PEI 19 - Bridge Out!

Day 12
Saturday, July 30, 2016 (continued)

The insertion of modern technology enhances the charm of rural PEI. 

Windmills and farmland made for a lovely morning of riding. Since the woman in the North Cape gift shop only knew of a convenience store in Miminegash we did not have high expectations for lunch but we were okay with that. But we were not okay, as we approached the town, with seeing another road closure sign. Bridge out ahead! Two days in a row? Our spirits sagged. This detour would take us miles out of our way.

We saw a small local beat up grocery store, probably the convenience store we were looking for. Maybe someone inside could tell us if there was a way to avoid the detour. We found the entrance around the side - an old squeaky screen door, opening into a dark interior with uneven wooden floors, shelves stocked with the usual snacks and essentials needed to avoid a long drive to the big-city grocery store.

We asked the proprietor, a trim middle-aged man, about the bridge. "Oh, no, you're fine getting across on a bicycle."

Good news in hand, we could consider lunch. Rob headed to the back of the store where the coolers were and called out, "There are some sandwiches here."

The proprietor said, "I can make you fresh sandwiches if you'd rather."

That sounded pretty good - I ordered a BLT - and, what sounded even better, were the milkshakes he could make to go with them. But if we were going to purchase such a delicious feast, we had to find a perfect place to sit and enjoy it. After some discussion with the friendly proprietor, we determined that we could park our bikes behind the house next door, where the man's father lived, and walk down the road where we could sit on the pier.

It was a good thing we weren't in any hurry, as the man had to interrupt making our sandwiches and shakes to wait on the occasional local customers who stopped in. A chubby woman came in with her chubby daughter - the proprietor greeted the little girl by name - and ordered a bubble-gum flavored ice cream cone for the girl. As it was being dished up, the little girl pointed to some candy and said, "I want that." The mother was not pleased. She said, with an annoyed tone, "Eat your ice cream first and then you can have some candy."

When we had first arrived at the store, an older gentleman was sitting outside at a picnic table drinking coffee. Later he came in and sat down. We got to talking and when he found out we were from the U.S., he said, "You've got to get home and vote for Trump, eh?" I detected a twinkle in his eye. Clearly the election was on the minds of many Canadians.

We walked down the street where we sat on a wooden pier, dangling our legs over the water and looking out over the fishing boats, enjoying the best lunch we would never have expected when we walked into that little rundown store. 

Then we got to cross over the bridge that was being rebuilt.

As promised, the bridge was out but a temporary solution was built for bicycles. We felt special.

The sign on the right says 15 km. to the Canadian Potato Museum. From the website it looks like it would have been a fun stop but that would have meant a 30 kilometer detour.

We arrived at Cedar Dunes Provincial Park to find out that the campground was full. The folks at the registration desk said they would figure something out for us when the phone rang. Someone was cancelling, no they couldn't get a refund at this late date. Technically the site still belonged to those people who cancelled, would the park attendants dare let us have it? They decided to step out on a limb and we were all set. 

A walk along the beach at Cedar Dunes Provincial Park...

Brought us to The Catch Kitchen where we enjoyed dinner on the upstairs deck...

Then, the sunset.

We rode 61 miles to Cedar Dunes Provincial Park, averaging 10.49 mph.