29 Sep 2023 – Another Busy Week

Tue: Chinatown before dark to run some errands+my favourite DurianShaveIce@MeiHeongYuen,ChinatownPoint and to check out what is new for Mid-Autumn.

Did not venture into the crowded side-streets. Picked up tea&snacks @YueWah established in HKG 50+yrs ago. This leading Chinese department store chain is SIN only department store specialising in Chinese food,medicine,silk,antiques,etc. This flagship store is a city landmark, former formally NamTinHotel, the store combines both contemporary and original architecture, and features an entirely new extension, screen walls&stained-glass-skylights, all of which complement the building’s rich historical character.

Could not resist this container(with 2MooncakesS$46) and the air-balloon-lantern(with light+stickS$8) to add to my collection of Mooncake boxes and lanterns, like I need any more stuff-hahaha! but since life is so full of hotair! this lantern is most appropriate for now…

When we take the time to break free from the tyranny of Time and learn to listen to the sound of unspoken words, we discern the hot air behind the frenzy of the wheeling and dealing around ― Erik Pevernagie

Nice to be able to see 2023’sMid-Autumn-Lights on this lovely nearly full-moon evening. Tkx for this round as I head to drop off some HerbalJelly to Clement who is home with a sore throat.

HerbalJelly, also known as GuiLingGao(龜苓膏), is a traditional Chinese medicinal dessert made from more than 15 herbs. It is believed to have cooling properties and is often consumed to help reduce body heat, eliminate toxins, and promote healthier skin. The dessert is served chilled and has a slightly bitter taste – I like it, especially from KoongWohTong and will usually consume this as a dessert without the honey.

About Us – Koong Woh Tong (kwt.my)

Wed: dinner@sis Jo’s now 86, the eldest of my siblings who is still going strong. Glad to catch up and to see that she is still nimble with her hands&fingers to cut&glue these unused red-packets making them into hanging-decorations for charity.

Thu: tkx to MeiChen for the invite to Donor’sAppreciationNight @NationalLibrary. The view from ThePod/Level16 is always nice despite of the haze tonight.

Good to see many informative&interesting documents and pix from another era.

Looks like they have picked 10thAuntie LAM PohChee’s vac-paper from 5Sep1952 for displayed to show how important it is to be vaccinated then for small-pox and, more so now for COVID.

Tkx with appreciations for a yummy buffet-spread(StamfordCatering), flowers&these publications.

Fri: Happy Mid-Autumn/中秋節 to those celebrating – looking forward to the mooncakes+SteamBoatDinner@Rochalie, to be updated.

Mid-Autumn Festival Singapore 2023 Guide: Dates, Traditions & Mooncakes (timeout.com)

25 Sep 2023 – Reflect Before React&Reset

Fri: have been cleaning,washing,drying&airing(make hay while the sun shines!) over this week before packing hiking gears away until the next round. Running errands@PkWay – tkx to Theresa&CJ for yummy steak dinner, she makes the best steak-sauce.

Sat: been back a week and have been busy with family&visitor and usually prefer not to be out&about in town in the weekends. Crowds and many ppl have never been my forte – not even in my younger days! At this stage, will just about to do anything to avoid crowds. Need this weekend to rest,relax&reflect before reacting to what is ahead!

Countless words
count less
than the silent balance
between yin and yang ― Lao Tzu

Sun: tkx to Seb for this share which certainly applies to me,hahaha! The other pix taken on PEI(sticker on a car) and like it. The morning rains are calming&nice, but getting used to the climate,culture,diet,etc again certainly takes its toll on an aging body&mind!! despite everything being familiar. Hopefully humour will keep me going. Seems like the body needs time to adjust to all the foods – no matter how scrumptious, will have to take it slow.

Tkx for dinner@Rochalie – yummy homemade dinner and walked ~5+k with Clement after dinner to get the bus from BkMerah. A nice cool evening after the heavy rains and snoozing on a uncrowded 196bus, unlike when on the way earlier, bus36 was packed like sardines&noisy that I had to close my eyes&meditate to get thru’ the ride.

Good to see the Fabulous5 together for the weekend and doing well in their activities – tkx to 1st-born&Cindy for this share.

Mon: getting rid of 5months-dust within 4-walls and this time round, seems to be worse due to the MRT-constructions outside. Grateful that I am still capable of doing it myself even if it will take a few weeks, using this as exercise for the rest of the month+next month. Most of the hiking gears are now ready to be stored&put away.

To be able to get lunch&dinner all ready-made with 4dishes, including clams,currychicken+2side-veggies&riceS$8 is such a treat. Today’s grocery@Giant was a pleasant surprise with a free offer of a Häagen-Dazs-icecream scoop+another tub when 2tubs were purchased on promotion. Imagine that all the icecream consumed within this 4-walls, this is the first icecream scoop in here!

To be worn out is to be renewed ― Lao Tzu

Mon25Sep2023: Happy National Daughters’ Day – having 2daughters is a total blessing.

Watching them grow to be beautiful&wonderful people who have also made me to be a proud grandmother to 6amazing grandchildren – thank you for being the most important part in and of my life

21 Sep 2023 – Short&Sweet Visit From Chuan

Mon: bus36, bus-stop on MP-Rd again moved, but looks like the MT-TEL(brownLine)-MRTstation has come a long way in my absence.  Passing by the F1-Pit-building on the ECP and detouring after Suntec to NBridgeRd(thus traffic backup here) joining back the usual route on StamfordRd – but did not affect too much time despite of the diversion.

Mon-morning-movie, the best day for me, ie if not public holiday to catch new movies on a big screen, and one of my favourite cinemas is Lido/Shaw@Orchard with panorama view to Ion&Tangs with a nice comfortable sitting area by a McD.

HauntingInVenice – HerculePoirot is here again to solve an adaption of another of AgathaChristie’s novel crime. But he will also has to figure out if supernatural forces are interfering in the investigation? Spoiler alert, so do not read on for my thoughts here regarding where some mother’s love(do wonder about LOVE! especially MotherLove here??) can be difunctionally unhealthy.

