Thursday, August 28, 2014

Prince Edward Island (PEI)


On Prince Edward Island . . . 

Or PEI, is quiet a different place than I am used to. We boondocked the first night at a Walmart in Charlottetown just after we crossed over the long bridge. It was late to try securing a spot at a campground. There were probably 10 other RV's parked beside us - a very popular Wal-Mart. Even at that, it was rather quiet, so we managed a good night's sleep.


The first full day was spent roaming around the Eastern section - thru the countryside mostly and visiting lighthouses. One of the lighthouses was on the eastern most point of PEI. I spotted a sign that had End of World on one side and Beginning of World on the other side. There was also a museum here as well as a place to pick up souvenirs.


Prince Edward National Park provided some beautiful scenery. Dalvay-by-the-Sea Resort is a beautiful victorian resort where Prince William and Kate spent time at in 2011. I took a picture of Guy standing by a cardboard cutout of the couple that was prominently displayed on the porch. The Cavendish area was amazing with a beautiful beach, sand dunes, bike trails and of course the Anne of Green Gables Museum.

Last night we stayed at Twin Shores Campground at Darnley Basin http://twinshores.com/. It's  right on the ocean and very large for a campground, nearly 500 sites to choose from. We had a perfect site overlooking the basin. The campground is divided up with half on one side of the road and a wonderful view of the basin below with hiking along the waterfront. The other half is across the road in a grove of trees. This section is for those who want to be near the swimming beach. Even tho' it is large, you can easily get around. There are shuttles that go from one end of the campground to the other and run every few minutes. You could enjoy bingo and movies at the rec center as well as tennis, swimming and many other activities. It was nice getting a good clean bath after boondocking the last two nights. 

Traversing the North Cape Coastal Drive of PEI . . .

Of course you can't see one side without exploring the other end of PEI. West Point Lighthouse area has numerous large windmills. The Wind Energy Institute of Canada is a wind energy research station. I took some photos of one windmill that was dissembled and laying on the ground. I think the blades are called whale blades and they are humongous. The engine is large enough to walk around in. 


Some Thoughts . . .

After spending two days on PEI, I can sum this place up in a few words. Potatoes, crows, wheat, Star of David on every house, no police, roads with potholes so big they shake your RV apart, road numbers change at every intersection and no idea of what road you are on till you have already made the turn, no restaurants, used car lots and garages everywhere. The local people are super nice but they can't give directions, so you can imagine we spent some time being lost. And you better be up to date on your metric system, because there is no such thing as gallons or miles. The money looks like something my grandchildren would be playing with - plastic and colorful. It is just a completely different lifestyle than we are accustomed to back home, but it is good to see other places so you can appreciate where you come from. I took tons of photos and it was really hard to select just a few for this blog.

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