Red soil, blue sky and sea~

I will recount the North Cape Coastal Drive as we experienced it, turning left after crossing the Confederation Bridge and heading toward Summerside on Rte. 11, then continuing on along the coast more or less and making a circle back to Miscouche and Summerside.

Union Corner Provincial Park~

The Union Corner Provincial Park was our real introduction to PEI, not the commercial stuff you encounter (nice as it is) after you cross the Bridge. We and the dogs needed to get out for a bit so it was a beautiful respite after driving. As it was off season, early November and no one was around we let the dogs off leash. Wow. The sand, sky and sea. Just breathe it all in. As the sun was setting it lit up the red soil and sandstone against the sea and sky. Unforgettable. Since we stayed in Summerside that night we went back the next morning and the tide was out. The entire beach was exposed–beautiful.

Union Corner Provincial Park is a day use park, open from mid-June to mid-September.

Notre-dame du Mont-Carmel~

It took us totally by surprise, seeming to rise up out of nowhere and towering over the countryside, this incredible church and cemetery overlooking the ocean. The beautiful Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel Church (1898) in Mount Carmel stands like a monument to an entire community and history of the west coast and Island. We were blown away.

The community of Mont-Carmel (originally Grand Ruisseau) was founded in 1812 by Acadian families from the St. Eleanors area. The Church, third one constructed on this site since 1812, is “significant as the spiritual home of many Acadian families in the Mont Carmel area of PEI” [see Historical Places link below]. Interestingly enough, the architect for the design was Rene P. Lemay, the son of Pamphile Lemay who had translated Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s influential 1847 poem, “Evangeline” in 1865.

You can feel history speaking to you as you stroll through the churchyard–it is the history of families–Poirier, Arsenault, Gallant and many others, some headstones almost ancient, others more recent. Some graveyards feel heavy–this one felt light, don’t quite know how to describe it. Maybe it was the ocean, maybe it was the sun setting and lighting everything up, don’t know. We went back the next day for a second look.

Overall, Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel is unforgettable. When we went to the Acadian Museum in Miscouche at the end of our coastal loop we visited another historic church–the St. John the Baptist Church and cemetery beside. It had many of the same family names we saw here.

The Bottle Houses~

The Bottle Houses are up the coast a bit from the Mont-Carmel church and about 25 km from Summerside. I’ve written about it on my page Bottle Houses of Prince Edward Island, so won’t repeat it except to say it is a worthwhile visit and open mid-May to mid-October. The Cape Egmont Lighthouse is up the road a bit after the Bottle Houses.

Everywhere~

Scenes like these beside the road on the North Cape Coastal Drive in PEI are fairly typical. Ships and boats onshore were not an unusual sight.

Cedar Dunes Provincial Park~

The Cedar Dunes Provincial Park is stunning, in season or out. There is a beautiful beach that seems to go on forever, it has nice trails and a beautiful boardwalk. Camping is available. The historic West Point Lighthouse is located in the same area as the Park.

West Point Lighthouse, Inn & Museum~

Above~ The boardwalk leading up to the West Point Lighthouse. The modern 11-unit Inn is behind the Lighthouse (no pics of the Inn, but it looked like a nice place to stay in a great setting).
Below~ The former living quarters (now a Museum) at the historic West Point Lighthouse. You can also go up in the Lighthouse itself [see slide show below].

The Potato Museum in O’Leary~

What do you think is in there? Answer: Well, everything. Machinery of all sorts (some of it incredible), a lot of historical information regarding the development of the entire potato industry and PEI, a gift shop with some funky T-shirts, and of course a great little grill. I don’t know what I expected but I wasn’t disappointed, only that I apparently didn’t get any shots while inside. I’d go back.

Skinner’s Pond~

Since we passed through here the Stompin’ Tom Centre has been built [see link below]. It sounds like they have done it right, with the old schoolhouse (1859) now open along with the old Aylward farm, a restaurant and music centre on a 10 acre property. As they say “there’s plenty to see, do, eat, and hear on our 10-acre property in Western PEI!” Sit a spell, stay a while.
FYI: It is now the oldest schoolhouse, still standing, on PEI.

The North Cape~

This place! The North Cape is the northernmost tip of the Island. It is windy, beautiful, spectacular and interesting. There is a lot to see here at the home of the Wind Energy Institute of Canada: an excellent Interpretive Centre and restaurant, the 5.5 km Black Marsh Nature Trail, the longest rock reef (2 km) in North America, and the Lighthouse warning of that hazard below. Great place to walk around and you can check out the outdoor static display. It is called the North Cape Experience [link below].