AssamFish+Achar-lunch @WarungPadang/ FoodRepublic(ShawHouse,#B1-02) with endless decent food selections here.

Being back here has its advantages that places&things are familiar, but always something new to discover, this time round a SugarCaneFreshJuice machine/FortuneCentre. Not only can I now get fresh OJ, now also this without having to deal or talk to anyone. Tkx to a dear nephew Clement for taking time to be with his old-auntie to lunch, movies, T and for getting me to line up for the 10mil-lottery, hahaha! A quick hello@CC to arrange a date to present the PEI-Hike/Thanksgiving,Thu23Nov2023.

Tue: welcome Chuan, nice to catch up and looking forward to the next 2days in his company, tkx for one of the best(to my taste)PineappleTarts. Has been~5yrs ago since we last met. SIN-KCH-SIN 2018 – Here-There-Everywhere – This-That-Everything (amylamsg.com) Appreciations to Chuan&Leonard for coming over to the EastSide for dinner&dessert – has been hot day and 1+hr on the bus to their area would have given me a worse headache.

Wed: guiding Chuan from 10.30hrs FullertonHotel-TheMerlion-

NationalGallery-VictoriaHall-ArtsHouse-ACM-met Leonard to

lunch@GodmamaPeranaken/Funan, good OtakOtak&NgohHiang(pork& prawn rolls).

PeranakanMuseum sheltering from pouring rains@SMU. Underground all the way from BrasBasah/CCL(orangeLine)MRT-PlazaSIN for VietnameseDinner@CôChung. Showered&crashed before 22.00hrs, body&mind not at their best with muti-functions/tasks like today – hahaha.

Thu: picked up OtakOtak@OldAirportRd for Chuan(unable to get these in KCH). Exploring the Sarawak eateries@Jewel&T4, planning a trip to KCH to pay my respects to Lawrence in Nov, so no need to eat these foods now!

Has been ~5yrs since in T4 and these kinetic installations PetalClouds are fun&hypnotic to watch – cannot get enough of these and the KineticRains@T1. Safe trip to Chuan till we meet again soon.

17 Sep 2023 – Safe&Sound In SIN

Wed&Thu: tkx to Jeff for driving me to the CAE-airport and appreciations to my Fabulous5&their parents for this time round. The next time round here will be May2024 for #1’s Graduation. For now until Fri, 4airports+flying hours. Besides airports,airplanes&crowds(2 is company and 3 is a crowd-hahaha), packing is another thing on the least favourite things to do on the list…

Fri: TGIF and a good weekend to all – after 4airports: CAE-IAD(1+hr flying&5+hrs layover@IAD(where there was time for a bite from Chick-fil-A)-SFO(5+hrs flying&2+hrs layover@SFO on a full flight-SIN(15+hrs flying!). Total shock to the system from these overwhelming crowds!! Now safe&sound back within my 4-AC-walls here in SIN️ feeling more human after a LONG-nap. Les had Ablation done@FarrerPkHospital today. For me, done in Norway/Feb2017, and so far it is still ticking OK.

LHL-klinikkene Feiring – Here-There-Everywhere – This-That-Everything (amylamsg.com)

Sat: Happy 80Bday to Ivy. Had to activate the renewed PassionSilverCard (found it in the pile of mail, tkx to niece for clearing my mailbox in my absence), explained why the expired card did not worked on the bus when I arrived yesterday! Bus to BedokBusInterchange, then another bus to OldAirportRd to pick up miniPaus for Ivy&Les, also to visit Les after his procedure&stay at the hosptial. MRT/CCL(orangeLine) to MarinaBay changing to TEL(brownLine) to OrchardBlvd, buses that will take me to the OrchardRd area are redirected due to F1. Took from 11.00-16.00hrs and on top of the heat&humidity, it was quite exhausting. Kat is here for the weekend, and we arr on the same plane from SFO,CA/USA yesterday without knowing that we were on the same plane!!

Sun: another good night sleep last night to be able to think logically again! Somehow it is strange to be back where things are so familiar after being on a go for~5months. Now even my laptop is on the same time as where I am – hahaha! Looking forward to catching up with family&friends and to some local foods – cockles(SeeHums)&durians. Looks like MT-hawkers&market is closed for renovations and will not be opened until Oct, and in SIN there is certainly no lack of eateries, even in this neighbourhood. Also at this stage, eating smaller portions slowly and to an advantage that hopefully will not put on weight. With the shorter walks on PEI+all the eating, no weight has been gained or lost! Tkx to Ivy&Les for dinner.

Took the same route there as yesterday, but being Sunday night with the F1 ongoing, thank goodness there was no need to deal with crowds or with anybody on the MRT!

12 Sep 2023 – ClemsonU &UofSC

Fri: appreciations&tkx to Nancy&Karen for getting me to the Portland airport in ME/USA.

Stopped to use the rest room somewhere on the MaineTurnpike which happened to have one of the most tasteful(in my eyes!)

ME-Crafts in the VisitorInfo. PWM-IAD(1hr delayed there, rains&thunder)-CAE. Safe&sound now in CAE, and looking forward to a few days with the FabulousFive. Tkx to first-born&#5 for meeting me at CAE-airport

Sad news to hear that one of our AT-Fellow-Hikers ChrisWidmer(Sawbuck)’s passing. A perfect gentleman who gave us much support during our 2005AT-Thru’Hike and my trailname TigerLily. when we were having a resting by some TigerLily patch and I told him+another young hiker what TigerLily show is about in Thailand! Condolences with prayers&thoughts to Blossom&his family – he will be missed.

Sat: shopping@Walmart – suppliments,food,etc. Made steak dinner for the family, good to taste some red meat again.

Sun: Happy GrandparentsDay to all grandparents. Tkx to #2 for showing us around her campus(made my day), ~2hrs drive from CAE. Lunched@SoleOnTheGreenRestaurant in the ConferenceCentre. Sole on the Green Restaurant & Joe’s Place Bar | Clemson University, South Carolina

Good luck to a new chapter in her life@Clemson,SC/USA.

