I went on a trip with a few of my friends to Prince
Edward Island for a week. We decided to drive there and we departed on
June 1.
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| The fog in New Brunswick was thick on the way in. |
The drive lasted for 15 or 16 hours.
Landmarks of note included a multitude of moose warning signs, an actual
real life moose-youth, the demolition of the landscape at Notre-dame du
lac (side: supposedly for a highway? I bet the NSA is behind this one),
all cut between thick fog and strange mixed languages at rest stops.
We arrived at the cabin-cottage, the cabbage, and were treated to a restful sleep.
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The next morning we got breakfast at a local restaurant that had just opened for the season. I ordered a delicious chocolate milk and was instantly recognized as an Ontarian by my accent. Then it was off to Charlottetown. This town reminded me a lot of where I spent some time growing up, minus the hydraulic lift lock of course. We even came across a church.
One of my compatriots, Catherine, and I decided to have a look inside. The artwork was impressive, the architecture, grand. I found that I was not all that combustible.
We spent some time wandering around the town and patronizing the local establishments. After eating, we made a stop along the coast and took in the cool breeze.
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After a restful sleep, we thought it would be a good idea to try a round of golf. I was leery of this prospect because I had forgotten a crucial piece of golf gear at home: my flask. We ultimately decided to go, and after about 16 hours of chasing crappy shots and dodging rain drops we retreated to our sanctuary.
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Have you ever heard of a game called "The Resistance"? We generally enjoy playing a social game now and again, and I had heard good things about this one, so we decided to give it a shot. After one game, we couldn't stop playing, and whenever we had free time at the cabbage we were playing it. I can't stress enough how much you will hate your friends while playing this game after all trust is thrown out the window. I was convinced at one point that my friend Rob was a Sam Fisher-like double agent.
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Some common articles that accompanied lighthouses: lobster traps, ship anchors, signs that cautioned people from slipping off the land and falling into a frigid and watery grave below, and picnic tables.
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Once we felt that the land was dry enough, we began the cycling trek on Confederation trail. Our goal was to go from the northwest to the north east of the trail in two days, which would take us through 270km of the island. We started in Tignish and the weather, though a bit windy at some points, was great. We made it to Freetown on the first day, but due to an injury in my knee, we decided to stop the trip halfway. I was quite disappointed with the turn of events, but at least we got to do half of the trip.
As for those wondering about the trail, well, it is a converted railway track. The surface is loose gravel that can be handled by hybrid tires on any bike. Pat and I were using road bikes and Rob was using a hybrid bike. We were under that false impression that the trails would be mostly flat. In aggregate, they were, but after day one we had climbed and descended over 1000 feet. Because the trails were graded for trains, hills would sometimes last for what seemed like 30 minutes.
The trail also crosses many roads, both major and minor. Before each crossing there are gates on both sides of the road that force cyclists to slow down, so momentum was hard to keep for long periods of time.
My overall impression of the trail is good. I was hoping that the gravel would be more packed down in most areas, but it does look like the trail is maintained regularly. It's a really cool idea and definitely worth a look if you are in PEI. It was the main reason we started planning the PEI trip.
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Amanda was told that there is a beach with sand that sings as one walks through it. We went there. Conclusion: The sand does not sing, it squeaks. I'll not soon forget Amanda trying to prove/disprove this myth by shuffling her feet and waddling like a penguin through the white sand, desperately trying to produce a sound.
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Can we talk about the soil of PEI for a second? It's quite unique. Here in Ontario I am used to seeing brown soil, sometimes black. Dirt roads turn a clay brown colour when packed down. In PEI, everything is a rusty red. Entire farm fields are tilled and the red soil is neatly arranged in rows, back roads throw up dust that make your car appear to rust. Along the costs, giant, jagged soft rocks combine with the vegetation above to create a colour scheme that begs for pine trees (which it has) and reindeer. In my opinion, it looks especially nice when the earth and the water are together. A beautiful orange/red rust and a ocean/sky blue dichotomy is achieved.
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How rude of me, I have not introduced my companions for the trip.
I think that sometimes it really doesn't matter where you go, but who you go with. I had a lot of fun traveling with this group and I hope we can continue doing it in the future. Great balance of personalities, great organization AND great execution. Thanks to all for their contributions along the way. I will leave the readers with a few more pics.
