Prince Edward Island - Part 2

Our PEI  boondocker host, Bob

Our first night in Charlottetown we spent with a boondocker host on the peninsula across the bay from the main town. We were lucky to catch Bob, as he was leaving the next day on his own winter adventure to the American SW. He has been going there for several years now and just loves it. He gave us lots of good ideas of what to do once we get to the SW. His darling granddaughter cleaned up her room so she could give me a tour and drew a nice picture to decorate the rig. Happy Trails, Bob!




















The next day we spent touring the town, it happens to be a very historic site. The very first meeting of men to ever discuss a Canadian Federation was held here. We rode our bikes around the lovely old homes and parks on the edges of the city. Leaving Charlottetown, we headed north again for the northeastern coast of the island. It was a cool, blustery day so we were happy driving through the countryside, admiring farms and houses and the increasingly beautiful fall colors. We spent the night at the Visitor Information Center in St. Peters. The sun was shining again the next morning so we unloaded the bikes and set out on the Confederation Bike Path which runs over 200 km from the east to the west points of the island with branches in the other directions. It was created on the old railway line crossing the island on a lovely, mostly level grade. We did only a short section from St. Peters to Morell, about 22 km round trip. We saw only a couple of joggers the whole way. We were treated to views across rivers, wetlands and bays as we rode through short stretches of forest and longer stretches of potato fields. Several of those wily spuds jumped in my bike bag on the way home. They grow a LOT of potatoes here and I had been wanting some but didn't want to buy 10 lbs to haul around. I parboiled 'em and fried 'em up for dinner in Souris that night and we had a lovely dinner of smoked salmon and spuds.

That night in Souris (say surrey) we went to our first "ceilidh" (forget most of those letters and just say kaylee) which is an informal gathering of musicians (mostly amateur, but some events have pros), singers and dancers who get together for music and fun. The visitors center had given me a list of ceilidhs that happen all over the island and this was one that was on our path on the right day. It took place in the Silver Threads Senior Center. Admission was $5 but they had the 50/50 drawing where a person could win half of the take for the night. The minute we got out of the rig we were greeted by Kathleen, who parked right behind us, and welcomed into the center. As you could guess, most of the audience were indeed seniors, but there were also some teenagers and middle agers like us. Actually, I fit in quite nicely with all the white haired ladies. A variety of folks played guitars and there was one accordian player, and another player was a young man about 12 or 13 years old. What may have been lacking in the music was more than made up for by the friendliness of the people. We all danced and laughed the night away, snacks were served, potluck style and Kathleen made sure we had a good time. I even won a door prize, which was my $5 back for my admission! By the time it was all over, it was late and we found a small park a couple of blocks away for the night.

Our friend Kathleen

The next morning we woke up and got ready to move by about 9:30. We were just pulling out when Kathleen trotted up and invited us to her apartment for a shower! Well now, we don't pass up chances like that and we always love a good visit with new friends, so off we went to Kathleen's place. After our showers we were served toast and tea with homemade bread! We had a lovely visit, took some photos, and Kathleen loaded us up with fruitcake, applesauce, a loaf of that homemade bread, and a small pile of potatoes (after informing us that "some of those farmers have spy cameras up in the trees and levy big fines to potato rustlers!" We then took a short trip to Isabella's (K's sister) to see her Halloween decorations. More photos and we said goodbye to Kathleen. Like I keep saying, our best times are when we get to meet people and spend some time with them. Thank you Kathleen!

We meandered down the eastern coast, stopped at an orchard to pick up some lovely apples, and talked apples for a bit with the farmer. Our destination was Murray Harbor at the home of more Boondockers. Wendy and Larry Siebrand were waiting with glasses of wine and we had a nice visit before dinner and bed. Wendy offered up her washing machine and clothesline which was very much appreciated so the next morning we ran a big load of dirty clothes. Larry and Thayer got involved in hooking up Larry's CB radio antenna while Wendy and I walked to the harbor, bought farm fresh eggs and watched the herring catch being unloaded. The mens' project got more involved and Wendy served us up some wonderful lunch and dinner! It was so nice to eat some real, home cooked, good food! Wendy has several gardens, cans all sorts of tomatoes, beans, relishes, salsa and pickled beets! Those were just the ones I saw or got to sample. Larry has a hard time getting her to travel in the summer because she is so busy with the garden and canning.

Never far from water. That's me!

They offered to let us use their kayaks to paddle around the harbor but it was too late in the day and too windy. The next day dawned sunny and calmer. We puttered around all morning, Thayer working on the website and I did some housekeeping. After another great lunch provided by Wendy we loaded up the kayaks in their pickup and drove the 2 blocks to the harbor. It is a tiny harbor with a few fishing boats but you can paddle out into a small bay, seeing eagles, nice beaches and houses, and racks of mussel farms. We paddled a good part of the bay but it was still pretty windy so we headed up the river that flows into the harbor. It was all really pretty and it felt great to be out on the water. When we returned to the house Wendy had fixed us yet another tasty meal which we ate with appreciation and enthusiasm. We had such a fun time with Larry and Wendy, talking about news, politics and books, it was another great boondocking connection and we hope they will come visit us someday after we get home. They are headed south sometime in Nov. or Dec.

New friends

The next morning we said good bye to the Siebrands and PEI and continued our trip toward Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.  I am having a hard time waiting a few weeks before eating our "Dilly Beans" that Wendy sent along with us. We will think of Wendy and Larry very fondly when we tuck into those little goodies.

I've heard every excuse

Catsup or lobster flavor? It's so hard to decide!

These aren't so big up close