About | Clemson University, South Carolina

Impressive campus with the view of a nice stadium from the balcony across from her dorm room, and a football team who were NationalChampions in 1981, 2016, 2018.

Mon: appreciations to #1 for taking the time from her busy schedule for dinner@CaliforniaDreaming, formally UnionRailwayStation. Compared to the stations visited on PEI, this one is quite different.

The history behind Union Station + California Dreaming 🚂 – COLAtoday (6amcity.com)

Time really flies, and she is now into her final year@UofSC with the Gamecock/Cocky. Looks like another visit in 2024 for her graduation…

Tue: packing for early flight tomorrow morning. TacoTueDinner with Allison&Jaime, appreciations&tkx to these lovely ladies and the only contribution I could offer was to share these sweets!

7 Sep 2023 – From PEI/Canada To ME/USA

Sun: VictoriaPlayhouse/PEI – the curtain on this new theatre company opened in 1981 and, since then, has seen 40 seasons (and counting!) of professional theatre and performance events.

The Hall was designated a HistoricPlace on the CanadianRegister of Historic Places in 2007 and has been at the heart of the community for 100+yrs and continues to bring people together, from near and far.

Stroll around this delightful area, unlike the first time when we were soaked thru’&thru’ –  oyster dinner@CasaMia

Mon:BeachPointLighthouse&CapeBear(1881)Lighthouse+MarconiStation. Marconi, Guglielmo Marchese(1874-1937), invented the first practical radio signalling system. At age 16 he was sending and receiving Morse code across his parents garden without using cables. Formed Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd. in London (1897). 1899 established communication across the English Channel between England and France. 1901 communicated signals across the Atlantic Ocean between Paldhee in Cornwall England and St. John’s Newfoundland

RossignotEstateWinery  Rossignolwinery.com

Interesting mixture berry+fruit wines and our favouite today was LittleSandsWhite, semi-dry wine with a balance of crisp apple and delicate flavours.

The Wood Islands Family of Lighthouses – 3 buildings on this site represent a family and all were once navigational aids. The lighthouse beacon is still maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard as part of the marine communication system used by ship traffic in the Northumberland Strait. The two smaller structures are called “range lights” and have been retired from service since 2007 when electric harbour lights on steel poles replaced them. Prior to that time, the range lights were situated on the east side of the lighthouse point before being moved in 1941 to the steel pier entrance to the Wood Islands Ferry terminal. As vessels approached the terminal, the deepest part of the channel was identified by a sight line alignment of the inner and outer range lights. The shorter range located farthest from shore, was called the “outer range light” and the taller one closest to shore, was called the “inner range light”. Some ranges were equipped with lights and fog horns and in some cases, a red vertical stripe that faced the open water.

In 2012, maintenance repairs to the steel pier required the now obsolete range lights to either be moved or destroyed. Thanks to the joint efforts of the Coast Guard, the provincial government and the Wood Islands Community Development Corporation, the range lights at Wood Islands have been moved and preserved as part of our community museum.

WoodIslandsFerryTerminal – would have been interesting to take this car-ferry(75mins) over to NovaScotia, but it would have been a longer drive to ME/USA.

Tue: ConfederationBridge/PEI, a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-CanadaHighway across AbegweitPassage of the NorthumberlandStrait, linking the province of PEI with the mainland province of NewBrunswick/NB. Opened 31May1997, 12.9-k/8m bridge is Canada’s longest bridge and the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water.

Cape Jourimain Lighthouse, New Brunswick Canada at Lighthousefriends.com

The Canadian environment where recycle and using of the wind&solar energy is very impressive – the rest of the world has much to learn from here…

Wed: appreciations&tkx to AndyBrown for driving&guiding us around Bangor/ME where he is born&bred, and known to the locals here as the Mayor of Veazie. Lunch@Mason’sBrewing with a short stroll along the PenobscotRiver.

StephenKing’s Victorian mansion+ornate sculpture with a chainsaw in the heart of WhitneyPark HistoricDistrict on 47W Broadway.

Stephen King’s House: Bangor’s Spooky House of Horror – Unusual Places

with interesting cast-iron fence&gates and 2magnificent old trees on this street

UofME where Andy attended and now works there – his first-born also there for her freshman year now. Must be to nice to be the president of this U when you can live in a house like this!

Thu: an afternoon at Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Last evening@Young’sLobsterPound & SeafoodRestaurant/Belfast

to be edited&updated…

2 Sep 2023 – Days 26-30

Tue: Day26~14k/9m, 5+hrs DingwellRd-Route323 on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops+socializing with many who crossed our path stopping to chat.

0900hrs into MorellWelcomeCenter(formal railway station) just in time for them to open to let us into their restroom.

3 ladies from Toronto doing sections of the IslandWalk, cyclists from KY/USA, couple(she from USA, he from Australia) who hiked the AT Thru’Hike in 1981.

HurricaneFiona last year/2022 destroyed millions of trees and changed much of the landscape of this island – another glorious blue-sky day.

Today’s shelter nearer to RT323 justified to be named Seredib after the accommodations here as like our lodgings for now that I did not mind lingering on longer with butterflies,cicadas,grasshoopers,other insects+the breeze all sounding in harmony.

Nancy:PEI – Day 26/August 29 – appx 13 km/8.8 miles. Another beautiful day- pesky mosquitoes in the morning but lessened throughout the day. A very social day- we finally met some Island walkers – 3 ladies from Toronto in their 60s who have known each other since age 14, some bikers stopped to talk with us, and Karen and Amy met a couple of AT Thru hikers from 81. Everyone here is so nice! When I finished for the day and sat by the trail, people stopped to ask if I was ok and the lady living nearby stopped to offer water. We had a quick stop at the Morell train station, now a community/tourist center.

