July 26: Prince Charming!

What a Charming Prince – Prince Edward Island that is! Today’s ride took me over the Confederation bridge from the Canadian province of New Brunswick to Prince Edward. This destination is known for having beautiful sandy beaches and is also the setting for the Anne of Green Gables novels.

I absolutely love bridges and especially adore long bridges. So, today’s ride over the box girder bridge to the island did not disappoint – the architectural feat spans a little over 8 miles and provides one gorgeous view after another of the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait. It is Canada’s longest bridge and the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water.

Once on the island I took backroads to St. Peter’s Church, giving me a perfect vantage point to capture a profile of the bridge framed by rolling farmlands and rust-colored sandy beaches. I continued north on route 10 and merged onto rout 1A and then water street to get to the beach-side town of Summerside.

The town itself was rather crowded with traffic and tourists. But I was able to find a charming harbor front area with a boardwalk containing artisan craft stores as well as a few restaurants. From my vantage point there I could see the beautiful blue waters of the Bedeque Bay as well as a variety of small boats.

After eating my fish and chips I headed north again to Tignish to find an uncrowded beach to walk on. After consulting a few times with locals, I was able to find a small harbor with a narrow pathway to a wide-sweeping, rust-colored beach with a great view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A field of wildflowers separated the beach from a colorful row of houses facing the water.

I think my favorite part of the day on the island was my drive south from Tignish and over the bridge at sunset. I left later in the evening since I had spent the first half of the day getting my bike serviced. By the time I headed south, traffic had died down substantially, and I was able to enjoy the cool evening air, breath in the scent of freshly mowed lawns and well-tended crops, and appreciate all the views of the rolling farmlands. The sun went down as I was crossing the bridge, creating a blue and pink hue in the sky over the water. Another great day on the bike!