2023 August, Prince Edwards Island Canada

 A rainy day while RVing I believe is best spent traveling to PEI much better than being bored in camp or watching TV all day. So I left a day early from Fundy National Park to drive up to PEI.

Karen and I are hosting this week's stay at PEI so I do have an itinerary set out to share.

Monday - Ann of Green Gable Museum 20 Park Rd, Kensington, PE C0B 1M0

PEI National Park

Green Gables, 8619 Cavendish Rd, Stanley Bridge PE C0A 1N0

Tuesday - The Bottle Houses, 6891 HWY-11, Prince PE C0B 2E0

Acadian Museum, 23 Main Dr E, Miscouche PE C0B 1T0

Lobster Dinner 4:30pm - 604 RT 258, New Glasgow www.PEIlobstersuppers.com “RSVP          regrets only”

Wednesday - Canadian Potato Museum & Antique Farm Machinery Museum, 1 Dewar Ln, O'Leary PE C0B 1V0

PEI Shellfish Museum - Route 154 Bideford Road, Tyne Valley, PE, Canada, Prince Edward Island. Our Museum houses history on the fishing industry of PEI. Clams, Quahog, Oyster, Lobster and mussel

Thursday - Bedeque Area Historical Museum, 950 Callbeck St, Bedeque PE C0B 1A0

PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation 2 Kent St, Charlottetown PE C1A 1M6 · Closed Tuesday and Sunday· Opens 11:30 a.m. – 4pm

Friday - Orwell Corner Historic Village, 98 Macphail Park Rd, Vernon Bridge PE C0A 2E0

            Shops - Victoria Row, 136 Richmond St, Charlottetown PE C1A 1

Saturday - Rossignol Estate Winery, 11147 Shore Rd, Murray River PE C0A1W0

Buffaloland Provincial Park - Nature reserve 7540 Commercial Rd, Montague Prince Edward Island C0A · 8 -11pm

              Farewell PEI - Mussel Dinner at Campsite (ED) time TBD

DAILY – Hiking, biking trips TBD time location

Optional -

              Charlottetown walking tour, Availability Mon 4:30. Tuesday 9:30 and 1:30pm about $19.

 

This is by no means all there is to see in PEI, simply that as the Host we choose things that interests us. There are other things to do that we will be hitting as time permits. It is very obvious that there is allot more here and this island is much bigger than I had originally expected, and it takes time to get to these locations that I have mapped out. Getting 2 events a day and back to the camp for the 5pm meeting is really close sometimes.

Ann of Green Gables was made famous as the US placed the book in schools for young women to learn to not let anything hold you back, you can do anything you choose to do. The same thing applied to Japan. This was very obvious in our group for most of the ladies in our group had read the book and it made an impact in their lives, so they were especially interested in seeing both the house that Lucy wrote the book lived in and the house that was the scene of many of Ann's adventures. 2 locations to visit for the complete picture of how this book developed.

The writing box Lucy used to write the story.

Most of the displays were pictures of Lucy's family and descriptions of family members. Static displays describing where Lucy came from, married, children and life during her writing career. Allin all a decent stop, even for me who had never read the book.

Another day and seeing the Acadian Museum was very interesting. This museum was mostly about the Acadians in the Canadian Maritimes. Their origins in France, coming to Canada to settle and farm or fish in the new land. The British and French wars that changed everything and then deportment from Canada as the British came to rule. The Acadians moved to the US Colonies and some went back to France, then they were solicited to go to Louisiana which at that time was under French colony.

Very interesting seeing the similarities of other peoples struggles around the world and realization that as long as people do not try to learn the language and work to integrate into the ruling society then persecution often follows.

I really enjoyed this museum and would like to learn more. Perhaps go to Louisianna and see what there is to add to this story.

These hand carved plaques were outside on the building wall with shutters to cover them during inclement weather, so cool.

This island is so amazing. Simply driving the country roads past all farm fields covered in verdant green crops is so beautiful I am constantly in awe! Most common crops are rotated Soybean, corn, potatoes. Yes, the famous PEI Potatoes! Tanya has known of these potatoes for some time and wishes to have some. Unfortunately, I will not be returning for a while, so I found a bar of soap made from potatoes. Yeah, like really romantic, huh?