After our hike, we headed to the PEI provincial park at Greenwich and Karen and I took a 4.6 km walk out to view the sand dunes. The walk on the boardwalk across the water was awesome. Many beautiful views today, dinner at a local seafood restaurant in St Peters Bay, and a quiet evening at our lodging. It’s now August 30 and we are taking a zero since it’s pouring rain outside. So nice to sleep in!

Karen:Tue29Aug2023: Day26~14k/9m, 5+hrs ‘DingwellRd-Route323’ on ‘The ConfederationTrail’including rest stops+lots of socializing with many who crossed our path including 3 women from Toronto hiking ‘The Island Walk’, cyclists from Lexington, KY & a couple from Mass who thru hiked the AT in 1981. It was a spectacular sunny day with a breeze.

After finishing our mileage we visited the Greenwich Sand Dunes (PEI National Park) for another 4.6 km. There was a floating boardwalk- pretty spectacular.

Wed: Day27 zeroK/zeroM on the trail, 10days ago since a zeroK/M-day! A luxury to sleep in&listen to the rains in this idyllic Serendib-Solar-A-Frame-House isolated in the middle of nowhere(CardigenRdRd/StPetersBay) and with only ~22k/13m left to complete the Tip-Tip-CT before 5Sep. Lovely&relaxing afternoon with Beethoven’s 6thSymphony/Karajan&5thPianoConcerto/Ashkenazy on the roof-top while the rains stopped and the others were out.

Looking forward to tonight’s lighthearted Village’sIdiot@StPetersCourthouseTheatre/StPetersBay.

Nancy: PEI – Day 27/August 30 – Zero day – no km or miles while the rain settled in. Slept in, ate lunch in a restaurant, stopped by the local co-op to purchase some groceries, ate leftovers for dinner, and attended a performance in a small, local theatre of “The Village Idiot”. Four characters – all talented. The story centered around three ladies on a town council who rope in a newcomer, who came to the town seeking solitude, to be their new council chairman. They assign him all kinds of impossible duties- bingo caller, yoga teacher, giving a eulogy for someone that no one liked, and entering a step dancing contest against the “Cardigan Duster”. Kept us laughing.

Thu: Day28 on this last Aug2023day~12k/7m, 4hrs
BarryRd-Route307 on the ConfederationTrail. Looks like autumn is on its way with on&off light drizzles&rains.

Crossed path with a cyclist couple from Alberta who are tenting some sections.

Nancy: PEI – Day 28/August 30 – Appx 12 km/7.6 miles. Rain, rain, go away! Today we had periods of no rain, light rain, and steady rain with wind blowing so that my umbrella could not give full protection. Didn’t see many mosquitoes, though. Trail was nice – few puddles, more grass, but wet grass makes for wet shoes. Stayed dry mostly(except my shoes)-even worked out a system to get my poncho over my backpack while hiking alone – it’s challenging when you have short arms. Passed 5 benches & 4 picnic tables (all wet) and 9 or more bikers passed me. Tomorrow promises better weather and we plan to complete our last 10-11 km of the Tip to Tip trail. No excursions planned for this evening but we do have tickets to two more plays before we leave the island.

Karen: Thu31Aug2023: Day28 on this last Aug2023day~12k/7m, 4hrs’BarryRd-Route307′ on ‘The ConfederationTrail’. Looks like autumn is on its way with on & off light drizzles & some changes in leaf 🍁 colors. A chill day while we are finishing up mileage on the top to tip hike.

Fri: Day29 TGIF on this 1stSep2023 and a Happy Labour-Day weekend. Completed our last mileage PEI-Tip-Tip-CT(~273k/170m) on The ConfederationTrail from Tignish-Elmira. Today’s hike, Rt307-305 ~8m/5m 3hrs was done in perfect weathers&conditions.
Appreciations&thanks to the good company&support of Nancy(driving&logistic),Karen, Glenda&Lori(the first 2weeks of the IslandWalk before changing of plans). Looking forward to 4more days to enjoy this lovely island before heading back to SIN via USA.

An evening in Charlottetown with an attempt to attend The Songs of Johnny&June@TheMack, but had to leave after 5mins, loud music in a packed full of ppl was just too overwhelming for both body&soul…

A walk about town with the outdoors street entertainment and snooze in the car while waiting for Karen&Nancy was more to my taste of a delightful evening.

Nancy: PEI – Day 29/ September 1 – Appx 9 km- 5.5 miles. Great weather and no mosquitoes for our last day on the Confederation trail. The short mileage gave us time to go to the end point, take pictures, and get our “Tip to Tip” certificate. We then visited a lighthouse,

revisited The Lobster Shack for lobster, clams, and mussels, and are headed out tonight for a show featuring the music of Johnny Cash and June Carter. Fun and more fun!

Karen: Fri1Sep2023: Day29 TGIF on this 1stSep2023 and a Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone. Pokey & Tiger Lil finished ’The Confederation Trail’ tip to tip but I am short 20+ miles due to earlier injuries however hiked close to 200 miles total. Feel very fortunate to have recovered from shin splints & be able to complete this adventure.

Sat: time to relax and move to new lodgings, but unable to get on to WiFi here@Forest&LakeCottages/MurrayHabour. Will have to edit&update.

Lovely beach/BothwellBeach&boardwalk/Souris walks. Was not quite prepared for this and did not have umbrella or sunscreen, thus slightly sunburnt on the face! It is not the time to stay indoors on the beautiful day like this…

Nancy: PEI- Day 30/September 2 – Just a fun day. 1 mile hiking on beautiful Bothwell Beach and one mile hiking on a boardwalk in Souris. We also visited Basin Head where the water is channeled to a lake(?). The lifeguard said the channel was built for boats but is no longer used. We enjoyed watching two young kids and their father jumping into the water in the channel where the sign said “dangerous” but the lifeguards did not protest. Water was very clear. The tide was coming in so the current seemed strong. We had lunch at Basin Head where I had another lobster roll and fries and my friends had a poke bowl with lobster. We are at a new accommodation that has a lake available to its guests so maybe we will take a boat out. All of our accommodations have been very different but very nice. Everything in our new kitchen is very small and the tv is on top of the refrigerator. Lol. (We actually haven’t watched any tv for the last month). I forgot to mention yesterday that we met some Island walkers while driving on the highway from the East Point. We stopped and talked for a short bit. They actually said they like the road walks. Oh my. They started last year but had to leave after day 20 (of 32) when Fiona hit. They are now finishing up. By the way, the Johnny Cash/June Carter performance was excellent. They told stories about how Johnny and June met and their rocky relationship but also how it persevered. Both had great voices but the lady playing June was so vibrant and really played the role of June well. Turns out the performers are a couple in real life so the love and caring they showed towards each other was especially realistic.

