Thursday, September 27, 2018

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

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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:((

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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. 

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BUILDING IN BACKGROUGH IS THE POINT PIM CHOWDER HOUSE

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OUT THERE ACROSS THE NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT IS NOVA SCOTIA

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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.

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AND YES THESE STEPS ARE AS STEEP AS THEY LOOK

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

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THE LIGHTKEEPER COULD LIVE RIGHT IN THE LIGHTHOUSE WHEN NECESSARY

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‘MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL’

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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.

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LOOKING WEST

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LOOKING SOUTH TO NOVA SCOTIA

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LOOKING SOUTHEAST

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LOOKING OFF TOWARDS CHARLOTTOWN

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

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

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OKAY IT’S TIME TO BEGIN THE DESCENT

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

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THIS LAST FLIGHT DOWN IS A BIT OF A SQUEEZE

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

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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.

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AND THAT’S ALL KELLYS

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

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COMPLETE WITH A DOGGY BAG

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CHARLOTTOWN OVER THERE METHINKS

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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. 

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WOOD ISLANDS LIGHTHOUSE

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LOOKING ACROSS TO NOVA SCOTIA

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STOPPING TO SMELL THE ROSES

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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…………..

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

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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:))

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HEADING TO STANHOPE BEACH

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OUR SPOT IN THE PARK NEAR THE BEACH TONIGHT

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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.

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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.

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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".

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14 comments:

  1. Some really great photos of Kelly tonight and yes you and Miss Pheebs. Enjoying your trip photos and going down memory lane with our RV travels.

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  2. Love the light houses and the Wood Island lighthouse as well.
    Now Kelly's chowder crab cakes and salad looked so very tasty.
    The Beaches and Anne of Green Gables is another wonderful museum to visit L.M. Montgomeries' famous home. Enjoy.

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  3. As usual you capture the beauty of the countryside with your photos. That had to be quite the decent going down the stairs while facing them. When I saw those crab cakes I almost climbed through my computer monitor to get to them. I miss my fresh seafood while living on Whidbey Island, WA. Looks like Pheebs was the smartest of all when soaking up those sun rays directly.

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  4. Great Pictures.
    Glad to see you Enjoying your trip.
    Same kind of weather in Southern Ontario but more scenic.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  5. Beautiful lighthouses! Lucky that there's been parking for the rig. Sure not the case on the east coast of the US. Love the ones with the sun peeking through just above the light. Great to see Kelly and Pheebs having such a good time. Nice selfie!!

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  6. The wear on those steps in the lighthouse really grabbed me.

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  7. You are an incredible artist with that camera Al. I felt like I was there with you. Glad you can still climb steep stairs! Beautiful compositions of color. I'm with Kelly on that seafood. Great food and an incredible view.

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  8. I've never seen Kelly looking so happy as she did in front of those crab cakes and clam chowder. She just beamed. Maybe she will get to do it again before you leave.

    I have really enjoyed your trip. Thanks for the photos and the memories.

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  9. The older lighthouse tower is on Campobello Island. The tower of the Head Harbour Lightstation is from 1829. Worth a visit, Al.

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  10. The Point Prim lighthouse was one of my favorites. (actually I liked them all!). The day we visited there was a lineup at the Chowder House so we passed. By the looks of your meals I can see why there was a lineup!
    Keep enjoying PEI. great pictures as usual!

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  11. Kelly and you really look happy, Al! I love the interior of the Point Prim lighthouse...so unique. It s rare to find wooden steps in a U.S. lighthouse, so that is a treat to see that beauty. Great post, for sure.

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  12. Always enjoy lighthouses, in person or in photos. And those do look like very steep, well worn steps! Kelly is looking great!

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  13. I finally figured out why I like you hamburger with mashed potatos and gravy (I hope it smothered that's the only way to go.)
    Good Lord I haven't heard anybody ask for that in 50 years
    .
    It's only for the food so don't get any ideas

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  14. I always love your pictures, and today is no exception.. Bonus though, are Kelly's shots of you 'doing your thing'. You both look so relaxed and happy, despite the weather.

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