Category: PEI2012

Day 14: Lighthouse Route

August 19, 2012
PEI2012

This morning we headed out thinking it may be the first day that we have to contend with the rain. Our first stop was Lunenburg and it was raining off and on along highway 103 all the way there. We pulled into town and found a parking spot and almost as soon as we got out of the car the skies parted and the sun appeared. The houses in Lunenburg are very colourful.

We started off down on the piers.

Looking out into the harbour.

Looking back towards town.

We went back up to the car to ditch our jackets.

The Bluenose II was in dry dock and not in the water.

Even the boats are colourful.

One of the ships in port.

Buildings on King Street.

The Lunenburg Academy, built in 1895 for a cost of $30,000. I remember this place as the place where I first had sauerkraut on a hot dog. In 1976 (?) we came to Lunenburg to visit Auntie Patricia and we came here for some event and had lunch.

We took the scenic drive along highway 3 from Lunenburg to Peggys Cove, in Bayswater there is a memorial for the 1998 SwissAir crash.

On the Bayswater Beach.

Again we went through patches of rain on our drive, but when we got to Peggys Cove the sun was out.

Angela on the rocks.

When we got there the sun was out and it was clear.

We had a bite to eat and when we came out the fog had rolled in.

Even though there were lots of people around, if you waited long enough you could get a shot to make it look like you were the only ones there.

Claudia holding up the lighthouse.

Angela holding it up like a salt shaker.

The girls and I.

The girls fooling around for Gillian’s photo.

The lighthouse is in pretty bad shape. I read an article recently, that there is a group that would like to paint it, but they cannot get approval from the Government to do it. There is still some question as to the future of the lighthouse.

 

Through a lobster trap.

Peggys Cove has a lot of colour to it as well.

The same shot as the picture near the beginning.

We found a pirate cutout.

There are lots of floats hanging and laying around.

Day 13: So Long PEI, Hello Tidal Bore

August 18, 2012
PEI2012

It was finally time to say so long to our cottage on PEI. The girls and I were up early and down on the beach at 6:30 am to beach comb one last time. After we had the car packed we gathered for our new blog photo (see left).

Some photos of the cottage, the kitchen.

The living room. There was no air conditioning, but with all the windows open and the breezes coming through, it wasn’t necessary. The fans gave the extra relief when needed.

The stairway up to the bedrooms, there was one bedroom on the main floor and two upstairs.

Another view of the kitchen.

From the kitchen looking into the living room and front hallway.

Looking down from the stairs to the back deck.

We have extra business cards if anyone is looking for a place to vacation. Special thanks to Rob, who works at the City with Susan, for the recommendation.

Paying our way off the island, it cost $44.25/car in order to leave, it is free to cross onto the island.

We drove through Amherst, Nova Scotia, looking for a Subway. Amherst has a lot of old building, this is the First Baptist Church.

The old Bank of Montreal building. It was built in 1904.

The old Amherst Post Office building built between 1884-86.

After picking up up subs we headed to the Maccan Tidal Wetlands Park to have lunch.

The park is an excellent spot to watch the incoming tidal bore. I read about it on the internet and how there was a gentleman who lived nearby that came down everyday to see it, and give a little info to tourists. Sure enough he was there today, pulling out pictures of what we should expect and answering any questions.

Here is the tidal bore in action, it is travelling at a good rate of speed, and it is loud and it sloshes on the river banks.

Some video of the tidal bore.

It only takes a couple of minutes to pass by. I had seen one a few years ago on the Shubenacadie River a little further south. There were 5 other tourists there to see the tidal bore.

Once the bore passes it takes about one and half hours for the river to fill in to it’s max, it changes with the size of the tide and the moon phases.

The gentleman is Gordon Boss, who posts the times and the type of tidal bore.

Here is a before and after photo of the river upstream. Before the Tidal Bore.

After the Tidal Bore.

That is Gordon Boss in the blue coat.

It was onto our destination for the next couple of days, we are staying in Dartmouth, across from Halifax.

Our route today. It was 351 km and it took us 6 hours with our stops.

After dinner tonight we headed out to Cole Harbour, NS, which is about a 10 minute drive from our hotel. They have a “Home of Sidney Crosby” sign as you enter the town. One of Gillian’s friends is a big Crosby fan, so I thought Gillian could say she has been to Crosby’s hometown. In the background is a closed Zellers store that will be converted to a Wal-Mart.

Afterwards we picked up some hot fudge sundaes from McDonald’s and brought them back to the hotel to enjoy.

