Prince Edward Island

7/14/25 - On the way to Prince Edward Island (PEI) (another province/state in Canada), we stopped for a lobster lunch in Shediac, New Brunswick, the "lobster capital of the world".

Shediac gets this distinction based on its lobster fishing industry and being home to the world's largest lobster sculpture

We crossed the 8-mile Confederation Bridge to get onto PEI

We had a thickly wooded, and therefore very private, spot in New Glasgow Highlands Campground

7/15/25 - We drove along the Central and North Cape Coastal Drives to explore the western half of the island.

Along the way we saw lots of aquaculture (mussel and oyster farms like the one in this picture) and agriculture (potatoes and other crops). PEI is known as "Canada's food island".

After striking out at a few restaurants, we finally found a pub in Alberton that had seafood!! Pat had a lobster roll and I had this amazing chowder FILLED with lobster and other seafood. The bartender also gave us her recipe for cooking mussels.

We stopped along the coast. This beach had red sand, but others had yellow sand.

We found this crab moving around sideways in a tidal pool

We saw lots of lobster traps along the way. The main lobster season is early May to the end of June.

Our destination was North Cape: the end of the island, sixteen windmills, a small center explaining the technology and local history, and the Wind Energy Institute of Canada.

We stood right under one that was running. They aren't noisy like we've heard people claim.

On the way back to our truck, we saw a camper van with Swiss license plates. The owners walked up as we were looking and they told us it was cheaper to ship their vehicle across the Atlantic ($1500) than to rent one for 3 months ($5000)!

We took the highways back and based on TripAdvisor reviews, the restaurant closest to our campground had the best lobster. When we pulled up to "New Glasgow Lobster Suppers" there was a tour bus and about 100 cars! We figured we wouldn't want to wait but decided to get some details. There was a minimal wait due to the number of tables and size of the staff. Plus the "set" menu: you decide at check-in what size lobster you want and the rest of your meal is the same...all you can eat fresh rolls, seafood chowder, steamed mussels, potato salad, coleslaw, lobster, and dessert! Luckily we opted for the smallest lobster: 1 pound. All of this for US$45. Last time we ordered lobster in the US, it was at least $50 for much less food.

Our bucket of mussels

Our server was very friendly

We had concluded after this first day that we love PEI! It reminded us of Ireland with its rolling, green hills filled with crops up to the ocean, friendly, English-speaking people (with Canadian accent, of course), and great food!

7/16/25 - We had a quiet morning / afternoon. At 4:30 we left for our "Lobster Fishing Tour".

First, John Paul told us how oysters are cultivated in harbors around the island. These cages are filled with baby oysters and floated in the water. The cages are periodically flipped over (by divers) so the oysters can get sun. As they grow, they need to be moved to new cages. Oysters grow for 3-4 years before they are ready.

We were on one of these lobster fishing boats with 2 other couples

The oyster cages floating in North Rustico Harbor

Reed, the skipper, showed us how they hook a lobster buoy and use a winch to bring the lobster trap from the seabed to the side of the boat.

John Paul opened the cage and pulled the lobsters out for us to see

They explained size regulations for keeping a lobster

One of them was a female with eggs. They had to release her. Since it isn't lobster season, they put the other lobsters back in the trap (with a bunch of food) for the next tour!

Before returning to harbor, they served us an excellent lobster roll meal.

7/17/25 - We drove about 30 minutes into Charlottetown (the capital and biggest city on PEI) to buy a bike tailgate pad...we had decided this would be easier than Pat having to move the bike rack between the RV and the truck when we want to drive somewhere with the bikes. We used it as soon as we got back to the RV to take the bikes to PEI National Park, where we rode after lunch.

We had an awesome lunch at The Blue Mussel Cafe. Pat finally found some PEI oysters.

We biked 11 miles on this path which followed the north shoreline

In the evening we went to a show in the town of Summerside.

The show was at The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts

It had Celtic dancing (like Riverdance) with bagpipers, drummers, a fiddler, a band, and singers. Narrators told us about the immigration of the Scottish to PEI.

Since we were thinking PEI was "Irish", on the way home I googled Scottish and Irish immigration to the Maritimes:

• The Irish and Scottish communities both played significant roles in shaping the culture and history of the Canadian Maritimes. While there are similarities, due to shared Celtic roots, there are also key differences in how each group settled and influenced the region.

• Scottish arrived late 1700s/early 1800s due to Highland Clearances (when Scottish landowners evicted tenants to make way for sheep farming). They often settled in rural areas and established tight-knit farming and fishing communities. Cape Breton Island, NS, became a stronghold of Gaelic-speaking Scots. Nova Scotia literally means "New Scotland" and has a strong tradition of fiddle music, ceilidhs (a traditional Gaelic social gathering), and Highland games.

• Irish arrived mid-1800s during the Great Famine. They tended to settle in both rural and urban areas. Settled primarily in PEI, Saint John, NB, and Halifax, NS.

• Scottish vs Irish ethnic origins now:

• PEI: 38% Scottish, 28% Irish.

• Nova Scotia: 30% Scottish, 22% Irish.

• New Brunswick: 18% Scottish, 20% Irish.

• Newfoundland/Labrador: 7% Scottish, 21% Irish.

7/18/25 - The day was supposed to have some rain so we stuck around the RV to relax and do some chores. We still have several days on PEI left!! 😊