Chefprefers BLOG

Cavendish

The team headed east to the central northern part of the island. PEI has three counties on the island: the western side, Prince County; the central part, Queens County; and the eastern part, Kings County. For the coastal geographical nature, the red sand is on the southern coast, and the typical champagne sand is on the north coast. We were driving from west to east. Our next stop was Cavendish. This region is home to the famous Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery; she had written many books at the turn of the century, including Anne of Green Gables. I felt the character Anne was similar to her life growing up. Although, Cavendish has a lot going for it. There are many beaches and walks to visit, as well as having a Ceilidh (Scottish/Irish fiddler music) show. The Sterling Women’s Institute put on a good Ceilidh show in their hall. We were lucky enough to see a country fiddler show starring Troy Macgillirvey, a well-known violinist from Nova Scotia. You certainly know when people have talent, and Troy was by far the best I’ve ever seen.

Our next stay was on the northern coast at the crossroads in Cavendish. Shinning Waters Inn is a quaint place, the main house contains eight rooms and has many two bedroom cabins out the back. We had four nights there. Our room was on the second floor. Luckily, it had an air conditioner; the humid 32-degree days made it uncomfortable. For dinner, the Lost Anchor cafe was a few paces away, where I had my fourth seafood chowder. The cafe was quite popular, so we had to wait for a table. Leaving our number then texting us when one is available. Trip advisor rated this place very well. So it was worth the wait.

The next day, I was the president (the person who makes the decisions for the day), so I decided we would go cycling along the nature reserve from North Rustico to Cavendish Beach. Paying more for the e-bikes at the rental turned out to be a game changer. The group cycled around the duneland of Cavendish—about 30k, all up with some headwinds on the return. Cranking the e-bike power up to max made the drag too easy. There were many smiles, and to satisfy our stomachs, we waited for an available table at the Blue Mussel cafe on the docks of North Rustico. Again they would text you when a table was ready. Trip Advisor had rated this place as number one on the island. We had to go since it was my birthday. Yes, another seafood chowder and three soft tacos. Why do I think that taco filling is loaded in a hard tortilla? Well, in PEI, they’re soft. The hardies come from Mexico, and the softies come from Canada. It may be a sign of their character, um, better not go there.

We kept driving past PEI popular ice cream franchise, Cows. So, it was time for a milkshake. If you had followed my blog through Palm Springs last year, you would have read that I rated the milkshakes from the ‘Great Shakes’ establishment. There were lots of choices and plenty of love in the making. Well, we stopped at the Cavendish Cows franchise, and the lineup for ice cream was out the door. A sign stated that their milkshake flavours depended on the forty flavours of ice cream. There were so many, and so I went with the caramel swirl. So, they filled the cup with the flavour and put it under the blender. There was no love in that; my tongue thought the same thing, too. I will still search for the best milkshake in Canada. Perhaps I should give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s too far North to know how to serve a great shake.

The next day was run day, so my brother-in-law and I suited up to do a 6k run where we rode our e-bikes. I struggled to finish 5k, so I walked for the rest. He did 8k, training for his half Marathon in October. Perhaps a bit early for training, but he’s keen. I’ve signed up to run the Stromlo 15k in November. I’ve got a long way to go on how I’m feeling.

We were off the Brackley beach today to enjoy a relaxing beach day. Swimmers on, beach towel in hand, and lay down to roast. The water was warm (21 degrees), although the beach had a shallow drop-off. So, you needed to go a long way out to get your shoulders wet. There were no waves, too—nothing like the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps the Saint Lawrance swell doesn’t exist?

Later that evening, I had my next seafood chowder at the New Glasgow Supper. They have several suppers around the island, which you pay first for a three-course meal: fresh bread rolls, seafood chowder and a bucket full of Mussels. The main coarse was a one-pound lobster with a salad, and for dessert, I chose the lemon meringue pie. All for 49 North American pasos, CAD. It had been some years since I had a lobster; they are rich in taste, so it’s not something you have all the time. These PEI suppers are usually provided in basic country halls and run by locals. The halls are generally packed during the lobster season.

On our last day, we chose to go for a guided paddle in the Cabot Beach National Park; a local young man, Jeff who runs his own business hires out kayaks and bikes. He liked a chat and was very outgoing. Our team launched two dual kayaks; it was the wrong tide to hire a kayak since we could either go into the lake to see the Mussel farm where the tide is against you or paddle against the headwind into the bay, so the guide elected to take us out to the bay. His accent was very Canadian, saying “eay!” every second word. It wasn’t annoying, just noticeable. I struggled to paddle the 3k distance into the headwind; I was relieved that we only needed to hold out our paddles and sail back to shore on the way back.

While driving through Malpeque, we noticed a country fair. In progress near the old Protestant church. Our stomachs wondered whether there was any food, so we paid a modest donation and entered.

The lady at the entry booth mentioned there was the fastest oyster shucker on the island here and that we should see his display. As we entered, we found the food booth selling a Hotdog, French fries and a soft drink for $5 CAD. The cheapest meal we had on our travels. Remarkably, we found a vacant picnic table. Things were going well, and then a farm tractor wattled by our table towards a farm mechanism. The driver lined up the Ferguson to a steam engine using a drive belt, then uses the tractor to turn the farm apparatus to pump the steam (I guess). Well, watch the video. After wandering through the church (which has turned into a Museum), we found Daniel Oatway, PEI’s fastest Oyster shucker. He displayed his skills by serving us a plate of oysters. He said that he has been shucking oysters since 2007. He averaged shucking 12 oysters in a minute. His hands looked hardy and firm.

For our last day in Cavendish, we went to the house depicted in The Anne of Green Gables story. Lucy Maud Montgomery had written many stories, and some or most were inspired by this region. Memoirs of Lucy sitting in the nearby woods, penning her thoughts. She once wrote about where she would like to be buried.

“I want to lie among my kindred in the old spot. I love it so much better than any other spot on Earth. I selected a spot on the crest of the hill, looking down on the beautiful scene I’ve always loved – the pond, the shore, the sand dunes, the harbour.”

We approach her grave in the right spot.

Next post, Charlottetown.