Confederation Bridge, PEI
20 May
Bangor, Maine
Today was a travel day: we drove farther than on any other single day of the trip: over 400 miles. That was by design, to get us back down to the States and to some things we want to do before heading home to Seattle this weekend. So, we buckled up and hit the road south.
Before checking out of the hotel in Charlottetown, we had breakfast, and observed how.... Canadian the other guests were. I think they were all there for the hockey tournament, and we saw boys playing spontaneous games of street hockey out in the parking lot. And, there were orderly queues in the breakfast room. And then, best of all, on the morning TV news/variety show, we saw a CBC interview with the Seattle creator of "Henri, Le Chat Noir."
But first, some last wandering on PEI, on the way to the Bridge. We stopped at the Cows visitor center, taking the requisite silly pictures. We took part of the Scenic Red Sands drive, which offered up more great views of the farmland, the ocean, and some glimpses back to Charlottetown, too. We discovered Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site, which offered history, lighthouses, and great views all in one - and no other people around!! Hard to beat that.
At one point, on the back road upon which we were travelling, we came across a orange tabbycat sitting proudly in the middle of the road. Kitty didn't budge - she meowed as we crept by, as if to say 'Hey! this is MY road! You'll go around me!' There were kids nearby who were watching, and we think the kitty knows that road pretty well. Hope so. Later in the day, we also observed a mother duck steering her ducklings off the highway.
So, soon enough, we were at the Confederation Bridge, and heading south. I've mentioned this bridge before - it is one of those engineering marvels, and we, being bridge geeks, were excited to travel across it. It's a pretty design, and we had an easy crossing, esp. at the 80 kmh speed limit. I wondered what it was like for people who had lived on the island all their lives, forever tied to the ferry to get off/on the island, and what it was like to suddenly have 24/7 access without fuss. It was a contentious decision to build the bridge, but it seems that 15 years on, it was the right decision to build it, and link PEI to the mainland.
Once we were back in New Brunswick, it was time for some driving. We had lunch in Moncton, missing the opportunity to observe the tidal bore, though. Some other time, maybe? Then, we headed south on Trans Canada highway 2, and for the next few hours, we saw nothing but trees. Seriously. The immaculate four-lane highway wound through forest, and we saw nothing but trees and the road. No houses, no farms, no power lines. It was fascinating. And, wet. We drove into the rain, and it didn't let up for several hours. In fact, given the trees, the rain, and the position of the road, we missed out seeing New Brunswick's capital, Fredericton, altogether!
Oh, there was something we saw: signs cautioning us to watch for moose. Most of the signs were triangular, with a moose silhouette and the word ATTENTION! We did not get a picture of that sign, alas, but we did get this one:
We crossed the border at Houlton, Maine, and joined Interstate 95. Back to miles instead of kilometers, speed limit 75 mph, rather than 110 kph, and an easy ride on into Bangor, our stop for the night. About a half-hour out of Bangor, the sun came out. Perfect.
Why Bangor? It's a good stopping point for the evening, and it's a place we wanted to visit anyway. It has a famous airport, you see. KBGR has been a jumping-off point for crossing the pond, also a Welcome Home for many US service members returning from the Middle East. It was a refuge on Sept 11, 2001, and the days following, for a number of diverted ommercial flights. And, Nancy and I actually made an impromptu visit to KBGR last summer, on our way home from Scandinavia! Not our doing: it was a combo of bad weather at Newark (our destination) and the SAS A330 needing extra fuel after a lengthy holding pattern. We didn't get to get off the plane or anything, but I did think "hey, I'm in Maine!" Tomorrow, we'll visit the airport on our own terms. :-)
We went out for one more seafood dinner, at a place called McLaughlins. Their restaurant is a quiet little place down on the Penobscot River. On a tranquil evening, it was just right. I ordered my lobster "lazy style" tonight, and enjoyed the side order of sauteed fiddleheads, too. Nancy enjoyed shrimp.
Tomorrow - off to Turner, Maine, and Twichell's Seaplane Base! It's one of the better-known outfits in the country, and we're looking forward to checking it out. Then, on to the White Mountains of New Hampshire!
Cheers,
--Kit and Nancy
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