We crossed the border into Canada. We were asked about any dangerous weapons we might have including pepper spray. Well, we didn’t have any of that, but we do carry bear spray. Bear spray is okay and a good thing too, because what did we see not 5 miles later, but a bear at the side of the highway. Still not sure if he was an actual Canadian bear or if he crossed the border illegally.
Checked into our hotel or shall I say, apartment. We stayed in Charlottetown, on Prince Edward Island at the historic Fairholm Hotel. We had booked a room that in their carriage house building. So, we ended up in a totally renovated one bedroom with full kitchen. They have 4 buildings in this complex and you also get a cooked to order breakfast. Charlottetown is known for all the fine dining restaurants in the area and the hotel gave us several recommendations. Had a great dinner at the Claddagh Oyster House.
In spite of the chilly cloudy day we chose again to go to the beach. More specifically the Cavendish Beach within the PEI National Park. The expected rain didn’t materialize, so we took advantage and found the Homestead trail, which you can hike or bike. It was somewhat sheltered from the wind so we chose to bike. Was really pretty with views of the ocean, farmland, and the woods. Really turned out to be a nice ride for us. We stopped for some Cows Ice Cream, Canada’s favorite according to their marketing.
We then toured the Anne of Green Gables’ house. It’s a fictional story set in the late 1800’s, whose author grew up on PEI and modeled places that she had grown up around in her stories. There are some nice small walks around the grounds and the house in the story was based on an actual home preserved as part of the national park. I’ve never read any of the Anne of Green Gables stories, so I have put that on my reading list as it is a classic.
Dinner was at a place called the Hopyard. They have many craft brews on tap and offer tapas plates for dinner. We highly recommend the fried broccoli, it was amazing. Went back to Cows for dessert. Yes, we do like their ice cream especially the Wowie Cowie flavor.
Woke up to a cloudy day and rain. We were in hopes that at least the rain would stop as we were going to be camping again. We were headed to the Halifax area of Nova Scotia. To get off Prince Edward there are really only 2 ways, the Confederate Bridge or the ferry. For both options it’s free to get on the island, but you will pay to leave. The bridge toll is $47 and the ferry is $78 for a car to Caribou, NS. Little less driving time for us going by ferry and a nice change of pace from driving. So, we took the ferry. A little over an hour on the ferry and we arrived in Nova Scotia. Headed to Porters Lake Provincial Park, our home for the night. It was a cold night, but at least we didn’t wake up to frost on the ground.
In the morning the fog was clearing up and we ended up with a sunny day spent along the waterfront in Halifax. Walked along the boardwalk enjoying the weather. Went to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. They had some good exhibits including one on the Halifax explosion and the Titanic. And I know as Americans, we have heard nothing about the role Halifax played in the Titanic disaster. Halifax had ships and crew that were capable of navigating the icy Atlantic waters. They were 700 miles from the crash site and so they took on the role to pick up the dead. The bodies were brought back to Halifax and those that weren’t claimed were buried in Halifax cemeteries. The other interesting exhibit was about the explosion on December 6, 1917. Canada was in the midst of WWI, when 2 ships collided in the harbor. One of those ships was a munitions ship loaded with explosives and dangerous chemicals for the war. This collision caused death and/or injury to thousands and wiped out entire neighborhoods. A devastating disaster that again, I don’t remember ever hearing about in my history class.
Another chilly evening, but at least Will was able to get the fire going to warm us up a little. And this thing is the best when trying to combat the mosquitoes. It’s expensive as a 12 hour refill costs like $10, but yes it works. The minute we turned it off the mosquitoes were attacking us again. The Thermacell device creates a 15 foot mosquito free zone. Pure Bliss.!
Here’s why you don’t leave your garbage unattended at any point in time. Sammy “the squirrel” having an apple core for breakfast. He was boldly enjoying his treat right on the picnic table before I shooed him away.
Then it was time to pack up and head back to the states. Strangely enough, it seemed a little bit more difficult to come back to the US then it was to enter Canada.