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.

A Few Quick Notes 521

-Today is a day that the wind has made cold. If we could somehow get rid of this wind it would actually be pretty nice outside.

-I am down to 3 for 19 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I think it is pretty clear that my heart just isn't in it this year. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't even make it to 4 wins before they run out of contest cups.

-I will be heading to New Brunswick and PEI this weekend with Jeannette and my father. On our way to Sackville, which is where we will be spending the first night, the plan is to stop in Truro, which should be something of a bore.

-I guess I should try to do a little more grading.

A Few Quick Notes 319

-As it is dark outside right now I can't see exactly which type of precipitation is falling, but it sounds as though we have made the transition from mist to something approaching drizzle or rain. What has been most impressive about today is that the temperature has been steady for the last several hours, seemingly unaffected by the setting of the sun. If all goes as forecast we could be in for some thunder showers this evening.

-For the past few days we have been on the lookout for the weekly flier bundles that are usually deposited in our lobby. By about 9:00 PM tonight I decided that I would just head out to the grocery stores to pick up the fliers myself. Having had a chance to examine the fliers I am not sure whether the trip was worth the effort as there really weren't that many deals to get all that excited about. Maybe we will have better luck next week.

-This morning while I was drinking coffee and reading the paper I heard a knock on the door, which is rather unusual because one normally has to get through the security door before they can reach the apartment. It turned out to be the superintendent and a maintenance worker. It seems a leak had been discovered in the basement and they were worried it was coming from our tub. Fortunately after some examination in our bathroom and in the basement, as well as in the neighbouring apartment they were able to determine that the leak was actually coming from next door, which is quite nice from our perspective, though rather unfortunate for our neighbours.

-We are still in the midst of an election in Nova Scotia though one might know this if they were just passing through. This seems to be one of the lowest key elections I have ever witnessed, and doesn't seem to have really picked up steam or slowed down since it started. I wonder if people will remember to vote on June 9.

-It seems that I may have a way to have my hand truck transported from Montreal to Halifax. Though I didn't know it until today, it has been stored in a dining room since September. I get the sense that Steven, and presumably Nithum and their roommate, will be glad to be rid of it once and for all.

-Several days ago I started developing a cold. There are few things that I can think of that are more fun than a cold in the summer.

-A few days ago, while still in PEI with my father and Neil and Rebecca I tried to come up with a math joke that was a play on teaching how to integrate functions. While the original was a little crude, I think I managed to improve it a little today. The moderately improved new version is "Do Irish math profs integrate functions by inviting Catholics and Protestants to their parties?"

While working on this quality piece of math humour I came up with another wonderful joke, though this one is likely better spoken than read.

Q: Which Canadian federal government agency should you contact to locate you sister?
A: CSIS

Maybe it still needs some work.

It seems that a major problem with my joke writing attempts is that I just don't know what is funny.

Back in Halifax

By yesterday evening Neil, Rebecca, and I were safely back in Halifax. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the drive from the airport back to town went. As I was unfamiliar with all of the roads I expected things to be a bit more problematic than they were.

For the most part the trip to PEI went well. The only major problem, aside from constantly being tired, was that it was much colder than I would have expected. The low temperatures, especially on the first day, really hampered our ability to investigate the island properly. I think we were all a little surprised at how cold it was as it was about 30 in Halifax the day before.

In one of my posts from PEI I mentioned being passed by a kid on an ATV, here is a shot of the two ATVs just before the kid on the right passed us. I imagine that this kid was about 12, or maybe even a little younger.



While I don't have a particular problem with PEI, I imagine that I have had my red dirt need satisfied for at least 14 or 15 years.