Day 29 of 30 on our 2017 Canadian Maritime Caravan with Yankee RV Tour

On Monday July 3, 2017, we had a bus tour of Prince Edward Island. Our guide was Tammy and the driver was Leigh, both are not natives to PIE, so they are considered CFA (come from away.)

PEI is Canada’s smallest province, but the opportunities they offer are enormous. It is located on the Gulf of St Lawrence and is 139 miles in length with a population of over 145, 000 residents. PEI is connected to the mainland by air, Northumberland Ferry service and by the Confederation Bridge. 

At 8 miles long and has an S curve to its shape to avoid the drivers focusing on the horizon as they drive across it. It also contains 310 light poles and we were told that it could be seen from space at night. I can’t find any confirmation to that fact, but it would be pretty cool to see! Prince Edward Island has many nicknames: Garden of the Gulf, the Million-Acre Farm and the Birthplace of Confederation. This last nickname is especially significant to Islanders as it illustrates the province’s role in the creation of Canada. It was here in our capital city that the Fathers of Confederation met in 1864 to discuss the formation of Canada.

Our bus tour took us on parts of the Central Coast Drive, it includes the Green Gables Shore on the north side of the province, featuring the Gulf of St Lawrence’s soft sand beaches and Anne of Green Gables. It also includes portions of the Red Sands Shore.

The potato industry is a big business in Prince Edward Island!  A recent conomic impact study found that the industry is worth over a billion dollars to the Island economy each year!  Potatoes are the primary cash crop on the Island and PEI continues to be the largest potato-producing province in Canada, over 87,000 acres, growing one-quarter of the potatoes in the country.

Prince Edward Island Potatoes are grown for three specific markets. 1. Table potatoes, sold to retail and food service sectors. 2. Processing potatoes, manufactured into French fries, potato chips, and many other products. 3. Seed potatoes, grown to yield future commercial potato crops

Approximately 60% of Prince Edward Island potatoes are destined for processing, 30% go to the fresh market through retail or food service, while 10% are grown for seed purposes.  Seed and table potatoes are shipped to over 20 countries annually, including the United States, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, Italy, Thailand, and more! Prince Edward Island’s shipping season begins in late July, with early or “new” potatoes hitting the market in Atlantic Canada.  The main crop is harvested starting in September.  Shipments to all markets begin at this time, with round white, reds and yellow varieties often available first and russet varieties available later in the autumn months.

At the French River pull off, there was he hillside of Lupines that Rod has been promising us! There were millions of the candy cane colored perennials, the lupines. Until now, we have been snapping pictures of the roadside gem in small groups or a larger patch of them. Rod kept saying, just wait and see. He does not disappoint, the sight is breathtaking! The provincial flower is the Lady's Slipper. But it is the lupine that is the flower most commonly associated with Prince Edward Island.  The PEI government considers them to be invasive and there are annual efforts to reduce their numbers on the island. Oh no!

One of the most painted panoramas on Prince Edward Island, is the tiny fishing village of French River exudes the rural charm and timeless beauty so desired by many of our Island`s guests. The surrounding hills provide a breathtaking view of New London Bay while the secluded beach is one of the Island`s most delightful locations. The view of the rolling farmlands that dominates the surrounding landscape is accented by the brightly colored homes on the river’s edge! French River provides peace and quiet for guests and Islanders alike.

Prince Edward Island is home to many aqua farms that harvest and process top quality shellfish. The favorite is the Island Gold Blue Mussels enjoyed in homes and in fine dining establishments across North America and beyond, along with our quality PEI Oysters and PEI Clams. These farms have access to some of the most ideal growing and harvesting conditions available that Atlantic Canada has to offer. These natural bays provide the best environment for rope grown blue mussels, offering top quality, hearty mussel meats harvested year-round.

