Seeing this new bridge was one thing I looked forward to on the trip.
My view of the bridge was like the picture on left since bicycles are
not allowed on the bridge. There are actually nice 4ft shoulders, but
it is more a safety concern with winds, etc. A free shuttle service
(i.e. pickup truck) is provided for cyclists. Not a bad deal since autos
pay $35 to cross the bridge. While I was being driven across, radio chatter
concerned bridge attendants catching one cyclist trying to sneak across.
Claims he spoke only French and didn't see the signs. They may write him
up with an $85 ticket.
Shuttle drops you off at a nice visitor area. Got info and maps about PEI.
There is something about islands, particularly small islands, that can put one
in a vacation mood. Decided to take a few easy days on the island. Cycled
eighteen miles west to
Summerside.
Many potato fields, hay fields and
small farms. Primary roads are fine, but secondary roads were a bit beat
up. First two motels I tried were full (at 1pm!), but try number three
was successful. Decided to stay for two nights.
Rest day on PEI. Slept in until 6am. Spent some of the morning wandering
around the harbour. PEI grows 1/3 of Canada's potatoes and Summerside
is the leading port in terms of amount of potatoes exported. With all that,
I was surprised to find U.S. potatoes in the local supermarket. Perhaps this
is because potatoes aren't harvested here until the fall.
Saw a nice fabric/painting exhibit in downtown Summerside. After that I
wandered back past a museum dedicated to the fox industry. Apparently
in the early 1900s, raising foxes for their fur was a leading industry on
the island. At one point the business became speculative and a single pair
of breeding foxes sold for $22,000. That crashed and the business is largely
over now.
Over lunch I cycled to the nearby town of Miscouche. This is the start of the Acadian region and there is a nice Acadian cultural museum here. Acadie is the French name for a part of Nova Scotia where many French speaking settlers came. In the 1600s and 1700s, that region changed hands between England and France seven times. Finally, in 1755 with Britain and France again at war, the British deported 6,000 Acadian families from the area. Some had already settled on PEI (named Isle de Jean by the French). In 1758 there was a further deportation from PEI. The museum describes some of the early history as well as efforts to preserve language and culture.
In the afternoon, came back and took a boat ride out to the Confederation
Bridge. A nice cruise out during which the boat went right under the piers.
Got a better impression of the massive size of the Confederation bridge.
Also made reservations in Charlottetown for the next evening. Motels are
filling fast on the island, took me five tries.
Cavendish is a touristy area and home to Prince Edward Island National Park.
One of the premier attractions is the "House of Green Gables". In 1908,
Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote "Anne of Green Gables", set in the fictious
town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. This any many of her subsequent
books were set in this area. Picture at left is the farm house described
in her book, and picture at right is Anne's room. There are numerous
souvenirs in the area including many red-haired, freckle-faced, Anne dolls
with straw bonnets. While I haven't read the books, it was nice to see the
farm house set in 1800s style.
After visiting the home, I decided to slowly head back to Charlottetown. It was spitting rain and there was a bit of a headwind. Slowly made my way across the low hills and south to Hunter River. From here eastwards and to the largest city on the island, Charlottetown.
In Charlottetown I decided to seek out a bicycle store again. The tread
on my front tire had completely worn through in at least three places.
I had two spare foldable tires with me, but I expected the tread to wear out
on my rear tire before I was done. Found a good bicycle store,
MacQueen's
on Queen Street. In addition to servicing/selling bicycles, Gordon MacQueen
organizes one and two week bicycle tours of Cuba.
I bought nine tires and mailed eight home. The store had Michelin foldable
tires which are otherwise discontinued. The store did a good job in cleaning
the drive train, fixing my front brake and a few other maintenance items.
Cycled over to the motel for a short day in mileage. Motel told me every
place was sold out between Charlottetown and the bridge. Good thing I had
a reservation.
Potato fields, but also other crops. Some wheat and other grasses. Also a
fair amount of forest. Occasional rolling hills, but less than in yesterdays
travels. At mile 16, I encountered Alice, another touring
cyclist. My guess is that she was in her 40s or 50s.
She had come from Vancouver and was also underway to St. John's.
Her cycling tip of the day was, "if you want to leave your bicycle and wander
around town, find a fire station...likely to be people there and likely to
have some extra room".
Departed from #1 to take #23 as a short cut. It saved six miles, but also included three miles of gravel. Fortunately, the gravel was in good condition. Reached the ferry departure point and waited for an hour for the next ferry. There is some concern that the new bridge will cause ferry traffic to decline and eventually be canceled. Our boat was perhaps half full, but not certain how this compares to normal. Hour and a half to make it across to Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia! Another beautiful province. The initial route into town wasn't particularly picturesque, mostly nicely graded expressway through the woods. Passed by a large paper mill before making my way into town.