It was a little cooler today as I left Charlottetown actually starting on the Confederation Trail, but soon getting on surface streets and heading for the south coastal road heading west. I was travelling through mostly quiet and rolling farmlands with occasional peeks at the ocean, namely the Northumberland Strait. The first town of note, where all the tourists were, was Victoria. Very artsy, with a nice assortment of classic homes, shops, and even a theater.
Shortly after leaving Victoria I managed to get on a good dirt road for a couple of miles. The green fields with white puffs all over are actually potato plants in bloom. When I arrived at Borden-Carleton I had a bite and just missed a shuttle over the Confederation Bridge. Bicyclists and pedestrians must take a shuttle over this 8 mile long bridge connecting Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. Read about it here; Confederation Bridge
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This bridge is 2 lanes with maybe a 4 foot shoulder on each side, and no pull-outs. If a car or truck breaks down, it must cause one heck of a mess. If they made the bridge maybe 6 to 10 feet wider, they might have not had the need for a shuttle. Of course then it would have cost more to build.
On the other side, I managed to get on a rail trail that followed along the main highway for a few miles until it crossed the highway that I wanted heading west and north up the coast of New Brunswick. This is a very quiet empty stretch of road and when I got to Murray Beach Provincial Park, I realized this would be my best sleeping option. The campground was very nice as are all of the Provincial Parks in Canada. Camping night number 7.5.
Jumping back a bit I really liked Prince Edward Island. Maybe this is because I didn't have to climb over any mountains, but more because it seems very relaxed and bucolic. I think a bicyclist could easily spend several weeks there instead of my 3 days.
Route;
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