Day 100: Shediac, NB -> Summerside, PEI

Date: Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Start: Shediac, NB (Parlee Beach Provincial Park campground)
End: Summerside, PEI (Staying with family)
Distance: 101km

Before we start this morning, a big thank you to my friend Nathan and his daughter Mabel for sending me this picture they drew of me biking across Canada!  They've been followers since the beginning and have been checking in periodically by direct message with plenty of encouragement and the odd fact check.  It's been nice to know that people are out there reading and enjoying these posts...because it makes the time spent writing them all worth it!  Thank you for the drawing gang!

Day 100.  The mind boggles...

Someone had mentioned a LOOOONG time ago that they had to open a map to follow along with what I was describing.  I had planned to add a map every day and just plain forgot...so here's my attempt to start!

We woke to a cold morning, but the sun was rising and anything it touched warmed up quickly!  We set out tents out to dry in the sun and packed excitedly.  We were going to be leaving New Brunswick today and meeting up with some more of my family!  We were eager to get moving!

Once packed and ready to go, Skipper opted to go to see the beach as I'd gone alone the night before.  He set off and I rode to a local diner where we would meet back up for breakfast.  After he arrived we ate breky!

We talked about the upcoming day and at about 10am we jumped back on our bikes and headed out of town.  We took an old highway that ran along the water and enjoyed tailwinds, bright sun, and incredible views.  We were detoured at one spot due to construction and had to take the highway for about 5km, but other than that we were on rural roads surrounded by farmland and coastal views!  Instead of a step by step description, here are a LOT of pictures taken along the 70km ride from Shediac to The Confederation Bridge.  As we rode I put on East Coast fiddle music to get us in the East Coast mood...

Bikes are not allowed to ride across The Confederation Bridge.  There is no bike lane or even sidewalks.  Pedestrians and bikes have to take a shuttle across.  So we went to the shuttle waiting area and had a snack.  20 minutes later a Ford Lightning (an electric F-150) arrived and we put our bikes on the back rack an jumped in the back seat.  We chatted with the driver as we crossed and I snapped some pictures.

And with that, we were done New Brunswick.  My odometer read 8469km, which meant we had done 407km in New Brunswick...which might be the smallest distance yet!  New Brunswick's Eastern coast had been everything I'd hoped for.  Distant hills, rocky shores, beautiful beaches, dunes, beach grasses, inlets and rivers.  It was all so wonderful.  And now we were on to PEI which promised much of the same and I was struck by how much New Brunswick reminded me of the PEI I had visited in my youth.

As we arrived on the PEI side of the bridge Skipper nudged me and said "Is that for us?" and I looked out to see my cousin and her son holding a sign welcoming us to PEI!

We found my uncle, cousin, and her son waiting for us.  We shared a lot of hugs and hellos and took a few pictures!

Nearby is a monument commemorating the people who had built The Confederation Bridge (the longest bridge in Canada!).  Bricks hold the names of every worker.  My uncle worked on the bridge and we set about searching for his name.  After some minutes, we found him...so I guess his story checks out :P

From here Skipper and I loaded our bags in a vehicle.  My cousin April would drive it all to my aunt and uncle's house in Summerside and my uncle would bike with us to Summerside.  We set out!

It was a beautiful day.  Bright, blue skies and warm sun.  We rode along highways, local roads, and even the red dirt roads that PEI is famous for.  We stopped at one point to look out at the bridge in the distance.

We continued along, at one point passing potato and wheat fields whose colour contrasted so wonderfully with the red road.

PEI is an incredible place...in the summer!  The winters can be pretty dreary, but probably no more so than in any other province in the country.  Summer is definitely the best time of year to visit here.  PEI has a reputation for being a tiny island, full of potato fields.  It does have MANY fields, plenty of which grow potatoes, but it has so much more.  The coastline alternates between beaches, dunes, forests, and cliffs.  Rocky outcroppings, calm inlets, wide open bays, and river estuaries.  The interior can be quite hilly for those expecting a flat island.  Rolling hills of farmland and forest cover the island.  Everything feels a little smaller and more intimate, but that doesn't mean the island is any lesser than any other province.  There are so many undiscovered villages and quaint corners.  Quiet beaches and busy city streets full of business and commerce.

I'd spent a lot of time visiting my aunt and uncle and cousins in Summerside when I was growing up.  I have a lot of happy memories here.  To be returning as an adult was another trip down memory lane!

We rode into Summerside and along the waterfront boardwalk that the city has built.  This wasn't here when I was young, and it was wonderful to be able to enjoy the waterfront by bike.  We passed so many tiny shops and businesses, a sign of a thriving local economy (largely built on tourism in the summer).

We rode through the downtown, along the water, and turned past the sports complex and horse racing track.

Finally we arrived at my aunt and uncle's house.  My odometer read 8499km total for the trip!

It was a happy reunion with my aunt Rhonda and uncle Jim.  If you've been following along the entire time, you may remember them from Day 44 and Day 45 when they met me in Humboldt, Saskatchewan as they were driving across the country!  I don't see them as much these days, and so it was a real treat to see them twice in just under two months!  I was also reunited with my cousin Jamie and his wife April.  I've been close with them but - again - don't see them enough.  I've never lived on PEI, but having all these people around me makes it feel like home!

Skipper and I showered and my aunt prepared dinner.  It was a proper East Coast welcome!  Mussels and a scallops seafood casserole!  I won't share many of the details of the evening, but it was a wonderful time to be surrounded by family again.

We fell asleep that night in beds.  Skipper and I had pushed quite a lot of distance in the last week to reach PEI and were both happy for the respite.  It also marked the 100th day of the trip, and it felt nice that it was a memorable one.  So long New Brunswick!  7 provinces down, 3 more to go.  But those three could wait for another day.  For now, we sleep.  

Fun Fact: This day was the 5 year anniversary of Skipper and I finishing The Long Trail in Vermont!  Happy Anniversary Skipper!!!