Thursday, September 27, 2018

ELDON TO STANHOPE P.E.i. GLOOMY START TO THE DAY WITH A BRIGHT CHEERY FINISH

DSC_2739

WOOD ISLANDS LIGHT HOUSE

Rained in the night again and by 5 a.m. it was pelting us pretty good.   Weather people are calling for rain all day Friday as well.  Needless to say these rains and gray days have been very discouraging for us.  Certainly not the best photo weather for Prince Edward Island:((

DSC_0002DSC_2622DSC_2626

Under dull gray skies we kind of half heartedly puttered around the coach until about 10:30.  We couldn’t seem to drum up much enthusiasm for going anywhere.  Skies brightened a bit and that got us off our duffs so we  left the Lord Selkirk Park and headed ourselves back to highway 2 and turned right.  It was a short distance to a turn off we were looking for and a 7 mile drive to the Point Prim Lighthouse.  Paved all the way except for the last quarter mile. 

DSC_2637DSC_2630DSC_2627DSC_2628DSC_2631DSC_2632DSC_2633DSC_2638

BUILDING IN BACKGROUGH IS THE POINT PIM CHOWDER HOUSE

thumbnail_IMG_20180927_1113440thumbnail_IMG_20180927_1111003thumbnail_IMG_20180927_1113354DSC_2635

OUT THERE ACROSS THE NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT IS NOVA SCOTIA

DSC_2636DSC_2640 DSC_2641

ONE OF THE OLD ORIGINAL LIGHT HOUSE LENSES

For five dollars one could make the climb to the top of the Lighthouse inside and ‘OMG’ what a climb it was.  But not as bad as coming back down.  I was Okay but what a challenge this would be for older folks or anyone unsteady or afraid of heights.  Maybe my photos can show you what i mean.  The stairs are so steep and narrow it’s akin to climbing up a tall standing step ladder…..only worse.

DSC_2643DSC_2642DSC_2644

AND YES THESE STEPS ARE AS STEEP AS THEY LOOK

DSC_2680

THERE ARE SEVERAL FLOORS ON THE WAY UP AND EACH HAS A DISPLAY OF LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY

DSC_2681DSC_2667DSC_2666

DSC_2669DSC_2670

THE LIGHTKEEPER COULD LIVE RIGHT IN THE LIGHTHOUSE WHEN NECESSARY

DSC_2646DSC_2671DSC_2674 DSC_2673DSC_2676

DSC_2677

‘MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL’

DSC_2678DSC_2647

JUST A FEW MORE STEPS TO THE TOP

Great views from the top of the Lighthouse and with it’s historical connection to Canada’s earliest days and beginnings of Confederation in nearby Charlottown it may be one of the oldest and most important Lighthouse’s in all of Canada.

DSC_2649

LOOKING WEST

DSC_2652

LOOKING SOUTH TO NOVA SCOTIA

DSC_2653

LOOKING SOUTHEAST

DSC_2658

LOOKING OFF TOWARDS CHARLOTTOWN

DSC_2656DSC_2657DSC_2648

THIS IS THE NEW DIGITILIZED LIGHT WHICH CAN BE SEEN FOR EIGHTEEN AND A HALF MILES

DSC_2654DSC_2655DSC_2660

TO REACH THE OUTSIDE DECK THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER DUCKS THROUGH THIS OPENING

DSC_2663DSC_2650 DSC_2659

OKAY IT’S TIME TO BEGIN THE DESCENT

DSC_2662

BEST WAY TO GO DOWN IS BACKWARDS IN OTHER WORDS GO DOWN FACING THE STEPS AS IF YOU WERE GOING UP

DSC_2672

DSC_2683

THIS LAST FLIGHT DOWN IS A BIT OF A SQUEEZE

DSC_2685

THERE’S A GUIDE ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS

DSC_2691 DSC_2692DSC_2704DSC_2734 DSC_2693DSC_2695DSC_2701DSC_2702DSC_2697DSC_2699

Also at this location just up the road a few hundred yards or so is the Point Prim Chowder House and with Kelly’s love of Seafood that is where we headed after the Lighthouse.  Luckily we were there about 20 minutes after it opened at 11:00 so we found us a table Okay.  Wasn’t long and the place filled right up.  Now readers know I am not a seafood person at all so I had to really scan that menu in search of something acceptable.  Ended up with chicken and dressing and veggy stuff.  Now here’s what Kelly had, Clam Chowder, Crab Cakes and a Beet Arugula Salad. And she loved it.  Mine was Okay but would have much preferred a hamburger with mashed potatos and gravy.

