Prince Edward Island Visit, 2023 - Part One

 Wednesday 14 June

This was our 5 th flight from Brisbane to Prince Edward Island, Canada.  The journey went smoothly [20 hours of actual flying time and 3 flights], but for the first time, it seemed never ending and our jetlag endless.

RHS  and bottom - Brisbane airport and looking down on our suburb. [a new flight path] 

Top left - Very tired at Toronto airport,  waiting for the Charlottetown flight. 

 

The reward for the discomfort was the joy of spotting two very excited grandchildren waiting at the end of their driveway. [Thanks for the pic, Kim.]

Our accommodation, just 10 mins from our family, overlooks a park and sporting field. Such a special feeling to watch Stuart and Nora coming to visit us the following day. Ben was busy all day with a birthday party and a visit to a circus.

Not only were we greeted with the love of our family, but the amazing beauty of the island's summer, that had finally arrived. Sheer bliss for me.

Hurricane Fiona hit the island on September 23, last year. I had followed the news and seen its destruction but now we are constantly reminded of how extensive that damage was to the island's trees.

Before [last visit] and after of the lovely trail to the creek and now to our home.

Leaving the creek, one walks across a meadow.  One afternoon, Ben, Nora and I had the best time running and tumbling in this long, soft, wildflower-filled, snake-free grass. Perfect also for a game of hide-n-go-seek. 

During the working week, we have continued to explore the island and also return to our favourite haunts.

A day was spent at Cavendish Beach.

Morning tea view at McNeill's Pond, before walking the Dune Trail, seen in front of us.

An eagle and an osprey were spotted during the morning.

More Fiona damage from a viewpoint on the trail.

The camping ground and beach here had really taken a battering.

Rustico Harbour visited as we drove home.

Our evenings are spent with our family. One evening as we drove home, we were amazed to see the sun glowing like a rising moon at home. Smoke haze from the Alberta and other Canadian wildfires filled the sky.

The following day we drove to Summerside to reconnect with our friends, Marie and Rick. A wonderful walk along the boardwalk was enjoyed.

Top RHS - Bob the squirrel, Marie and Ric's friend. This was their first sighting this year. Bob is recognisable because of his unusual tail.

A 9 pm sunset walk, along the waterfront at Victoria Park in Charlottetown.

Enjoying lunch and a read in the shade on this lovely, comfortable, summer's day.

The weekend arrived and we took Ben and Nora for a picnic, amongst many other busy activities.

A new week and new plans. We wanted to find somewhere where we could enjoy the view, sit, read and have our coffee. We drove to Savage Harbour. The icy wind nearly blew us away and the foreshore had well and truly succumbed to Fiona's wrath.

We drove onto Red Head a busy mussel harbour and the story was similar.

RHS - Finally, coffee in comfort at the Black and White Cafe in St Peters Bay.

Relaxing with a book wasn't going to work, so we drove to one of my favourite haunts on the island, Mooneys Pond.

Rain, lupins, red soil road, and fields of white daisies on the drive!

Beautiful Mooney Pond.

The Morell Management Team have done a massive cleanup since Fiona.

June 2023

June 2022

On our journey home, I briefly spotted an Amish family reaping hay and pitch-forking it onto a cart drawn by two beautiful draught horses. Alas, by the time we were able to turn around safely so we could watch, the cart was full and being pulled to the barn.

Past and modern haymaking.

On another day we drove to Wood Island. We didn't take our own coffee, wanting to support the locals doing it tough because the ferry to Nova Scotia was out of action for some time.

First stop with a view, none. 

Second stop - wasn't open for an hour. 

Third stop - the sweet shop had the most delicious fudge and coffee, which we enjoyed beside the old railway station.

We continued on to Bear Cove lighthouse.

Continuing on, the coastal road to Panmure Island had me in raptures at the endless vistas across fields of wildflowers and wheat. The red soil and lush greens are in contrast to the blue of the sea and sky. 

All these images were taken from a moving car.

Nova Scotia is on the horizon.

The causeway to Panmure Island.

Panmure Lighthouse and lupin views.

The inlet surrounding Panmure Island. 

Wherever you drive on the island one is never far from a water view of some description and the potato fields are endlessly beautiful.

This week we met Marie and Rick at Irishtown north of Summerside. The rural vistas from the car park and on our 5 kilometre walk were stunning.

From the car park.

Millman Road is one of 11 designated Heritage Roads on the island, protected from asphalt, logging and snowploughs. Landowners along the roads have agreed to a buffer of trees to preserve the beauty of the tree tunnels.

The dappled light, bird song, buttercups, daisies and glimpses of farmlands made for a peaceful, delightful walk.

At the end of the road, a surprise was in store for us.

York Minster, Dunvegan Castle and much more, at Woodleigh Replicas, once a tourist attraction. It was a father-and-son creation that opened in 1950.

A lovely picnic lunch at Cabot Beach was completed just as the heavens opened. No walk on the beach today and a very wet drive back to Cornwall.

I hope you are enjoying the loveliness of PEI as much as I am. Its vistas are such a contrast to the Australian landscape. Each and every kilometre fills me with joy.

I would love to read your comment.