Early morning, early start!   And with the bags off the bike, I decided to take Mendy out encumbered with only the top case.   Sport Mode with Rider + 1 luggage suspension makes for a less daunting ride.  Handling is better and I can afford to be a little less vigilant when coming to a stop in parking.

Up to North Cape and getting the riding portion of the day out of the way.  Stopped in Alberton for some breakfast and saw some RCMP officers.  I was tempted to ask them what the speeding situation was on the Island.  Having been close to run down a few times going at the speed limit, and now riding without all that extra gear, I was moving at a more… spirited pace.   Still nothing compared to the locals in their pickup trucks, but definitely quicker than the posted limit and sustained.

North Cape was nice, if a little remote:

And another reminder my reading comprehension on this trip isn’t at a level where it should be.  For some reason, I thought the Tip to Tip route was out to the West Lighthouse and not the Northern one.  Fortunately, reading the interpretive trail boards directed me to get my certificate here.  Unlikely the certificate will survive the trip home, but hopefully the ribbons make it.

West coast of PEI is different, and a fairly nice ride.

Unfortunately, not many gas stations on the ring road.  The light came on and I figured I’d bump into a bigger town sooner or later.  By the time I passed Cedar Dunes, I was starting to regret my decision not to pack all my gear with me.  Or, at least, maybe carry my jerry can.  Reception was a little spotty, but Google Maps did direct me into O’Leary.  I took the first ‘direct’ route… And it was, naturally, a gravel road.  But made it through with just a little sweating and gassed up before heading up towards Cavendish.

Little detour to the birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery:

Cavendish is the tourist trap of PEI.  All the usual haunts are there – water parks, go karts, mini golf, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, etc.   But to make it PEI, lots of places were named after things from Anne of Green Gables books.  Since I figured a beach was always a beach, I went to the Green Gables area instead.

Green Gables House:

Lover’s Lane:

It’s an interesting location – essentially a historic park, centered around an entirely fictional character.  They aim to be true to the era and the character, while just accepting the fact that it really was a fantasy that made it all possible.  In most ways, I thought it was better than the US historical parks – but I suppose that’s also to do with the fact that the source material is available in print rather than just conjecture.

The ‘nature’ portion of the park was quite nice.  Just past Lover’s Lane is a loop that runs past the golf course.  Reminded me of day camp in Richmond as a kid.  Couldn’t tell you why, it just does.

Walking around made me hungry, so I grabbed a snack at the cafe:

I also went to the gift shop – I probably should have taken a picture of myself with the red pigtails.   But I had just passed the ranger making an ass of himself for the japanese girls.  Not an act I was going to follow.  Situations like this make me realize it when it’s best to travel with friends and family.  Silliness recorded for posterity.

Wrapping things up at the park, I went to Charlottetown and Province House.  Birthplace of Confederation and all that.  I got into downtown, found a parking spot and fed the meter.  Fairly pleased that it was so cheap… Until I looked around and realized that it was a weekend and parking was free anyway.  D’oh!

Where the papers were signed – minus PEI.

Some folks had a wedding and were taking pictures.   Pretty sweet location for such.

Charlottetown’s night life isn’t exactly bumping.  But they do have a few pedestrian only streets that are quite nice.  Patio dining and live piano/band playing on the street.  Maybe it picks up later in the evening, but I was getting tired and had an early morning to catch the ferry.

The internets directed me to Gahan’s for a quick bite.   I opted for the fish’n’chips in a paper bag.   Decent place, good vibe.  But as a brew pub, I think I really needed to have a beer for the full experience.  Some other time, maybe.

Cow’s ice cream – first location.

In honor of the London Olympics, I ordered the English Toffee.   Rather disappointed – I guess it wasn’t very popular.  Mine had shards of ice in it.

Back to camp, I shuffled things around to give myself an easier time in the morning.  Loaded up all the cases and prepped the roll.  Morning should be just be tying the roll on and packing up the tent before racing for the ferry.