Prince Edward Island

Wow!

I love to go to new places that I've never been.

You have an expectation of a place before you arrive and then when you do

it is either less that what you envisioned, or a pleasant surprise.

Having heard so many good things about PEI I had some pretty high expectations

before getting here and now after a few days I can say those expectations have been

greatly exceeded.

This place is special.

We left Perce' Qc on Tuesday after Labor day and competed our

 semi circumnavigation of the Gaspe' Peninsula and crossed into New Brunswick.

After another beautiful 240 mile drive thru coastal villages we arrived at our stop for

the night at Camping Colibri Sur Mer in Caraquet Nb.

Formerly a Provincial Park, it is located right on the water and has a mixture of

dry and serviced sites.

The full service sites are closer to the highway and away from the water.

We chose a site by the shoreline (#42)  that had 30amp and water.

We only hooked up electric as we fully expected to be dry camping for the next week

anyway, and have prepared ahead.

Site 42 Colibri Sur Mer Caraquet

The campground was about 10% full and very quiet as the sun slipped below

the water and the day came to a close. 

Colibri Sur Mer Sunset

We had wanted to visit the Acadian Historic Site nearby.

It is a restored Acadian (French Colonists) Village, but our time is limited so

we decided to push on Weds and save that day for use later in the trip.

It used to be the only way to get onto PEI was by ferry but after much debate and finally a vote

by the residents of PEI the Confederation Bridge was opened in 1997.

At 8 miles in length it is the longest bridge in the world that crosses ice covered waters.

Traveling onto the island is free.

My return trip to the mainland will be $61cdn for the Bus and truck in tow.

Our home while on PEI will be Cabot Beach Provincial Park.

The park has fully serviced, partial service and unserviced campsites.

We again chose a partial hookup (30a and water) so that we could have one of the nicest

views in the park.  Again - we are only hooked up to electric.  

We and about 5 other RV's are parked on the cliff overlooking

Malpeque Bay and are being treated to the wonderful ever changing seascape.

We are parked in Site F

Cabot Beach Provincial Park Campground Site F

Our plan for our first nights dinner on the island was to attend a PEI tradition...

A Lobster Supper. 

We drove about 40 scenic minutes to the New Glasgow Lobster Supper, a local

institution that has been doing this since 1958.

First course is homemade bread, and we ordered a half litre of a nice Pinot.

Next is all you can eat PEI mussels.

YUM!

We both chose 1.5 lb lobsters.

Come to think of it....  why didn't they call it a .68kg lobster instead?

After the final desert course - Kate had Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream,

I had Strawberry Shortcake and Ice Cream - we took a different

route home on the meandering two lane roads that wander all over the island.

Our final treat to our first day on the island was this splendid sunset from our campsite.

The setting sun painted the red cliffs with a deeper glow.

Thursday morning dawned cloudy with threats of rain.

The forecast for the day was mostly cloudy so we decided on a scenic drive

and took the long way to Walmart to do some provisioning.

Around every corner on the beautiful island is another surprise vista.

The fertile soil supports crops of all types to complement the

bounty that is harvested from the ocean.

Not far from our Provincial Park is the Princetown United Church.

Throughout the Maritimes, the variety of the beautiful churches has been a treat.

I'd like to do a blog on just the churches.

Princetown United Church Malpeque, PEI

The rolling green hills...   The picturesque villages and working ports...

The bays and inlets...  the red cliffs and farmlands...

Its impossible to convey just how beautiful this place is with pictures. 

St Marys Church in Indian River.

Just outside of the park gate is the Malpeque Harbor.

During the day we see the fishing boats come and go as they work the sea.

We have one more day left on the island.

Not enough to fully drink this place in for sure,

but we will do our best to take in as much as we can.

More to come from PEI.

GO BRONCOS

Last Nights SuperBowl Rematch.

Denver 21    Carolina 20

Forillon National Park to Perce Quebec

We have been enjoying our stay in Forillon National Park.
Our campsite in the Petit Gaspe Campground in the park is long and
has a private area in the rear for the firepit and picnic table.

Site 169 Petit Gaspe

It took a bit of maneuvering to get into the site due to some obstructions but was no big deal.
A lot of people came by to check out the bus since most of the units in the campground were
much smaller but there really was enough room to maneuver it in.  Only some of the
spaces however would accomodate our rig - mostly due to problems backing in.
Site 170 would probably be the best for a big rig as it is on a curve and you would almost
back straight into it from the roadway.

People talk about French Canada and how the people are not friendly but in our travels
nothing could be further from the truth.
We politely greet them in their native tongue as we do in any foreign country
and have found them immediately opening up to us in English if they spoke it.

