The Island

Packed up the dogs, sealed the cats in the house with plenty of water, a clean litter box and food to last for days and hit the road for Prince Edward Island with my mom and two of her Pulis. Joining me on this trip are Archer and Leeloo, this will be their last show of the year and probably until March of 2010 because of the timing and location of the next couple shows. There is a sort of 'winter hiatus' in the Maritimes due to weather so it will give my two delinquents times to grow up a bit.

To get to The Gentle Island from the mainland you have two options: ferry or bridge. We chose bridge this trip, the Confederation Bridge to be exact. It's about 9km(4.5 miles) long and crosses the Northumberland Strait from New Brunswick. I was so excited to cross it let me tell you. This is the approach ... a bit intimidating as it rises in front of you.

You can't really see over it as you drive across, I'm sure if we were in a higher vehicle we could but the best I could take of the water was this of a cute little lighthouse in New Brunswick ... And the Northumberland Strait doing pretty much nothing but being water(that's the barrier in the foreground).

About three quarters of the way across the bridge there is a rise where the bridge is higher to allow large ships to pass through. It's a bit scary to see at first. Prince Edward Island is known for its red dirt and they're not kidding. Immediately the red cliffs are apparent on the coastline which was pretty neat. The province itself is like you're driving through a coffee table book. The red dirt is quite striking and the entire Island seems to be made up of it. My photos do not do the color justice.I have to admit I'm a bit surprised how many people there are here. The countryside is literally house after house and for the most part are very picturesque and well kept. Some small farms line the roads but it seems to be mostly rural acreages and cottage type homes. Towns seem to be made up of a closer cluster of houses but no apparent businesses - my mom kept remarking how very British all the names of the roads and towns are.

We were much amused by the highway number signs which appear to have a sheep standing next to a tree. We were confused by the sheep reference and discussed why there wouldn't be a potato on it since PEI is well known for growing potatoes in their red dirt. After seeing the sign on the computer, thus not looking at it moving at 80km per hour, I have come to the conclusion that in fact it is not a three legged sheep - it's a stand of three trees and one tree alone. I personally like the cute little sheep - see how the sign bolt is his eye?
At any rate, we show tomorrow and I spent a lot of time choosing my clothes for the show so I know that even if we don't win I'll be the best dressed loser there.