Spoffords Travel

Day 41 September 2, 2026 St Peters Bay Prince Edward Island to Summerside Prince Edward Island 128 miles

We had Eggs Benedict for breakfast along with fresh fruit and muffins. Wow what a feast. Two cousins were also there. They are riding e-bikes on the island. Great way to start the day.

Our first destination for today is Cavendish which is part of the Prince Edward Island National Park. On the way we saw a sign for a lighthouse and made the turn. Again the lighthouse is not well visited. We drove in and out of the Stanhope portion of the Prince Edward Island National Park. The park has nice wide bike and walking paths along the cliff. Lots of people are out enjoying the day. No charge for this park either. Lots of lodging accommodations here too.

The cliffs along the shoreline are very red. All the soil in the area is also very red. Must be what the potatoes really like.

The area around Cavendish has lots of things to do with Anne of Green Gables. The house has quite a few cars but we don’t stop. Neither did we stop at the museum. This is an obvious tourist area based on the number of souvenir shops. We also saw a big tour bus.

After filling with gas but before we left the gas station, the owner of the local newspaper came up and wanted to talk. He wanted to know all about the car and to take pictures. We went back to the pumps so he could get a picture of the gas station owner putting in gas. We agreed to email him some information. It must be a slow day at the paper and he was looking for something to print.

A most interesting sign came up. A hearse was up on a pole. On the side of the hearse was printed “Used Body Parts”. Not sure if that was for cars or for people.

It was getting late for lunch so Connie Googled seafood. She found one about 25 miles away if we turned very soon. Turns out if we had just turned around it would have been much closer. Oh well saw some pretty country and some roads less traveled.

We found the restaurant and a pull through parking spot. Rob got seafood chowder and Connie got a lobster roll. The lobster roll was really good.

We got a motel room a short distance down the road. Connie caught up on some story telling and Rob swapped tires all around. Soon it will be time to figure out our targets for tomorrow. Heavy rain is coming on Friday so it may be time to leave the island.

Day 40 September 1, 2026 Rodd Brudenell Prince Edward Island to St Peters Bay Prince Edward Island 89 miles

We open the curtains to reveal mostly cloudy skies, small marina and a lawn game area. We ate a couple of oat bars for breakfast and then headed out.

The resort is one of those all inclusive places. We could also see tennis courts and a golf course. The parking lot is big so we assume they have lots of rooms.

Connie’s first choice was to visit Maritime Madness. They make lots of different hot sauces. You can sample them as well. They also make peanut brittle with hot peppers included. We had a fun time talking with the lady in the store. We also bought some of the sauces. So you could say we got sauced on Connie’s birthday.

We decided to head to the lighthouse on the eastern point next. On the way we stopped in Souris for fish and chips from a food truck. They use haddock for the fish. Then just down the street was the shop selling PEI potato fudge. We bought some of that too. We are helping the Canadian economy in a small tasty way.

PEI potatoes are Prince Edward Island potatoes. They are a big crop here. We passed lots of fields planted with them. Harvest season hasn’t started just yet. Signs are out at some farms selling new potatoes. We also saw large storage and/or processing plants for the potatoes.

We were almost to the first lighthouse when one of the tires on the trailer went flat. At least 10 people stopped to see if we needed help.

Then on to the lighthouse. Several cars are there but no place to turn around. Rob got to practice backing again until we could get in a driveway. We will need to be more careful. The lighthouse is small by some standards. It’s painted white with red trim. You can climb to the top for $7 but we declined.

On the way to the next lighthouse. We passed more potato fields and a few with corn and grain. This lighthouse was smaller and didn’t have any other visitors.

We ended up staying in a Bed and Breakfast in St Peter Bay. The house was built in 1870 for a farmer/merchant. It was also used by the next door church for a time. These folks have slowly been fixing it up.

Day 39 August 31, 2026 Margaree Nova Scotia to Rodd Brudenell Resort Prince Edward Island 210 miles

It rained pretty hard off and on all night. The ground somehow didn’t look all that wet. The water gets absorbed quickly. The skies this morning are very cloudy. A few rain drops fell as we prepared to leave.

We spent part of the morning finding the name and number of someone in Maine who might be willing to have some tires shipped to them for us. Turns out three of the tires are getting well worn. Thanks to Facebook we found a Model A owner in New Hampshire who knew a Model A owner in Bangor Maine. We left a message for the guy in Maine hoping he will call back.

