Prince Edward Island
Today
turned out to be a pretty good day, all things considered. After feeling a bit down and disappointed by
my first impression of Prince Edward Island yesterday afternoon, we had a much
more positive experience today. We did,
however, have our doubts as we got started this morning. It rained pretty much all night. That in
itself is not a bad thing, because the patter of raindrops on the roof of the
motorhome as we snuggle in our tiny home away from home just makes things all
the cozier. We both woke up about
5:30am, but the sound of the rain lolled us back to sleep for another couple of
hours – I guess we were both really tired after the long day of driving
yesterday. What really got us going
though was the sudden sound of water splashing somewhere very close by. Water was leaking in through our range hood
and dripping on the cover of the cooktop, which lies just an arm’s length from
my side of the bed. We’d had this
problem once before, when we spent the night in a coastal rain forest in
western British Columbia while on our Alaska trip back in 2011. I thought we had fixed that, though, since we
haven’t had a leak there since then. But
I guess it must happen only when there is a certain slant to the motorhome if
it’s not parked exactly level while it’s raining. It wasn’t too bad, though, and actually went
away once we got moving.
As we
pulled away from our campsite, we felt sorry for our neighbors, who had spent
the rainy night in a tent. They were
sitting in their car with the motor running, trying to warm up. These are the times that confirm our decision
a few years ago to give up tent camping and buy the motorhome.
We were
uncertain as to what we should do for the rest of the day. We had three choices – bid PEI farewell and
return to the mainland, spend the day in Charlottetown, or continue with our
original plan to drive around the island and spend one more night here. There was no assurance that the weather would
be better on the mainland, and if we went to Charlottetown we’d probably be
walking around in the rain, so we decided to stick with our original plan, even
if it meant driving in the rain. So off
we went.
Perhaps
a brief description of Prince Edward Island is in order at this point. The island lies a few miles off the north
coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, just west of the point where the latter
curves up into Cape Breton Island. PEI,
as it’s called, is about 120 miles long, east-to-west, and approximately 35
miles wide at its widest point. It’s
shaped like a large arc, sloping up to narrow points at the northeast and
northwest ends. Both the north and south
coasts are cut by long, narrow inlets, bays, and river estuaries, some of which
almost sever the island at points. The
island is joined to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick,
which I described yesterday, as well as served by a ferry to Nova Scotia. The strait between PEI and the mainland is
called the Northumberland Strait, and the sea off the north shore is called
Prince Edward Sound, which is part of the Gulf of St Lawrence. Geologically speaking, to my untrained eye,
the island appears to be a large block of sandstone, and the soils are very red
in appearance. The terrain is mostly
low, rolling hills, broken with traditional family farms and woods. The highest elevation we’ve noticed on Garmin
Gertie’s GPS as we drive around seems to be in the neighborhood of 130 to 140
feet above sea level.
Leaving Cabot
Beach Provincial Park, we drove eastward, parallel to and a short distance
inland from the north shore of the island.
The rain had let up to a mostly light mist with patches of low fog. Even in those conditions, the driving was easy
and the traffic was mostly non-existent.
The narrow roads wound through the hills and green valleys. Fields on either side were either freshly
plowed or just starting to burst with fresh new growth. While we’ve never been to Ireland (yet), we
could imagine it looking something like this. Where the road crossed the many
inlets and bays, there were small docks and landings on the shores, to which
were tied traditional lobstermen’s boats.
For a while the road veered over and rambled right along the shoreline,
separated from the beach by a narrow band of dunes.
The
focal point of the north shore of Prince Edward Island, at least for ladies who
grew up reading “Anne of Green Gables,” is the Green Gables house, the setting for
the popular book which is apparently a must-read for pre-teen girls
world-wide. There were two places that
friends who had been to Prince Edward Island and to Nova Scotia told us we
absolutely must see, and this was one of them.
(The other is Peggy’s Cove on Nova Scotia, which I guess will be on our
agenda in a few days). So of course we
had to stop when we saw the sign pointing travelers to this famous house.
The Green
Gables House is actually a typical 1800’s farm house, and the gables are (to no
one’s surprise) painted a verdant Kelly green.
At the time the story was written, it was the home of some of the
author’s relatives. While the relatives
themselves were not in the story, the house and the immediate surroundings
were, and are undoubtedly immediately recognizable to those who grew up reading
about Anne (I was a Hardy Boys fan myself).
It’s now a Canadian National Park, with a modest visitor center showing
a short movie about Lady Maud Montgomery, the author, and her life in and
around Cavendish, the town where all this is located. The house is fully restored and furnished
with authentic, though not necessarily original furnishings, and a period barn
has been constructed on the site, complete with typical farm implements and
equipment from the time period.
 |
| Lobster boats at north shore quay, PEI |
 | ||
| Typical upland countryside, north shore region, PEI |
 |
| Anne of Green Green House, PEI |
We left
the Green Gables House and continued into Charlottetown, the largest city on
the island and the capitol of this small, self-contained province. The original downtown area retains much of
the character of the late 1700s and early 1800s, with many original buildings
and several large churches of all denominations. We even met a pair of Mormon missionaries
doing their obligatory mission year.
After a delicious late lunch of seafood chowder and terriaki chicken
stir fry, with chocolate cheesecake for desert, we set off for tonight’s
destination, Brudenell River Provincial Park, near the town of Georgetown on
the island’s east coast. If all goes
according to plan, we’ll begin the day tomorrow with a leisurely drive around
the southeast coastal road, then take the ferry over to Nova Scotia.
*******
I’d be
remiss if I didn’t mention a couple of thoughts on this day in history. First, being the 70th anniversary
of the D-Day landings in Normandy, we should all give thanks to our fathers (or
grandfathers) for the sacrifices they made for us on this day so long ago. Whether they served in the invasion of
France, elsewhere in the European theater, the Pacific, or at home as did my
father who was a member of the Coast Guard Reserve, checking ships as they
entered Galveston harbor, we owe them all thanks for the sacrifices they made
preserving the freedoms we enjoy today.
They were truly the Greatest Generation.
And
secondly, our condolences go out to the families of the RCMP officers who were
slain in Moncton, just a few miles from where I now sit. Thanks to the diligent efforts of their
colleagues, the perpetrator has been caught.
We should all pray for him as well as all those confused and mentally
disturbed young men who have performed these senseless acts in the past. Having endured the shootings at Columbine,
the Aurora theater, and most especially at Arapahoe High School, we share a
bond with the people of Moncton, albeit a bond we surely wish was not a part of
our lives.
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