June 22 thru 25, 2024, Cavendish, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada

Our 216-mile journey from Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, took us over the Confederation Bridge. Completed in 1997 for $1.3 billion, it spans 12.0 km (8 miles) and is the longest bridge in ice-covered waters. There is no toll going to the island only when you leave the island (2 axles were $50.25 + $4.25 for each additional axle.)

Our park, Marco Polo Land Campground in Cavendish was on the north side of the island so we traveled a number of secondary roads through farmland and along waterways. Sometimes, the farms were in the water growing mussels and clams.

The Fantasy RV Tour included a Canadian National Park Pass and we were eager to use it at Prince Edward Island National Park. The park followed the seashore and included several beaches. We did not opt for a dip in the ocean (too cold) or hike any of the trails (clouds threatening rain). Instead, we drove through most of the park and stopped at most of the overlooks.

Another day we drove to Victoria by the Sea, a small craft village. Many of the shops were in individual homes and it felt intrusive to browse through them when we had no intention of buying anything. I was able to snap a few pictures to capture the feel of the village.

Since we were close to Charlottetown and it had not started raining we visited their downtown area. Beautiful architecture and interesting shops and galleries were mixed with endless options for dining and drinking.

St. Dunstan's Basilica certainly caught our attention. It was completed in 1919 and seems to have held up pretty well for being more than a hundred years old.

I don't remember who these two were but they were certainly having an interesting discussion and did not mind my listening in.

Victoria Row was probably the most picturesque street to visit.

The Province House was closed for refurbishment so we could not enter. Below is the closest I could get for a photograph. It must be some restoration - it has been in the works since 2015!

Sometimes I just like the simplicity of an old doorway. This building housed the office of The Islander Newspaper in 1847.

Our host arranged a game night in the campground. We sat around a couple of fires and played Kubb and Washers. Kubb was based on a Viking game where each side had to knock down a target with sticks. I cannot do it justice but it was relatively easy and a lot of fun.

As the evening wore on the fire became more important to ward off the chill. It seemed very strange to be concerned about the cold at the end of June but then we were in Canada.

The weather was not as nice as it could have been, however, it certainly could have been worse. We had one day with enough rain to just keep us indoors reading.

Our last night in PEI everyone headed to the Fisherman's Wharf for a Lobster supper. Dinner included a massive salad bar, seafood chowder, and your choice of lobster or scallops. Dessert choices included several pies, soft-serve ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and cookies. Everyone left the restaurant fuller than they had been hungry.

We learned what a shy boy was and how to distinguish between a girl lobster and a boy lobster. Our hostess gave us a quick tutorial on disassembling the beasties and we all dug in. Good thing we had bibs!

 

After dinner we gathered to go over our trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the next morning. I was happy my navigator could follow the discussion - I might have been in a mild food coma.