What A Difference!

The red soil of P.E.I.

     Montague is only a 30 minute drive from the ferry terminal and along the way, the differences from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia were quite apparent. For starters, P.E.I. is mostly sand and sandstone and reddish soil, caused by the iron content.  There are few natural rocks to be seen, other than those deliberately placed to control erosion or construct walls, breakwalls and other things.  In Newfoundland, thick soil and sandy coastline were very rare.  In most places, only a few inches of soil covered the ever-present rock or, in the case of developed areas, crushed rock.

The large farm field behind our backyard

Lobster at Souris Lobster Fest

      P.E.I. has many farms with excellent growing conditions and still has a viable fishing industry, mainly lobster, mussels and oysters.  Newfoundland's economy was predominantly based on fishing for northern cod, so when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans imposed the cod moratorium in 1992, most towns and out-port villages had no other economic engine upon which to sustain themselves.  P.E.I. and the other maritime provinces do not share the Grand Banks, where the most lucrative fishing locations for northern cod were, so their fisheries were based on other species.  In any event, their economies were also sustained by farming.

     Farms are seen everywhere and we see crops growing all around us.  Potato plants are showing off their white blossoms and will be ready for harvesting towards the end of September.  Many other nearby fields are growing crops which we do not yet recognize but look forward to seeing in the local farmers' market.  Due to the lack of rock and stone, farmers occasionally add finely crushed rock from Newfoundland or Nova Scotia to their fields to improve the mineral content.

Rows of planted potatoes waiting to grow. The crop was
late this year due to a wet spring.

     The weather is also much more pleasant than in Newfoundland, depending upon one's preferences.  We have had many days this summer where the temperature reached 30 degrees, whereas in Newfoundland, the hottest days never got above 25, partially due to the ever-present winds.  Newfoundland also received much more rainfall than P.E.I.

     Unfortunately, moving to P.E.I. has meant we have had to get reacquainted with mosquitoes as well as other bugs, which were very rare where we lived in Paradise.  We are hoping that the end of summer will also be the end of those!

A fox that we saw sitting at the roadside in a campground.
Is he waiting for someone to feed him? Probably.

      P.E.I. has long embraced their foxes.  The fox-farming industry began in 1890 in western Prince Edward Island when a couple of businessmen captured black and silver-coloured foxes and began a secret breeding experiment. The two made millions of dollars selling the pelts. Eventually they sold breeding stock to others, and foxes became an industry that boomed several times, making and losing fortunes for thousands of Island farmers.  Many kept a few dozen foxes on their mixed family farms until just a few decades ago, and the last recorded live fox show was held near Summerside, P.E.I., in 2006, at which time there were about two dozen breeders. Foxes released into the wild multiplied rapidly since there were no natural predators until coyotes began to also prosper on the island.  The two animals share the same habitats and eating habits and coyotes are known to prey on foxes.  This has caused the foxes to gravitate towards the urban areas where humans will feed them and garbage can be found.

    In P.E.I., there are no moose, caribou, deer or bears, only small animals such as raccoons, skunks, beavers and foxes. Now I don't have to worry about any moose or deer stepping out onto the road while driving. However, once crossing the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick you have to keep your eyes open for both moose and deer.

     The landscape is much flatter than in Newfoundland which makes it better for farming but less interesting for hiking.  As a result, there are not nearly as many well developed trail systems compared to Newfoundland, at least in eastern P.E.I.  The former CN rail system was converted into the Confederation Trail after the railway was abandoned in 1989, but it is mostly wide, flat and of crushed stone - great for cycling but not very interesting for hiking.

     P.E.I. is really a tourist province and the summer months are hopping with many festivals across the province. We hope to attend some of them during our time here. Apparently, once the summer season is over, things close down but the farmers continue to be busy with their harvests.