We found a space shuttle sitting in the middle of what has to be one of the strangest low-budget theme parks ever built. It appears to have been abandoned long ago. The area also features a giant triceratops, a replica of the Epcot Center and a medley of defunct vehicles all turning to rust. But it’s the abandoned space shuttle that dominates the landscape. A full size replica of the ill-fated Columbia, which was destroyed tragically in 2003, it sits completely alone in this forgotten amusement park, still waiting for a horde of kids who will never come. Exactly where the shuttle came from or what happened to the park, the Great Island Science Adventure Park, is unclear. Their website looks like it hasn’t been updated in years, and simply carries a message saying the park will not open next year (2009). Nevertheless, it makes for an interesting attraction along Cavendish Road, near Bayview, and certainly turns drivers’ heads as they pass by.

Since we got an early start on our bus tour, we had time to go to Cavendish Beach and dip our feet in the water. 

  

Fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this broad natural sand beach stretches for 5 miles from the entrance to New London Bay in the west, to the red sandstone cliffs at Cavendish East in the east. The entire beach is located in the Prince Edward Island National Park. 

A boardwalk carried us over the fragile sand dunes fringing the edge of the beach and separating it from MacNeill's Pond and Clark's Pond. Some of the caravaneers that did not brave the soft sand to get to the rocky beach, stayed on the boardwalk. 

Their lack of desire to get wet, paid off ... they spotted a beaver swimming in the creek leading to the pond and watched it swim back and forth.

Tammy, our tour guide, told us about the infamous Raspberry Point Oysters. In the pristine spot, on the north shore of PEI is Prince Edward Island National Park and that’s where Raspberry Points grow in off-bottom cages. Keeping them off the bottom gives them lighter flavor and nicely manicured shells. But it’s cold up there at the northern tip of the oyster’s world, so Raspberry Points take a whopping six to seven years to reach their standard 3 1/4-inch size. Raspberry Points are consistently good—salty like a Malpeque, but always nicely rounded and substantial. After a novice oyster eater has enjoyed some Beausoleils, then try a Raspberry Point. They will provide a bigger mouthful, more crunch, lots of salt, and they goes down so easy.

Green Gables National Heritage Site, located in Cavendish, is a popular tourist destination. Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world visit the site which inspired the setting for L.M. Montgomery to create her beloved tale of a red-haired orphan, Anne of Green Gables. In addition to the Green Gables House, several museums and sites invite visitors to learn more about Anne and Montgomery and a popular musical version of the story runs every summer at the Charlottetown Festival.

 

The site highlights the heritage of the area and portrays Lucy Maud Montgomery's role as an author of national historical significance. And of course, we visited the house, took a stroll on the Haunted Woods and Balsam Hollow trails, enjoyed ice cream and purchased items from the gift shop! The rooms in the house were reconstructed to take on the themes from the novel.

Before an orphaned red-head even popped into her mind, Lucy Maud Montgomery fell in love with Prince Edward Island and its glorious coast. PEI is the perfect back-drop for Montgomery’s novel that warmed the hearts of readers around the world. The town of Avondale is based on real-life Cavendish. Montgomery grew up in Cavendish and believed that it is the most magical place on earth. Many of the scenes in the novel off of real life locations in PEI.

 

Strongly connected to its proud fishing tradition, North Rustico residents pride themselves on their closeness to both land and sea. We stopped at the wharf's in North Rustico and saw an Osprey nest, watched a deep sea fishing charter clean their catch and feed the gulls. We also got information on how the lobster traps work and were able to see a boat that was still decorated from the Canada’s Day 150.

We enjoyed our lunch at the world-famous Fisherman`s Wharf Lobster Suppers in North Rustico (known as "The Crick" by locals.) We enjoyed the 60 foot salad bar, All-You-Can-Eat Mussels, Seafood Chowder and unlimited desserts!

We returned from our bus tour and just relaxed in the afternoon, visiting with our new friends and let the dogs play together one last time, before the caravan breaks up! Bailey was a rescue dog and she was so scared when the caravan started ... boy, she sure is much better socialized now! She is the beagle jack russell in the pink harness.

We carpooled together to see Anne of Green Gables, the musical in Charlottetown at Confederation Center of the Arts. It was an awesome show and a spectacular end to an excellent adventure!