Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Prince Edward Island



You can see in the map that Oyster Bed Bridge where we stayed, is at the top middle of the island.   We put just under 500 miles on the trike, so we just scratched the surface.  We didn’t make it to the North Point Lighthouse.  We did make it to the eastern tip of the island at North Lake.  We concentrated our rides in the north central region of the island.  North Rustico area was a favorite. 
 

All setup in our Campground in Oyster Bed Bridge.  Our campground 30-amp power was a little iffy due to a “heat wave” with temps reaching into the 80’s.  Weather for trike riding and sleeping was perfect!  It did rain during our 5-day stay but it was nice enough to just rain at night. 


Oyster beds are located throughout the waterway.  They thrive in brackish water from 2-26 feet deep.  
It can take up to 18 months to grow a 3" oyster.  They dredge oysters and clams.  85% of the lobsters are sent to the U.S. and overseas. 
 

 Lots of agriculture here.  Really surprised by how much field corn is grown here with such a short growing season.  What I thought were bean fields were mostly potatoes fields like this one.  Also, what I thought was wheat was most likely barley. 

 

Fishing villages are colorful and plentiful along the shoreline.   Roads are in pretty good shape but since road repair can only be done during the summer months delays were common.  


Another beautiful fishing village.  You can see the bright colors of the houses.  We thought the terrain would be flatter, but it is mostly rolling hills with lots and lots of water and not just on the perimeter of the island. 

 

There are a lot of Churches on the island, many of which have stunning views.
 

East Point lighthouse, one of the many lighthouses we visited on the island.  


We did purchase an annual national park pass so that we could visit both Prince Edwards and Greenwich NP parks. The beaches and dunes were charming.  Many of the dunes were damaged when Fiona hit the island in 2022.  The fierce winds knocked down millions of trees and the crashing waves eroded hundreds of miles of coastline.  


The beaches were packed when we visited the parks.  


Many of the dunes were marked with red tape which meant "stay away."  It will take many years for them to recover or be rebuilt.  


A look at Cavendish beach which you can see is full of people.  The water temp was about 67 degrees, but it did not deter the Canadians and from enjoying their day at the beach.  Kathy and I did take walks along the beach at other locations while watching the waves.   


Lobster roll is a mainstay for lunch and dinner, 

Side note:  There are no longer any large animals such as moose, deer or elk on the island.  The locals told us the largest animal we might see would be a fox or coyote. 

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Confederation Bridge to Prince Edwards Island Canada

 


The Confederation Bridge is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the mainland province New Brunswick.  Opened May 31, 1997, the 12.9-kilometre (8.0 mi) bridge is Canada's longest bridge and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water.    


The speed limit on the bridge is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) but can vary with wind and weather conditions. When travelling at the speed limit, it takes about 12 minutes to cross the bridge.


Tolls apply only when leaving Prince Edward Island (when travelling westbound). The toll rates since January 2022 are $50.25 for a two-axle automobile and $8.50 for each additional axle. Motorcycles are charged $20.00.



Construction took place from October 1993 to May 1997and cost Canadian 1.3 billion. 

Saturday, July 10, 2021

July 10, 2021 - Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway

Rode about 150 miles on the Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway. Between Anaconda and Drummond, MT. Beautiful Georgetown Lake about the middle of the ride.


The mountain views along the ride were awesome. 


This is Silver Lake. 


The reservoir impounds the North Fork of Flint Creek.


We did see many great homes along the lake. Lodgepole pines enclose Georgetown Lake and the surrounding mountains, providing a home to abundant wildlife including moose, elk, white-tailed deer and even bighorn sheep.


Georgetown Lake is a large mountain lake spanning close to 3,000 acres at an elevation of over 6,000 ft.


The lake assumed the name of Georgetown when the dam flooded the area known as Georgetown Flats.


We did climb up and down one exciting mountain with several switchbacks where the speed limit dropped to 20 mph. 


Anaconda is the end of the byway. 


This sign was spotted on the Southern end of the highway. 

Friday, July 9, 2021

July 9, 2021 - Pioneer Scenic Highway near Butte MT

We rode about 150 miles today on the trike. Left Rocker, MT (near Butte) at 8 a.m. this morning. It was 57 degrees! When they tell you to watch for rocks and stock in the roads in Montana, they really mean it! Very scenic ride. We liked it so much when we reached the southern point, we turned around and retraced our route back to the coach. The Big Hole river followed the road for a while. There were also lots of high elevation meadows. Even had a ski resort on the route.


Southwest Montana's Pioneer Range is separated into the East and West Pioneer Ranges by the Wise River and the Big Hole River along the Pioneer Scenic Byway.





You need to be alert for range cattle along the route. These guys were telling me "You're not getting anything for your Trike", You have too many miles on it. I think they got that quote from George Dunn!


Some other neighbors we ran into during our trip. 


Our trike is nearing 30,000 miles.





A sign near the South entrance to the byway. 


The route bottoms out on the Southern end of the 47 mile ride. 



Some great photos of the Wise and Big Hole Rivers.





Kathy photographs our route on her cell phone before we depart the coach.  She is always prepared. 


The cattle did look like they were all healthy.  


I tried to ask them how I looked on the trike. They only stared at me.  All in all a very nice ride.  Weather was extremely nice throughout the day.  


Pulling up Anchor at Acadia National Park

 I thought it would be nice to add a few facts about Acadia National in each of the photos below. We decided that our last trip here at Acad...