-dh
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The next morning we got breakfast at a local restaurant that had just opened for the season. I ordered a delicious chocolate milk and was instantly recognized as an Ontarian by my accent. Then it was off to Charlottetown. This town reminded me a lot of where I spent some time growing up, minus the hydraulic lift lock of course. We even came across a church.
 |
| ...and I didn't even catch on fire. |
We spent some time wandering around the town and patronizing the local establishments. After eating, we made a stop along the coast and took in the cool breeze.
----------
After a restful sleep, we thought it would be a good idea to try a round of golf. I was leery of this prospect because I had forgotten a crucial piece of golf gear at home: my flask. We ultimately decided to go, and after about 16 hours of chasing crappy shots and dodging rain drops we retreated to our sanctuary.
----------
 |
| How can you trust a man who wears TWO pairs of glasses? |
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We visited a winery the next day as we waited for the ground to dry for our bike excursion. There was an employee who was kind enough to give us a tour and give us the lowdown on how they made their wine. Did you know that they store wine in barrels now? Alright, I admittedly am not all that interested in wine, but there were a few animals on the farm. I was particular amused but the winery's dog mascot. He was the cuddly guard dog of an alcoholic producer, so I could only surmise that his name was Chuggles.
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If you look at a map of PEI, you will notice that there is a road that follows the perimeter of the entire island. A common sight along these roads are lighthouses. Many of them have been decommissioned but are still popular tourist draws, and we certainly saw a few.
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| A typical lighthouse in PEI. They charge $5 to enter each one. |
----------
Once we felt that the land was dry enough, we began the cycling trek on Confederation trail. Our goal was to go from the northwest to the north east of the trail in two days, which would take us through 270km of the island. We started in Tignish and the weather, though a bit windy at some points, was great. We made it to Freetown on the first day, but due to an injury in my knee, we decided to stop the trip halfway. I was quite disappointed with the turn of events, but at least we got to do half of the trip.
As for those wondering about the trail, well, it is a converted railway track. The surface is loose gravel that can be handled by hybrid tires on any bike. Pat and I were using road bikes and Rob was using a hybrid bike. We were under that false impression that the trails would be mostly flat. In aggregate, they were, but after day one we had climbed and descended over 1000 feet. Because the trails were graded for trains, hills would sometimes last for what seemed like 30 minutes.
 |
| From left to right: sunburned guy, mosquito bite guy, sore guy |
The trail also crosses many roads, both major and minor. Before each crossing there are gates on both sides of the road that force cyclists to slow down, so momentum was hard to keep for long periods of time.
My overall impression of the trail is good. I was hoping that the gravel would be more packed down in most areas, but it does look like the trail is maintained regularly. It's a really cool idea and definitely worth a look if you are in PEI. It was the main reason we started planning the PEI trip.
----------
Amanda was told that there is a beach with sand that sings as one walks through it. We went there. Conclusion: The sand does not sing, it squeaks. I'll not soon forget Amanda trying to prove/disprove this myth by shuffling her feet and waddling like a penguin through the white sand, desperately trying to produce a sound.
 |
| The rusty red soil of PEI. Also, Catherine. Also, sand that squeaks when you plow through it with cowboy boots. |
---------- Can we talk about the soil of PEI for a second? It's quite unique. Here in Ontario I am used to seeing brown soil, sometimes black. Dirt roads turn a clay brown colour when packed down. In PEI, everything is a rusty red. Entire farm fields are tilled and the red soil is neatly arranged in rows, back roads throw up dust that make your car appear to rust. Along the costs, giant, jagged soft rocks combine with the vegetation above to create a colour scheme that begs for pine trees (which it has) and reindeer. In my opinion, it looks especially nice when the earth and the water are together. A beautiful orange/red rust and a ocean/sky blue dichotomy is achieved.
----------
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| These confused looking people did a lot of the navigating. This explains everything. L to R: Rob, Catherine, Amanda, Pat. |
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| Rob descending into dirt. Catherine assessing his need for help. Amanda ensuring a good picture. |
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| Amanda finally learns where milk comes from. Pat makes a friend. |
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| They won an Island Art Award for this performance. |
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| A common sight for us on this trip: Pat and Catherine photographing and Rob lurking. |
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