PEI and beyond

19 July 2017:  Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club, Summerside, PEI

Marc-  This day  we were off to discover more things to do in Summerside.  We visited the local museums and historic houses.  This region was known for its silver foxes that were raised here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  This brought much fortune to the region as fox furs were in style in Europe.  A single fur could cost $ 50,000.00.  I did see two  foxes crosses the roads in Summerside at night.  The highlight of the House tour was the home of Wanda Wyatt.  Dinner was at Sharky's seafood on the harbor.

20 July 2017:  Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club, Summerside, PEI

Marc-  With Marie Bedard's help we obtained our rental car early and went off together to visit Charlottetown, PEI.  This is the Capital of PEI and its only city and a fine one it is.  The downtown is full of shops, restaurants, the Provincial Parliament, a performing Arts Center, major port facilities including the Cruise ship terminal and several marinas. We walked all over and enjoyed lunch with Marie.  She departed for Halifax and we drove down the coast to the small fishing village of Victoria.  Victoria is a gem.

It has two fishing piers and is an active fishing port. There are two restaurants on one pier.  It has a lighthouse to guide the mariners into port.  The water is quite warm and the village beach is bright red.  One shop did a big business of renting kayaks and paddle-boards.  I noticed lots of people swimming here, old and young alike.  We walked up and down the several streets stopping in to see local artist's shops, a coffee house, and a general store.  There was even a used book shop and an Antiques shop.

21 July 2017:  Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club, Summerside, PEI

Marc-  Another car travel day today with a trip back to New Brunswick over Confederation Bridge (this huge structure is 9 miles long). We went south to  Fundy National Park.  Headquarters indicated the best camping areas:   Chignecto and Point Wolfe.

The view coming down from the mountains of the Bay of Fundy was stunning. You can see clearly over to Nova Scotia.  We decided on Shiphaven as it had good hiking trails as well as a noted campground (Point Wolfe).  We first stopped a beautiful waterfall trail (Dickson Falls).  The 3 kilometer hike was well worth it.

Next stop was just after the Covered Bridge.  This was the location of a sawmill in the gorge.  The tidal river through here is very impressive with 40 foot tides.  We took the hiking shore trail from here along the cliffs to the campground.  The abundance of  yellow birch and fir trees kept us in the shade on this very warm day.

 The Shiphaven campground was very well done with bath facilities with showers and shaded campsites.  We toured an Otentik site with a Ranger.  This is a rather large tent that sleeps 6 in real beds and includes a wood floor with furniture. It even has electric heat.  This all comes at a cost of about $ 100 (Canadian) per night.  Back to the trails and the beach.  We found several ravines with water flowing down small streams.   Cairns had been built in a few of the streams.  The vegetation in the ravines has everything from lime colored mosses to flowers and the ever present fir trees.  The trails were narrow but well maintained and they went all the way to the Sea.  The beach was rather elusive as we arrived at low tide and it was about a mile away.  The river bed was mixed of red sand and gray stones.  The shore was high and rocky.  I ventured all the way to the Bay to find cool water.

Our last stop at Fundy was near the fishing village of Alma. Here we found what a New Brunswick fisherman does with his boat at Low tide.  The harbors all dry out here so boats are built to withstand sitting on the bottom.  We found a local eatery for Oysters and other fine food.  

Our next stop was the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park nearby.  This rocky shore is outstanding for its cliffs, caves and very interesting giant rocks.  We walked along the rocks that towered above us, through caves and into the sea.  Near Moncton, NB we found a roadside restaurant:  Log Cabin Family restaurant with excellent seafood and fair prices.