Day 12: Green Gables and More Lobster

August 17, 2012
PEI2012

Today we headed up to Cavendish and the Anne of Green Gables National Historic Site. The original forecast for Friday was periods of rain, but in the morning it had changed to mix of sun and cloud with a 60% chance of showers. The girls and I headed down to the water this morning, but the tide was already up.

The girls not quite awake.

Slowing the shutter speed down to get the smooth water.

Susan enjoying her coffee on the balcony.

Before heading to Green Gables, it was picture time in front of the cottage.

Susan and I.

Passed this Red & White store along the way.

The girls in front of Green Gables at the Green Gables Heritage Centre.

The rear of Green Gables.

Lovers Lane.

Posing in the buggy.

The Balsam Hollow walking path.

The McNeil farm where Lucy Maud Montgomery grew up.

The girls at the well.

The original house is gone, all that remains is the cellar.

The Green Gables Post Office, this house was brought from Rocky Point and is said to resemble the house Lucy M Montgomery grew up in.

After Green Gables it was on to New London to visit the Village Pottery store.

From New London it was down to Victoria-by-the-Sea to the fish store to buy some fresh lobster.

We bought some 1-1/4 lb lobsters and brought them back to the cottage to cook them up. Claudia picking out her lobster.

Gillian and the lobster.

Angela holding her lobster.

We had to use two pots, the larger pot could hold two at a time.

Here are the Tanabe’s waiting to dig into their lobster. It was messy but delicious.

After dinner it was back down to the beach to comb for some more sea glass. Claudia picked a giant mushroom from the field, must be from all the rain we got last night. It rained 39mm, but most of it was overnight.

Our final sunset on PEI.

We’re going to miss the red cliffs and sand.

;

We had to make our way back to our stairs as the tide was coming in.

We made it back. We have packed tonight so that we can go down in the morning as low tide is at 6:00 am.

We have had a great time at the Good Cottages this week and can’t believe the week is up tomorrow. We head to Halifax tomorrow for a couple of days.

Day 11: Relaxing Day

August 16, 2012
PEI2012

Today was another relaxing day. We didn’t venture very far from the cottage. We headed out to Rocky Point and the Blockhouse Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse is the second oldest on the island. It was built in 1851 and automated in 1962.

The girls on the cliff.

In case you were wondering if I was really on this trip.

The lighthouse has not changed since it was built.

We found a way down to the beach as the tide was going out.

Looking over towards Charlottetown Harbour. You can see the two spires of St. Dunstan’s Basilica.

Claudia found a cool shell, unfortunately it was occupied.

 

We were looking for sea glass, but all we found were large pieces that needed more time in the rocks and water.

The cottage is located near Canoe Cove which has a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1850. It was used until 1962 and is now used as a community centre.

Not far from the schoolhouse is Church Road, which leads to Canoe Cove Park and beach.

Low tide started at 1:30 PM on Sunday and it is now 5:00 PM. It didn’t take Claudia long to get in the water.

Foot prints and beak prints from one of the shorebirds.

Here it is in action. I think it is a Sanderling (Calidris alba).

The beach goes on forever.

This one may be a Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii).

When we got back to the cottage it was down to the beach. The tides have been getting lower, this is the lowest yet.

There is more beach than ever.

Earlier in the day high tide was up to the first step on the stairs.

Day 10: South Shore

August 15, 2012
PEI2012

This has been the view that Susan and I enjoy as we have our coffee every morning sitting on our balcony.

Looking from the living room to the kitchen.

Today we headed to Chelton Beach just west of the Confederation Bridge. Our first stop was at Victoria-by-the-Sea.

A building used to store traps and buoys.

The beach is at Chelton Beach Provincial Park. It is a day use park. There is an area that is supervised by lifeguards.

The tide was still going out when we arrived. It wasn’t that busy.

The girls walking way out to hit water.

There were lots of hermit crabs, if you look closely, you can see the bigger one has his claw around the smaller ones leg. It was pulling around the small one in the water.

The girls trying to rescue one who was accidentally separated from its shell.

The beach has a good view of the Confederation Bridge.

The water was warmer here than the north shore beaches.

After the beach we stopped at the Gateway Village again, when we came through on Saturday, it was raining. Here are the girls with a statue of Anne.

Posing with Lorenzo the Lobster.

Angela photo bombing my picture of the wooden sailor.

Gillian of Green Gables.

Angela of Green Gables.

and Claudia of Green Gables.

The girls posing with the bridge.