You can see the Interpretative Centre in the pic above. On the opposite shore are countless Inuksuks constructed by children and adults in the area leading to the North Cape Rock Reef, the longest reef in North America. If I were to go back I would go right before low tide, walking out on the reef and checking out the tidal pools, seals, and anything else of interest. The site of many early shipwrecks, this is the place where the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait “crash” together.

Alberton~

Above and Below~ The inlet beside a place we stayed in Alberton in the early morning. I have no reason to include Alberton on this page except that I’ve spent two nights there on two different trips and found it a good experience. It is a small town, which is just fine by me. Also, on my second trip I discovered a funky little pub called The Albert & Crown where I had just missed Ron Hynes by one weekend. Damn! That would have been beautiful in such a small setting. Anyway, nice little town.

The Acadian Museum~

The Acadian Museum in Miscouche (near Summerside) is a worthwhile visit if you are in the area. It is interesting, it helps complete a picture of Canadian and American history (unfortunately wretched), and represents so much of the heart and soul of the Island. I’ve visited twice and got something out of it both times. I noticed on the second visit the displays had all been updated, enhanced and very well done. Great bookstore too.
Above~ One of the incredible wood carvings outside the Museum.
Below~One of the illustrations depicting the expulsion of the Acadians during 1755-1764, also known as The Great Displacement.

St. John the Baptist Church & Cemetery~

The beautiful St. John the Baptist Church (1892) & Cemetery are next to the Museum. After coming out of the Museum, the walk through the graveyard felt reverent. So much history here, so much tied up in the Acadian identity and way of life. As mentioned before, many of the same family names we saw on headstones at Mont-Carmel we saw here. Also the stone work on the arch is very similar.

We headed home after this. I was glad we had saved the Acadian Museum till last.

A salute~

Union Corner Schoolhouse Museum No. 58~

The Union Corner Schoolhouse Museum No. 58 was the first thing we encountered on our trip and right before Union Corner Provincial Park, but appeared closed when we were there. When I saw it four years later it was being renovated and I since found it was sold and is now a private residence. I include the landmark here only for the historical significance. An interesting and intriguing building (1860-1863), it was a former one room schoolhouse erected after a 1852 PEI education act that ensured that education should be free and that no child should have to walk more than two miles to school.

The 58th school built on the Island, the building was unusual in that the upstairs was also a theatre, a community hall for gatherings and pot luck suppers, the local polling station, served as a church at times and so on. Students arrived at school by walking, horse drawn wagons and sleighs, and in the winter families contributed firewood for heat. Water was from a well, and it had a double outhouse (see slide show below).

The school was closed in 1961 and the property was bought by neighbours Eugene and Wanda Brooks in 1966. In 1994 their son and former student Grant Brooks and his family bought it, restored it and turned it into a community historical museum. I believe it operated as such till 2008.

Carter Jeffery provides great information on the site, including links to a Flickr feed showing desks exactly like the ones I sat at in the Dundee Elementary School in Dundee, Kentucky. On Entry #6 of the excellent PEI Historic Places publication is a short interview with Grant Brooks which is worth the read. If it was up for sale, I certainly don’t blame anyone for buying it. It is an interesting building in a beautiful setting, reasonably close to the shore and close to Union Corner Provincial Park. A charmer for sure.

My salute is to Mr. Brooks and his family and what they did to preserve and explain their heritage. After restoration work they kept the schoolhouse pretty much intact, including drawings, the old ink well desks, books, names on the outhouse walls, and so on. Grant Brooks, who attended school there from grades 1 to 8, unfortunately passed away in June 2023. RIP Mr. Brooks.

Slideshow~

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Notes~

The images on this page are from three separate visits over the years during different months. The first trip was an exploratory trip before we moved to the Maritimes, the second was a business trip to pick up some farm equipment at D & M Tools near O’Leary, and the 3rd was with a family member who wanted to “pop over and see the Island.” I’ve only included places I’ve personally visited so there are many I have missed. Please feel free to comment or contact me about anything you see or if you notice errors in my recollections.

If you go to PEI in the off season a lot of places are closed. During our first trip in November we had to double back to Summerside to find a place to stay, so bear that in mind during the off season. Most places are open mid-May to mid-October, but some close after Labour Day.