Since there was no place to turn around, Rob had to take the trailer off and turn it and and the car separately. This was made more difficult because the trailer tongue is now bent due to the bad roads so the tongue wheel no longer rotates very well. With the help of another guest the car and trailer got lined up. We are on the road again.

A sign along the road advertised wood products made from larch wood. So after looking them up they are plentiful in the area. The wood is often used in ship building. The Vikings probably used it on their ships.

We crossed a one lane wood floor bridge. Wonder if that is made of larch.

The wind is really strong today causing the car to drift toward the other lane. That keeps Rob busy with the steering. Just in case you aren’t aware the steering on a Model A has lots more wiggle space. You can turn the steering wheel several inches with no result. Rob claims that the steering is relatively pretty good on this car.

We came to a section of road that crossed a body of water. On our right were white caps while on our left the water was calm.

We had to drive awhile on Highway 1 which is a major highway in Canada. The stretch here is currently one lane each way. Major construction is going on to make a divided highway with two lanes each way. It won’t be done anytime soon.

Shortly after we turned off Highway 1 the guy in Maine called back. He is willing to receive and hold the tires for us. Oh what great news! Rob then called and ordered three more tires. Expected delivery in 3-5 business days. A little later Rob got an email saying they had shipped.

We are on our way to the ferry to Prince Edward Island. On the way we passed through the town of New Glasgow. They have a NAPA store so we stopped to see if they had a starter switch. No but they could have one tomorrow. Rob has a workaround if we can’t find one along the way.

By the time we got to the ferry terminal there was only one more to go but we will be on it. You don’t pay when going to the island. You only pay when going off. The wait was about 45 minutes and the ride was about 75.

We found the name of a motel about 15 miles from the ferry terminal. It’s late enough to be getting dark. When we found the motel it was very small. No office just check Expedia. Well the place was booked full. A resort with rooms was available another 15 miles or so away. Rob booked that. Then there was no turn around location where we were. That meant slowly backing up until we could turn. Now its very dark. Remember that Model A headlights are not very bright. The roads are barely two lanes wide with no shoulders. The lines on the road if there are any are extremely faint or covered by asphalt patches. Sure was glad to see the resort entrance.

Somehow we were upgraded to a suite. Such a nice room with a short stay.

Day 38 August 30, 2026 North Sydney Nova Scotia to Margaree Nova Scotia 147 miles

We made it through the night on the ferry. Not great sleep but some. All of the cabins were pre-booked. It was much like cheap airplane seats and a high noise level. Sure glad we brought the blanket and jackets. We were one of the last vehicles off the ferry. Only semi trailers left to go. Sure would be interesting to watch them load those trailers. They are so close together and they would need to back them in place.

Not far off the boat is a gas station with a Robin’s. We filled with gas and then got some breakfast at Robin’s. They are a fast food chain all over the country. They also have pastry items. Their cranberry oat bars are especially good.

The weather is mostly sunny so we parked and ate breakfast in the car. Robin’s doesn’t have any seating. Their drive thru is quite busy. About when we were going to leave a lady came up to talk about the car. She was waiting for someone so she just kept talking. She and her husband have a small dairy farm.

A guy also stopped to talk. He said to be sure to go clockwise around the Cabot Trail. You must cross with a small ferry but it is free. He should have said counter clockwise as that is the only way you can go after crossing with the ferry. He also said to be sure to check the brakes before going too far.

Neither of us could remember if we drove this trail four years ago when we went through Canada. We both did remember the Quilt Shop that advertised Celtic quilts but didn’t have any nor did they have pattern. So we actually passed a quilt shop without stopping.

The first big turn out we came to we stopped so Rob could adjust the brakes. They really needed it. Good thing we did because the down hill stretches were very steep.

Sure enough we came to a sharp turn followed by a steep incline. The car simply would not get to the top. We had to stop about half way up. Two vehicles stopped to help. Both of those were cars without enough horsepower to pull us up. One of the drivers flagged down a 3/4 ton pickup. That driver had never pulled anyone but he was willing to try. He actually did quite well. We did somehow manage to make it up the rest of the hills. Rob was able to get running starts at those.

Much of the trail is in one of the national parks. The entry fee was free through Sept 7. The attendant suggested filling with gas just at the end of the town since there is no gas for quite some distance. When we got to the gas station the attendant there asked if we preferred premium gas. If so go a little further because the next station has premium gas. We though that was most considerate of him. Glad we got the premium for the 1-2 extra horsepower it gives.

Definitely more areas of road construction than we expected. That meant stopping for pilot cars and lots of gravel. The gravel roads were quite smooth and in most cases better than the asphalt patches roadway.

