Monday, May 27, 2024 (Day 21)

 Antigonish, Nova Scotia / 7:22 a.m. / 7 degrees to Morell, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I) / 6:30 p.m. / 17 degrees for a total of 258.7 km for driving.

Today we will be leaving Antigonish and heading to Prince Edward Island (P.E.I) via ferry.  We will return to finish the areas in Nova Scotia we have not yet seen.

Prior to heading to Caribou, Nova Scotia to get our ferry we will drive the loop above Antigonish on highway 237 to Ballantyne's Cove and back down highway 245.  What a nice drive and some beautiful properties.  We enjoyed it.

The Northumberland ferry between Nova Scotia and P.E.I. runs 4 times per day.  8:30 a.m. / 11:45 a.m. / 16:30 p.m. / 19:30 p.m.  What is interesting about this ferry is that it is free, first come first serve basis.  Having said that, you can reserve a ticket if you want to ensure your spot.  For us the cost would have been $87.75 (round trip).  In summary, it is free to arrive in P.E.I.  It costs you to leave the island.  If you decide to take the ferry to P.E.I. from Nova Scotia and pay to reserve a spot, and you then decide to take the Confederation bridge to leave the island, you will also need to pay a separate cost to leave the island.  The ferry and bridge costs are not interlinked, they are each separate.  In summary as we are travelling during off peak periods we took the chance to arrive at the ferry and get in line.  Although you need to arrive 1 hour in advance, we arrived 2 hours ahead.  In addition, it was recommended we call the day before to find out how many free spots were not yet reserved for the day and desired time slot.  This allowed us to make an informed decision.  During peak season this approach may not work.  Note:  The duration of this ferry is 75 minutes.  We once again took our Bonine tablets for seasickness 1 hour prior to our departure.  Smooth sailing.  We packed sandwiches and snacks to eat on board although there was a cafeteria open.  The ride was smooth but prefer the other ferries we have been on thus far.

When boarding the Confederation Ottawa ferry, it was little different as we were being placed on the bottom level (all cars and pick-up trucks) with tractor trailers above us.  Not much wiggle room when boarding.  When there is no transports, this ferry can hold 200 cars.

Once we disembarked, the first thing we noticed was the red sand and the potato farms.  What a beautiful site.  We we were headed to the car dealership to get the oil changed on our vehicle in Charlottetown.  We had a scheduled appointment.  Then it was off to the airport to pick up a family member who will be joining us for a few days on our adventures.

It has been a productive day and a beautiful sunset.







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