Summer 2005 Week 2

Today was a mixture of birding and touring. We were up early to hike around the national park. We saw lots of birds including seven species of colorful warblers. We also hiked along the beach for a while but it was quite windy. We then headed into Charlottetown, the capitol of PEI. First stop was Founder’s Hall, a museum dedicated to the first meeting to discuss Canadian confederation, held in Charlottetown in 1864. We learned a lot about the formation of Canada. After a delightful lunch at an outdoor restaurant overlooking the harbor we began walking around the town, visiting all of the shops Sandy had circled on the map. In addition to shopping, we visited Province House. This large stone building built in 1855 is a national historic site and the seat of the Provincial legislative assembly. It was also the venue for that 1864 confederation meeting we learned about at Founder’s Hall. The assembly was in session and we spent a few minutes up in the gallery watching the proceedings. On the way back to the car we spotted a sign for the annual Charlottetown Photography Club contest and exhibit. We stopped in to admire the pictures and chatted with one of the members. Once back at the car we went in search of the first crustatian of the trip. No salty harborside shack this time; we got a three and a half pound lobster at the supermarket. They cooked it for us and we had a feast back at the campground. We ended the day sitting by another campfire.

Today we explored the west end of the island. It was a lot of driving at over 225 miles but, in addition to miles of beautiful scenery, there were two highlights. The first was a set of three small buildings made of glass bottles cemented together. It was created by a retired fisherman in 1984. The end point of our trip was North Cape in the far northwest corner of PEI. In addition to great ocean views and a few interesting birds, it is the site of a wind power demonstration project. Near the tip of the cape are a small group of wind generators that were part of the earlier research project in the late 1980’s. A little further inland are 16 huge wind generators with 240 foot high towers and 200 foot diameter three bladed propellers. This array of wind generators provide commercial power, about 3% of PEI’s consumption. Back at the coach, we ate in due to the wind then spent the evening journaling and processing digital photographs. PEI has been fun and tomorrow we are off to Digby, Nova Scotia.

Today was a driving day but pleasant none the less. The internet satellite is very low in the sky from up here in Canada and we have been unable to get connected from our campsite. This morning we stopped at the visitor center by the Confederation Bridge which has a big parking lot with a clear view to the southwest. We got on the internet and spent about an hour answering email and ordering some gifts on line. Then it was back on the road. The Canadians do not try to stick it to RVers at toll booths. The PEI bridge toll is $35 for a car and $45 for any RV combination, like a motorhome towing a car. Compare this to the Maine turnpike where we pay triple the cost of a car! When we crossed into Nova Scotia we stopped at the Visitor Center to load up on current maps and brochures. We also had lunch there then continued n the Smith’s Cove adjacent to Digby. We have a nice site, large by commercial campground standards but still no internet connection. Oh, well, we get to bed earlier this way!

Today’s overcast and drizzle made us change our plans from a full day of birding and hiking on Digby Neck to touring the town of Digby. When we got to Digby, we realized it was Sunday and the museums and most stores were closed. We switched to plan C, a tour of the Annapolis Royal and Port Royal National Historic Parks, a mixture of indoor and outdoor sites. Before we headed for Annapolis Royal, we drove to a pretty lighthouse on the outskirts of Digby. The rain let up as we photographed the lighthouse, watched the birds and a harbor seal swim offshore, hiked down a small wooded trail to see some warblers and picked up a load of ticks that harassed us for the rest of the day. Good news is that they were not Deer Ticks; bad news is that they were bigger. We finally got rid of all of them but it was creepy for a while. The historic sites around Annapolis Royal were interesting, particularly the reconstructed buildings that were built by French settlers in 1605! We also found a fascinating shop with with a huge selection of Asian carving, teak furniture and all manor of miscellaneous pieces like gongs, lacquer art and a neat Feng Shue compass with ornate carvings to determine the proper orientation of household items. Unfortunately the instructions were in Chinese. Oh, they also sell jewelry and now they have one less ring (tomorrow is Sandy’s Birthday ;-). On the way home we bought four DVDs on sale at the Digby movie rental store. It turned out to be a busy, fun filled day and we didn’t get too wet.

