Monday, July 21, 2025

Oh, Canada! The long slog home.

 It was 1200 miles back to Fredericksburg from PEI.  We decided to take it in three chunks.  The first day was 500 miles to Portland ME.  It started out rainy, but improved after we crossed the long and expensive bridge to New Brunswick  ($45 CAD!).  The drive across New Brunswick was long stretches of rural wilderness with the occasional town. Crossing the border was at Houlton ME, the very top of I-95.  The US border guy was rather jokey - which was probably part of his shtick...  But an easy crossing.  Not like the "old days", but not bad.

We stayed in South Portland near the airport at one of the worst Hampton Inns ever.  Broken glass in the lobby.  One elevator not working.  Very worn and cruddy room.  Too much driving to go downtown to eat, we ate at a local brew pub and had one last lobster roll.

Standard travel arrangement.  Four in a Telluride.


The last lobster roll...


We broke up the second day of driving at Poughkeepsie with the bridge across the Hudson.


Walk Across the Hudson



The evening, we were at a Spark in Clark Summit PA.  Spartan , bit clean and nice.  Walked down to a take-out pizza place and had some surprisingly good pizza for dinner.



Takeout pizza - better than expected!

The third day, we broke up the trip with a quick detour through Pottsville. Didn't even get out of the car.  Patti's parents were both from there and she spend a lot of time there growing up. 

Maternal grandparent's house

Paternal grandparent's house

Catholic church

Patti's grandfather's planter still in use!


 We also made a quick stop in Shippensburg PA to see the Conrail "It's just a box car, I promise!" Museum for Don.  Did get out of the car...




I told you it was just a box car...

Tom and Sue cooked a nice steak dinner for everyone at their house after we all got to see Gavin and Rachel's new house nearby.

We said goodbye the following morning and made the jump to Atlanta in one day, just missing some road closures on I-40 from flooding the previous night.


Peachy Gafney SC

The last day.  A trip tradition.  An afternoon Reeses Peanutbutter Cup snack.

One more thing... A Lobster accounting.



And just like that, the trip was over.  All 3800 miles of it.  Next trip in two years.  Where to?  But, maybe we should fly?!?


Oh, Canada! Ferries and Mussels and Oysters! Oh, my!

For starters....


Happy Canada Day!

It was July 1st. after all.  We did the most Canadian thing we could do.  Dress in red.  Wave flags.  Get Tim Hortons.

It was off to catch the ferry to Prince Edward Island.  There is a bridge, but that was the long way around and who doesn't enjoy a good ferry ride?  Indeed.

 

Lobster pots at Caribou..,


Our ferry arriving...


MV Northumberland.  Built in 2007 in Norway.  Replaces ship that burned beyond repair last year.

The harbour at Woods Island.  More lobster pots.



Very pretty harbour light house.  Would be nice if we could dock.  

End visor on the ferry wouldn't go up...we can't dock.


Lots of tools and banging...
While we were waiting, a local PEI person chatted us up.  Or we chatted them up.  ...and we got some good ideas of where to go and what to do on the island - even if we didn't have any idea where or what she was talking about.

Over an hour later...success!

An hour and 15 minutes late, we arrive Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...


Our Lodging



...and have real PEI Mussels.


Walked down to Peak's Quay for dinner.  Had some PEI mussels!  The real deal.  Tom had some PEI oysters.  He loved them. (cue Jaws music...).  One thing we didn't know, was who was Prince Edward?  Asked the server.  A local who should have been all over her PEI history, especially on Canada.  No clue.  We had to look it up and explain it to her.  He was Queen Victoria's kid who established and led a fort on the Island.  We teased her a bit over it - us weird Americans...   

Also, Canada Day fireworks!  PEI has the lead.  Biggest display!  Postponed.  High winds.

The next morning we decided on doing an audio tour in the car.  Another "Gary" adventure?  No.  No Guide Along here, either.  Instead, "Josh"  was our guide.  Informative - his speaking voice...bagpipe drone.  zzzzz.  

However, between the tour, a map, and the unpuzzled advice from our ferry friend, we had a nice day out.

The Inn had breakfast every morning.  This morning spring rolls and scrambled eggs.  Seemed an odd combo, but delicious!



Dalvay by the Sea - one of J D Rockefeller's compatriots at Standard Oil built this summer cottage.

Covehead Harbour Lighthouse in the National Park




Early settlement in Rustico

Oyster farm in Rustico

Catholic Church in Rustico

North Rustico


After cruising through Rustico, we got a look at Cavendish cliffs and beach  Very close to the setting for Anne of Green Gables

National Park emblem


Cliff and beach at Cavendish

Tom ponders the big question.

Next stop, Anne of Green Gables Heritage Site.  It had a home that Lucy Maud Montgomery spent some time at that shaped here novels.







Then, lunch!  Back to Rustico Harbour and "On the Dock" restaurant.  It took a bit of hunting to find a parking spot, but the setting and meal were worth it!  Tom had PEI oysters yet again. (Cue Jaws theme crescendo...)

On the Dock.

Josh droned us back to Charlottetown and a low key afternoon.  A bit of walking around the waterfront and finally dinner out at a place that had a big crown on Canada day but now was strangely empty.  No problem, though.  Good meal.  Tom, however, was feeling a bit rugged.  (cue Jaws attack music!)  The oysters strike back!  Tom was down and out of for 24 hours.  

old hotel

Also, back at our Inn, we met Bob and Joanne from Ontario.  Nice happy hour on hotel deck with long discussions usually centering on "what was wrong with you Americans?"  ...we promised them we were trying to fix it...



Me with William Henry Pope as he rowed out to greet the "Fathers of the Confederation"

The postponed fireworks were that night.  Sue, Patti and I went.  Great show, but only 10 minutes long - no finale.  We could teach them a bit about firework shows, I think.




Our last day on the island, Don, Patti and Sue did a self guided walking tour of Charlotte's Town recommended by the tourist info center.  The highlight was the Beaconfield House - or the Yo-Yo cookies.  A New Zealand creation with a PEI twist.  

Yo-Yos

Beaconfield House was built by a sailing ship builder right at the end of the sailing ship era.  He went bankrupt just a year or two after the house was built.  The next owner bought it in foreclosure and lived there for decades, but never really enjoyed it.  After, it was a dormitory for women nurses, before being restored to it's original appearance and becoming a historical home.



Tile with the pigment all the way through - not just the glazing.

170 y.o. Christmas cactus



The view from the coupla.  The original owner wanted a good view of ship traffic.  Bet it pained him to see more and more steam ships...


The main Anglican Church in town.










Interior of this church was faux-marble.  A mixture of paint and plaster of paris.




Lunch was at a corner restaurant that was always packed - Water Prince Corner Shop.  Delicious lobster rolls and a history lesson.  Server was 4th grade school teacher.  Our ferry friend mentioned her job was on Nunavut.  Weeks on then weeks off.   It was not easy to get there. Was this a new province way up north?  We asked our server.  Yes. Created out of Northwest Territories, partly Truth and Reconciliation for First People.  

By dinner, Tom had come back alive and we headed out for an Italian place on Queen Street in the middle of town.  Very nice.  


A nice way to end the last day in Canada.  Now, the long slog back to the messy reality show that is the US.

Oh, Cananda!  It was really, really nice!