Road Trip, Day 19: Dunes, Anne, Dalvay, and a little mishap

DAY 19: AT A GLANCE
Starting Point: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
End Point: York, Prince Edward Island
Starting mileage: 190,616
Ending mileage: 190,779
Daily total (miles): 163
Trip total (miles): 2487

I can’t believe that this day, Day 19, marks the last day we’ll be spending in the Maritimes. Tomorrow, Day 20, we’ll begin the travels back home. With just one day left to enjoy in Prince Edward Island, we made sure to include a few sights that we didn’t get to during our first visit to PEI last summer. While we did a bit of driving, the island is pretty small; nothing is really too far out the way. The day went perfectly…right up until I was about to call it a night and head to bed…but we’ll get to that soon enough!

First up: The Greenwich Dunes Trail, located within the Greenwich section of the Prince Edward Island National Park. This trail is pretty special, as it winds through the forest then out and over Bowley Pond via a floating boardwalk that leads to the dunes. The walk is just under three miles, with little elevation and some fantastic views (our kind of walk!).

The first part of the trail is through the forest—which smells amazing!

After finishing up at the dunes, we made our way to Malpeque Oyster Barn, which we had visited last summer. There’s just something eating food that’s locally sourced—in this case, just outside! So much of the food we’ve eaten these past few weeks has been local—Digby scallops, PEI mussels, Nova Scotia lobster, Malpeque oysters, etc. And boy, what a difference. Eating local is easy in the Maritimes, that’s for sure!

We split six large (they were huge!!!) oysters and the “Oyster Barn Rockefeller”—five plump oysters on thin slices of baguette herb crumble and smothered in cheese. That came with a side, so we shared the Caesar salad. So very yummy! If you’re ever in PEI, this is one of those MUST-visit places. Plus, the wharf makes for some cool shots, at least in my opinion!

Next stop: a mini Anne of Green Gables pilgrimage. First stop: Green Gables Heritage Place:

A straw hat, red-haired braids and a pinafore define Canada’s most loved fictional character, Anne of Green Gables. Meet the head-strong orphan and re-live her youthful escapades and mishaps within the memory-filled rooms of her home – Green Gables – where images from the blockbuster 1908 novel blend with the real life experiences of local author Lucy Maud Montgomery, who drew inspiration from the idyllic farmstead and its red woodland pathways.

Now, before I go any further, I have a confession: I’m somewhat embarrassed to write that I’ve actually never read the novel. As a kid, I was a total tomboy growing up, and I was pretty much anti-anything “girly.” That included books featuring girls. I never read the Little House on the Prairie books and never the Sweet Valley High books. I did, however, make exceptions for Nancy Drew (badass), everything by Judy Blume, and Harriet the Spy (again, badass). Had I known that this Anne character was feisty and badass in own right, I would have totally read it. Alas, I still haven’t—thought I’ve started it. I’m at the point where Matthew goes to pick up the orphan boy—and instead gets Anne. Yes, I’m only through the first few pages, but it’s a start, right?

Last summer, I skipped going to the Anne-related sites because I knew I wouldn’t really appreciate any of them. This year, however, I decided I’d visit—and I’m so glad I did! I’m now excited to actually read Anne of Green Gables! It goes without saying that since I haven't read AoGG, I didn’t know a whole lot about its author, Lucy Maude Montgomery. I’ve been missing out, for sure.

Green Gables Heritage Place is located in Cavendish, the real-life inspiration for Avonlea of Montgomery’s books. It’s a National Historic Site, and so our Discovery Pass allowed entrance; otherwise, admission is $7.80CAD/pp. The site includes a shop and an interpretive center with a ton of information about Montgomery (1874-1942), her life, and her great love for PEI. The site’s main draw, however, is Green Gables, the house that inspired Montgomery:

Arguably Canada’s most notable literary landmark, Green Gables is the setting for the beloved 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, the global sensation about a young orphan living in an idyllic Prince Edward Island village. The original green-gabled farmhouse, which inspired author Lucy Maud Montgomery more than a century ago, has been carefully restored to reflect the period, right down to the furnishings in the rooms.

The tour through the house was interesting, and the little girls in line ahead of me definitely knew way more than I, chatting about which room was whose and pointing out which beds had chamberpots. The crowd was such an interesting mix of young children and adults from all over the world as well as many much older adults who were part of a tour group who reminisced about the home’s decor and how they had grown up with certain pieces featured in the home.

The grounds also include a few trails, one of which is “Lover’s Lane,” one of Montgomery’s favorite places.

This part of PEI, Cavendish and its environs, is all about Anne. There is Avonlea Village, which includes a few original buildings that would have inspired buildings in the book and a collection of small shops and eateries—including an Anne of Green Gables bookstore and an Anne of Green Gables Chocolates. Just minutes away, In nearby New London, is Montgomery’s birthplace. She is buried in Cavendish, where she spent much of her adolescence raised by her grandparents; she is buried with her husband, Ewen Macdonald.

Our next and final stop was to the place where we’d be spending our last night in PEI and, for that matter, in Canada: Dalvay By the Sea. I had first wandered around the inn last summer while I was exploring the island during G’s conference there. Then, I snapped a photo and texted G that we must return at some point to stay there…which brings us to this trip and this last night. Dalvay is a National Historic Site and located within the National Park; a parks pass is required of guests staying on property. The inn is historic and charming in every way. Fun fact: according to our host checking us in, the room we were staying in, room 21, was the room Prince William and Kate stayed in during their visit to PEI. Pretty cool!

We had initially not planned to have dinner there, as we didn’t pack any “nice” clothes, but we were assured that the dining room had no formal dress code and that casual attire (e.g., jeans) were just fine. We’re so glad we stayed, as we enjoyed a fantastic dinner—a salad of mixed greens, strawberries, and goat cheese and then the mushroom fettuccine for G; the salad and then mussels for me. We both opted for dessert as well—G, the chocolate mousse brownie, and I, an interesting and tart concoction called the “lime cloud.”

It was an absolutely fantastic evening for us to enjoy on our final night…until, of course, I had a little mishap. Around 10, I was sitting on the bed, finishing up some writing for the blog and was about ready to call it a night. I got up to look for an outlet next to the nightstand—totally forgetting that I was standing on the top step of the two-step platform. I lost my balance, fell off the steps, and crashed—HARD—on my right shoulder. I heard a few cracks, but nothing seemed out of place/dislocated/broken. Poor G had been almost asleep, had his hearing aids out, and woke to the very loud crash of my body hitting the floor. He went to the van for ice, my sobbing eventually subsided, and I eventually drifted off to sleep, figuring I’d check on the shoulder in the morning…ah, what would a vacation be without something going wrong?!??! And on our last night in Canada—if nothing else, my timing is impeccable.