29 July Blog No. 7

July, 29 2017, Blog Post No. 7

26 July, Petite Lameque. Had a day excursion from our beautiful oceanside camp at Petite Lameque. Visited one of the myriad of beautiful churches which crowd this area. This one is famous for quirky folk art painting throughout – Heaven is depicted on the ceiling as a series of birthday cakes for the saved! On to a local restaurant, Steve’s Terrasse at Miscou Harbour on the Isle of Miscou to sample the storied seafood fare and sample we did! I fortunately persuaded Phil to share a platter of lobster, crab, scallops, mussels, sushi and assorted salads. After that blowout we needed a walk so took the dogs on a stroll around the harbor in time to welcome the unloading of the first halibut of the season. Then on to one of Canada’s most famous lighthouses, the Phare de Miscou, then home for drinks and snacks as the sun set. K2 distinguished himself today by finding a discarded chicken leg and scoffing it down before we get it away from him. He is now in official disgrace. He hasn’t thrown up but how he holds it down I don’t know.

27 July Set off in the general direction of PEI, ambling thru the beautiful New Brunswick landscape. Stopped at a fish shop to pick up some of that halibut, (flétan en Francais we learned). Then on the outskirts of Miramichi we missed the route to the famous Arcadia Coastal Drive, a victim of the “shortest route” criteria in the GPS, one of the quirks that has led us astray on past occasions. We decided to stay for the night at the fabled “Kouchibouguac National Park” (pronounced kushibuguac we learned). It was jammed full, but we managed to get a one night cancellation. We are apparently under pressure because we are traveling during the “Construction Holidays” in Quebec. Apparently the whole construction industry shuts down for two weeks to allow the construction industry a break before the intensive summer construction commences. That seems to indicate a radically different attitude towards labour in Quebec. In BC you grab your holidays when you can. And judging by the very upmarket Quebec RVs and the accompanying big boy toys, it is a lucrative industry as well. The National Park camp grounds by the way are delightful within our limited experience so far. Nice little wooded camping groves for privacy, excellent ablution blocks, charming and engaging staff. Ate the halibut that night with delicious local potatoes.

28 July On on to PEI. After a 50 km backtrack to see parts of the coastal road we missed, we continued on down the Acadian Coastal drive, this time paying more attention to the starfish route signs than the GPS. Passed thru some charming local villages, lots of lobster boats, they have a classic universal design, single prop, crew quarters and operating bridge up front and a clear aft deck presumably to stack the lobster pot. Some parts of the roads (wearing my road maintenance engineer hat), were in terrible condition, some third world countries have better maintained roads! We stumbled into the local fisherman’s Co-op while searching for coffee and discovered a whole new world. No wonder there are no Tim Hortons, this place had everything, coffee, hot food of relatively wholesome and appealing quality, fresh veg. We stocked up for a later picnic brunch as we re-traveled back thru the park going south. The vendors of rider mowers must have cleaned up in these areas. Most of the houses and cottages are in the middle of about an acre, trimmed to lawn bowling precision at this time of the year, Arrived at the Confederation Bridge at about 5 pm, truly an impressive structure. Interesting to see a major dedication at the PEI end to the technicians, trades and engineers who built the structure. Heavy pressure on accommodation in PEI, we were lucky to get an unserviced camp in the Linkletter Provincial Park for a single night. Spotless, modern facilities, we may come looking for another night after exploring NE PEI tomorrow.