Day 59 - Tuesday, July 29 - Prince Edward Distillery

Our journey started today with finding an easier route out of this area.  The road here is a scenic route and it seems all scenic routes in the Maritimes are very rough, full of patches and narrow with little or no shoulder.  So Dan found a better route to the main highway so to is not so rough for our Moho.  And the kicker is the road up to the camp site was rough and straight uphill, so our trip down will be very slow and precarious.  This picture does not quite show the steepness of the road, but trust me it is rough and steep!  Although I must say this is the only site where we have an internet signal without difficulty. The other camp site was in Nova Scotia on the Ceidihl Trail at Port Hood.  

This could be a very nice site - it has a wonderful view, but lots of bugs and the road could use some TLC.

Anyway on the way to the Points East Coastal Drive.  Funny thing about the weather here in the east - it is cloudy in the morning and as the day progresses it's gets really warm and sometimes very muggy.  So don't get fooled, pack on a day trip for all kinds of weather.   Our first stop is the Prince Edward Distillery.  Dan finds a comfy chair and wonders when I am bringing his refreshment to him!  Ha, ha, he only wishes.  

We decide to have a tour to find out all the ins and outs of the products they make.  The potato vodka starts with 5000 lbs of potatoes delivered, all washed and ready to go into the cooker.  Yes 5000 lbs of potatoes at a time.  Then the mash is transferred to the copper still - specially made for their operation.

The vodka is distilled  three times and then only the middle or heart of the vodka is bottled.  Then they make blueberry vodka with fresh island wild blueberries, same process.  They also make gin with juniper berries imported from BC.  Ha!  Those are all triple distilled.  Then they make a Whisky, a Canadian Rye and a Rum.  These use the same still but only are distilled once.  Each one is then put in barrels from Kentucky and left for three years before bottling.  Quite a process.  They are a small operation but are expanding,  their product is sold only on the Maritimes and in a few European Counties.  They are trying to get a Canadian market approval.  

Now you are probably wondering about the taste text!  Hmmm, well the potato vodka tasted very earthy - not our favorite.  The Wild Blueberry Vodka was very nice, smooth with a hint of blueberry taste.  The tour guide said that one of the local inns mixes it with lemonade and is a very popular drink.  We did not try the gin as we are not fans of gin.  We did try the Whisky and it was very light and smooth, a nice sipping after dinner drink.  The Canadian Rye was smooth and Dan liked it but I didn't.  Very interesting that we have a market on vodka in Canada made with PEI's number one crop. 

Now we are thinking after all that taste testing we should find a coffee shop and get something into our bellies!  So our next stop is East Point.  This is where three tidal waters meet and clash!  The Northumbetlad Strait, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean.  Unfortunately we were not able to see this phenomenon due to the high winds and the Atlantic Tide was overtaking the other two.  

We did get something to eat there - a bowl of seafood chowder and a cup of coffee.  The coffee was excellent.  

The original fog horns from the building in 1908.

Once our appetites were sated we decided to explore the lighthouse.  

So we paid our dues and climbed the stairs to see what the inside of a lighthouse is like.  The first floor was just a collection of tools and items used by the lighthouse keeper.  The second floor was where they lived complete with bed, stove and a few items needed for survival.

Now up to the third floor.  This is where the communication centre was.  There was a Marconi radio, similar to the one on the Titanic, that was used to call for help.  The East Point Lighthouse actually got a distress signal from the Titanic, but Bear River was the one that responded.  The next set of stairs took you up to the very bulb of the lighthouse.  The ladder was straight up and I decided that Dan should go up and take a few pictures for me while I waited on the third level for him.  Here is what he saw: 

As you can see the glass had dirt and bird poop on it - well who's gonna clean it? Hmmm.   What a job that would have been in all kinds of weather and very lonely as well.  Some of the lighthouse keepers were there for 28 to 33 years.  What a commitment that was!! 

Off to the Geo and down the road we go.  Which road do we take now?  Well I would like to go to Souris (Surrey), a seaport town.  

On the way we stop at the Basin Head Provincial Park where the "Singing Sands" are.  Well we drive into the parking lot and wow there must be no people or cars left in the rest of PEI because they are all here.  It turns out it is a public beach, with showers and everything and here we are with no bathing suits or place to park.  So we decide this is not for us today, probably no place left on the beach for us anyway.  

Down along the ocean we come upon Souris, a cute seaport town.  We stop at the info centre and grab a coffee at the little place there.  

Fragrant gardens surround the benches on the patio and we sat there taking in all the sights and sounds of the area. 

As we drive along the side roads we notice that instead of removing trees that are hindering the power lines they have chopped them off and left them underneath the lines.  Not sure why that is, seems a bit strange, but there must be a reason.  

Time to head back to camp.  The wind has been blowing very hard and it is hard driving.  So now it's almost 5 pm and time to call it a day!