Travelogue: Day 7

Today was the first of two huge days of driving: more than 1400km over 48 hours. But before heading back west, we had two important stops to make.

The first was at Charlottetown's Jumpstart Playground.

This was our fourth Jumpstart of our trip, and definitely the most beautiful setting. Right on the edge of the water, with a lighthouse in one direction and the sprawling Victoria Park in the other.

Unlike some Jumpstart Playgrounds, this one didn't seem to have replaced a previous playground, but added to it instead. Two other distinct play areas exist in the park, along with a skate park, baseball diamonds, and an extensive green space. The playground does need a bit of TLC - some sunshades were missing, and the rubber surfacing is starting to look rough - but it was still a fun place to play.

Leaving Charlottetown we made our way to a significant cultural spot: the Skmaqn National Historic site.

This site represents an overlapping of several cultures: Mi'kmaq, French, British, and Acadian. It features the remains of a French fort, and a small interpretive centre giving information about the expulsion of the Acadians.

From there we drove back over the Confederation Bridge (interesting to me that the toll in only charged on the way off the island...as if they're trying to trick you into staying) and up the east coast of New Brunswick.

We took a break at Baubassin East, where the spectacular Rémi Cormier playground sits. Enormous climbers, two ziplines, and piles of other equipment kept us happy for a long while, and I bet that kids from all over the coast of New Brunswick make play pilgrimages there on a regular basis.

Next was a long drive across the interior of the province: more than 200km of absolute isolation from Miramichi to Grand Falls. Most of the stretch is a protected natural area, so human presence is virtually zero. We went a solid 45 minutes without seeing any other traffic in either direction.

We finally emerged from the wilderness, but couldn't stop to pat ourselves on the back, because we had to keep pushing to get to our hotel in Rivière-du-Loup. Thankfully, the clock worked in our favour: we gained an hour when crossing into Quebec and back into the Eastern Time Zone from the Atlantic. It was like the wonderful feeling of gaining time when the clocks change in the fall.

A quick swim in the hotel pool and we collapsed into bed, ready for another (and our last) day on the road tomorrow.

Before you go...if you believe in the power of play (and if you're here you probably do) please consider donating to our cross-Canada road trip by clicking here. It would mean a lot!