Exploring the Island

PEI is, as everyone in Canada knows, the smallest province in the country. From the North Cape to the East Point is about a three-hour drive, and that's with a speed limit of 90 km/h at best. It's not big. But man, there's a lot here to see. My wife and I took the youngest out for a drive, our second one this week. Last time, we went north to Tignish and North Cape; today, we headed east toward Charlottetown.

Now, I was born here in Summerside, so technically I may have been to some of these places before. But since I wasn't yet three when we left for Winnipeg, I don't remember any of them. So, when we pushed east of Summerside this afternoon, it was the first time I'd ever been out that way. The scenery is beautiful, the landscape is picture-perfect, and there's a great balance between cultivated farmland and wild growth. We went through the rolling hills toward Charlottetown, but we didn't actually go that far. We did, however, swing up toward the world-famous Green Gables.

It was incredible. We must have passed thirty restaurants, two amusement parks, three motels, a KOA campground, and a ton of cottages lined up for people to rent.

And we didn't see a single human being. It was a ghost town. Like I said, incredible. In better times, I wouldn't be surprised if Green Gables pulls in half of the province's GDP. But not right now. With the travel bubble keeping people out of the Atlantic provinces, tourism is way down. It sucks, frankly. On the other hand, it means we can drive through places like that without being stuck in traffic or lined up for twelve hours to go to the bathroom. You gotta look at the positive side of things.

We also stopped by a Mennonite farm where they sell baked goods, produce and grass-fed meat. Tasty stuff, and important for us, since our youngest, being autistic, needs a specific diet. The usual stuff from the grocery store doesn't do his gut any favors, so we need the organic, grass-fed beef for him. It's nice to find a place that can offer us that. It's an hour away, but that's nothing; the drive is great.

I mentioned Tignish the other day; our trip there was fun as well. We went almost right to the North Cape, and found a beach where we could stare off into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The youngest son played on the rocks and picked up some shells, while Mom took a video of the waves coming in. If it had been summertime, I could have convinced her we were in the Caribbean after all. Unfortunately, late October in PEI isn't going to fool anyone into thinking they're in the Caymans, no matter how beautiful it is.

It's funny, but as I mentioned to my wife on the way home from Tignish, this is the first place where I've ever really felt like I was home. Like I'm meant to be here. I don't know why; do I have some sort of connection to my place of birth? But my wife agrees with me, and she's never been as far east as Quebec before this trip. So, it's something else. Maybe it's the feeling of having a place that's peaceful and quiet for our kids to grow up. Maybe it's the farmland that we're going to pass on to them. Maybe it's just a matter of starting over fresh without all the negativity that surrounded us back there.

Whatever it is, though, one thing is very, very clear. We are home. And nothing is going to change that.

Alright, it's time to get back to writing again; I've got a half-finished Cameron Vail mystery that needs attention. If you're wondering who that is, check out Final Exam, my first foray into writing a murder mystery.