days, although Kevin really wanted to get them finished the next day. In addition all of the buoys need to be painted every other year and this is the year. Davey explained that seven traps are strung out on rope and marked with a buoy that has specific colourson to identify it as yours. In each trap there is an opening that is a regulated size to allow the smaller lobsters to escape. Recently the government changed the size allowance which meant adding a new escape plate to each trap. Talking to these two lobster/herring fishermen was a delightful educational experience.

Kildare Capes is the area where I previously had the opportunity to watch locals harvest Irish moss after a storm. This is done with a special breed of horse, known locally as mossers and it is incredible to watch man and horse manoeuvre a large metal scoop through the surf and up onto the shore to empty the scoop. There had not been a storm the night before so we wandered along the cliff and admired the erosion caused by the continuous pounding of the waves.