It was a cold and cloudy morning as we headed for Digby Neck, a long peninsula that extends into the Bay of Fundy. The road then continues along two narrow islands connected by small car ferries. We stopped along the way to drive down side roads to lighthouses or hike trails to scenic overlooks. The best hike of the day was the Balanced Rock trail. It was about a mile gradual uphill followed by 16 flights of stairs down the cliff face to the waters edge. There we saw, well, Balanced Rock; A tall skinny slab of rock teetering on a narrow shelf. We also saw several scallop draggers working just offshore. We watched them haul up their drag onto the deck. The crew then pulled all of the scallops out of the pile of muddy goop in the drag. The drag was then lowered again as the crew began to shuck the scallops and return the shells to the water so there will be enough calcium for the next generation of scallops to make shells. On the way back to the car we saw a small flock of Cedar Waxwings eating berries high in the trees. When we took the small ferry to Briar’s Island and explored this interesting one mile by two mile outpost. There are lighthouses on all four corners of this island, cleverly named North, South Eastern and Western. At North Light we saw Harbor Seals and Northern Gannets offshore along with the usual Herring and Black Backed Gulls, Common Eider and Cormorants, both Double Crested and Great closer inshore. After a while it got cold and windy so we headed into “town”. We visited both gift shops and made a reservation for a whale watch tomorrow. We then drove to the southwest corner of the island to see an unusual monument. Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail around the world single handed (i.e. by himself). Carl had read the book about the trip and was familiar with the name. Slocum left Boston in 1895 and returned in 1898. He grew up on Briar’s Island and visited often both before and after his epic journey. The bronze plaque we visited commemorates Slocum’s round the world sail as a native of Briar’s Island. The inscription reads, “In Honor of Captain Joshua Slocum, the first man to sail around the world alone, April 24, 1895 to June 27, 1898. He was born on North Mountain February 20, 1844 and lived at Westport until he went to sea in 1860. The Captain and the Spray were lost at sea in November 1909”. We drove and ferried back to the campground for another quiet evening. Jamie got through on the cell phone to wish Sandy a happy birthday. They talked for a while then Tara called and Sandy got to talk to Garrett and Wyatt. A great birthday present. We ended the day watching one of the DVDs we bought yesterday, “We don’t live here anymore”..

Today is whale watch day (we hoped).We awoke to heavy clouds and occasional rain. When we called the whale watch company they said the trip was cancelled due to, “rain wind and fog”. Well at least it wasn’t snowing! Instead of whale watching we did what we had tried to do on Sunday when many shops were closed. In the morning we visited the community of Bear River a few miles north of Digby. The area is famous for craft studios and all of the artisans display and sell their work at the “Flights of Fancy” shop. It was a great craft shop with high quality paintings, ceramics, wood carving and turning and birds painted on rocks. Yes, we know the last item sounds weird but these pieces were magnificent. The birds were very accurately painted and were well matched to the rock. They ranged from small two inch diameter rocks to 10 by 12 inch fractured boulders that allowed the artist to use the cracks as part of the painting. Sandy’s favorite was a family of Sandhill Cranes. Carl’s favorite was a pair of Gyrfalcons perched on a cliff. We tried to visit the MicMac Cultural Center to learn more about the local Indians, or “First Nation” people as they are referred to in Canada. Unfortunately it was closed so we went back to the coach for lunch. After lunch we did Digby. The main street along the waterfront has five or six craft and souvenir shops and about the same number of restaurants. Digby didn’t take long. Our major purchase was five pounds of Digby scallops. We also checked at the Post Office for our mail but it has not yet arrived. Back to the coach for a quiet evening and discussions of what to do tomorrow.

Sunshine greeted us this morning. We decided to drive south along the “Evangeline Trail” towards Yarmouth and check out the sights and Provincial Parks along the way. First stop was Belliveau Cove where a sculptor named Claud showed us fossils and jewelry in his shop. We then hiked about three miles on a trail that wandered from ocean to salt marsh to fresh water marsh. We saw many familiar birds including Red Winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Willett and the ever present Herring Gulls. Next we stopped for a brief tour of the tallest wooden church in North America. A beautiful structure built by a small community. The stained glass windows were shipped from France packed in Molasses for protection. As Jews, we don’t have a religious or spiritual connection to these churches, but the spirit, generosity and energy of a small community to build and support a church like this is impressive none the less. Next stop was Smuggler’s Cove where we hiked down a mere 84 steps to view the seaside cave where legend has it that Rumrunners hid contraband liquor during prohibition. As we walked back to the car, Carl noticed that one of the tires on the CR-V was damaged and the tread was separating from the body of the tire. Those of you who read our Newfoundland journal know that we now have a jack so it was relatively easy for Carl to change the tire. Last stop was Mavilette Beach where we hiked to a bird observation platform to discover that the birds had not gotten the word about this location. We then hiked along the beach for a few kilometers where we found one lonely Herring Gull and a family with a naked one year old boy playing in the sand. We drove back to Digby, stopping at the “Canadian Tire Store” to buy a new tire and arrange to have the motorhome washed tomorrow. Back home, Sandy sautéed some scallops for dinner while Carl did two loads of laundry. A wonderful dinner was followed by a wonderful campfire. Life is good rain or shine!