We headed to St Peters Roman Catholic Church to view the bridge. We only made it as far as the parking lot so not sure that it counts as going to church.

St. Peter’s Church.

Day 9: North Shore and Lobster Supper

August 14, 2012
PEI2012
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Today was beach day, the forecast was calling for a mix of sun and cloud with a 40% chance of thunder showers in the afternoon. We headed up to the North Shore and PEI National Park.

On the wharf at Stanhope.

Lobster traps up close to explain to the girls how the lobsters are caught.

On to the beach at Dalvay. It was around 10:30 in the morning and only a few people already there.

Claudia was getting right at it.

The water was a little chilly and took some time to get use to.

As you can see we had to fight to get some space on the beach.

There was a live crab swimming by us in the water.

This beach had lifeguards.

Not much different than when they were at the beach ten years ago.

Claudia and a not so live crab.

Angela and the crab.

The girls sand creation.

After a few hours we decided to head towards Cavendish and hit one of the beaches out there.

Another beach from one of the lookoffs.

After a full day at the beach we headed to St Ann’s for dinner. We were going to the original lobster church supper. It was started in 1963 as a way to raise money to pay off the mortgage on the church. So for the second time this week we headed into church.

The girls were looking forward to having lobster after seeing us eat one a few days ago.

It wasn’t just a lobster, it was a five course meal. We started with a seafood chowder, except Angela, she got the chicken vegetable soup. Then it was time for the Island Blue Mussels. We each got a bowl full. I ate mine, Angela’s and half of Claudia’s.

The supper is served in the basement of the St. Ann’s Church. Here is Gillian showing off one of her huge mussels.

As you can see from Claudia’s, the mussel’s were ginormous.

The mussels were followed by caesar salad, and then the main course, a 1 lb lobster. I thought I might get to eat 5 heads, but they came without the heads. It also came with a choice of potato, vegetables and cole slaw.

Angela waiting to dig in.

You even get the fancy lobster bib.

The girls did pretty good on their lobsters.

Finally it was time for dessert, with a choice of apple pie, lemon meringue, or strawberry shortcake.

It was a great dinner, I still can’t get over how many mussels came with each serving. They serve supper every night except Sunday’s from June to September.

We got back to the cottage in time to see another sunset. It was almost like a sun drop, sunset all in one. I had to wait for the sun to drop below the clouds and then watch it set.

The end to another great day on PEI!

Day 8: Charlottetown

August 13, 2012
PEI2012

Today we headed in to Charlottetown to tour around. The forecast was calling for chance of rain, it turned out to be a slim chance as we ended up with sun for most of the day. Here is the view from Victoria Park.

We walked along the boardwalk in search of the Government House.

Angela sitting on one of the cannons

The cannons were at a display for the Prince Edward Battery. The battery was originally built to protect the town from incoming intruders into Charlottetown Harbour.

We made our way to Government House, the girls posing with the Queen in the guardhouse.

During the summer they give free tours of Government House, the Lieutenant Governor of PEI still lives in the house.

The house was originally built in 1834.

We were waiting for the next tour.

The Fathers of Confederation met at the Government House in September of 1864.

Most of the furniture is original from 1834. This piano is 200 years old and still works.

The formal dining room.

The Queen has stayed here once, Prince Edward, Charles and Di and most recently Will and Kate were guests last year. This chair is in the Royal Suite.

The table where Will and Kate ate their breakfast.

In the bedroom.

The Grand Salon.

The girls out in the garden

There were a lot of bees busy at work.

We figured this was the Lieutenant Governors wheels.

After Government House it was down to the waterfront.

Claudia trying on a lobster hat.

Claudia waiting with me while the others were shopping.

There are still a lot of old buildings in old downtown, this one was used to store confiscated rum during prohibition.

We stopped for lunch at the Water St. Fish & Chips. We started with a plate of steamed mussels. Here is the evidence.

I ordered the 1 piece halibut and chips, it was hanging over the plate and the chips needed a knife they were so big.

It was a good meal.

We went to Church. We stopped in at St Dunstan’s Basilica.

The current church was built in 1919, after two wooden structures and a stone church built in 1896 (that burnt down in 1913).

Inside St Dunstan’s Basilica.

Down the street from St Dunstan’s is Province House. This is the birthplace of Confederation and the seat of PEI’s provincial legislature since 1847.

Some locals walking down Victoria Row.

Looking up Queen Street.

The girls with Sir John A. Macdonald.

After a stop at the grocery store it was back to the cottage, we are about 30 minutes from Charlottetown. The girls were back down to the beach as the tide was coming back in.

