On the Road: Charlottetown (to Montague) to Halifax

This morning we had a quick breakfast at a national coffee and doughnut chain. All three of us ordered oatmeal and then were somewhat surprised to see that in Charlottetown this, traditionally sweet, breakfast dish was served with little packets of salt and pepper. We suspect that that is how Islanders recognize one another, Islanders are the ones with pepper on their oatmeal.

After breakfast Jeannette and I went out for a 'coastal' drive while my father went to his meeting.

Though our drive wasn't particularly coastal, we did eventually make it to Prim Point and were able to see the Prim Point lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in PEI.

Of course, because it is off season, the lighthouse was not open. The adjacent 'chowder house' was also closed for the season.

Aside from the lighthouse itself, what was particularly striking about this location was how still the water was. This is particularly impressive when you remember that it is sea water that is so still.



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After driving along the road just inland from the coast from Prim Point to Wood Islands Jeannette and I made our way cross-country to Montague for lunch. Shortly after lunch we made our way back to Charlottetown to meet my father.

After picking my father up we started our trip back to Halifax.

Not surprisingly, we ended up passing Mastodon Ridge (Stewiacke) on our way back.



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Now that we are back I have had a chance to make an animated gif of our first trip to the Mastodon Ridge area.



I'm exhausted.

On the Road: Sackville to Charlottetown

This morning we awoke on the early side of things and soon found ourselves on the road to Dorchester. Before long we were in front of the town hall looking at the World's Largest Sand Piper, a local landmark. Our next stop in Dorchester was their famous penitentiary.

Almost as soon as we pulled into the institution's parking lot we were greeted by a guard in a van who informed us that if we did not have an appointment we were not welcome on the premises. Apparently this jail, unlike some of the others in the Canadian federal jail system, does not have a craft shop selling goods made by the inmates.

After heading back through Dorchester we made our way to Memramcook to look for the Monument Lefebvre. After some hunting around and a little confusion we figure out that the monument was actually a building that it was closed on Sundays in the off season.

Our next goal was to find a local covered bridge. Unfortunately the tourist map we had wasn't very precise so we didn't know exactly where the bridge was or how to get there. After about 30 minutes of searching we eventually encountered a jogger who was able to point us in the right direction.



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As you have seen, it was something of a dud as far as covered bridges are concerned.

After a return trip to Sackville and a visit to the Mount Allison art gallery we continued along to PEI and Charlottetown. Of course we crossed at the bridge instead of taking the ferry (which we later learned isn't even operating at this time of year).



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Shortly after arriving in Charlottetown my father and I visited some friend's of his who lived in St. John's in the early 1980s. As they have now lived here for 25 years I though that this couple might be able to recommend a few things for Jeannette and I to do tomorrow while my father is in his meeting. Much to my surprise they couldn't really come up with anything other than visiting some of the local beaches and the comparing them other beaches. Of course, as it is pretty cold outside this sounds a little less fun than it might be in the summer.

For dinner we went out for fish and chips at a local restaurant. What was particularly notable about this restaurant was that they served a variety of fish, including cod, haddock, halibut, and sole.

We are now back in the hotel room and trying to dink around with bluetooth so that all three of us can use our room's single wired internet connection. So far we have two computers up and running but have been unable to link up the third machine.