Prince Edward Island - July 12 to 14

July 12
We drove from Moncton across the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island (PEI).

The Confederation Bridge was one long bridge

After the constant second growth forests of New Brunswick it was refreshing to see the small farm plots and hay field meadows of P.E.I. Small bordering stands of trees broke up the many small fields.

As Stomping Tom Connor's song "Bud the Spud" eulogized, there were lots of potatoes growing in the bright red mud of PEI..

We booked into the KOA by the bridge then drove the short distance to tiny Argyle Shore Provincial Park.

Emma and Sonaa by Argyle Shore Provincial Park

This picture of Argle Shore was a little deceptive as it looked like you could walk from the grass right into Northumberland Strait.

Argle Shore

Not so, as the first step over the cliff was a bit of a drop.

Argle Shore

We left Sonaa in the RV as it would have been difficult to carry her down the vertical ladder to the beach.

The bright red mud of Prince Edward Island

It was near high tide so there was little beach between the water and the cliff.

Emma on the Argle Shore

We went for a nice walk along the beach and really enjoyed the dramatic red colours in the cliff and beach.

It was a great little walk along Argle Beach and a nice introduction to P.E.I.

Emma on Argle Beach

We drove briefly into Charlottetown and around Province House which was the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1868. The sun was setting and there were no RV parking spots so we headed back to the KOA campground.

We were driving right into the setting sun. We should have been driving blind but the pollution was so bad that it cut the sun's glare down to a modest red ball. Great for sunset driving but kind of scary when you think about it. In PEI, we were hundreds of miles away from the primary air pollution sites in the northern states yet the air quality here was poor.

July 13
Today, our goal was to visit Prince Edward Island National Park. It was broken up into three sections so we headed for the furthest and wildest section.

The Number 1 highway was in poor shape and there was only a small shoulder on this narrow two lane road. Endearing really, as this was the primary Trans Canada highway that ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific yet here in P.E.I. it was little more than a quaint country trail.

We stopped briefly at the St.Peter's Campground to book a campsite then drove into the Greenwich section of P.E.I. National Park.

Greenwich Interpretive Centre

Our first stop was the Harve Saint Pierre Trail. It was a very pleasant walk around a flower-strewn open meadow with a beautiful view of St. Peter's Bay.

Dandelion and Blue Vetch

Wild Rose

Bird's-foot Trefoil

Throughout Saint Peter's Bay were lots of little black buoys that marked the location of oyster beds.
Ropes hanging from the buoys enabled oysters to attach and grow.

St.Peter's Bay 

We had a short rest after the Harve Saint Pierre walk then took the longer Greenwich Dunes Trail.

The Greenwich Dunes Trail was a 4.8 kilometre hike through  a small wooded area, across a marsh and onto the beach.

There was a long boardwalk that took you out and through the large marsh area.

In the middle of the Board Walk was a friendly Swamp Sparrow.

 134) Swamp Sparrow

This Swamp Sparrow did not fly off as we approached, instead he gave us a little salute as we walked by.

 It was a really long boardwalk.

On the other side of the grassy dunes was the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence

Emma wasted no time in wading into the surf.

We had a nice long walk along the open beach.

Jellyfish on the beach

 At the far end of our hike were a couple of well-placed Parks Canada red chairs.

As I relaxed an industrious Common Yellowthroat was busy foraging in the shrubs.

137) Common Yelllowthroat

Too soon, it was time to find our way back to the Boardwalk and out through the marsh

We drove back to the Greenwich Interpretive Centre then took the 1/4 kilometre path to Greenwich Beach.

We wanted to have one final walk along the beautiful sand beaches.

Greenwich Beach

July 14
To complete our tour of PEI National Park, we headed to the central Brackley-Dalvay section.

The Bubble Springs Hike was a short walk through shady woods to a nice pond.  The walk started out quite pleasantly but this location abounded in multitudes of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Our walk started as a pleasant stroll and ended with a thundering gallop as we did our best to out-distance the marauding mosquitoes.

 Mosquitoes Pond

Stanhope Beach

To regroup and recover, we made a short stop at Stanhope Beach to see how other people enjoy their vacations.

Gulf of the Saint Lawrence

Ring-billed Gull

Refreshed, we carried on to the Cavendish section of P.E.I. National Park

In the late afternoon, we arrived at Green Gables Heritage Place. This site and Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish Home make up L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site.

Emma and Sonaa in front of Green Gables

As often happened Emma and Sonaa debated direction. Emma wanted to go to the Green Gables shed and Sonaa the barn.

Nearby Oceanview Overlook was a good spot to let Sonaa and Emma get back into rapport.

This site was another beautiful red cliff seashore that overlooked the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence

American Crow

 I was captivated by the beauty of the shoreline. Immediately, I scrambled down to hop around the boulders and marvel at the beauty of the cliffs and the way the rocks slid into the ocean.

 Red Cliffs of P.E.I.

Beach by Oceanview Overlook

Emma and Sonaa were somewhat less impressed. They stayed on top of the cliff and gazed down on me with curiosity as I scrambled about.

At sunset, we left Prince Edward Island and headed back over the Confederation Bridge.