Karen: Yesterday was our first day off trail, we explored ‘Basin Head’ – home of the singing sands, Bothwell Beach (best kept secret) with nice beach walk & walked the boardwalk at Souris Bay before returning to the east part of the island/Queens County

Accommodations from 2-5Sep: Forest&LakeCottages /MurrayHabour

28 Aug 2023 – Days 21-25

Thu: Day21~12+k/7+m, 4+hrs Tracadie-York on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops and a nice long informative chat with 2bicyclist, Beth/Brackley and June/Charlottetown. Started with a cool morning when the mosquitos were in full force! after last night’s rains, but turned out to be a lovely day. Karen&Nancy went exploring in the afternoon while I stayed back to chill&relax…

Nancy: PEI- Day 21 – Aug 24 – York to Tracadie – 12k/7.8 miles. The day started great when Tiger Lil cooked us all bacon and we each cooked a fresh egg. Karen hiked alone today and dropped Tiger Lil and I off in Tracadie. Our start was miserable. It rained last night and we were literally swarmed by mosquitoes. The area was very swampy. We almost ran the first 3 km. or at least we made it in record time. After the sprint, we were lucky to find a composting toilet but couldn’t stay long as the mosquitoes were still chasing us. It wasn’t till we met Miss Wiggy at the halfway point that the sun had heated up enough to calm the pesky beasts and give us a moments rest. We met two very nice bikers in their 70s who stopped to ask us if we were doing the Island walk and had an interesting conversation with them. Because of our speedy walk from the mosquitoes and short mileage, we finished around 12:30 and got back to our cabin around 1:00 after stopping for ice cream. Tiger Lil spent the afternoon resting and Miss Wiggy and I drove through the nearby PEI National Park visiting the beaches, a lighthouse and a national historic site – Dalvay by the Sea.

Karen: Beautiful day once again on The Confederation Trail for 12k with intermittent mosquitoes & a trip to the PEI National Park including a National Historic Site.

Fri: Day22 TGIF and a good weekend to all. Day22~13+k/8+m, 4+hrs Route323/CherryHill-Tracadie(first picnic table seen that is elevated from the ground) on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops+

yummy coffee ice cream@MtStewart – like this stretch up to MtStewart. After that too much road-works and too near the highway!

Made time for a short visit to StPeter’sHabour and lighthouse

Glad to get into our accommodations@Siren’sBeachMotel/NorthLake before the sky opened up.

Nancy: PEI – Day 22- August 25-Tracadie to Mt Stewart to Rte 323. About 14 km or 8.5 miles. A little confusing because I take pics of the km markers but I missed 195. I started near 196 and ended just after 208. Oh well. Beautiful day – a few less mosquitoes but I wasn’t hopeful when I saw that most of the trail was next to a marsh. Tiger Lil and Miss Wiggy alerted me that there was an awesome bakery in Mt Stewart. Our day started with bacon prepared by Tiger Lil and an egg I scrambled just before we left our cabin this morning. At the bakery, they had ice cream but since the bakery didn’t have chocolate ice cream, I opted for a second one egg breakfast. Yummy. After we met up at the finish, we searched for a good ending on our next day. Then, we stopped st a visitor center and got directions to the lighthouse at St Peters Harbour. A beautiful setting and there happened to also be a pretty beach area with few occupants. Finally, we headed to our motel on the East end of PEI. What a difference. For miles/km, we saw no stores, gas stations, or any commercial establishments. Our new motel is located on a point and we were quickly told to go make a reservation for dinner next door as it’s the only place to eat within 20 miles (or did they say km?). I had salad and a baked potato but both Tiger Lil and Miss Wiggy had the Friday Fish Fry – haddock, mashed potatoes, veggies, biscuit and bread pudding for dessert. It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow so we are sleeping in and taking a rest day. Woohoo.

Sat: Day23~8+k/5+m, 2hrs Route302-Elmira on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops. Glad that we got this shorter mileage done today when the rains were still light – Fall might be soon in the air with beautiful yellow mushrooms. Elmira where there are definite signs that this was once a railway+railway station marks the ending of Tip-Tip-CT but the sections we are doing are not always going to be in order.

Nancy:PEI – Day 23 – August 26 – 8k/5 miles to Elmira. We slept in. I actually slept from 10 pm-9 am. I believe I had a large sleep debt, to put it mildly. We just made it to our 9:30 reservation for breakfast-fortunately, the restaurant is only a few steps away. We were shocked it wasn’t raining as predicted when we got up and then we discovered our motel does shuttles so we decided to get in 8 km. It started lightly raining when we left but we did our 8 km during off and on light rain and we’re happy to get ahead with our mileage. We drove through Souris to check it out but it was raining too hard to stop and enjoy. Back to the motel for laundry and a quick rest before dinner. Everyone at the restaurant is so nice and friendly- we enjoyed talking with our waitress and the owner. Karen purchased a beautiful carving of a whale on a wooden stand, carved from Hurricane Fiona downed trees. Awesome piece

Karen: Once again catching up on yesterday & today. Fri25Aug2023: TGIF and a good weekend to all. Day22~13+k/8+m, 4+hrs ‘Route323/CherryHill-Tracadie’ on the ‘ConfederationTrail’ including rest stops+yummy strawberry ice cream@’MtStewart’ & nice weather with our persistent mosquito nemesis. Glad to get into our accommodations@’Siren’sBeachMotel/NorthLake’ before the sky opened up…

Sat26Aug2023: intended to be a zero day but with heavy rains predicted in upcoming week we decided to hike a Nero day @ 8k in slight drizzle again before the skies opened up.

