MyJourney: More P.E.I.

Today I took the North Cape Coastal Drive. Each of these scenic drives are between 250 and 300 miles … but since they are along the shoreline and there is stuff to see, they take all day. The speed limit is either 37 mph or 43 mph, so it is slow going.

As I looked at shoreline in Gaspe, now in PEI, and will again in Nova Scotia and Fundy, I may not make a drive to the shore when I get back to the states! It may be like seeing your 10^th castle in Europe; the rest start to lose the appeal. LOL

My first stop was in Summerside, PEIs second largest city, for gas and a drink. Summerside also turned out to be my last stop as I ate dinner at the Credit Union Place, a sport arena, at a restaurant in the arena, Five Eleven West. The fish and chips were recommended in my guide book, and as I really wanted some, I stopped. They were excellent.

The soda dispensers in Canada are a little different than in the States. Instead of the “caramel” colored liquid filling your cup, it comes out alternating plain water with the cola mix here. The first time I thought something was wrong with the machine, but they are all the same. And they pulsate with the change in substance ... very different.

After the pit stop at McD, I drove down to Bedeque to a fabric store they have and found a couple of pieces that I thought I could use for my memory quilt, and then onto the scenic drive.

Unfortunately, as I was working my way, I drove right through Cap-Egmont and forgot to stop to see the Bottle Houses! They are covered entirely with the bottoms of bottles. I don’t know how much of the construction is involved, or if it’s just cosmetic. If I have time, I’m going to drive back to see them. If I do, I’m also going back to O’Leary to tour the Canadian Potato Museum. I can’t believe I missed that.

I did see some other bottle houses on the island ... I'm sure they are a poor cousin, but took pictures.

I stopped at the lighthouses at both West Point and North Cape, and several of the beaches to take a walk. The “sand” on the beach is red dirt. The dunes were pretty impressive.

North Cape is home to the longest natural rock reef on PEI.

It is also home to the Atlantic Wind Test, a research center devoted to studying how wind can be harnessed as a power supply. Here is a close up of the top of the wind turbines.