Took Carlos to a veterinarian in Amherst today; we were worried about pain he was having, in his back. X-rays showed that all is well with our boy--nothing broken or displaced. He probably pulled a muscle, and may have a bit of arthritis. He is getting old, 10 and a half years.
We had lunch at home, and left Loch Lemond RV Park about 12:45 pm and headed for Prince Edward Island (PEI). It was a short drive to New Brunswick and we turned north toward Confederation Bridge. The 8-mile long bridge was opened in 1997 after the Government of Canada signed an agreement for its construction in 1993. Canada had promised to provide a permanent link to PEI in 1873 as a condition to join the Canadian Confederation. Its average height over water is 131 feet and it is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world. There are 310 street lights, several closed circuits cameras, and 7,300 drain ports to handle rain water on the bridge. I will write more of the engineering details for the construction of this bridge in a later blog.
What a ride! The bridge looks huge as you approach it, looming on arches in the air. The rise isn't noticeable as you drive over it, and the views are majestic! Eight miles long! Even the bridge over the Columbia River at Astoria, Oregon, is four miles, and also impressive.
After crossing the bridge we stopped at the Gateway Information Center (also called Gateway Village). This is the most complete information center, surrounded what can only be described as a mall--all kinds of shopping. We gathered up all kinds of tourist information, bought some wine and Baileys Irish Cream, and found some ice cream before leaving about one hour later. We hit Charlottetown (about 32,000 people) at rush hour and it was an experience getting our fifth-wheels through it, even on a bypass route. On the ride to our park we passed by many farms with corn, hay, wheat, and potato fields. The roads were high enough that you could see the farmlands and countryside for miles. The farms were neat and orderly, lending a classic "pastoral" view to the scenes.
We headed for the Brudenell River Provincial Park Campground located on the eastern shore of PIE. We thought we were safe, having reserved the last two spots for our stay, but the ranger took one look at our rigs and said our rigs were too high for the site reserved. After we looked at the sites we agreed; there were no other sites available--the park was full. After many phonecalls and a lot of talk, the ranger made reservations for us at Red Point Provincial Park, about 50 kilometers north. Turns out Red Point is a much nicer park. We have two sites up on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean along the East Shore Coastal Drive--and, we have full hookups with 50 amp power! Such a deal! After setting up and eating a late dinner we joined Jerry and Marge for a cocktail while watching a great sunset.
Tomorrow no plans, no alarm clock.
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