Sun: Day24 ~8k/4m, 2hrs Route302-305 on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops. Another shorter mileage day done today in misty weathers with froggy which did not turn into a prince despite being in King’sCounty!

A visit&climb up to the SourisLighthouse. https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=18696

Today’s yummy lunch@LobsterShack/Souris at low-tide, one of the best clams tasted.

An afternoon of gospel traditional Bluegrass&CelticMusic @KingsboroBaptistChurch/Souris by a talented group – Stiff family.

Nancy: PEI – Day 24/ August 27 – 8k/5 miles. Once again, we needed to move our accommodations. We left our motel and I had breakfast at the Boat House who gave us ice for our cooler. Dave from the motel shuttled us so we could all walk together. The rain stayed mostly away and the mosquitoes were out (no wind) but we stayed covered. We saw lots of storm damage from Fiona. Apparently, the East end of the island suffered most from last year’s hurricane. The big advantage to short mileage is free time to explore. We went to the Souris lighthouse, ate lobster at the Lobster Shack, and attended a bluegrass/ gospel performance at a local Baptist church. We then found our new accommodation for the next six nights- a delightful funky house.

Karen: Misty 8k hike today after a hard rain last night, outing to the Souris lighthouse, The Lobster Shack & local Bluegrass/Celtic music.

Mon: Day25~14k/9m, 5+hrs DingwellRd-BarryRd on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops and a long lunch break@StPeter’sLanding. Glorious blue-sky day by StPeter’sBay crossing paths with many cyclists…

Nancy: PEI – Day 25/August28 – appx 14 km/9.5 miles- a glorious day – sunny, wind, no mosquitoes, and walking alongside St Peters Bay. Boy were the bikers out- I was passed by over 80, but some likely passed me twice going in either direction. I met Tiger Lil and Miss Wiggy for lunch at the Black and White cafe – pricey but tasty. A biker from Colorado joined us. He had biked from Denver to Toronto and then flew to PEI. He’s been out over a month and still going. Quite the adventurer. The shoreline today was very scenic – clear water, ducks, and great views. We ate dinner at our lodging in a feeble attempt to reduce the food we’ve been transporting week to week. So nice to have a roomy, comfortable space with a well appointed kitchen and laundry facilities.

Karen: Another day in paradise…along the shore of St. Peter’s Bay a nice breeze by St. Peter’s Bay crossing paths with many cyclists & we met a guy (Dennis) from Denver, CO who joined us for lunch

Accommodations from 25-27Aug: Siren’sBeachMotel/NorthLake with BoatHouse, the only eatery within walking distance – ie next to it!

Accommodations from 27Aug-2Sep: Serendib/Southampton, best accommodation so far…

To be edited and updated when energy permits…

23 Aug 2023 – Days 16-20

Sat: Day16 zeroK/zeroM on the trail~2hrs driving from Gaudet’sByTheSea-Cavendish. Watched a brilliant performance – Gaslight@WatermarkTheatre/N.Rustico, charming&delightful place to visit. Delicious seafood dinner@OnTheDockEatery

Beautiful drive along the coast with miles&miles of ocean view which would have been part of the IslandWalk and probably the most scenic part of the IslandWalk despite the road-walk – fortunate to be able to drive this route with clear blue sky.

Nancy: PEI August 19 – We moved from Tignish on the North Cape to Cavendish in the central area – about a 2 hour drive. The car was almost as full as when we had 5! Cavendish is a shock – like a touristy beach town. So many people! Fun parks, water parks, many, many tourist traps. Thankfully, our motel is set back from the main road and very near a coastal national park. We had seen a flyer for the play “Gaslight” and purchased tickets to the Wstermark Theatre in North Rustico, a quaint town. We took a walk along the boardwalk then proceeded to the theatre. It was a great show! The term “gaslight” has been overused recently but the play that coined the term is quite dark and really explains the term. Only 4 actors but they did a wonderful job. It was a small, intimate setting. We were able to purchase alcoholic drinks and snacks. Dinner was on the pier and we again had great seafood selections. Lobster, oysters, fish tacos, and salmon for me. Afterwards, we drove along the shore which is actually part of the Island Walk (it would probably have been the best day of the Island Walk for about 6 miles). The lady who checked us in told us we should go to the fire pit and make new friends so that’s what I’m doing. Apparently, I missed the fox sighting. Beautiful weather today and we did get in a mile walk.

Karen:Traveled today from Gaudet to Cavendish/N Rustico so it was a fun zero day & back on the trail tomorrow

Sun: Day17~14+k/9m, ~5+hrs from Kensington-Emerald on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops&brunch. Finally got to see some old railway tracks@Kensington. Crossed paths with a fly-fisher who got himself a lovely rainbow trout on WilmotRiver and someone walking his 2dogs.

Karen&Nancy decided to go into the HauntedMansion while my preference was outside in the fresh air.

