Seal Cove

August 16, 2010  Heading toward the ferry for Nova Scotia, we stopped for a stay in Murray Harbor North, our final camp area in PEI.  The campground overlooked Seal Cove and despite our best efforts we never spotted any seals but we did find the tidal flats in front of our campsite loaded with soft-shelled clams.  Alan dug up about 4 dozen clams in 15 minutes, only our temporary satiation of shellfish prevented him from filling our coffers with more of these tasty critters. 

This camp was so serene, we both sat for hours mesmerized by the view of the salt marshes, tidal flats, and water.  Prying ourselves from the chairs, we headed out for a bike ride on a portion of the Confederation Trail.  The complete trail spans from one end of the island to the other (about 174 miles) plus it includes dozens of branch trails which lead off the main trail heading into the coastal areas.  Biking on this well-maintained path, under the birch, maples, and evergreens, was a pleasure.  We only completed 9 miles, so we have to return to PEI to clock a few more miles.

Ceildhs---Foot Stomping Fun

College of Piping

August 15, 2010   Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is the traditional Gaelic social gathering with song and dance.  The majority of the 141,000 people living on PEI hail from Scottish or Irish backgrounds, so ceilidhs are easily found.  The College of Piping, located in Summerside near our campsite, has 400 students.  We saw the students perform twice, in shows which included bagpipes, drums, highland dancers, and step dancers accompanied by multi-award winning fiddler, Ray Johnstone.  The high-spirited music has you stamping your feet and clapping your hands.  We've seen three different ceildhs and I'm sure we'll be seeing more.

Moved to Cavendish on the northern side of the island to a far less impressive campsite but it did offer electric, water and such, which is nice to have every few days.  We found the primary attractions on this part of the island are Anne of Green Gables and her creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery.  There are several attractions devoted to either the character or the author, not our cup of tea, but popular with the many families visiting the area.  Walking along the boardwalk in a nearby town, we found a 3-hour fishing charter on My Two Girls.  A picture-perfect day with calm seas and blue sky, it turned out to be a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.  Between the two of us, we caught 15 mackerel and 2 cod, plus the big one that got away as I was pulling it into the boat, so plenty to share with the less fortunate fishermen on the boat.


Exploring the following day, we had a fabulous drive through idyllic storybook-like settings, gorgeous overviews in the hilly areas with a diversity of crops.  Agriculture is one of the largest parts of the economy in PEI, farms are located throughout the island.  Many offer fresh picked organic vegetables, homemade jams and sauces, which you can purchase on an honor system  The foods are displayed with prices and a box is next to the products so you can deposit what you owe.  PEI potatoes are outstanding, a unique flavor and a fluffy texture, they almost win out over the shellfish.  We took advantage of aquaculture or co-op buying for shellfish whenever possible.  Prices were cheap, and the quality was superb.  Had not realized that all PEI oysters and mussels, shipped around the world, are cultivated.  We are moving to the southeastern coast and will be heading into Nova Scotia soon.

Prince Edward At Last

August 4, 2010, Our move into Canada was uneventful.  We headed for St. Martins, New Brunswick, the start of the Bay of Fundy area, with the largest tides in the world.  Heavy fog obscured the view for most of the time we were there but we were able to walk the beach and into the caves which are covered during high tide when the water rises 35-40 feet.  Headed the following day to Hopewell Rocks.

Our GPS was functioning somewhat erratically and the three hours trip to Hopewell ended up becoming a five-hour trip.  The GPS led us astray on numerous shortcuts with roads in serious states of disrepair.  Once, the route was blockaded after traveling 30 miles.  It was not easy turning a 26-foot RV towing a car on the narrow road, but we just chalked it up to another adventure.  On our approach to Hopewell, we had an unusual overview.  There were salt marshes followed by long stretches of reddish-brown sand and then muddy brown water as far as we could see.  From a distance, it looked like a desert with a mirage.  Upon arrival, we walked the cliffs and beach exploring the uniquely shaped rock formations which have been carved by the 45-foot tides.

Linkletter Provincial Park

From New Brunswick, we crossed over the 8-mile Confederation Bridge into Prince Edward Island (PEI).  Finding a campsite 25-feet from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Linkletter Provencial Park, we enjoyed a lobster dinner overlooking the water and a gentle sunset.  The 30 mph winds the following day made it perfect for visiting the wind farm in North Cape.  Operated by the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICAN), the trail at the farm is bordered on one side by steep red dirt cliffs overlooking the ocean and on the other by cypress trees, stunted in growth by the severe cold and strong winds typical in this area.  There was an eerie feeling as we walked below the towers (over 250 ft. tall ) with the whish-whish-whish of the large blades.   The windmills seemed alive---large robotic monsters plodding through the cypress forest.  While at the wind farm, we saw a man harvesting seaweed, which is called Irish mossing.  This process can be done mechanically but is frequently done by a mosser with his workhorse.  The seaweed becomes the key ingredient in Irish moss stew or seaweed pie, but more commonly these days the carrageenan, which is extracted from the seaweed, is used in items ranging from ice cream to face cream.