Chris and I got an early start to our day, enjoying the massive selection of complimentary breakfast our hotel had to offer. We were well-fed and ready to roll out at 9:00 sharp.
Our day started with some bike troubles and we both needed some adjustments after our hasty bike construction at the airport. We pulled into a gas station on the edge of town to get some air, only to find that the gas station pump didn’t work with our Presta-valved bike tires!
Resorting to the pump we packed for roadside repairs, we pumped and pumped and pumped, and while doing so, a local approached asking about our tour plans. We mentioned we were off to Summerside, and planned to take a route along the southern shore to get nice, coastal views. “Windy that way”, he said.
“We’ll turn inland to the trail if it gets too bad.” I replied.
Time for another PEI history lesson: PEI once had a railway that ran the length of the island and to most of the major towns in between. In fact, it played a major role in World War II, to ferry trainees of the British Commonwealth Air Training Program to the many training airfields that were built across the island. However, never being connected to the mainland, the railroad was not cost-effective and was shut down in 1989 and Islanders converted the whole length of the railway into a recreational pathway now called called the Confederation Trail.
Ignoring the local’s advice, we set off to the coast, and we’re soon coming across river estuaries rimmed with PEI’s famous red dirt.
We were mostly struggling with the weight of all our camping gear and other luggage on our bikes.
Eventually, we started getting hungry for lunch, and found ourselves at a Provincial Park, with a great beach side picnic area.
As we continued our journey, we started adjusting to the weight of our bikes, but just as we were earned, the wind continued to pick up, and soon, we were riding into a 40+ km/h (25 mph) relentless headwind.
It was all we could do, pedaling as hard as we could to keep up 10 km/h (6 mph). It was an utter slog, and before too long, Chris and I were swearing at the wind like it was our worst enemy!
All-in-all, it was nearly 8 hours on the road to make the 85km (50mi) to Summerside, and on arriving we immediately sought refreshments before heading out to the nearby Linkletter Provincial Park.
This was also the first time touring using Komoot for planning and tracking my tour. Have a look at the tour map and stats
Charlottetown to Linkletter Provincial Park
Eventually, we moved on to the campground, and arrived by 8:30 to setup camp and catch some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow we plan a rest day to recuperate and gather supplies, before heading off to our first of PEI’s extremities, West Point!