The final day in PEI, I decided to tackle the east coast of PEI. This was also the ‘official’ day of Thanksgiving in Canada (also known as Columbus Day in the USA). It seemed that a lot of Canadians ate their big dinner on Sunday rather than Monday but everything that wasn’t closed already for the season closed up shop both Sunday and Monday. Which meant that most tourist type things were not open (I was hoping to do Orwell Village and the Rossignol Winery) and neither was many restaurants. I ended up having lunch at Tim Horton’s (yum, we need this in Canton!) and dinner at the hotel which was DIVINE. I am a HUGE fan of Thanksgiving Dinner so having two in one year was totally awesome by me. Most hotel restaurants are gag worthy IMHO but Rodd Crowbush’s was actually pretty decent and the waitress was also really nice.
The other bonus to it being a holiday weekend meant that all the parks were free! Typically there is a charge to get into the park where Green Gables is located (it was free the whole weekend and shoulder days – not just Thanksgiving) as well as Greenwich Dunes. So it was neat to be able to see some things for free. It was also a GORGEOUS day – in the upper 70’s°F which I’ve never seen here on Thanksgiving.
Enjoy my final day of sightseeing – it’s a bit of a hodgepodge of everything!
To start the day I decided to hit Greenwich Dunes National Park first. Along the way I saw this breathtaking view of St. Peter’s Bay across St. Peter’s Bay. I had to stop and snap it.
After driving a good bit through some interesting dirt roads, I finally made it to the park. To get to the shore and dunes, there is about a 6 mile trail round trip to get there and back. This is a view of some trees that I loved with all the fall colors that I saw at the park along the way to the shore. The trail takes you through trees, a field, woods, a bog, the dunes and finally to the beach.
This is the floating boardwalk over the pond near the dunes. There were very few people there that day and the anal perfectionist in me loved that I could get shots like these without people in them.
Whew! It took a bit of a hike, but I finally made it to the shore after climbing the dunes. This is the view as you look east from the end of the trail to the shore. The waves here were the biggest that I’d seen on the island. This is also the only beach I was on that wasn’t red.
This was taken from the highway of Shipwreck Point or Naufrage Lighthouse which was built in 1913. It is on private land and the keeper’s house next door was for sale at the time I was there. I really really really wanted to stop and look but I was good and decided that was a sleeping dog best left asleep.
East Point Lighthouse is what you would think it is, the lighthouse at the eastern point of PEI. This lighthouse has been in use since 1867 and sees some of the most activity as it’s where the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait meet. It’s another lighthouse located right at the edge of a cliff so I made sure to keep my distance.
On December 27, 2004 a massive storm surge hit Basin Head Provincial Park basically destroying it. This park is home to the “singing sands” of PEI as well as a Fisheries Museum, a faux cannery and a boardwalk. It was a popular place for families to enjoy the beach during the summer. This view shows you that two years later in 2006, you can still see the massive damage done by the line of trees that have fallen along Basin Head.
The boardwalk was being rebuilt in 2006 and was projected to be done before the season restarted in 2007. It was originally slated to be finished prior to this, however funding was not available so they opened it for the summer and reclosed it and did work during the off seasons. This sight may also look familiar to Road to Avonlea fans as it was used in filming as the long shots for the Dale Cannery and transition shots.
This was the final destination on my trip east on PEI. This is the former home of Colleen Dewhurst, whom some of you may remember played Marilla in the Anne of Green Gables miniseries. I don’t know what it is about Collen but from the moment I saw her on screen as a child I adored her (as well as Richard Farnsworth whom played Matthew and also looks a LOT like my father). When I found out she had a summer home on PEI I knew I had to go see it while I was there. This home now is called Inn at Bay Fortune which is known for its amazing restaurant on site. If you are a big Anne fan like me, make this place a spot to stop at before you leave the island. I’ve heard the accommodations are so-so but the dinner is well worth the stop!
This is one of the few photos from my trip that has been manipulated. When I was turning around in the lot at Bay Fortune, trying to gather up some courage to go in and eat by myself (I never did do it, that expensive of a meal really ought be shared with company!) I shot this out my window. Later when I got home, I was upset to see that it could have been a neat picture due to the flare but was just too dark. I ended up playing with it as an HDR file and really liked the end result. It’s not perfect by far but kind of a fun artsy shot!
I finished out my trip with dinner at the hotel and a night watching Road to Avonlea, cozied up on the couch with the fireplace on and the sliding door open to hear the beach, with a glass of Rossignol Wine (Raspberry Wine… while not quite cordial, it did in a pinch!) in hand. I took a few shots of my cottage because it was so adorable. This is the living room and porch area. Oh and that little circular sand/shell thing on the coffee table??? That was so awesome. I need that kind of a zen garden!
A rose that was in the back yard of sorts of the cottage.
The view of the backporch which had two chairs as well as a grill for the summer months.
This is the REAL reason to go to Canada – NO MALT LIQUOR! The first time I ever drank a Mike’s Hard Lemonade it was actually in Canada, and I LOVED it. When I got back home and had it again when it came out here, I was sad to find out that it didn’t taste the same. I later found out it was because in Canada, they use vodka in the Smirnoff/Mike’s type drinks but here they use malt liquor. I didn’t end up being able to drink all of these so I took the chance and packed them the best I could and flew them as well as another bottle of wine home. Guess what? They survived!!
I hope you enjoyed your virtual vacation to Prince Edward Island!
- The Christy House Wedding with Ashley and Stephon - March 11, 2024
- Peninsula Wedding with Colleen and Eric - March 10, 2024
- Winter Inn Walden Wedding with Julia and Walter - February 29, 2024
Greenwich is gorgeous, isn’t it? 🙂
Seeing your photos I’m sort of starting to get the itch to go back! Eeeep!
Tim Horton’s is my dad’s FAVORITE while he was working in Canada. They had one in the hospital in Buffalo, NY, too. 🙂
I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I had to tell you how much I enjoyed looking at your images from PEI. I too, am a big Anne fan. It takes me back to when life was simpler and peaceful. Is that what you felt when you were there? Thanks for sharing them with us.
I LOVED Greenwich. Wish I’d brought some munchies for the beach for a picnic!
I know!! I feel the same way going through them!
They have them in Ohio, they are just somewhat random here. Mostly in Toledo and Columbus 🙂
Jeannie – yes that is exactly how Anne makes me feel and I was very pleased to find out that PEI has very much that same quality. Charlottetown is a bit busier but outside of it, it’s just rolling hills and countryside. People are SO nice!!! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting!