A Day Of Superlatives And The Return To Acadia

Joe, Ned and Lobsterman With the World's Largest Lobster

Friday morning we were up early and on our way. In the planning phase of the trip I was going to go to Quebec City from Prince Edward Island. It was the one part of the trip that I didn’t like. Not Quebec, but the drive there. 12 hours plus from PEI through a lot of backwoods. So when we left PEI it was with the idea of going back through New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and then up to Montreal.

We took the Confederation Bridge to get off of the island. The 14 km long Confederation Bridge was built in 1997 as an alternative way to get to PEI from the Canadian mainland. When we crossed it was very hazy so that you couldn’t see far across the bridge.


PEI in the Rearview Mirror and New Brunswick in the Distance


The Confederation Bridge the Longest Bridge to Span Ice Covered Waters

Once in New Brunswick we took a side trip to Shediac, NB to see the World’s Largest Lobster. The Shediac lobster is 35 ft long and sits at the entrance to the east side of town. From Shediac and the Lobster we stopped a Hartland, NB to see the Longest Covered Bridge in the World. The first of many covered bridges we would see in the next few days but certainly the longest.


Joe Having Lobster Problems


The Sign Says It All

From Hartland, NB it is a quick drive to the border of Maine and the USA though it took about 30 minutes to cross. While we were waiting a thunderstorm blew in and knocked the power out but after answering the border agent’s questions and having him search the back of the car we were back in the USA. At this point I wasn’t sure where we going. I thought of going to Baxter State Park but with the storm blowing through I passed on it. As I looked at the map I realized we were going to be close to Acadia again. When I mentioned this out loud the boys both asked if we could go back. After a quick stop in Bangor we did.

The problem with visiting Acadia National Park on the spur of the moment, in August, late in the day is that we had a hard time finding a place to stay. We ended up on the Western part of Mount Desert Island at a private campground. They found a site for us and we set up camp in the dark.


Cavendish, PEI to Acadia National Park, ME, 504 miles 12 hrs 7 min

Three Days On Prince Edward Island

Joe and Ned Visiting Anne's House

On July 31 we were up early because we slept in the car the night before. We found a spot to have breakfast and then went to the Cavendish campground for PEI National Park. We got on the waiting list for a campsite and then went to visit the sites.

The main attraction in Cavnedish is the Green Gables Heritage Site. It is the house that inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery's vision of the home where Anne Shirley lives in Anne of Green Gables. Since we were there so early we were the only ones there and we were able to explore the home and grounds without having to jostle or wait our turn. On the site is a trail through the Haunted Woods and Lovers' Lane both from the story.


Anne's Bedroom


Ned Tries Milking


Down Lovers' Lane


The Red Earth of Prince Edward Island

After visiting Green Gables we went down the road and stopped at the Lucy Maud Montgomery homestead site. The building is gone and only the cellar remains of the home in which she was raised by her grandparents. There are paths that lead from there to the cemetary where she is buried.

We then went into Charlottetown to visit the library and do some shopping. When we got back to the PEI National Park we did get a campsite.

The next two days were laid back ones. We went to the beach which was about 150 yards from the campsite. The beach is lovely wide and long and mostly empty of people. The water seemed cold at first but once in was nice. We spent most of the beach time making large river systems in the sand.


Joe and Ned are Ready for the Beach


One of the Rivers


Prince Edward Island National Park


Walking Back to Camp

We also stopped for ice cream at Cows a PEI ice cream chain that is very good. One night we played mini-golf at a golf course with a giant lobster. It was very relaxing and the weather was great. We were only going to be there two days but it was so nice we stayed an extra day.


Relaxing at the Campsite


Ned Swings by the Potatoes


The Lobster Trap

Fortress of Louisbourg And Alexander Graham Bell

Ned and Joe at Fortress of Louisbourg

Monday started off wet. It rained all night and into the morning. A good hard rain when you are in a tent is not. After about the fifth hour I started to notice that the tent was leaking in a few spots. Fortunately the rain stopped around 7:30 am and the tent leaked very little, nothing a few socks were not able to soak up.

The reason we were in the Southeast corner of Nova Scotia was to visit the Fortress of Louisbourg. The fortress was founded by the French in 1719 to protect their lucrative cod fisheries. Unfortunately they were competing with the British over this and the control over North America. In 1745 the British lay seige and captured the town. It was given back to the French three years later by treaty. In 1758 the British again captured the town and this time razed it.

In 1961 the Canadian government began a reconstruction of the town and fortifications. When you enter the town you are transported back to 1744 a year before the first siege. There are re-enactors throughout the village and fortress taking on the different roles of bakers, soldiers, cooks, fisherman etc. When you try to enter the gate the soldier on guard demanded to know where we from and what our business was. He quite put off to find that we were "British" and possible spies. Ned vouched for us we were allowed to enter.

Because of the wet weather I thought our visit was a bit more realistic. The fog was thick and nothing could be seen beyond the town. The ground was muddy and people had mud on them. The downside was being cold and wet. We still spent about five hours there looking in the different buildings, watching the blacksmiths, talking to the villagers, watching a cannon being fired and having a meal at one of the taverns.


The Approach to the Fortress of Loiusbourg


The Children at Dance and Song


The Waterfront Street of Louisbourg


The Frederick Gate


Joe Watches for the British


Overseeing the Troops


The Fortress Wall in the Fog


Ned and Joe Visiting


Conversing in the Kitchen

Saying au revoir to the fortress we started for Prince Edward Island. On the way we made a stop in Baddeck, NS, to visit the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. Bell decided to build a vacation home in Baddeck in 1885 after visiting because in his words, "I have traveled the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all." The museum has exhibits on Bell´s wide ranging interests and inventions, much of it undertaken at Baddeck.

We managed to catch the 7:30 pm ferry to Prince Edward Island and we soon found ourselves in Cavendish. Originally I wasn't going to take the ferry to PEI but I found out that you have to pay one way, to get off the island. I had planned on staying at one of the campgrounds in Prince Edward Island National Park. After driving around for a while I could not find it and after stopping to ask for directions found out that it was shutdown three to four years prior. So much for guide books, I should have called. We went to one of the other campgrounds and ending up sleeping in the car. The facilities were in such bad shape that I decided in the morning we would go to a different campground.


The Ferry to Prince Edward Island


The Woods Island Light on Prince Edward Island


Louisbourg, NS to Cavendish, PEI, 310 miles 6 hrs 25 min