Sometimes a view of where the sea meets the farm with a little village.

Full sized houses made of cement and bottles. Long before recycling and man recently retired looked for a hobby and began collecting different colored bottles from restaraunts and stores the built the homes just for show. The booklet does describe repairs needed from what I wondered about the change in seasons, weather causing expansion and contraction of these materials and stability is impacted. 

Pam and Lynn

Tonight we met for dinner at New Glasgow Lobster Dinner restaurant. Weekly the nights proceeds are provided for the community in some way. 4 course meal with reasonable portions it was allot of fun for the whole group.

It has been 3 weeks now and so much has happened that it seems much longer. I remember that the first week I needed to get away on my own for a little while for I was so used to traveling alone that having people around to talk to was a bit overwhelming.

 

Hurricane Franklin was passing today - Wednesday August 30, 2023, and we are impacted with rain. The forecast changes daily and sometimes hourly but rainy day is a rainy day so touring museum's is definitely the option for today. I chose the one farthest away, the Potatoe Museum! Rod rode along with me today and we both enjoy each other's company, so it was an even better day!

With a 1 1/2 hour drive each way a stop halfway for breakfast is a good idea to both of us. Small local restaurant with no pretentions had the most delicious whole wheat bread. Then back on the road chatting about what we see outside rain, farm fields and surprisingly the amount of traffic in this particular area. It appears that a canning factory employs many people here. Is all we had seen so far was farms and retail shops. After a while Rod became focused on the homes here are very diligent on mowing their grass. It is the rareity that a house had not mown their grass. Also we looked for signs of heating sytems for very few had wood stacked and furnace vents from roofs were not that common. Seems odd that electric might be the only source of heat in a farming area.

Along the way we noticed this very large house with unusual exterior siding.

The sign explains the unusual siding.

Ah, my honey will be so happy to see this! Tanya continues to enjoy traveling with me through daily chats and this travel journal.

A large area of the museum had old farm equipment most of which had been used in the potato growing and harvest. I thought a panoramic picture would capture the size of the collection.

Rod showing the manufacturer of this tractor, he himself had used a tractor like this in his youth.

This museum has a restaurant with all things Potatoe, menu above.

Yoga anyone

The types of potato grown on PEI

While we were at the Potato Museum a Rialta parked with New Hampshire license plate. It took me a minute to remember the name of a friend from New Hampshire with a Rialta. Unfortunately, it was not him, but they did know him and promised to share that they had run into me the next time they saw him.

Oy, as Tanya would say. What allot of facts about potatoes', this is very similar to the Idaho Potatoe Museum and the other side of the museum is local's heritage items they donated. Quite allot to see and well worth the drive.

Along the drive home is another museum for shellfish. Very informative displays and the docent description pulled the process of seeding the beds cla=early into focus for me. I left here with information overload.

The government operates a Mussell breeding for cultured mussels, the cost for the individuals is zero.

This is the devices (tubes) used to collect the sperm from mussels, then they are cultivated onto baskets for growing. The baskets are lowered to the bottom in the winter because there is ice covering the waters here. A long pole or divers are lowered down the ice to harvest during the winter. 

Yeah tough to read, there were many and many more displays and too much information so I took pictures and can review on the PC much easier by zooming in.

Trip to Bedeque Area Historical Museum which also includes the schoolhouse that Lucy (author of Ann of Green Gables) taught in for 6 months. here is a ledger in the schoolhouse and it shows that teachers only were there for one season.

The museum is one building containing nearly all of the businesses in the whole town. Not overly large but the town is not overly large either. For all its size it is quite a collection of history of this area. Arranged in groups by topic or person of interest it is difficult to photograph.

Kim, Marsha, Rod

Jenell gives Rod a Thank You Award

Rod and I took a long drive to see a Acadian Festival, our expectations were definitely not what we realized for it was not really an Acadian Festival. This town of 101 people are mostly Acadian but the festival is a very small 4H county fair.  A panorama picture catches the whole thing.

Stay tuned we are only halfway through our Canadian Maritimes journey!