Merry Christmas

 

And a Happy New Year!

Fall at Scout Island

 

Been going for some low key walks on Scout Island as Leo recuperates from his recent pacemaker replacement.

Bird of the day is the great egret that's been hanging around for a few weeks now.  It's a long way from home so who knows if it knows how to head south.

Spot the egret! Extra points for the great blue heron it's been hanging around with.

Not a ripple in the water today.

Another day, another view:

One Last Camping Trip

In early October Leo had a doctor's appointment in Kamloops so we thought we'd combine it with one last camping trip before we put the trailer to bed for the winter.

We stayed at one of our favorite campsites, Steelhead Provincial Park, in Savona, about half an hour out of Kamloops at the outlet of Kamloops Lake.  The weather was cloudy and very blustery, definitely not sitting outside weather.

In the evening we crossed the highway and followed a trail to the railway tracks. We got back to the campsite just before darkness fell.

Rock outcrop on the left is where we hiked to on another day

The next morning before Leo's appointment, we drove towards Kamloops and hiked in Kenna Cartwright Park but we took a wrong turn and headed down to the bottom of the hill before realizing we had to climb back up again to get back to our truck.  

Sunny day in Kenna Cartwright Park

Turned out to be a much longer hike than we'd planned.

We'd planned to head to Merritt the next day and camp at Monck Provincial Park on Nicola Lake.  However, the engine warning light came on in the truck and we decided it was best to travel no further from home.  So we stayed in Savona an extra day.

We hiked back to the railway tracks again, crossed them and climbed up the hill that looks over Kamloops Lake.

 

We ran across a herd of Bighorn sheep:

Cellphone closeup:

Eventually we reached a rock outcrop with a great view of the lake

And the town of Savona below.

Campground is the small patch of trees at the outlet of the lake.

The next morning we headed back to Williams Lake.  We made it home with no car trouble.

Panoramic view

 

Charlottetown

 

We spent our last 2 days in Charlottetown. Our accommodation, the Harbour House, was located in a heritage neighborhood, just a block from the sea. It was a lovely old house but I never took a picture of it.

 

Just a block away was Beaconsfield House museum.  We didn't go in but Patti was able to partake in one of her favourite activities.

Sitting on the porch!

We were told to visit All Souls Chapel, a national historic site, built in 1888. It's very ornate.

There was a cruise ship docked so the church zone was packed with tour groups.

There's a boardwalk that follows the waterfront along Victoria Park.

past the Lieutenant Governor's house

And eventually to the Brighton Beach lighthouse.

Lighthouse in the distance

This is Province House, famously where the Father's of Confederation met to form Canada as a country.  Infamously, it's been under reconstruction for 11 long years, a fact much bemoaned by taxi drivers and other locals as the street has also been blocked for as many years.

Province House, a familiar sight for anyone old enough to have experienced the 1967 Centennial celebrations.

I found the Confederation Trail and followed it to the farmer's market for some lunch.

Goldenrod brightening up the trail

And then back to the waterfront where it terminates at Joe Ghiz Park, also the start of the Island Trail.

The next morning as we were packing our bags I had another nosebleed so this is where I spent my Sunday morning.

Of course my nose stopped bleeding before I got to see a doctor but I waited because I was concerned if my nose bleed started up again on our flight home.

When I finally saw the doctor he told me there wasn't much he could do to prevent another bleed so I was sent home.

Patti and I went for lunch at the Charlottetown Yacht Club and got to watch the end of a regatta as the boats sailed back to the marina.

As we walked back to our hotel we were passed by this firetruck.

And passed through a park full of scarecrows.

We had to vacate our hotel room so spent the afternoon in the inn's lovely sun room.

Our flight left Charlottetown at 6:30 pm and we arrived in Kamloops at midnight. (I did not get a nosebleed).

First Snow This Year

Oct 28, 2025

 

Montague - 13 km

It was our last scheduled day of walking and we actually walked it, all 13 km to Montague along the Confederation Trail from the old Cardigan Train Station, now an art gallery/restaurant (closed for the season), right to the stairway that lead to our hotel.

Lane's Riverhouse Inn

We had the balcony on the second floor that looked out on the water.

And looked out over the marina in the other direction.

That little gazebo is an ice cream shop, closed for the season, of course.

There was a high quality craft shop at the arena where Patti bought a small hooked rug.

Hard to see in the photo but there are 3 large sculptures of cormorants on the top of those poles.

We had supper at the Bogside brewery where we were told there was music every evening (closed for the season).

Cardigan

 

Our driver picked us up in Souris in the morning and drove us to our next stop in Cardigan.  Cardigan is a cute little town on the Cardigan River (actually an inlet).  They've prettied it up with flower boxes on the bridge.

Cardigan House

We stayed at Cardigan House which is really just Ellen White's house.  She got into the B&B business when she met Bill Kendrick, who organized our trip, in Madiera, Portugal. He mentioned there was no accommodation in Cardigan so she took it on.  She really only serves Bill's clients and referrals from other B&Bs who are full for the night.

The accommodation is right in her home, which I found a little awkward, but Ellen was a very welcoming host.  She slept in her "bunky" which you can see to the right of her house above, while we were in her bedrooms.  She's planning to build a dome or a yurt so guests can have more independent accommodation.

Ellen recommended the Cardigan River Trails so I set off for a walk.  

It's a labyrinthine system of interloking trails with viewpoints out to the Cardigan River.

I spent several hours getting lost 

And admiring the fall colors coming in.

There were some impressive Eastern white pine along the trail.

On my way back I passed by this bit of folk art.

For lunch I stopped at Clamdiggers and had my favourite seafood, deep fried fresh clams, on their patio.

In the evening Ellen drove us back to the Clamdiggers for supper.

I had an excellent seafood chowder and a gigantic bread pudding for dessert.

Stuffed!

Souris

We were sorry to say goodbye to North Lake but the next morning we were shuttled to Souris.

Souris' downtown was all decorated for fall with colorful gourds piled up all over the place.

Souris has an old fashioned Main Street with a classic City Hall made of PEI sandstone (originally the post office)

And an old fashioned gazebo (band stand?).

The Souris Show Hall (performance space) is the building to the right of Patti:

Also on Main Street is my favourite house in Souris. You can't tell by this photo but is shaped like a wedge.

This is the tiny Anglican church and its cemetery, overlooking the ocean.

We stayed at Chapel Suites, 

In a self-contained apartment 

With a view of the ocean but mainly of the Petrocan/Tim Hortons across the street.

Can you spot the ocean view?

The suite was very new and spotless but was located at the intersection of 2 busy roads.

I walked to the Souris lighthouse.  They let you go out on the balcony for a 360 view of the surroundings, including a view of the terminal of the ferry to the Magdalene Islands.

I happened on the Confederation Trail and walked a portion of it.

Later Patti and I walked up to St. Mary's Catholic Church, an imposing sandstone structure.

Compare the size with the Anglican Church above.

The next day Patti and I walked to the Messy Crow, a studio and gallery specializing in textile work.

 

There was workshop in progresss; the participants were felting pumpkins.

We also walked along the Souris boardwalk which follows the beach south of town.

There are craft stores and takeout restaurants along the boardwalk but they were all closed up for the season.

I walked the beach the next morning and got a quick glimpse of a fox before it disappeared in the eelgrass.

And I found this snail shell, easily the biggest shell I'd seen in the whole trip.