Airstream Time

Exploring North America in an Airstream

Posts from the ‘Linkletter Provincial Park’ category

Exploring Western Prince Edward Island

Friday, September 13, 2019

We drove the Lighthouse Trail on western Prince Edward Island. We found Belmont Provincial Park to be closed, but parked outside and walked around the pretty, little park. It looks like a nice beach or picnic area for summer. A house nearby was running a generator on the front porch five days after Dorian. The banks along the beach had been washed away, but not badly. 

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I love exploring, driving down gravel roads or paved. In many of the bays we found mussel farms. Green Park Provincial Park was also closed, with trees still blocking the road.

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We stopped at Tyne Valley Cafe for a tea. The owner, Carol, told us about this cute town, where an oyster farmer has an outlet across the street, and his wife runs a hamburger place on the corner. There is also a craft brewery nearby. Beautiful Trout River flows through town. Later I would learn the valley was named after the River Tyne in England. Martha got an Earl Gray Bravo tea and a bread pudding, while I got Black Dragon Pearls tea, which was very good. I couldn’t resist trying chili with a poached egg, asking for a half portion. 

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At 10:30 the restaurant was quiet, so Carol had time to tell us how she and her husband decided to move here four years ago from Montreal. They bought the house next door and this place, both requiring a lot of work, but she has enjoyed it and the community. With here British accent and easy smile, it was great hearing her stories. But soon the place got hopping. By the time we left, the place was pretty full. 

Driving around the northern coast, then switching to the southern coast, the farms were still the most impressive. I would like to have explored the northern part as well as the center along Rt 2, but time has run out.

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We had not had mussels on PEI, so we went into Summerside to find them. We went to the Breakwater Restaurant and had an appetizer of mussels, which were just OK. Then we went to 511 West, which is a nice, little restaurant in a hockey arena. It was Friday night and they were hopping, so we sat at the bar and had a small order of fish and chips and a cup of fish chowder. This is the place to go in Summerside. 

Next stop, Holman’s Ice Cream Parlor, which was also busy on a chilly evening. It is in a beautiful, old house with a lovely yard. I have never eaten ice cream by a campfire, a new experience. 

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I hate to leave, but tomorrow we start the trip home. 

Move toWest-End PEI

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

In a driving rain that made rivers of highway ruts, we made our way to the southwest side of Prince Edward Island. We stopped at Summerside Visitor’s Center to see if any campgrounds are open. A very nice man, whose name I’ve lost, called and reserved a spot for us at Linkletter Provincial Park facing Northumberland Straight. Then he gave us all kinds of local information, like where the best ice cream was, historical sites and places to ride our bikes. He gave us a list of events that were going on, including a documentary film tonight on Gordon Lightfoot.

We checked in at the campground and pulled into a nice site while it still rained hard. We decided to just relax the rest of the afternoon and go the Gordon Lightfoot film at 6:30. People pulled in all afternoon. There really are no other provincial parks open. It is possibly the only one open on the island. Private campgrounds may be open, but this end of the island got hit harder than the rest. A big tree rested on a work shed in the campground, somehow avoiding damage. 

Here we were hunkered down with the heat on, while one couple went for a jog, splashing right through mud-puddles. A couple of people were doing laundry. Several were walking along the shore. 

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We ate a light dinner, then went into town to the movie theater. It was a bit difficult to find the Lightfoot presentation, but we paid and went in. At 6:10 the good seats were taken, so we sat on the second row and waited. Gordon Lightfoot has always been one of my favorites, and I really enjoyed the show. At 80 years old, it was great to hear him comment on his songs and their inspirations. Of course Canadians are very proud of him, but it was impressive the renowned singers and groups who sang his songs. He held Bob Dylan in high esteem and they were good friends. He went to music school and wrote all of his music, note by note on well-preserved notebooks. I’ve added a couple of CD’s to my collection, and will listen with more appreciation.

Gordon Lightfoot