Today started with downpour, so much so that it delayed the annual July 1 celebration of Canada Day, which commemorates the creation of the Canadian Confederation, an early version of a united Canada. As a result, we got a late start and did not leave the hotel until shortly before lunch. Our plan was to grab some food and spend the day hunting for picturesque lighthouses. It’s kind of a thing to do on PEI, as there are lots of beautiful lighthouses.

Lunch was unfortunately forgettable — burgers and fries from Boomburger. We discovered that Canadian fast food isn’t any better than US fast food. Really, our lunch choice was incidental to a more important plan of getting ice cream. The edge of PEI maybe known for its lighthouses, but the interior has lots of pastures, many of which have milk cows, leading to some great creameries. We had heard good things about the Cows Creamery, and Boombuger was right next door. We figured we could do cow for lunch and cow for dessert. Fortunately, while Boomburger might have been a little disappointing, the creamery was outstanding.

Fully sugared we set off in pursuit of our first quarry: the St. Peter’s Harbour Lighthouse. We followed the highway to a sandy road headed towards the coast. Dodging puddles, we drove to the end of the road and parked the cars. Along the way, we had spotted the lighthouse nestled in amongst the brush. The kids found the path and took off to investigate.

Now, we had encountered nothing but kindness from the people of Canada (my people since I’m a quarter canuck), so I don’t want to judge. But *come on*. Shouldn’t a lighthouse be a little closer to the ocean? Maybe a little taller? This lighthouse was practically hiding from the ocean in a sandy valley behind the dunes.

And what’s with the door to the lighthouse? Watch that first step. This lighthouse seemed to be full of mysteries, if not downright mistakes. But there had to be a good explanation. PEI may be comfortable in the summer, but the winters are harsh. And I hear that the sea is a cruel mistress. This was not the type of place where people mess up the construction of lighthouse.

It turns out that the lighthouse was built in 1878 right on the edge of the shore, and through a process of erosion and accretion the beach moved. I found a photo online that shows the change in the beach over time.

Here’s a better picture of the lighthouse circa 1917 that I found online, clearly showing it close to the water.

Also, notice that the door is only a few feet off the ground in the old photo. The reason that the door is so far off the ground today is that the lighthouse was raised some years ago when the sands were threatening to overwhelm it. Notice also that there is a building to right and closer inland than the lighthouse. That will come up shortly. We didn’t appreciate it at the time, but it turns out this weird little lighthouse showed us from our first introduction how much the sands around PEI can shift, which of course was part of the reason sailors needed lighthouses.

From the lighthouse, we set off for the beach. After the morning’s rainstorm, the surf was raging, and the wind was blowing stiffly. This was *not* swimming weather. As we continued to walk down the beach, another mystery arose. Even if St. Peter’s Harbour Lighthouse used to be on the beach, where was the harbor? We continued down the expansive beach to see what else we could find.

Along the way we noticed holes in the dunes. These were nests made by tiny bank swallows. We stayed well away from the dunes to avoid damaging any of their nests.

Soon, another mystery arose. In the distance we could see some sort of structure jutting up from the surf.

It looked a little like a dock, but it was too far from the shore. It could be the remnants of a building, but there were no other structures nearby. Walking up, we wondered whether it could be a shipwreck.

Upon closer inspection, it definitely couldn’t be a ship. There were wooden pylons driven into the sand and stones mixed in with the wood. It turns out that we had found the remains of a wharf. And behind the wharf was the inlet to St. Peter’s Harbour. Clearly, many years ago, this place looked much different. I found another old picture that shows part of the wharf. You can just make out the lighthouse at the far end of the wharf.

Remember that building near the lighthouse in the old picture earlier? I think it may be the last roof visible at the end of the row of buildings on the left above. Seeing how much this place has changed, I am impressed that the footings of the wharf remained at all. I’m also a little impressed by the swallows. Their housing strategy seems to have outlasted that of some rugged northmen.

For better or worse, we didn’t know any of this at the time. Instead, we enjoyed the mystery while the kids simply enjoyed climbing on the battered structure that remained.

Soon, we started walking back toward the cars so that we could continue our hunt for more lighthouses. Along the way, Lydie stopped to jump off a pair of washed-up stumps we had passed earlier.

Back in the cars we headed east. Our next lighthouse, the Shipwreck Lighthouse, would be a simpler stop. This concrete structure was not nearly as charming or mysterious.

Standing at 44 feet, the Shipwreck Lighthouse was built in the 1960s to replace an older structure. The lighthouse is on the edge of a cliff, which probably looks magnificent from the sea. However, from this side, that meant that we couldn’t explore much. Another lighthouse bagged, we continued our journey.

The next stop was the East Point Lighthouse, which is one of the most famous lighthouses in PEI. Built on the easternmost tip of PEI in 1867, the wooden lighthouse is 67 feet tall.

Even better, you can go inside of this five-story lighthouse. We paid the entrance fee, and the kids were off.

The tower is a hexagonal cone with five floors. This architecture made for some interesting details, like slanted doors.

After a few twists, we reached the lantern room on the fifth floor. The views of the sea were magnificent. The water looked rough. It did not make me want to be a sailor. Hard pass.

The lantern is a modern electric light because this lighthouse, which is more than 150 years old, is still in operation. That’s some impressive longevity. Clearly, this place has fared better than the poor little guy near St. Peter’s Harbour.

Three lighthouses down, we still had one to go. From our vantage point in the East Point Lighthouse we’d verified that we couldn’t go any further east. Instead, we headed south along the coast to the Souris Lighthouse.

Built in 1880, this three-story lighthouse is about 45 feet tall. It is still in operation, though it now has an automatic electric light. Like it’s neighbor to the north, visitors can climb this one. Lydie, Cassie, and Julie are just visible at the top in the picture above.

Once again, we enjoyed the views. But the troops were getting hungry. The ice cream had become a distant memory. It was time to stop hunting for lighthouses and start hunting for dinner. Our guidebook recommended a restaurant in Georgetown, which was about thirty minutes away.

Soon, we were seated at the Wheelhouse, a charming restaurant that overlooked the Georgetown Harbour. The kids staved off their hunger by playing cards yet again, using the same cards that we picked up at a ranger station in Cape Breton.

The adult table enjoyed wine, beer, and oysters. When we ordered the oysters, we asked the server where they were from. They came from a few places around the island, but some of them came from the Georgetown Harbour, just feet from where we were sitting. All of them were delicious.

The food in PEI continued to impress. We returned home in the dark, tired but thoroughly pleased with our day.

-Will