Cabot Beach Provincial Park, PEI
This morning was the warmest day we've had yet in Canada. It felt glorious.
After dropping off Winnie for a shoe repair (okay, new tire), we went for a bike ride on The ConfederationTrail. Prince Edward Island (PEI) has 221 miles of dedicated biking paths. This is truly a bikers heaven. We picked up a trail closest to the tire place and rode into the harbor town of Montague, a very low key quaint little village. What cracked us up was the outdoor elliptical trainer on the biking path, right next to an ice cream stand sign. Ned gave it a go, the exercise equipment that is and not the ice cream. We rode for a couple of hours (14 miles) stopping along the way to take photos and appreciate the scenery. We really enjoyed having the path to ourselves and crossing over trestles and rivers and riding through the woods. It was incredibly peaceful.
Once we picked up Winnie, we headed into Charlottetown to check out the largest city on the island. This year marks the 150th anniversary of The Confederation and most of the festivities begin this weekend. My history lesson today was learning about the birth of Canada, as a country. The Charlottetown Conference was the first time that representatives from PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Canada had ever met together to discuss common interests. The representatives that met were called The Fathers of Confederation and were a diverse group of English and French, lawyers and journalists, shipbuilders and soldiers, poets and businessmen. Apparently this was quite the conference that lasted for 7 days and included business meetings, balls and parties. It took many years for something formal to be arranged, but this is where the question, "Shall We Unite?" made an important breakthrough.
We thought the best way to explore the city was on bike. We rode along the waterfront and up and down all the historic streets really soaking in the history and culture. By this time we had worked up quite an appetite and decided to finally try one of the "chip wagons" that seem to be scattered all over Canada. First I have to admit that I hate potatoes. I don't care how they're fixed - baked, fried, mashed, or boiled - I hate potatoes. So, it was with a great deal of trepidation that I decided to jump in. Ned ordered fish and chips and I ordered the pulled pork poutine, having no idea whatsoever what a poutine was. (Ned originally wanted to try the lobster mac n' cheese, a local favorite, but the fisherman hadn't arrived with today's lobster as of yet). Upon getting our food I discovered that a poutine is a huge pile of french fries smothered in gravy & cheese, and this one had a bunch of pulled pork piled on top. Let's just say that Ned was a real gentleman and just automatically handed me the fish and chips. Yeah, he knows me. For the record, the fish was delish.
The big tourist attraction on the island is all about Anne of Green Gables. The author who wrote the book, Lucy Maude Montgomery, was born on PEI. Families now come to enjoy The Green Gables House, the site of L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish Home, The Anne of Green Gables Museum, Avonlea Village and even take in "Anne & Gilbert", the musical. Did you know you can even buy Ann of Green Gable raspberry cordial?! Other tourist attractions such as mini-golf, amusement park and a water slide are all nearby. We had to check it out, especially since I loved the book as a child. In all fairness to PEI, they've done a marvelous job of offering something quite touristy in a very low-key fashion. The 45 minute drive to the north side of the island took us through lots of agricultural farmland, through a seaside national park and some fishing villages. Once you hit the town of Cavendish the Anne theme does get a little overplayed, but it's nothing as glaringly cheesy as Dollywood, Gatlinburg, or many of the seaside boardwalks we've seen. The official tourist season doesn't start until this weekend, so I'm sure my opinion would change during peak season. For now, Ned and I are enjoying the off-season and cooler weather so that we can explore the island, sans lots of people.
Tonight we are camped at Cabot Beach Provincial Park at the very tip of Green Gables Shore. It's an odd little campground and one that would feel more like a tailgate party rather than camping if it was full. As luck would have it, there are only 2 or 3 others that we are sharing with this 150 site campground. It's basically one big mowed grassy area with a few trees scattered here and there. Ned and I are out on the point overlooking Darnley Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It's pretty awesome. A big storm is supposed to come in tonight, could make for some dramatic views of the clouds and waves.
