Day 42 August 3, 2026 Summerside Prince Edward Island to Dieppe New Brunswick 202.7 miles
The day is very cloudy with rain predicted by afternoon. Tomorrow is predicted more and longer so we have decided to tour a little more today and then head to New Brunswick. We found a hotel that has laundry and breakfast so we booked a room in case we get in late.
When Rob tried to start the car it wouldn’t start. Even with lots of tries it still refused. Then the starter stuck which means we have to rock the vehicle forward and back to loosen the starter. This is the first time since he put on the new starter switch. Well the first try at rocking didn’t work. He thought it acted like the engine was wet. He dried things off and applied wire dryer. We rocked it a little again and it started right up.
We headed to the east side of the island trying to stay on the roads less traveled. These roads don’t have towns. Just farms scattered all along. These are all smaller farms and most raise potatoes. If you are not a farmer you are most likely a fisherman.
A few notes about things on the island. Most houses have vinyl siding. Many have yards about an acre in size. Very few fences exist except where there are livestock. Lots of farms sell eggs and or fresh veggies. Many of them have stands out by the road. Single wide manufactured homes are quite common. Most houses have a porch or some kind of deck. Many have mosquito proof enclosures on the deck. At least 25% of the homes have solar panels on the roof or in the yard. Hydrangeas are a popular bush and they are incredible. The blossom are huge and numerous.
We came to an area where many of the houses were decorated with red, white and blue flags with one gold star. They might also have lawn decorations in those colors. Some had buntings strung from the house to the ground or around their deck. After some research we learned that these people are French Acadians. A large number of them live in this area of the island. We also learned that they are having a festival for the next 4 days. The British threw them out in 1755 so many of them went to Louisiana and developed into the Cajuns.
The road construction on Highway 2 held us up for a little it. They seem to be trying to add more lanes in one area. It was occurring right where we needed to turn. Luckily the road wasn’t closed. We hit it again on the way back.
We are headed for yet one more lighthouse located at West Point. We got to what the GPS thought was West Point but all that was there was a craft shop, fish processing and a closed restaurant. We stopped in the parking lot and ate a sandwich for lunch. An RV park is at the top of the hill. Most likely they can see the lighthouse. We just started for Dieppe.
The wind has really picked up and the clouds are looking much more ominous. One large cloud is very dark and threatening. Others are huge and white. We seem to be headed away from the really black cloud.
On the way we stopped at an ice cream shop. The island has lots of ice cream shops. This one happens to be bright yellow with a red top that is somewhat like a witches hat. The ice cream was really good. Connie had black cherry and sea salted caramel. Rob had black cherry and mint chocolate. The place was really busy.
We opted to take the bridge off the island rather than the ferry. As they told us on the ferry you don’t pay to get on the island but you do pay to get off. Sure enough the fee was $20 Canadian. The bridge is 8 miles long with only one lane in each direction. The semis do slow down because the wind is so strong. That backs up lots of cars.
The tire currently on the trailer has a slow leak so we must stop every hour or so to put in more air. Thank goodness for the plug in pump.
After checking in to the hotel we did laundry. The hotel had a pair of washers and dryers. They only charged $1.25 each. What a bargain. It is nice to have clean clothes for another week.
Spoffords Travel 