16 The Dunes

Saturday, September 22, 2007
Stanhope, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Wandered along the Fundy coastal route until I hit Fort Beausejour at the top of the Cumberland Basin -- Redcoat that I am, I invaded, conquered and renamed it Fort Cumberland then added a few better fortifications. After lunch, I continued on the Acadian Way trail until traversing the Northumberland Strait via the Confederation Bridge -- I guess it is an engineering marvel but it did not knock me over in awe even though it is much faster than the old ferry (also a damned expensive bridge ride).

PEI is a pretty island with rolling hills, red earth and plenty of farmland growing millions of potatoes for McCains plus dairy herds galore . The National Park consists of three distinct separate segments, from west to east: Cavendish, Stanhope (includes Beckley Beach and Delvay) and Greenwich (like in England, pronounced "gren"-"ich"). Each segment is about forty-five minutes apart by road, less by boat. The park's main purpose is to protect the dunes which provide a habitat for numerous bird and plant species while stopping ersosion.

I was a little disappointed that they had the Cavendish camp ground closed, which is much better scenery-wise, especially with the direct beach access, than the Stanhope site. Oh well, I snuck into the 1897 Dalvay summer home that was the in thing to do by the "nouveau riche" in those days; I couldn't afford to stay in this place but at least my tent is more airy :). Strolling on beaches while listening to the surf is so soothing - I actually found a live crab, about the size of my hand, hiding on the beach; they can camouflage themselves fairly well.

Took a run into Charlottetown to replace my lens cap -- the previous one ended up in the ocean besides Grand Maran BUT thank god I saved my camera from the same fate . While there, I visited the Confederation Chamber in the PEI Legislature -- one definitely gets an eerie feel for Canadian history here and I really loved the stones outside the building from each of the provinces with corresponding plaque (but no territories).

Visited Cavendish Beach - such a nice spot (I vividly remember Aaron playing in the sand 27 years ago) - then dropped in to see Anne's house, which is pretty spectacular. The rest of the day I spent reading and walking on the beach - my shell collection is steadily expanding but still no great ones.

Visited Greenwich for the first time and really enjoyed it. This remote part of the park has been setup as a self-sustaining eco-structure utilizing solar, wind and composting technologies; plus the beaches and trails are excellent. While heading to do my grocery shopping, I also toured Rustico, an old Acadian town, which had an interesting preserved past compared to the burned out settlements in Nova Scotia. This town boasts of the oldest house and RC church in PEI.

Had a nice easy day washing my clothes, hiking along the beach plus giving Baby a bath and installing the rad protectors. Rode into Summerside since I'd never been there before - didn't miss much but the country roads are sure nice to cruise along. Off to NB in the morning.

Tidbits:
- PEI does not sell beer in cans (I like this environmental step).
- I think PEI may have more miles of road than all of Newfoundland.
- I never did understand why Ontario's Keswick is not pronounced the English way "Kes"-"ick."
- I propose that the bland name of PEI's National Park be changed to "The Dunes" which is the main reason why the federal government expropriated the land in the first place (i.e., to protect them).
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