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Confederation Bridge from Marine Rail Park, Borden-Carlton PEI. |
Fred and I had not planned to visit Prince Edward Island on
this trip to the Maritimes but being so close we couldn't let the opportunity
pass. We have always loved a day trip, and PEI gave us a perfect excuse for a
drive.
We left Hopewell Cape early and headed North. The weather
was iffy, very foggy with some misty moisty rain. The kind of day where you are not sure if
it's raining or if the fog is just getting thicker.
We entered PEI via the Confederation Bridge and headed West
as we had decided to spend the day exploring the North Cape Coastal Drive. Our
goal being to visit as many lighthouses as we could fit into the day.
Lighthouse adventures are an enjoyable way to spend a day. Lights are often a
bit of a mystery to find since even though they are marked on a map, most don't
have addresses and you must guess about access roads and best vantage points
for viewing. Many of them are bordered by private or commercial property and
require negotiation to see them at all.
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Port Borden Rear Range Light |
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Port Borden Front Range Light. |
The first lights that we saw were the Range lights for the
Harbor of Borden-Carlton. The Front
Range Light has been abandoned and neglected since 1997. It is located on the
grounds of a cannery so we could only see it from a distance. The Rear Range
Light has been moved to the base of the Confederation Bridge in The Marine Rail
Park. The lights were automated in 1957
and then decommissioned in 1997 when the opening of the bridge rendered local
ferry service obsolete.
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Canola Fields. |
The drive West took
us through rural farming communities.
There were potato fields as far as the eye could see. We rounded a
corner at the top of a slight grade and came upon these beautiful fields of Canola's
bright yellow flowers. They were like
patches of sunshine on this cloudy day.
Summerside gave us the opportunity to see 3 lights.
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Indian Harbor Light |
We got a distant look at Indian Harbor light across the Dunk
River where it meets Hillsborough Bay. This light was constructed and put into
service in 1881. Indian Harbor has been automated since 1961 and remains an active
aid to navigation.
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Summerside harbor Range Light. |
Summerside is also home to 3 range lights. We were able to locate 2 of the 3. These
range lights guide vessels to the mouth of Summerside Harbor. They
are similar in appearance with square lantern rooms and a white, trapezoidal
daymark with a red vertical stripe.
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Cape Egmont |
Cape Egmont was one of the lighthouses that we had to work a
bit to find. The road out to the light is off limits so we found a small Marina
nearby that got us close enough to grab a picture. A very optimistic sailor was
working on the Key West I. This light
was completed and activated in 1884 as a guide overlooking Northumberland
strait. It was electrified and automated in 1958 and remains an active aid to
navigation. Cape Egmont was awarded provincial heritage status in 2013.
We left Cape Egmont and headed inland. The town of O'leary is home to a museum dedicated to Prince
Edward Island's largest crop. The Canadian Potato Museum was a don't miss
for us. The museum tells the story of potato farming but also the
history of PEI's farming community. Fred enjoyed walking around its large collection of farm
implements and machinery and sampling the best hand cut french fries in the
world!
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The Canadian Potato Museum. How could we pass it by? |
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North Cape Light. |
Leaving the potato museum we headed straight to North Cape,
the northern most point of the island. The North Cape Light provides a guide to
protect mariners from what is said to be the longest rocky reef in North
America at 1 1/2 miles. The reef divides the
Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northumberland Strait. North Cape is an
impressive structure at the top of a rocky cliff 76 feet above sea level. It
was a pleasure to get close enough to see the beauty of its lens.
We were surprised to find the light house surrounded by a
Wind Farm and the Wind Energy Interpretive Centre. The Interpretive Centre has created an
interesting and rustic walking path called the Black Marsh Nature Trail that
meanders between the rocky red clay cliffs and the field of wind turbines. There
were small birds nesting in holes in the cliffs and a lone Great Blue Heron
fishing in the ocean below.
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The Wind Energy Interpretive Center at North Cape. |
Back on the road and heading South we located Tignish Run
near Judes Point. This decommissioned light was in operation from 1887 to 1997.
It has since been moved from the Harbor Entrance to Fishermans Haven Park where
the community has adopted it and built a park around it. There is a playground,
a boardwalk and a red sand beach. The
light house is open to the public when someone is manning the ice cream shop
next door (they were closed).
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Tignish Run |
We attempted to locate Old Miminigash Range Light but despite
treks down 2 muddy, potholed dirt roads and a hike on the beach we were
unsuccessful in our search. We did however locate a car wash.
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Northport Range Light. |
Our last sighting of the day was Old Northport Range light
in Northport. This was another off shore structure but we got a good view of it
from the dock of a local restaurant. Old
Northport range was manned from 1885-1961 and now automated remains an active
aid to navigation.
We crossed back over the Confederation Bridge tired but
happy after a day of exploring. we saw enough of the Island to know that when
we visit the Maritimes again we will spend a few more days exploring the shores
of Prince Edward Island.
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Flags of Canada and Prince Edward Island. |