PEI 6 - Nothing beats a ferry ride

Thursday afternoon & evening (July 22, 2016)

While we were waiting to get on the ferry we talked to some of the other foot passengers. Quite a few were from Montreal where they had gotten on a bus for the journey to the islands. Some were visiting family. Most spoke French. I started excavating my brain for the French grammar and vocabulary I had learned back in high school and college.

Waiting to Embark

We met another couple with bikes, Dave and Louise, also carrying all their gear, from western British Columbia. They had never heard of Les Isles de la Madeleine either, until they started planning this trip. Dave and Rob quickly discovered they had a lot of similar medical issues; whenever our paths crossed over the next few days, they quickly got into a discussion of symptoms, medications, and the close calls they'd had.

The boat pulled into the dock. Foot passengers disembarked and cars drove off and I got all bubbly with anticipation.

Back when our son Tim was a preschooler, we stopped late one morning to watch some workers laying down pipe on the UNH campus. The workmen soon broke for lunch, but Tim sat down, prepared to wait until they came back. 

I wonder if most adults have a passion like that, something they just never get tired of. Rob gets excited every time a flock of wild turkeys struts across our yard. Doesn't matter if it's a mom and dad and newborn chicks, or so late in the season that you can't tell the babies from the parents. He calls out to whoever is home to come and see. Imagine his excitement when he discovers one flock in the backyard and another in the front.

Me, I can barely contain myself when I come across a house getting raised up on beams, ready to be moved. And when I fly in or out of the Denver airport, there's that train that takes you to the different terminals. Waiting for the train, I position myself to get on the first or last car. There's a sort of shelf seat right at the end of the car where I always aim to sit, hoping there won't be too many old people or little kids who want to sit there. I love to watch the tunnel coming or going. There are two tunnels. One has little fans attached to the walls that spin as the train goes by. The other has hatchets that move back and forth. I like the fans best.

Ferry rides are right up there with moving houses and airport train tunnels. I don't think Rob has quite the same level of enthusiasm as I have. He'll get on the boat and settle into whatever seat looks good. But once we set down our stuff, I am off exploring. I'll come back and say, hey, I found some better seats. We'll pick up everything and stake out a new claim. Then I'll search out snack bars, restaurants, bars. Are there places to sit outside? On the Alaska Marine Highway ferry I discovered showers.

This one had a cafeteria, bar, and restaurant. It was too early for dinner, but as they say, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere," so we headed to the bar for a beer. Have you ever been in a room full of French people? When we flew to France, you wouldn't know it was an overnight flight. Talk, talk, talk, until finally the duty free sales got shut down just an hour or so before landing. 

The bar was hopping, with kids, music, talk, laughter. We didn't know what songs the one-man band was playing, but everybody else did and they all sang along, one big infectious party. 

After having a beer, it was time for dinner. The ferry ride was 5 hours, so we had plenty of time for a leisurely dinner.

We weren't exactly dressed up for a fine dining establishment, 

but they let us in anyway.