Prince Edward Island…Potatoes and Wind

Traveling to the west side of Prince Edward Island we pass fields of potato crop.

 Reason enough to visit the Canadian Potato Museum.

 Prince Edward Island calls itself the Potato Capital of the World. And if you're talking about the number of potatoes produced per capita, I guess it is.

 At the Potato Museum you will learn much more than you ever wanted to know about potatoes.

 You will learn about important tools, machinery, and gadgets used in growing potatoes. This is called a Slat Grader. Every potato farmer had one.

As in most industries, there is a lot of competition.

 A trophy case full of awards for plowing contests.

Potato planting machinery old and older.

 A potato seeder and a photo of it being used. There were many examples like this.

I learned that potatoes originally came from the Andes of South America.

Potatoes of all shapes, sizes and colors are still grown in the Peruvian Andes. The language of the Quechua Indians has at least 1000 words for all the varieties of potatoes.

 It was the Spanish Conquistadors who first introduced the potato to Europe, finding it more valuable than the silver and gold they plundered from the Incas.

Immigrants from Europe brought the potato to Canada in the early 1800s.

 We learned about all manner of diseases and pests that can ruin a potato crop. A long wall displayed descriptions and examples, Here's one:

 And the examples were displayed in cute little coffins.

This enormous room held various tools and farm machinery used in the potato-growing industry.

 There were potato toys,

 And potato songs,

 And a cafe with potatoes on the menu.

 Just in case you wonder what seaweed pie looks like.

 From there we headed up to North Cape. North Cape light is diminished by towers and windmills that surround it.

 A wind farm and wind energy research station is located here.

 A huge windmill blade and turbine is on display outside.

 About the wind turbines...

 Where the blades are attached.

 Research in wind energy going on...

Cape North sandstone cliffs.

 This reef is a nesting place for Great Cormorants and other sea birds.

 They were too far away to be sure the cormorants I saw were Great Cormorants, but maybe some were.

 Visitors have left many cairns on the point.

 A lone Ruddy Duck? 

 There's always somebody that walks right past these signs.

 Swallows fly in and out from the cliff banks.

 They have nesting holes under the edges.

 Part of the wind farm.

 Eider ducks were here too.

 We made one more stop along the coast for a photo op with this lobsterman.