Day 13: Our Final Day in PEI
DAY 13: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Dalvay, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Ending point: Dalvay, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Starting mileage: 12,377
Ending mileage: 12,486
Daily total (miles): 109
Trip total (miles): 1,958
It’s hard to believe that after nearly two weeks, this year’s road trip was coming to an end. I’m always a little edgy cranky as the hours start ticking down; between the anticipation, the planning, and the doing, endings (of any kind, if I’m being honest!) hit me pretty hard. But, we were bound and determined to make the most of our final day in PEI, so that’s what we set out to do. G had asked me in the morning what I hoped/wanted to prioritize on our final day, and for me, that was photography. He said he was up for anything. We weren’t sure where we wanted to begin, but we started with one of the walks in the national park—the Cavendish Dunelands Trail.
The trail, just like the Greenwich Dunes Trail we walked yesterday, featured impressive dunes and a floating boardwalk. A good walk, but my heart (and cameras) will always choose the dunes in Greenwich. Still, a good start to the day—except for the fact that G realized his well-loved and oft-worn UNH hat was missing and he left with the van to see if he could (unfortunately, to no avail) retrace his steps and find it. So, I ended up walking solo for most of the time, but that gave me the opportunity to stroll and focus on taking more photographs along the way.
From there, we meandered along the stretch of coastline that makes up the Prince Edward Island National Park, making stops along the way at different scenic pull-offs and lookouts. We stopped at a location (Cape Turner) where we had seen loads of lupines on our last trip; this time, we only saw a few, and the path to the water was closed off. One thing I have yet to mention is that the island suffered tremendous damage and erosion due to recent hurricane such as Dorian (2019) and, most significantly and recently, Fiona (2022). Fiona topped thousands of trees, knocked out power for an extended length of time, and caused hundreds of kilometers of erosion along the coast. On this trip, I noticed quite a few signs noting closed or fragile areas, especially near sand dunes and the famous red clay cliffs. More than one park employee I spoke to referenced the storms’ impacts and rebuilding efforts after the recent hurricanes. Still, the beauty of the island, the coastline, the park remains, to me, unparalleled.
One surprise location we stumbled upon was a collection of cairns, towers and sculptures made up piles of red rocks. I stopped for a quite a while to photograph them with both my film and digital cameras, and G even managed to take a photo of me taking a photo with my Hasselblad. And given all the small, flat rocks, G was able to practice his stone-skipping skills, which, I have to say, are quite impressive!
As today was our last day on the island, we definitely had to visit COWS again to get our ice cream fix, and, while we’re on the topic of food, dinner was a return to Richard’s for lobster rolls. Seriously, folks, they’re that good.
And to top off this last day, I made sure to shoot several photos of what might be one of my favorite lighthouses—Covehead Harbor Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1975 to replace the original tower on that site. The lighthouse is just down the road from Dalvay by the Sea, and on each visit, I manage a few dozen shots just because I love it so much. There’s something about the simplicity of the light and the fact that it’s nestled in the sand, amidst the dunes. I just love it.
At one point, all three cameras were on the floor at the front of the van while I was getting myself organized—so of course I had to snap a photo (with my phone, of course!). And for those who might be interested—from top to bottom: Olympus OM2n (film camera) with the Zuiko 24mm 2.8 lens; Fuji X100V; Hasselblad 500C/M medium format film camera with the Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 Planar CF T* lens. All of the cameras have leather straps, which I LOVE, from Clever Supply Co.
I’ll be writing up a separate post (or multiple posts!) featuring the film photography from the trip, so stay tuned.
And just like that, our final day on PEI had come to an end. Tomorrow, we’ll be hitting the road and headed back to NH!
Total Trip: AT A GLANCE
14 Days/13 Nights—6 nights camping; 7 nights hotels/lodges
Three provinces (including two islands!), six Canadian national parks
Starting mileage: 10,528
Ending mileage: 13,122
Trip total (miles): 2,594