The east side of the trail has two large mountains to go over and one just slightly smaller. The landscape on that side is mostly forest. You rarely see the ocean. Then there is the west side. Most of it is along the ocean with amazing cliffs and numerous smaller hills with long inclines and declines. View points are scattered along the way but we didn’t stop in case we couldn’t get up the hill from there. The brakes definitely got hot a few times.

By now some dark clouds had rolled in and threatened rain. The town at the end of the trail was a welcome site. We tried for one motel but it was call a number and that person never called back. We continued on. No more lodging for a long ways.

We finally saw a place across the river and up the hill. We did that and got the last room. That was because someone had reserved two nights and didn’t show up for the first night so we got the second night. The bad thing is no where to turn around for the car with the trailer attached. We will deal with this issue in the morning.

The rain started just as we unloaded. There was thunder and lightning with lots of rain.

Day 37 August 29, 2026 Rocky Harbor Newfoundland to North Sydney Nova Scotia 320.4 miles

The weather is very cloudy this morning. In fact it rained really hard several different times. Not good site seeing weather.

We decided to try to book a ferry since everyone has said how full the ferries are. This week in particular because it is the end of the tourist season and the beginning of a new school year. Lots of college students going back to school. We must have spent at least an hour filling out the information online. We found one opening on the 5th of September. When we put the credit card information in the message came back unable to process. We must have entered something wrong. Unfortunately you could not just go back and try the payment again you had to fill out the entire thing. We did this three times and then decided to call the credit card company in case our card was blocked for some reason. That didn’t seem to be the case either so we called the ferry company. The payment error is really because the ferry didn’t have enough space for our vehicle. It only had space for a motorcycle. They have turned in the problem. The earliest reservation she could give us was on the 12th of September. We booked that. You can try waiting at the ferry but you may or may not get on.

Well we best find something else to do. We went to the tour boat company to talk about their tours. They have two that run multiple times a day based on demand and weather. Well while we were there the rain came down hard and fast. The tour this afternoon doesn’t look too promising and the ones for tomorrow morning are sold out. That is the best possibility based on the weather. Well that all means staying here for a couple of days which doesn’t sound appealing. In the end we decided to head for the ferry and take our chances.

We stopped at the gas station for a fill up. We were suddenly the center of attention. A couple had seen us somewhere on the road. Phones were out all over taking pictures. One gentleman told us we would most likely get on if we just showed up at the ferry. It might take a few sailings but it would be earlier than the reservation. That was at least some encouragement.

Most of the trip was in the rain. A couple of those showers put down lots of water. Guess that explains why everything is so green. A semi truck and trailer were going in the opposite direction. The truck hit a big puddle. Water sprayed up over us like a car wash. Sure glad the side curtains were closed.

We arrived at the ferry terminal shortly after one of the ferries left. They will have one more sailing for the day. We are welcome to wait in the wait line. We can even spend the night in the parking lot if we don’t get on. The number of trucks is the biggest factor in whether or not we get on. There are about 10 vehicles ahead of us that are also waiting. It seems like lots of semis too. Rob put the time to good use and applied new chalking around the leak in the tear drop.

They put ten or more semi trailers onboard well before general boarding. They loaded all the vehicles along with some of the semi’s. Then they loaded the remaining semi’s. Now some of the waiting vehicles were loaded. That is good maybe we will be the front of the line in the morning. Some of the cars behind us were brought forward. Possibly room for them but we are longer. Then they told us to go. We got just outside the ferry opening and we were told to go back we could not fit. Just as we arrived at the front of the wait line we were told they changed their mind and we should go back. They put us on behind a semi and about a foot from the end. Boy that is close but we are on.

The ferry ride was about six hours long. We took warmer jackets and a blanket to the passenger deck. Very glad we had both. The seating area was cold. The seasoned riders came with pillows, air mattresses and blankets. They made beds on the floor. Sure glad we brought the warmer stuff. Pretty much like airplane seats but more leg room and they reclined more. We would have probably gotten more sleep in the trailer.

Day 36 August 28, 2026 Pistolet Provincial Park Newfoundland to Rocky Harbor Newfoundland 224.2 miles

The park has laundry facilities at a very reasonable price so we decided to wash a load with a few extra items included. The price was about half what it has been elsewhere. The clothes even got dry.

While we were waiting for the clothes one of the men who had stopped by last night came there as well. He was headed to Norstead but told us we should definitely go to Gros Morne. No trip to Newfoundland is complete without it. You also need to take the boat tour up the fjord. So we went to the picnic area where the WI-FI is located and tried to get a camping spot there. The park has about six large campgrounds and there is only one spot vacant. We tried to reserve it but by the time we filled out all the information the spot was gone. We tried to call the park to say we thought it was our reservation but they wouldn’t tell us.

