Day 67 Murray Beach, New Brunswick to Cornwall, Prince Edward Island

 

 45.6 miles,  1,530 ft ascent

After a short morning excursion, cyclists crossed onto Prince Edward Island in a shuttle over the long Confederation Bridge.  It was then a relatively short ride to Cornwall.  Tonight I am on galley crew cooking duty, so there will be no time for me to explore the island with side trips.  I would have liked to visit Cavendish, the fictional site of Green Gables.

Sunset at the beach was beautiful as we retired for the night before beginning our ride this morning to Confederation Bridge and the shuttle.

We rode out of camp at sunup this morning to board an early shuttle across the bridge to Prince Edward Island.  This fellow anticipated crossing Confederation Bridge to enter our 8th Canadian province.  After exploring PEI, there are only two Canadian Provinces remaining in the Tour du Canada: Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

The 12.9 km (8.0 Mile) Confederation Bridge is Canada's longest bridge, and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water.  Its name comes from the Canadian Confederation, the process by which three British North American provinces, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into one federation called the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.  Upon Confederation, Canada then consisted of four provinces:  Ontario and Quebec, which had been split out from the Province of Canada, and the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  With the passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire.  Canada Day on July first is the Canadian Independence Day.  Meetings that led to the Canadian Confederation were held on Prince Edward Island, thus the bridge to the island became known as the Confederation Bridge.

In April 2022, the PEI Legislature voted unanimously in favor of renaming the bridge to "Epekwitk Crossing" for the traditional Mi'kmaq name for Prince Edward Island.

This PEI United Church is representative of the style of the churches I saw on the island.

The Village of Victoria by the Sea has an excellent chocolateria!

A picturesque farm on the Atlantic.

To purchase Prince Edward Island new potatoes, simply leave your money in the wagon.  It is the season, and we saw many unmanned stands like this one along our cycling route.

Signs for viewing scenery or points of interest are attractive.  The colorful insert represents PEI.

 

 

Refueling stop for lunch.  The special of the day was 3 large fillets of haddock.  Fresh fish in the Maritime Provinces is delightful.  We are still looking for lobster rolls, which my Canadian cycling colleagues describe as chunks of lobster in a hot dog bun!?!?!?

 

 

Today was a very easy cycling day.  The short ride and relaxed atmosphere of Prince Edward Island allowed riders to unwind and relax a bit before the coming difficult climbing days in Nova Scotia.  

Prince Edward Island is a special tourist destination for fans of Anne of Green Gables, and a cursory search provides many websites listing family touring possibilities around the island.  It would be interesting to see some of the various sights associated with the famous literary character, but I am on galley crew while we are here, so, unfortunately, no touring the island for me.

"Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, the novel recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl, who is sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had originally intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way through life with the Cuthberts, in school, and within the town."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Green_Gables

 We will be back in our saddles tomorrow and headed toward Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail, one of the greatest challenges of our tour.  You are welcome to come along!