Nancy: PEI August 20- Kensington to Emerald Junction. What a beautiful day (although it did spit rain occasionally). The part of the Confederation Trail we completed today was in mostly wide open spaces, not a tree tunnel and the mosquitoes were not nearly as troublesome. I got to walk with short sleeves most of the day. Met a couple of talkative guys walking dogs and listened to the first few chapters of American Prometheus (about Oppenheimer). The book is very engaging. It’s interesting that he had such a liberal upbringing. He attended a high school that was very open minded and used the Socratic method to teach and discuss social issues such as race relations, social justice, environmental issues, etc. The book covers some mistreatment he received as a young boy at camp that I personally felt was intrusive into his life and could have been left out. He confided this event to a close friend who should have kept his secret. But otherwise, the book is quite good, although I’m totally lost when it starts discussing the quantum physics work he and others completed. After the hike, we ate at a pub in Kensington that is located in the old train station. Miss Wiggy and I then toured the Haunted Mansion. A huge, musty old house that had room after room of scary displays. We liked the kitchen best with the blood running faucet, bones and skeleton in the oven, baby in the pot on top of the stove, clanging pots and other staged items. Today, I got both a cool sunrise photo (half a rainbow) and a nice sunset picture.
I forgot potato facts yesterday..I have sort of mixed up my slides so I know some of the facts are repeated. Skip if you aren’t interested in potatoes. But PEI is all about potatoes!
Historians have established that the Spaniards were the first to bring the potato to Europe from Peru, in about 1550. The conquistadors discovered that potatoes were nutritious, heft well on long sea voyages, and were an effective measure against scurvy.
NEveRTHELEss, for hundreds of years,
it was believed that potatoes originated in Virginia and had been introduced into Europe by Sir Walter Raleigh, the Elizabethan courtier and adventurer. Raleigh was said to have brought the “Virginia potato”to England from the colony he sponsored on Roanoke Island.
-Virginia (now North Carolina) In fact, he never set foot in the colony which failed after ten months..
In an era when it was not unusual for at least half a ship’s crew to die from scurvy and malnutrition during extended sea voyages, the Spaniards discovered that the potato was the ideal shipboard food.
After observing how the native slaves in the silver mines were able to survive for long periods on a potato diet, the Spaniards were quick to realize the potato’s value.
BEING HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS and rich in vitamin C, two potatoes a day were enough to provide each sailor with his daily vitamin C requirement and so prevent scurvy. In addition, the tubers were easily stored and kept well in the cool, dark holds of the galleons.
ThE SPANIARDS in the colonies adopted the Inca name baba for the potato although this name was never adopted in Europe. The English word “potato” is derived from batata, the Caribbean Arawak Indian word for the sweet potato.
Though botanically unrelated, the sweet potato was confused with the potato by Europeans. The sweet potato was introduced into Europe more than 50 years before the potato, by Columbus after his famous voyage to the Caribbean in 1492

Mon: Day18~18k/11+m ~6hrs from Emerald-HunterRiver on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops&brunch on a drizzly hike crossing paths with trail-maintenance. Beautiful pastoral landscape and Beethoven6thSymphony on my mind.

GreenGablesHeritage – a 19th century farm and literary landmark in Cavendish and served as the setting for the Anne of GreenGables novels by LucyMaudMontgomery. https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11370

Good fresh mussel dinner@TheLostAnchor/Cavendish

Nancy:PEI-18 km/9.2 miles, Emerald Junction to Hunter River. It rained a lot today and I don’t have many pictures from the trail. We passed 6 picnic tables, 12 or 13 benches, 2 bridges, 7 lady walkers (in groups of 2 or 3), a few bikers, 2 on ATV (not allowed), several maintenance folk, a horse ring, and many cows and crops. Afterwards, we visited the Green Gables Heritage site and learned a wealth of information about Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables and many other books. She put PEI on the map as Anne of Green Gables is based on some of her experiences and her knowledge of the Island and is read worldwide. It has also been the subject of movies and tv shows, more recently a Netflix series called “Anne”. I loved these books and read them several times in my youth. Some of her quotes collected by the museum speak to her love of the outdoors and nature.
Montgomery found great comfort, peace, and inspiration in Prince Edward Island’s natural beauty. Her journals and novels are filled with detailed, loving descriptions of the Island’s forests and shores. When world events or personal challenges troubled her, a walk in the woods and fields around Cavendish restored her spirits. Montgomery’s sense of belonging to the land of her Island home endured after she moved to Ontario. She visited Prince Edward Island as often as she could, revelling in the Island’s uplifting beauty.
“This evening I went for a walk -all alone but not a lonely one. I am sometimes lonely in the house or when walking with uncongenial company but I have never known a moment’s loneliness in the woods and fields. I have rich, rare good company there”.

Karen: Catching up from the last 3 days with beautiful days on Sunday & today sandwiched with a rainy day on Monday.

Accommodations from 19-21Aug: ShiningWatersInglesideCottages/Cavendish

Tue: Day19~13+k/9+m 5hrs from HunterRiver-LoyalistRd on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops&brunch on beautiful warm day in perfect conditions. Crossed with more trail maintenance, a couple geocaching, literally a trail-angel and even a baby-snake!!

Learnt something new – Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a GlobalPositioningSystem/GPS receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, sounds fun, like treasure hunt.

Nancy:PEI- Day 19/August 22 – 9.3 miles according to my phone and watch. 12+km according to trail markers- does not compute. Oh well. Hunter River to Loyalist Rd. Great weather today and very few mosquitoes. At least 23 bikers passed me along the route but I know some of them were people who passed twice. Only 3 other walkers and they appeared to be a family walking a dog. A number of people were looking for geocaches. We are beginning to see a lot of trees down on the trail and especially near the cabin we are staying in – remnants of hurricane Fiona, I think. Our new cabin is rustic and comfortable and very near water.

Wed: Day20 ~14+k/9+m, 5+hrs LoyalistRd-York including rest stopss, long lunch and meeting with the same trail-maintenance person for 3consecutive days on the ConfederationTrail on another warm beautiful day.

a long yummy lunch stop@WinsloeFarmMarket

where all the produce there are from the own farm@NewGlasgow – their fresh CheeseBiscuits are to die for…

Nancy: PEI – Day 20/August23 – Loyalist Rd to York – 9.7 miles, appx 14 km. Good weather but very warm. Started at 57 degrees and ended at 70 degrees. Weather was similar to yesterday but today seemed much hotter. I think yesterday’s cumulus clouds provided more cover. We had wispy clouds today and this heated up the trail making our feet hot as well. Few mosquitos so that was a plus. The trail was busy – at least 23 bikers, 2 runners and 2 walkers passed. Lots of signs to read. The highlight was meeting Karen and Amy for lunch at a little shop that sold prepared meals and fresh cheddar biscuits. We split two chicken teriyaki with rice and 2 biscuits between us and went back after our hike to pick up dinner. A stop at the fresh veggie stand made our meal especially delicious.

