| | Lake of Shining Waters at Anne of Green Gables in Avalon. (Photo submitted) | |
For our fall 2003 trip, we decided to check out some new places in Canada’s Maritime Provinces and to revisit some familiar places where my mother was born and raised. The three provinces that comprise the Maritimes are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Our RV was packed, and we set out on our adventure on a perfect fall day. Our entrance into New Brunswick was made at Lubec, Maine, which is the easternmost town in the country. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Bridge Links the U.S. with Campobello Island, New Brunswick. We woke up the next morning to the sound of heavy rain beating down on our RV. We stopped here so that we could visit the Campobello International Park and the summer home for the family of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his retreat until 1939. The Roosevelt story, from the time that FDR and his parents visited Campobello in 1883, through his battle with polio, his presidency and the establishment of the park, is portrayed in the park’s visitor center. The Roosevelt Cottage is the focal point of the park. It has been kept in much the same condition as when FDR visited. Fall flowers lined the walkways and presented a beautiful scene in spite of the heavy rain. At Lupine Restaurant, we started our routine of satisfying our craving for seafood. We had to forgo further exploration of the island because of the heavy fog and rain. It was only a short drive to the ferry dock for the 25-minute ride to our next stop, Deer Island. The Deer Island Point Campground, adjacent to the ferry dock, is the home of the Old Sow, the largest tidal whirlpool in the world. We only had to walk about 100 yards for our own private viewing point. The perfect time to view the Old Sow is two to three hours before high tide. Our arrival time was perfect. The immense churning of water brings in the sea animals for a smorgasbord of seafood. Seals and seabirds were evident this afternoon. The next day, we explored Deer Island and found a neat gift shop in the village of Richardson before arriving at the ferry dock for the free ride at Butler’s Point to L’Etete on the New Brunswick mainland. Except for negotiating around St. John, the ride was through some of New Brunswick’s wilderness and along the Fundy Bay. Our destination was Prince Edward Island so we didn’t delay. We were not prepared for price shock at the gas pumps. At 81 cents per liter, and conversion to gallons and a 30 percent exchange rate for the U.S. dollar, the price was about $2.25 per gallon. We entered Prince Edward Island by way of Confederation Bridge, which at 8 miles long, is the longest bridge over ice covered waters in the world. No fee is collected to get onto the island, but you can’t get off of without paying, either by bridge or ferry. We started our tour clockwise on the Lady Slipper route. Our first night was spent at Linkletter Provincial Park on Bedeque Bay. Our travels the next day took us through some beautiful farming country and past quaint fishing villages. They say great things come in small packages, and Canada’s smallest province is a case in point with its red earth, green pastures and azure seas. The coastal landscape, made up of dunes, beaches and sandstone cliffs, is a wonderful sight. We took time to visit a beautiful historical Acadian Church just 15 miles from Summerside. Our Lady of Mount-Carmel Church, erected in 1898, with its remarkable neo-Gothic architecture, attracts thousands of visitors yearly. There is even a potato museum to honor one of their most important agricultural products. Lighthouses have always attracted us, so we stopped at West Point Light and North Cape Light. At the West Point lighthouse, we walked some of the nature trails. We were introduced to another major product, Irish moss. The harvesting of this seaweed has been important for over 100 years. On the way to North Cape, we entered the town of Miminegash and were greeted by a large sign: “Home of Seaweed Pie.” Someone told us about seaweed pie and to stop when we see the Seaweed Pie Cafe. We couldn’t resist. The cafe also houses the Irish Moss Interpretive Centre which is owned and operated by Women in Support of Fishing. (We should have more of those at home.) I pictured seaweed hanging out of the pie, but soon found out that the usable part of Irish moss is a common liquid called carrageenan. The pie was very good. Following a meal of steamed mussels at Cape North Lighthouse Restaurant, we drove to Green Provincial Park on Malpeque Bay, where we spent a quiet night enjoying our campfire and the solitude. We were surprised by the short distances between points on Prince Edward Island. It is only 174 miles long, and no part of the province is more than 10 miles from the ocean or an inlet. Great parks and wonderful beaches are evident all over. The next day, we picked up the Blue Heron Trail, which led us to Cavendish and the story-book town of Avonlea and the Anne of Green Gables Cultural Site and Museum, which are part of the Prince Edward Island National Park. Prince Edward Island is sometimes referred to as Lucy Maud’s Island, in memory of Lucy Maude Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables books. At the museum, we walked around the Lake of Shining Waters on the Lover’s Lane and Haunted Woods Trails. It was commercialized, but well done. The Stanhope Campground at Prince Edward National Park was our home for the night. We stopped at two national park beaches on our way to Greenwich at the most eastern point of Prince Edward Island National Park. This is the place where the gulf stream comes close to the island and warms the water for great swimming. The beaches there are lined with huge sand dunes. Boardwalks make getting to the beaches very easy. The Greenwich Interpretation Center is state-of-the-art interpretation that provides an excellent opportunity to learn about Canada’s unique ecosystems. A spectacular 12-minute multimedia presentation steps through 10,000 years of human history in the area. We also viewed a video on the cultured mussel industry of the adjacent St. Peters Bay. A quick lunch in Montague at Windows on The Water Cafe (more great seafood) and we were soon boarding the Woods Island ferry to Nova Scotia. To be continued. The Richardsons reside on Pumpkin Hook, Van Hornesville.
|