Planning Part 14 - Days Fifteen & Sixteen PEI and Nova Scotia

I'm going to go out on a limb, and admit to a Canadian sacrilege... I have no desire to go to Green Gables. I loved Anne growing up and Green Gables is true Canadiana, but the whole thing seems overblown to me. The fact that a work of fiction, no matter how iconic, can overtake everything else a place has to offer is just too much for me. So even though we'll be close by, there is no intent to stop.

Day 15

Now that's out of the way... what are we going to do? We'll be situated close to PEI National Park, and with several beaches  and 50 km of hiking trails (including the famous red sand beach at Cavendish and the Greenwich Dunes), it seems like a clear winner for day fifteen. While I wouldn't classify Jay or myself as enthusiastic beach dwellers, I am pretty sure that after driving 5,000 km to the Atlantic coast, there would be a full-scale backseat mutiny if we didn't dedicate at least a solid portion of a day to some sun and sand. Fingers-crossed that Mother Nature agrees to this plan and cooperates!

The late afternoon and evening hold a number of possibilities, including a trip into Charolettetown, exploration of the north shore in search of good eats, and/or a visit to the Brackley Drive In. As authentic drive-ins are rare in this day and age, I must admit the last option holds some appeal.

Whether as a rainy day contingency, an evening visit or the first stop of day sixteen, our cross Canada adventure won't be complete without stopping in the birthplace of Confederation. Our must-sees for Charlottetown include the key national historic sites in the Great George Historic District, including:

• Province House (location of the Charlottetown conference of 1864 and home to the provincial government)
• Confederation Centre of the Arts (city block of Brutalist buildings that house Charlottetown's art scene, as well as the Story of Confederation exhibit while the interior of Province House is closed until 2020)
• Government House (official residence of the Lieutenant Governor)
• St. Dunstan's Roman Catholic Basilica

Day 16

Day sixteen will also see us leave PEI, and head to Antigonish (where we'll start our tour around the Cabot Trail on day seventeen.) Along the way, I'd like to stop at Joggins Fossil Cliffs. The cliffs of this UNESCO World Heritage Site reveal a complete fossilized ecosystem from the Carboniferous era (300 million years ago). I am science geek enough to not want to miss this.

From there we'll have the option of the scenic route (along the Northumberland Strait) or the direct route (along Highway 104) to Antigonish. If all of that hasn't worn us out, we can also take an evening jaunt up to Cape George Lighthouse, where there are stunning views from which both PEI and Cape Breton can be seen.