Karen: Back on the confederation trail for 14k/8.7m and another stunningly beautiful day – really warmed up this afternoon but cool evenings & mornings.

Accommodations from 22-25Aug: TracadieCottagesQueensCounty/York

Day1-10 ~188k/116m+Day11-20 ~104k/65m=~292k/182m

To be edited and updated when energy permits…

18 Aug 2023 – Days 11-15

Mon: Day11 drove to Northcape with a lighthouse on this misty morning – https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=930

Interesting WindEnergyInterpretiveCentre,VisitorCentre&GiftShop

There is even a NorwayWindFarm, but did not go!

Low tide here is the longest natural rock reef in NAmerica where the seals were sunbathing today.

Pleasant ~3+k/1+m walk on the BlackMarshNatureTrail

Yummy seafood pasta lunch@FamilyTraditionRestaurant/Tignish

St.Simon&St.Jude RomanCatholicChurch(1860)-nice to be a tourist

https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1642

Nancy: PEI – Day 11 – August 14 – My first day off of hiking! We visited the North Cape where a wind research center is located, a lighthouse, and a beautiful short trail. This is the northernmost point and we were able to observe the sea rolling in from 2 different directions. I’m not sure you can see it in the video but I’ve attached it anyway. The museum offered much information on the island history, including native tribe, wind turbines, and the effects of global warming. Some of the earliest Irish settlers, pre-potato famine, included McGraths- my husband’s mother was a McGrath and her parents immigrated to Canada from Ireland but I’m not sure where. We also visited a beautiful Catholic Church with an Irish Celtic Cross on the lawn. We ate a delicious lunch at a local family restaurant and picked up veggies for dinner – again prepared by Lori and Glenda. Weather was cloudy but only a few raindrops throughout the day.

Karen: Fun day off the trail on the North Cape learning more about large wind turbines & Canadas environmentalism efforts, saw & heard seals from a distance, great lunch & visited a Celtic Catholic Church & gardens

Tue: Day12 ~13k/9m, 5+hrs walk from Alma-Tignish(CT). Pleasant walk passing a fir tree ready for Christmas! FluorescenceCaterpillar(first for me) and the site of 1932Train-wreck.

Excellent concert with amazing acoustic @St.Simon&St.Jude RomanCatholicChurch/Tignish by Soprano RobynPerry&Organist LeoMarchildon. https://www.pressreader.com/canada/journal-epioneer/20170722/281530816082753

Ending this wonderful day with one of the best soft-ice-cream tasted.

Nancy: PEI – Day 12 – August 15 – Back on the trail again, but this time not the island walk but the Confederation Trail instead. 9.3 miles, 8 picnic tables, 6 benches, at least 7 bikers, 3 walkers, and nice trail. A few too many mosquitoes but today we all brought headnets and it was cool enough that I could keep myself covered with long sleeves and long pants. In fact, nights are getting very cool. I had to ask my husband Joe to send me some warm clothes. (Bad planning on my part). We had a few interesting sights and listened to a lot of tunes while walking. We met one lady who had biked the tip to tip trail in 9 Saturdays with a group in 2002. After meeting up with our friends, we visited a grocery and another vegetable stand to pick up items for dinner in our cabin. Tonight’s menu included squash and onions, beets, hot dogs/sausages, tomatoes, cucumbers, and leftover carrots, succotash, potatoes, and olives. Plenty filling. We finished early enough today that we had energy to attend a concert at the church we visited yesterday. A very talented organist/composer and a local soprano, Robin Perry, who has won many awards, performed. They were both excellent and the acoustics in the church were amazing. The pipe organ emits beautiful notes. (I attached a couple of very short videos of the performers). Our last stop was for ice cream. We have arranged for a shuttle tomorrow so that we can all hike together. It will be our last day as a group as Glenda and Lori are returning home on Thursday. (Sad). Only three will remain to complete the tip to tip walk. The overwhelming mosquitoes have resulted in us canceling our plans to camp and we have booked a motel for 2 nights and a funky house for 6 nights in between our other accommodations.

Wed: Day13 ~17+k/11+m, ~6+hrs walk from Piusville-Alma on the ConfederationTrail including rest stops, lunch&rescue work!! Another beautiful day hike where we could all 5 hike together. Glenda&Lori will be flying back to the US tomorrow and they will be missed.

Another good dinner@NorthportPierRestaurant/Alberton.

Nancy: August 16 – 9.5 miles or 11 miles if you count detours. Nice weather day. Loving the Confederation Trail. Since it is a rail trail it goes into towns and we pass good eating spots. I had the best one egg breakfast with bacon and fresh baked and buttered bread. As Amy summarized-11 miles, 6 hours, rest stops, lunch breaks, 4 picnic tables and 10 benches, and rescue work – a great day! Lots of open views as well as canopied trail. We passed some huge agricultural operations. We arranged for a pricey shuttle today so that we could all hike together on our last day with the full group. That made the day especially fun. 

Karen: Today 17+k/11.3 miles & yesterday 13k/9 miles + with 2 beautiful days on The Confederate Trail. Another great veggie dinner followed by a soprano vocalist & organ performance last night. Assisted a woman from Nova Scotia on the trail today who suspected her boyfriend had a heat stroke while cycling. Gives me an opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of hydration when outdoors and/or exercising – please don’t take this lightly.

Thu: Day14 a misty day to start zeroK/zeroM on the trail, but ~2hrs driving Glenda&Lori@the airport. Turned out to be a beautiful&productive morning with errands&shopping in Charlottetown.

First time visiting an informative&interesting Canadian PotatoMuseum+AntiqueFarmMachineryMuseum/O’Leary. https://canadianpotatomuseum.com/