The West and Clyde River in October

[slideshow]The West River and the Clyde River are beautiful at any time of year, but a trip on a nice October day when the leaves are displaying their colourful fall foliage is the best of all.

Wednesday, October 12th was one such day, and the Bryants and Doreen Pound enjoyed what will be the last boat ride of the season. Highlights from that afternoon included watching the oyster fishers skillfully fishing at the mouth of the Clyde River; ducks and geese taking a break from a long flight just to bask in the sun on the river; dedicated golfers getting one more round on the links; the beautiful display of yellow, orange and red leaves, and the stillness of the water so that the trees along the banks were reflected in the clear water. We also saw several hawks swooping to reach their unsuspecting prey, a seal’s head popping up now and then and even an animal swimming across the river. Was it a fox or a coyote was the big question?

There were many little open or picnic areas that are more obvious this time of year, and they look very inviting. This entire river system is just so varied and wonderful. No wonder settlers wanted to stay in this area. No wonder so many new houses are being built where the owners can have a view of this lovely scenery. The pictures from the afternoon are lovely and yet, unfortunately, they could never capture the real beauty of being there.

Doreen spent the afternoon trying to get a perspective of where we were, as the landscape is so different from the road and from the water. She knows the people who live in most of the houses along the way and who owns what land. The Bryant’s are not as familiar with the area, so they just concentrate on the scenery of the river. Every trip they learn something new and interesting. For example, Doreen showed us where the Harland used to stop at a large spring (Darrach property) to pick up fresh water for the ship on its way to Charlottetown. It was a joy to watch Doreen with her appreciation for artistic beauty seeing the potential for a painting from different perspectives as the sun’s light brought out different shades of colours.

The experience of this humble boat ride is one of those times when the beauty of our Island  is so overwhelming that one can not help but be awestruck with God’s creation. I wish everyone had an opportunity to spend a quiet afternoon on the West River. It refreshes the soul in a way that is all too rare and cannot be described adequately in words.