August 1, 2014 (102nd Day)

What a gorgeous and beautiful day.  Very sunny and it is a perfect day for sightseeing! 

We forgot to mention in our July 31 post that we went back to Borden-Carleton KOA for camping.  Upon arriving the office was already closed, but the manager came forward and told us to park on site #2 and said it is on the house.  Nice of him!  Excellent service there...

We wanted to get an early start to begin sightseeing, so we left the campground at 8:15 am. Now on Trans Canada Highway 1 toward Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI).   Charlottetown is the capital city in PEI.  The city was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 1884 Charlottetown Conference and the Birthplace Confederation.

Lots of potato farmlands along the route.  Not many pretty barns to take pictures of. We stopped at a store and bought a 3# bag of genuine PEI potatoes.

Turned right to Victoria by the Sea, PEI

While we were cruising along the bank of the gulf. The tide was very low and there was a couple walking with a dog on the base of the beach.  Edith had 150mm lens on her camera at that time.  She sensed that something was going to happen when she saw them walking then stopping and the guy got his hand in the back pocket of his shorts. Sure enough, the guy knelt down and made a marriage proposal.  How did Edith know it was going to happen???  Gut feeling? Intitution?  After the proposal Edith changed the lens to 400mm and was able to zoom in to the couple and their dog. Erwin walked over and asked if they would like pictures. and got their email address and names.  Sweet moment for us to witness such a eventful experience.

Marriage proposal

Hugging and Kissing.  She said YES...

Edith yelled "Yahoo" and they looked up surprised that someone caught the action and waved back! Erwin went down with paper and pen to get their names and email address to send them these pictures that no one else has, not even them! We wished them all the luck in the world.

Not too far from where the couple was there is a nice looking lighthouse with Canada emblem on it.

We drove further down the narrow road, were able to see the lighthouse on the cliff

Going back to the main road the couple was still walking on the base.

We got back on Trans Canada Highway 1, then right turn on Central Coastal Drive to see Blockhouse Point Lighthouse.  On way back we stopped at Tim Horton's to get drinks and light breakfast.

There was one more lighthouse nearby and it took us a while to figure out which road to take.  We finally figured out which road and got on Blockhouse Road that will lead us right up to the lighthouse.  It was a dirt road that you take to get close to the cliffs.  It was hard-packed, so we were okay driving on it.

Blockhouse Point Lighthouse

While Edith was scanning the area for photoshooting Erwin climbed down to the base of the beach, looked for rocks to build a cairn.

Back to 19 north to get on Trans Canada Highway 1.  We stopped at Cornwall Quick Stop gas station to get gas fill-up.

We drove through Charlottetown town center, found it hard to find a parking spot near the town center, so we continued driving until we got on the bridge to Points East Coastal Drive.  There was a lighthouse in Souris that we wanted to check out.

Souris Lighthouse 

Original Fresnel Lens

That is Erwin way down there waiting for Edith

Inside the Lighthouse

Carved ship on a rock

There was a small grocery store not far from the lighthouse and we were running low on some items, so we swung by SaveEasy and picked up groceries.

We were now driving on Route 16 going toward East Point, PEI when a car drove past us with a guy flagging us to slow down.  We wondered what was going on. Should we slow down and pull over?  Then we realized it was Karen and Tom!  PEI is 140 mile long and 40 mile wide and they were able to find us!!!  We finally found a shoulder off the road. They thought we missed Souris Lighthouse and that we should go back there so we can have a picture of four of us in front of the lighthouse. Ok, we turned around and followed them back to Souris.

We told Karen and Tom that we were on way to check out a lighthouse in East Point.  They went inside the lighthouse when we left.

Our camper van reached 17,000 miles when we were on way to East Point Lighouse, PEI. We had already driven over 12,000 miles since April 22nd when we left home to begin the trip.

At East Point Lighthouse we told the tour guide that we were waiting for Tom and Karen to come by.  In the meantime, we were awarded certificates and ribbons for visiting tip to tip lighthouse on the island.

Tom and Karen arrived and they were also given certificates and ribbons.  Then we four went up inside the lighthouse with a guide. It was 100˚F on top floor.  Nice view. Saw lots of gannets diving in the gulf for fishes. It was fantastic to watch.

We four went to see another lighthouse in Naufrage, PEI that is now owned by the Canadian Coast Guard. Karen, Tom and Edith walked up to the lighthouse while Erwin went to the restaurant to check out the menu.

Karen had to be sure she touched the lighthouse
to prove that she was there. 

Nice house by the cliffs and the lighthouse

It was getting late and Karen and Tom had to drive back to a motel they are staying at in Charlottetown, PEI. We said we were going to dry camp right here, so we parked the van by the restaurant.  We had supper at the Shipwreck Point Cafe. We had a split order of pork chops, vegetables, baked potatoes and fried vegetables and Edith had a small bowl of chef salad.

The sun was beginning to set, so Edith took her camera and walked up to the cliffs by the lighthouse.

Good Night!

Erwin did not feel comfortable about parking the van by the restaurant for the night, decided to move it in front of Naufrage Harbor Authority office. It had a bathhouse that we can use (no charge).