After our two wonderful days on Cape Breton, and leaving Nova Scotia, we crossed back into New Brunswick and headed towards Confederation Bridge. As I studied the map, however, I realized that there was a ferry running over to Prince Edward Island which was much closer than the bridge. Looking into it online, we realized we could, if we hurried, be able to catch the next ferry just in time.
In less than an hour we arrived at the ferry terminal at Caribou. We hadn’t been able to make a reservation, but it wasn’t a problem as there was still room. We were also quite pleased to find out that the ferry was free! “What?” we exclaimed.
“Oh, we’ll get you on the way back on either the ferry or bridge,” the ticket agent replied. We were directed to a lane to line up and I could see the MV Confederation making its way to the dock. Before too long, we were driving onto the ferry among RVs, cars and large transport trucks. It was a very pleasant trip across and was about 70 minutes in duration.
Our first sighting of the island province was a lighthouse sitting on the distinctively reddish coloured soil that P.E.I. is known for. As we drove off at the Woods Island terminal we set our sights on reaching the Cavendish Beach section of Prince Edward Island National Park on the far side of the island where we had reservations.
The drive northwest took us past the outskirts of Charlottetown and through the countryside leading to the Cavendish Beach area. The views across the planted fields of potatoes were, to me, amazing. I just love the sight of the iron oxide coloured soil throughout the island province. As we approached the Cavendish area, we started to notice some of the results of Hurricane Fiona, which hit P.E.I. very hard last September. Inland, stands of trees at an unusual angle were quite noticeable at first. When we arrived at the campground, the results were very noticeable, both in the campground itself and along the shoreline. One word would describe what we saw: Devastation!
The news last fall described Hurricane Fiona as one of the strongest storms in Canadian history. On P.E.I., thousands of trees were knocked down and the storm-driven waves eroded hundreds of kilometres along the coast. After setting up at our site, we walked to the beach and the effect that the hurricane had had was very noticeable. Swaths of trees just up from the beach were destroyed. I think the salt spray also contributed greatly to the tree destruction. The rocks along the shoreline seemed to have been pushed much closer to the small cliffs remaining at this beach and it left me wondering if bank swallows would be able to nest there. The high dunes along this stretch of coast, off in the distance in both directions, remained intact, which was good to see. As the recovery continues it will take decades of work and one is left to wonder about the impact of future storms.
An early morning sunrise was a wonderful sight before an enjoyable drive along the Gulf Shore Parkway past Orby Head and Cape Turner to North Rustico Harbour. Later that day, we enjoyed a drive to the city of Summerside, where we walked on a lovely boardwalk along the shore and visited Spinnakers’ Landing next to the Summerside Coast Guard Station. Continuing our drive from there to Cap-Egmont we enjoyed the sights along Route 11, which included the Bottle House and a huge church at Mont Carmel. With weather beginning to look threatening, we returned to Summerside to have a late lunch at a wonderful take-away restaurant called Hoss’s Fish and Chips. The menu board listing was large but we settled on fried clams and fish and chips, both of which were delicious. A heavy downpour made it necessary for us to eat in the car. We felt sorry for the pavers who were getting drenched as they repaired sections of the parking lot.
Returning to our campsite we had one last walk along the beach before settling down for the night. It was off to New Brunswick, and another national park the next day.