DSC_2707DSC_2708DSC_2709DSC_2710DSC_2712DSC_2714DSC_2715DSC_2716 DSC_2717thumbnail_IMG_20180927_1217538

DSC_2718DSC_2720

AND THAT’S ALL KELLYS

DSC_2721

MINE WITH CHICKEN ON THE LEFT, DRESSING ON THE RIGHT, AND VEGGY THINGS IN THE MIDDLE

DSC_2724

COMPLETE WITH A DOGGY BAG

DSC_2725DSC_2726DSC_2727DSC_2728DSC_2729

CHARLOTTOWN OVER THERE METHINKS

DSC_2731DSC_2733DSC_2732DSC_2736

From Point Prim we slipped back out to highway 2 and continued southeast on a quiet winding road to Wood Islands Ferry Terminal and Lighthouse. We were still under brightening skies.   Although I can’t remember much of it but this was my second trip down this road.  In 1986 my Volkswagen Camper and I loaded ourselves onto the Woods Island Ferry and slipped across to Nova Scotia.  We stopped at the Wood Islands Lighthouse today for a few photos and how nice to see some widening blue sky appearing overhead. 

DSC_2737

WOOD ISLANDS LIGHTHOUSE

DSC_2741 DSC_2738 DSC_2740DSC_2742DSC_2743

LOOKING ACROSS TO NOVA SCOTIA

DSC_2746DSC_2751

STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSES

DSC_2745 DSC_2756DSC_2750DSC_2752DSC_2753DSC_2754DSC_2763DSC_2762DSC_2758DSC_2761

Leaving Woods Island we decided to set our sails for Prince Edward Island’s northern shores so steadied us a course up highway 315 passing through a few small towns along the way.  Montague surprised us by it’s large hustling bustling size.  It was nice to see how the centre of the Island looked along the way and we decided it didn’t look much different that the rural farm lands of southern Ontario or the woodsier lands of northern Ontario.  And oh how we enjoyed driving through the occasional Sun splash whenever they appeared like magic on the road ahead of us.  Sunlight is so healing…………..

DSC_0011DSC_0006DSC_0018DSC_0008

STOPPED IN MONTAGUE AT THAT GAS STATION ON THE LEFT AND WIGGLED OUR WAY IN

DSC_0010DSC_0013DSC_0014DSC_0007

Somewhere east of Morello we re-joined highway 2 and headed west.  We were near the ocean againd but couldn’t quite see it.  The afternoon was wearing on and we needed to find us a place for the night so turned off highway 2 onto highway 6 heading a short distance north to the coast and entered one of Prince Edward Island’s National Parks (Brackely-Dalvay) which is the area of the Shifting Sands.  By another stroke of luck we came across a huge parking lot and with it being ‘off-season’ there were very few people around.  Found us a flat paved spot in one of the 3 parking areas and shut it down for the day.  By 6 o’clock the few people who were here were pretty much all gone leaving us all by ourselves for the night.  Sometimes we just get so gol darned lucky:))

DSC_0019

HEADING TO STANHOPE BEACH

DSC_0022

OUR SPOT IN THE PARK NEAR THE BEACH TONIGHT

DSC_0024

OH NOW NICE TO SEE SUNLIGHT FLOODING INTO THE COACH

We are very close to the Anne Of Green Gables location so in the morning we’ll slip over there and see what we can see…..if it isn’t raining.  I have photos of the beach at the shifting sand dunes where we are now and will post those in Friday’s post.

DSC00841DSC_2807

We are really enjoying not towing a vehicle and we’ve had at least half a dozen situations now where we where glad we didn’t have the Jeep on behind us.  There isn’t anywhere we can drive into that we can’t back out of if necessary.  Turn arounds are much easier and sometimes driving the Motorhome without the Jeep I think it feels like a sportscar.  If I never have to tow another vehicle again it will be just fine with me.

DSC_2796

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Few Signs Your Spending Too Much Time With Your Smart Phone::

- You wake up at 3 am to go to the bathroom, and check your  phone’s e-mail and texts on the way back to bed.

- Your firstborn is named iPhone.

- You turn off your Smart Phone and are suddenly filled with a feeling of emptiness, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one.

- You spend half of a plane trip with your phone in front of you, and your child in the overhead compartment. 

- You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

- Immediately after reading this you send it to someone.

