When Prince Edward Island joined the Dominion of Canada in 1873, they secured promises in that agreement which required the Canadian government to provide passenger service between the island and New Brunswick year-round. At first, they used a steamship that was unable to break the winter the ice. That did not really comply with the contract Canada had signed with the new province.

During much of the 19^th century winter crossings were made by ice boats. These are boats that look like dorys but have runners on the bottom.  The boats carried from 6-10 people but often the ice was too thick and the men passengers had to get out of the boat to tow the boat across the ice with straps. Can you imagine this?

On the other hand, in some places the ice was not thick enough to hold up the boat and the people, and then one of the men had to walk in front of the boat and grab hold of the bow just in case the ice broke through and he fell into the icy waters.

Some men would stay in the boat and use grappling hooks to pull the boat. Meanwhile, the other men would remain in the boat and use grappling hooks to pull the boat along. This process could take about 4 hours in the chilly winter. They even used hot bricks to keep the passengers warm for the 4 hours it might take.

These ice boats were used until 1915 when they started using ferries that could break the ice. Over the years the federal government had to pay a lot of money to subsidize the ferries, paying as much as $44 million in the 1990s. More and more it seemed to the federal government that they would be better off helping to finance a bridge. And that is what they did.

The Confederation Bridge carries the Trans-Canada Highway across the Northumberland Strait connecting Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. It is 12.9 km (8 miles) long the longest bridge in Canada and the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered water.  It took nearly 4 years to construct. The bridge is curved and most of it is 40 metres (131 ft.) above the water. The highway is 2 lanes.

The engineering of the Confederation Bridge was complicated by the fact that the water there freezes in winter.  As well, in summer ice bergs could ram into the bridge at up to 4 knots causing severe damage. The ice bergs could come from either direction Therefore, measures had to be taken to protect the piers that held up the bridge.

Each component of the bridge was constructed in a specially designed fabrication facility. Once the component was built, a specialized trawler had to be used to move it from that facility to a pier.  Then once it was placed on the pier the section was lifted and placed in position by a Dutch-built heavy lift catamaran. This vessel was huge. In fact, at the time it was probably the highest human made structure on P.E.I. at 100 m. (328 ft.). It could lift 3,000 tons.

To deflect icebergs from the bridge, steel-reinforced concrete deflection “cones” were built and strategically placed around each of the supports. Of course, they had to consider that most an ice berg was below the water surface.

The bridge was paid for by private developers and cost about $1.3 billion and the Canadian government agreed to pay them $44 million per year for 33 years, which was the same amount they had been paying to subsidize the ferries.  That seems like a pretty good deal for Canada, but no one knows how much profit the developers made.  They were private companies and did not have to tell. The developers collect the tolls until the contract expires, but have had large maintenance expenses. I remember that when we first crossed the bridge many years ago, not long after the bridge had been built, we noticed that it was already necessary to reapply asphalt which had difficulty sticking to the bridge on account of all of the salt water and ice on the bridge.

To me the most important part was the beauty of the bridge. Almost as beautiful as lighthouses!

For lunch we dined at the Starlite Diner in Summerside P.E.I.  This is an old-fashioned traditional diner. A classic diner in other words. The table tops were red and white. There was a juke box. That excited me a lot, until I realized it was for display only. Fake in other words. The songs we heard in the diner were classics but they did not come from the juke box. We did not choose them. An algorithm chose them. Yet it was pleasant to listen to the Beachboys. The music was adequate compensation for the loss of authenticity.

The glasses for water or pop were large and RED!  There was a Texaco Fire Chief sign. Americana paraphernalia. Various coke paraphernalia.  Milk shakes were delicious in metal containers. I enjoyed Chilli and a vanilla shake. Chris had a jumbo hot dog and fries. This was diner food. The best food. Well maybe not the best, but pretty darn good.

The glasses for water or pop were large and RED!  There was a Texaco Fire Chief sign. Americana paraphernalia. Various coke paraphernalia.  Milk shakes were delicious in metal containers. I enjoyed Chilli and a vanilla shake. Chris had a jumbo hot dog and fries. This was diner food. The best food. Well maybe not the best, but pretty darn good.

I “borrowed” these photos from their website, thinking they would not mind since I was being highly complementary.

We experienced a very exciting moment near the city of Summerside P.E.I. where were staying.  This was when I sailed through a radar notice of my driving. I got an electronic clapping giving thanks for my driving under the 50 km. speed limit. I done good!

This wonderful incident occurred  near a town called “Just Another Farm.” Spoken like a typical modest Canadian! It consisted of 5 farm houses and no businesses. In Canada that warrants being called a town!

Sometimes there are glorious things to see in Canada that you just don’t expect to see. They come as a very pleasant surprise. On the way back to Summerside, P.E.I. after circling the island for lighthouses,  we saw a very impressive sight of a true Canadian icon:  A McCallum Septic Service truck with a sign that read: A Royal Flush is Better than a Full House.

In all my the years of my misspent youth, I never got a royal flush.  Until this day.

East Point Lighthouse in P.E.I., which was built in 1867, is known as Canada’s Confederation Lighthouse and is located at the most eastern tip of PEI and stands an impressive 64′ high with five flights (67 steps) of winding stairs.

From here you can see what are called “colliding tides” – The Atlantic Ocean, Northumberland Strait, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Very impressive.

The Souris East Lighthouse at Knight Point P.E.I. overlooks the town of Souris Visitors are allowed to climb to the lantern room, walk out to the balcony, and discover the panoramic seascape views of the harbour and town of Souris.  With hindsight I recall we did none of that.  Why were we so negligent?  Perhaps I was beginning to worry we might not get home before dark. That is my excuse and no one will take it away from me.

Mi’kmaq first settled the area around the river followed by French Acadians, who were expelled by the British in 1758. While the Acadians were living along the river in 1724, they were inflicted by a plague of mice, or souris in French, and this incident led to the naming of the settlements on the flanks of the river Souris East and Souris West.

We also saw a cormorant swimming in the small cove near the dock where we photographed the lighthouse. I could not resist photographing it.

I liked the name of one of the boats we saw in harbour: “Crabbin Fever.” I am also a sucker for harbours. Never met a harbour I didn’t like.