More Canada: It's a Big Place!

We took another long driving excursion before heading east to Nova Scotia.  From our base at Ponderosa Pines Campground, we pointed Jayne (our Jeep Liberty) up and east to Prince Edward Island (PEI).  No particular goal other than to get a feel for the land, see more great scenery along the coasts, and if possible, find  a decent beer and meal.   Part of the drive there past Moncton, NB, was via the major highway, 15.  Interesting the differences we see on the Canadian 'freeways', vs those in the USA:  Decided lack of billboards, lack of rubbish, and I suppose that is tied to the thin population and traffic.  We were keeping a sharp eye out for moose, but did spot deer (larger than Midwest whitetails), eagle nests in the power transmission towers, and lots of trees.  We have yet to spot a moose. 

The highway took us to small route along the south east corner of NB, a bumpy road that is tagged as one of the tourist/sightseeing loops.  That in turn lead us to the Confederation Bridge to PEI.  A sign prior to the bridge noted the toll $40!  A bit of gut tightening said this required a investigation.  A stop at the NB info center provided a washroom break, and the reassurance that the toll was charged just one way, when returning from PEI.  Fine, we decided to suck it up so we could visit the much hyped province. 

The bridge is I believe longer than Mackinaw Strait, so was a beautiful thing to see and drive.  The day was bright sunny and the water shimmered.  We decided to drive the Central Coastal Drive loop around the middle section of PEI, taking us to the north shore. 

Seems that some of the best parts of such scenic drives is when you miss turns and wind up in small crossroad towns or tiny fishing villages where you get the real feel for these lands and people.  The farms and ranches speak to the hardiness of the folks living and working here, knowing it gets colder and snowier than we can imagine, even after our difficult winter in Indiana and Ohio.  This is lovely country, with rolling fields and views of the ocean and inlets. 

Along the north coast we found much more tourist facilities, including summer rental cottages, campgrounds, and activities.   However, in late May we found most all shops, restaurants, etc., closed for the season.  It's mid-June before the coast is active.   But that's OK, we were happy to stroll unpopulated beaches, drive back roads, and even the main route, without competing vehicles.  After a while we reached to eastern end of the north shore drive, and headed south toward Charlottetown. 

Had noted that there is a brewery, with the strange name "Prince Edward Island Brewing Company".  Stopping in to check their hours, we proceeded to Downtown to the Gahon House to eat dinner (since PEIBC did not have food, ala SunKing).  Gahon is a microbrew restaurant, brew on premise facility.   Food was just fine, and the ale decent. We were able to sit on the deck and have Zoe, my co-pilot, sit with us.  She much prefers that to having to wait in Jayne. 

Visited PEIBC after our dinner, had another brew and bought a half dozen of their big bottles to enjoy later in our journeys.  Then we began the long drive back to Serenity, having enjoyed the day, drive, sun, beaches, and views.   Oh, yeah; we did have to cross the big bridge again, paying for the privilege.  Still no sign of moose, and the drive back was uneventful.  That is good, but makes for poor story telling.   I am sure we missed a lot on PEI; I hear it is a hotbed for bagpipers.  I am sure there is a summer festival that would be a blast, given enough craft beer and earplugs.  But pre-season has its advantages too.   Enjoy the photos!  When we get back to the states with better net access, we will post more to our Got Gurth Flickr account.