June 26 thru 27, 2024, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

It was time to leave Prince Edward Island and head to Halifax, Nova Scotia, a journey of 204 miles. Getting off the island required a hefty toll but Fantasy had us covered with vouchers to cover the cost.

The Woodhaven campground was tight but we all fit in and were close to a gathering hall that we used several evenings during our stay.

A number of our group attended game night and engaged in various activities.

The group below had a blast as each player had three Loonies on the line in a winner-take-all game of "left-right-center."

We visited the Hydrostone neighborhood for some shopping. Joani knew exactly what she wanted to find as a souvenir of this trip and found it in a little flower shop.

Hydrostone Neighborhood has a rich history borne in tragedy. "From the ashes of the catastrophic Halifax Explosion, which shattered the City’s North End on 6 December 1917, rose the Hydrostone District."

I have been searching for a small pot with a drain hole to plant a cactus I found on Steve's ranch in Texas. I was so successful I found two!

It was raining intermittently throughout the day, not ideal for sightseeing but we wanted to get a taste of the city.

While on a very narrow one-way street in downtown Halifax, traffic stopped. After a few minutes, I noticed drivers ahead were exiting their vehicles. A car had stalled blocking the street. We couldn't back up so we had to wait until the car was pushed to the curb. That was enough for me for the day. I was really uncomfortable with the tight city traffic and narrow streets so we called it a day.

Back at the campground, the dining hall was put to good use another night by our hosts, Steve and Jennifer and Jim and Chris, as they cooked for us. We ate Swedish meatballs and mixed veggies until we were stuffed and then they brought out dessert - none for me but it looked so good!

Steve did not have to twist my arm to make me take some meatballs home for later. After dinner, we ran through the travel briefing for our next stop because the activities the next night would keep us out late.

The pictures below were from our last day between dinner and the Tattoo. I quickly hiked to the waterfront and back. The weather could not have been more perfect and I was nearly running to cover more than a mile and still be back in time for the Tattoo. 

The little boat below was the impetus for my whirlwind excursion to the waterfront. Apparently, the $200 million yacht belonged to J. K. Rowling. I have no idea if she was aboard and I did not pester security with any questions.

Clearly, the waterfront had a lot to explore and I hope we might return another time to take it all in.

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.