In those few times they did not speak english, we had fun communicating and
sometimes were assisted by some other customer who did.

Then again... since we both don't speak a lick of French they could have been telling me
to go pound it where the sun don't shine while smiling at me and I would have been
replying...   "oui..  oui"

Our neighbors in the campground were mixed Anglo/Francophone families and it was
amazing to listen to them hold a conversation.
They would talk to each other alternating between French and English from
one sentence to the next, both languages being native and interchangeable to them.

Touring the park, one beautiful seascape after another provided a feast for the senses.

We walked the rocky shores while enjoying the great sunny weather and  mild temps.

Located on the tip of the Gaspe Peninsula, the seafaring heritage of this area is evident.
One of the places where that heritage is preserved is at the Blanchette House...
The preserved home of the Blanchette family which was occupied thru
the early 20th century.

The home, barn, fishshed, woodshed,
and other structures along with costumed guides tell the story of these
settlers who fished for Cod in the ferile local waters.

The Homestead is nestled on the side of the hill overlooking
the bay and has a beautiful view. 

Blanchette Homestead Forillon NP

The Fish drying shed with the house beyond.

The Cod was caught with nets from Dories like in the picture.

Blanchette Homestead Forillon NP

Life was hard but the view was beautiful.

View from Blanchette Homestead Forillon NP

Path to beach Blanchette Homestead Forillon NP

Our 2 day visit over, we resumed our drive around the Gaspe' with our next stop
61 short miles away in Perce.

Here is a short 2 min drivelapse with portions of the trip



The drive was scenic as usual, mostly following the shoreline with an occasional
diversion up and down a forested hillside, or thru a small village.

Just before arriving in Perce we climbed a very steep grade to the top of a hill
that then dropped steeply into town.

A 17% Grade, about 1 mile long, going down off of the summit into the town of Perce'.

Looking down the hill into town.

At the bottom of the hill... 

50kph or 30mph.

After settling into our new home, we immediately headed into town.

A panoramic view. 

Bonaventure Island is center-right.

Bonaventure, now a National Park, is one of the largest 

accessible bird sanctuaries in the world.

We stopped at a local Boulangerie (bakery) and bought some delicious

crusty multi grain bread.

One of the great things about traveling thru French Canada is the French Bakeries.

We are perched on the hillside at "Nature Ocean Chalets Camping".

Our view is scenic and our site large with full hookups (30amp).

The park is made up of widely spaced sites, some seasonal, some transient.
The roads are grass and gravel and were not heavily graded and
they cross a variety of rolling terrain.

In some points the RV will be leaning a bit to one side or the other as you transit the roads.
I mention this because some of you might not be comfortable taking your
coach on rolling terrain like this.

Its not a big deal but to some folks it would be
a bit unusual compared to your typical RV park with flat roads.

There are several RV Parks in town, some perched right on the edge of the cliff and 

with perhaps even better views.   The sites there are much closer together however and

right next to the highway so there are tradeoffs.

I think my decision to stay here was a good one for us.

This morning at 5am I looked down towards the foot of the bed,
our bedroom window was facing the rising sun.

So of course I had to get up and snap a few photos of the sun rising over the ocean.

The colors began the day softly.

Sunrise Nature Ocean Chalets Perce, Qc

Then the sun broke free of the Oceans hold  and ascended higher with a burst of Orange.

Sunrise Nature Ocean Chalets Perce, Qc

Today was a bit of a down day.

We took a short trip about 5 miles further east on 132 (actually west of town)

to a local eatery that I read about when researching the trip.

Situated on the fishing docks in a small harbor - we were not disappointed.

We both opted for the sautéed Cod.

All the seafood served here is locally sourced and fresh.

The cod and lobster comes from the boats in this very harbor, and the crab

from one village down the road.

Our lunch had been swimming in the cool clean waters just hours earlier.

A local microbrewery on the other side of the harbor provided the beer.

Hand cut fries and a fresh salad with an olive oil and lemon dressing rounded out the meal.

Fresh is the keyword here.   The food was fresh light and delightful.

For about $35 US, we had a memorable & leisurely lunch in a picturesque outdoor setting.

Did I mention the fish was fresh?

After lunch we strolled up to the second floor of the restaurant.

What was formerly the Cod Drying Room for the harbor, is now an artist loft and

contained an eclectic mix of pieces offered for sale.

Back to the bus - I made dinner for the Doodles while Kate ran back down the hill into

town to buy some more fresh bread and some sweets at the boulangerie.

The bread - well that will be for lunches when we hit the road on Tuesday.

Its really good!

The sweets - their hours are numbered.