------------------------

Ways to tell if a redneck has been working on a computer

10. The monitor is up on blocks.

9. Outgoing faxes have tobacco stains on them.

8. The six front keys have rotted out.

7. The extra RAM slots have Dodge truck parts installed in them.

6. The numeric keypad only goes up to six.

5. The password is "Bubba".

4. The CPU has a gun rack mount.

3. There is a Skoal can in the CD-ROM drive.

2. The keyboard is camouflaged.

And, The Number One Way To Tell If A Redneck Has Been Working On A Computer...

The mouse is referred to as a "critter".

===================


Wednesday, September 26, 2018

ROCKY POINT TO ELDON P.E.I.:: RAINY GRAY SKIES KINDA TOOK THE SHINE OFF THE DAY

DSC_2396

Rains came pitter pattering in the night, stayed for breakfast and left shortly before noon leaving behind a gray overcast sky.  Glad we were parked on pavement and not a gravel parking lot we had looked at earlier a short distance away.

DSC_0001

NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PHOTOS TONIGHT FOLKS

Decision this morning was, ‘do we sit in the Motorhome looking out the window at gray skies waiting for sunshine or do we move on down the road enjoying the Island on a cloudy day’.  Spent some time going over our brochures and checking Google Maps for destinations ahead.  Lighthouse locations are of interest but the problem was the dirt roads leading to them.  Normally not a problem but with the overnight and morning rains those roads  looked like they could be a sticky red clay mud and you can just imagine the mess our Motorhome would be in.  Okay Plan B.  Noticed an RV Park near the Point Prim Lighthouse and needing to do laundry and tanks anyway we figured it might be a good idea to plug ourselves in and take care of a few things on a rain soaked day.  We had the big wheels rolling shortly before noon.  By the way our daytime temps are up into the pleasantly low 60’s and overnight temps high 40’s and low 50’s.  Very acceptable.

DSC_0002DSC_0003DSC_0005

From Rocky Point we slowly made our way over towards Charlottetown following highway 19 through Cornwall.  Using  the Trans Canada Highway we circumnavigated our way around the north end of Charlottetown down the coast East through Stratford and Vernon Bridge to Eldon.  It was here at Eldon we pulled into the Lord Selkirk-Highland Greens RV Park and Campground.  I had a ton of laundry to do so got right at it.  There are a number of reasons all these RVing years of ours why we have avoided RV Parks and $50 a night is one of them.  We will be back on the road in the morning hoping for a brighter sunnier day………….. 

DSC_0009

LORD SELKIRK RV PARK

DSC_0007

PHEEBS WAITS PATIENTLY WHILE KELLY SLIPS IN TO REGISTER

DSC_0008DSC_0010

GOLFING BY THE SEA

DSC_0012

STILL WATCHING FOR MOM TO COME OUT

DSC00837

LAUNDRY ROOM AND I SAT ON THAT CHAIR BY THE DOOR READING MY KINDLE WHILE DOING MY LAUNDRY

DSC00835

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IS JUST OVER THERE BEYOND THOSE TREES

Seeings how we are on Prince Edward Island right beside the ocean I felt the desire for some good old East Coast sea food this morning.  I opened me up a tin of Gold Seal Sockeye Salmon and dug right in.  Yep, these folks down East sure know how to sock their Salmon in the eye alright:))

DSC_0013

OUR OVERNIGHT SPOT IN THE RV PARK CAMPGROUND AND THE FOLKS NEXT DOOR IN THE CLASS C ARE FROM ALBERTA

DSC_0014

Very tired again tonight so I think it’s best I just push myself away from the keyboard………..

DSC_2399

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Air Force One crashed in the middle of rural America. Panic stricken the Secret Service mobilized and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the wreckage was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hulk left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. Secret Service descended upon the smoking hulk but could find no remains of the crew or the President's staff. To their amazement, a lone farmer was plowing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to surround the man's tractor."Sir," the senior Secret Service agent asked, panting and out of breath."Did you see this terrible accident happen?""Yep. Sure did." The man muttered unconcernedly."Do you realize that is the President of the United States airplane?""Yep.""Were there any survivors?" the agent gasped."Nope. They's all kilt straight out." The farmer sighed cutting off his tractor motor. "I done buried them all myself. Took most of the morning.""The President of the United States is dead?" The agent gulped in disbelief."Well," the farmer sighed, obviously wanting to get back to his work. "He kept a-saying he wasn't ... but you know what a damn fool liar he is."

------------------------------

“A painter's masterpiece is his claim to frame.”

============================