Beaches, eh?

Our first stop today was the Myriad View Distillery. It is one of several distilleries on the island, apparently, all of which seem to be on the eastern third of the island.



The woman who gave the (very brief: it's just that one room) tour started out by saying "We've basically legalized moonshine." They just opened a few years ago, and it didn't look like they do a lot of volume.



We tasted a few of their products, bought a few bottles to take home, and moved along.



Our next stop was the Basin Head beach. It was recommended by the guide book and also by the guy we're renting the condo from. The beach is at the head of a river, and the bridge over this river seemed to be a very popular spot.



Despite the signs forbidding jumping from the wharf or bridge.... people were lined up on both sides, waiting to jump.



The beach itself was beautiful, and stretched on for miles and miles. The "singing sand" lived up to its name, making a sort of squealing sound when you walk on it.



According to the guide book, the high silica content of the sand causes this phenomenon when the sand is rubbed together. I took a video of everyone rubbing their feet in the sand, to the annoyance of anyone nearby, and posted it on YouTube.


While there were quite a few people clustered around the head of the river, walking 1/4 of a mile up the beach yielded us a large expanse of sand to ourselves.



After a quick swim, I walked a few miles up the beach and back. I only saw a few people, all doing the same thing I was doing. There were probably 10 miles of beach there without a single human being in sight.



When I got back, we went back to the bridge/wharf and got some ice cream. and Matt and I decided to try out the local wharf-jumping craze.



The current under the bridge was quite strong, and the ladders were slimy and slippery. After jumping from the wharf, I had to try jumping from the bridge, too.



After leaving Basin Head, we continued along the eastern shore of the island toward Greenwich Beach (and provincial park). Along the way, we stopped at a random lighthouse, just a bit off the road.



According to the GPS, we were a good ways into the ocean. I guess they were counting on more erosion when they made those maps.



By the time we got to Greenwich Beach, it was just after 6 PM. Everyone was hungry and had had enough time at the beach already today, so we didn't stay long.




When we got back to the condo, we grilled a few burgers on the (electric...?) grill, and then headed out for a few drinks in town.