Bridge to Prince Edward Island

We left the RV park a little after 9:00AM this morning but were NOT the last ones to leave.  That honor belongs to Stoney and Claudia.  It was a relatively short drive today.  Only 135 miles.  But we made a couple of lengthy stops, as did most of the others in the group.  The first stop was a visitors’ center with an observation tower just before we got on the Confederation Bridge linking Nova Scotia with Prince Edward Island (PEI).  The tower offered a fantastic view of the 12.9-kilometer (8 mile) long two-lane bridge so I climbed the tower, set up my tripod, and took several shots.

It is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world.  The bridge rests on 62 piers and most of it is 131 feet above the water with a 197-foot high section to allow for ships to pass beneath it.  Construction began in 1993 and was completed in May of 1997 at a cost of $1.3 billion (Canadian).  There is no toll when crossing over to PEI; however, there is a rather hefty one for the return trip.  I’m not sure how much it will be for an RV towing an automobile, but it is $44.50 (Canadian) just for a two-axle automobile.

It took about 10 minutes to drive across the bridge.  Fortunately the day was sunny and clear with no strong winds.  Once across the bridge we stopped at the Gateway Village shopping complex containing a visitor information center, liquor store, gas station, a couple of restaurants, and a gazillion gift shops.  Carol Ann and I went through a couple of shops, the visitor information center, and had a hamburger for lunch.  Dessert was, of course, ice cream.  I do believe that this country must run on the stuff.  I’m surprised that the Canadians aren’t as “hefty” as Americans.

We are staying at a KOA park in Cavendish, PEI, which is on the northern coast.  The island is only about 35 or 40 miles wide but a couple of hundred miles long.  This is the official end of the Fantasy RV Caravan Maritime Provinces tour.  After four nights here everyone will be starting out for homes all over the US.  Since leaving Nacogdoches, we have put 5,347 miles on the coach and we are 2,350 miles (without any side trips or detours) from home.  I suppose we will have driven at least 8,000 miles by the time we get home.

This evening a group of us will be going out to dinner followed by an outdoor concert at the College of Pipers and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada.  It will be Celtic music (obviously), singing, and “River Dance” type dancing.  Over the next few days we will try and see as much of the island as we can.  Stay tuned.