Really hoped to get a bike ride in. Yesterday's coastal drive would be ideal. Rain was forecast, but that turned out not to be a problem. Wind, on the other hand, was prohibitive. S 20-30 kts.
Drove up NW coast of the island to N Cape. A few abandoned fields and some woods: haven't seen much of either before. At N Cape there is a wind farm, a wind energy research center, and an interpretive center. Wind energy is a particular interest of mine. Saw huge Vestas turbines ulp close and learned a lot about how turbines work. We'd been told by others that large wind turbines are noisy, but not so- sounds like the wind. Interesting sidelight: at the research center they are working on wind/hydrogen systems to electrify remote settlements: wind turbines provide electricity but also produce hydrogen which is compressed and stored. When there's no wind they rund hydrogen engines to provide electricity. Never heard of such a thing, but it is good fuel for imagination. Ate a good lunch at N Cape: seafood omelet for S, seafood crepes for D- it's a good life.
Stopped at a coastal fishing village and talked with a fisherman. The last wooden boatbuilder on the island died last week. No wooden lobsterboats have been built for about 15 years, but there are plenty still working. Lobster season on S coast starts Aug. 12. N cost in season now. Cod used to be the fishing mainstay, but it has been banned for years because overfishing caused the cod population to crash, with major disruption to the local economy and society- not to mention disruption to the cod.
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