PEI National Park was established in 1937 and extends along the Gulf of St. Lawrence for nearly 40 km. with red cliffs and sandy dunes. It covers an area of 18 sq. km. It was hit by post-tropical storm Dorian in September 2019 and sustained considerable damage. The park has many scenic hiking and biking trails.
We biked the
Cavendish Dunelands Trail and made several stops for photos and to read the information panels. The scenery was spectacular. I was content to bike about 3 km while Kathy biked farther.
Before leaving the area, we drove into Cavendish and the
Green Gables Shore and were appalled to see how commercialized, tacky it had become with theme parks, go carts, etc It was obscene. L.M. Montgomery would not be impressed!
We did stop at Mariner's Cove to have the famous PEI Handpie for lunch. We learned about them in the "PEI Food & Great Experiences Guide." There was a variety but each "packed with 1/2 lb. of the best local meats, wheats and other treats." The chef who created it in 2017 wanted a hearty, nutritious grab-and-go meal. They were delicious and very filling.
We continued west on Rte 2 up the North Cape to Rte 12 into Alberton on the coast and checked into Jacques Cartier Provincial Park overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is said that Jacques Cartier landed here briefly in 1534 during his initial voyage to the Americas.
It was the hottest day of our trip so far, reaching 28º, "feeling like" 35º. We drove only 108 km; it was nice to stop early at 2:00.