We figured if the campgrounds were all full the hotels would be as well. So we saw a KOA nearby. Rob did all the work on that while Connie got the clothes out of the dryer and put away. Then we were finally ready to leave. It’s a full day drive to Rocky Harbor.

Oh my gosh we ran out of gas. The stations are further apart than we expected. We had gone 213 miles so we were getting good mileage. Rob did not have the pedal to the metal.

Some of the drive is a repeat of the day before but it’s still beautiful. The weather is cloudy with rain at times. Sometimes the mountain tops are in the clouds. We also noticed that some of the trees are much smaller and bent from the wind. The wind is blowing today as well. The wind really affects the woodie. Maybe because the body is made of wood?

The closer we get to the park the more traffic we encounter. We have learned this is the end of the camping season for most and it is a weekend. Lots of RVs on the road. They come in all sizes and shapes. Not surprising the park spots were full.

Well we got to the KOA and learned that our reservation had not gone through for some reason and they were full. They did call another campground that did have a spot still open. Luckily it was only a few miles away. When we tried to leave the KOA the car would not start. About six men came over to push and Rob popped the clutch. That is called a six body start.

The other campground was about 5 miles away. When we got there they also had a vacant room which looked better than the campsites. The business had just sold so both the old and new owners were there. The car would not start again so it got to stay where it was.

After we ate Rob went back out to resolve the no start problem. Turned out to be the starter switch. That was a much easier solution. We had packed a spare starter switch. Yea!

Day 35 August 27, 2026 St Barbe Newfoundland to Pistolet Bay Provincial Park Newfoundland 113 miles

Today was a warm day by Newfoundland standards. Quite a wind is blowing so we thought things were rather nice. No rain all day.

We had a wonderful home cooked breakfast with the father and son who were also staying at the BnB. They continued to tell us stories about Newfoundland and some of their expressions. Breakfast included homemade bread and three kinds of jam. Jams were made of bakeapple, pumpkin marmalade and another berry. Quite interesting.

We are all off to Norstead which is an historic site at the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland.

On the way we noticed a most unusual sign that appeared several times in a 30-40 mile stretch. The sign was in bright yellow with red letters and read “Caution Potholes Ahead”. No mind you potholes exist everywhere we have been. We never figured out why these were so special. In fact worse ones exist elsewhere.

Along most of the route were long rows of neatly stacked wood. The pieces were small in diameter and all the same length. Obviously people burn a lot of wood in the winter. Sometimes a sled with something similar to a fence around it is nearby. They must fill the sled with wood and then pull it home with their snow machine.

One of the trails and the mascot for the local school is thrombolites. Well that is a new word. They are special rocks made by organisms thousands of years ago and then fossilized. We didn’t go down the trail to see them. Google had a very nice picture of some.

We finally got to Norstead. It is a UNESCO site due to the significance of the Viking presence here. We watched the video and looks around the displays. Connie got a new shirt. We waited for the free tour. The actual site is about a 1 km walk from the Visitor’s Center. The tour guide was very good. She knew the facts, answered all the questions, and set a pace that was very doable. We were very glad we went on the tour. Neither of us would have known what the dents in the ground were. When the guide pointed them out we could understand but otherwise you would not know. No signs at the significant locations. They have evidence of at least two long houses and a blacksmith work area. They made iron nails to be used for boat repair. They also harvested trees for the same purpose. The walls would have been triple thickness to keep out the cold of winter. They left sagas of their journey to get here and life as it existed. They didn’t leave any evidence of why they left. When they did leave everything was destroyed. They have constructed a long house based on the evidence here and what they know from other Viking sites. We also learned that Viking refers to the warring factions. Norse refers to the same people when they are going about their daily lives. If you ever get to Newfoundland the place is worth a visit. Just be sure you take the tour.

By the time we finished and returned to the car it was late afternoon. We ate at a pub recommended by one of the people from the parking lot. He said to have the moose burger. Unfortunately by the time we got there they were sold out. We had Hot Moose instead. That is a slice of bread with slices of moose roast covered in gravy. The meat is dark in color and a little tough. We probably won’t order that again. Been there, done that.

We decided to try the nearby provincial park. We are in luck since we only want the one night. The camping spots are booked full for tomorrow night. As usual we cause quite a stir. Several people stopped to talk and take pictures.