Blue skies made for some spectacular scenery.

It was back to beach combing for sea glass, aka “mermaid tears”. There is a Sea Glass Festival in south eastern PEI the 3rd weekend of July. Here is the handful I found in about 30 minutes.

It is a family event to see who can find the biggest piece or the most rare colours (i.e. blue).

Gillian with her handful.

Based on the forecast, this may be our only sunset while we are at the cottage.

For awhile the sea gulls were flying inland, according to some it is an indication that a storm is on its way.

My artistic sunset shot.

There it goes…

The sunset made for some interesting colours on the clouds.

After enjoying a meal out on the deck.

Day 7: Beachcombing

August 12, 2012
PEI2012

Today was a day for relaxing around the cottage. Low tide was around 1:30 pm and the girls were eager to get down to the beach. Here is the access down to the water.

This was from earlier this morning while the tide was still in. The forecast for today was showers.

Looking down to the water.

Around noon the girls headed down to the beach to catch the tide going out.

A look back at our cottage, the “Ocean View”.

The girls on the beach.

Lots of seaweed covered rocks made for slippery rocks.

Claudia found a starfish, here it is with some of the sea glass the girls have been beachcombing.

Claudia with the starfish.

Some PEI sand.

Claudia and Angela with their handfuls of sea glass.

The red rock cliffs.

Claudia found a rock with some stuff attached, Gillian said it looked like a turnip.

The girls found a few more starfish.

Sea sacs.

There were lots of hermit crabs of all sizes.

I found a razor clam shell.

Claudia and Angela caught a crab.

I think it is a Rock Crab (Cancer irroratus).

The weather held out while we were down at the beach.

A hole in the cliff.

Claudia finally on a beach in the water and sand.

Claudia went back for a boogie board we had brought with us.

Angela and Claudia out in the water.

The sun finally came out, there was a nice breeze down at the water but once you got up top it was hot. We headed back for lunch and to watch the last few hours of the Olympics. The rain came by late afternoon.

Day 6: PEI At Last

August 11, 2012
PEI2012

Our week on PEI starts today, we did the drive back to New Brunswick and the Confederation Bridge.

One of the bridges on highway 105 on Cape Breton.

We were getting the rain that went through Toronto, it rained off and on through most of the day.

It was foggy for most of the drive across the bridge. On the PEI side we stopped at the Welcome Centre where they had a smaller version of one of the bridge supports.

Behind the pottery store.

The Confederation Bridge.

The view from our bedroom in the cottage.

Looking out at the Northhumberland Straight.

Day 5: The Cabot Trail

August 10, 2012
PEI2012

Today we were touring the Cabot Trail. We approached the Trail from the east side and went counter-clockwise so we were driving on the outside lane most of the way.

Claudia at the first Lookoff, the first of many we would stop at through the day.

Once we entered into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, we stopped at the Keltic Lodge to do the Middle Head trail. The map said it was approximately 3.8 km.

Along the trail.

The trail provided some great views.

Coming through a meadow.

The trail ends at a headland.

There were a couple of bald eagles on a rock outcrop.

There were also a lot of seabirds.

The scenery doesn’t get old.

Big sea gulls.

Some kayakers on our way back.

Next stop was Lakies Head.

Looking north.

Angela at Lakies Head.

Susan.

Angela hanging on for dear life.

Gillian climbing back over the top.

Claudia taking her turn.

Nothing like exploring over the rocks.

Around the bend from Lakies Head was Green Cove.

The scenery there was just as spectacular.

The weather held out for most of the day, while we were driving and getting in and out of the car we had overcast or the odd time sun. The only time it rained hard was when we were driving back to the hotel.

Claudia and Angela looking for bugs or sea creatures.

Gillian at Green Cove.

Angela and Claudia running from the waves at Black Brook Beach.

Watching the wave just about to break.

Claudia in her element.

Lunch was in Pleasant Bay at the Rusty Anchor. Susan and I had the lobster.

The girls in front of the restaurant.

Looking down towards the Rusty Anchor where we had lunch.

Looking south from the Veterans Memorial Lookoff.

The last stop of the day was at La Bloc Beach, it was a rock beach with lots of flat stones.

The girls walking the beach.

Final photo of the day at La Bloc Beach.

It was a full day on the Cabot Trail, the guide books say it takes 3-4 hours to drive the trail and you need 1-4 days to experience it. Having spent close to 10 hours, it is easy to see how you could spend a few days.