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Caching on PEI


Ma & Pa

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Cachers from across Canada come to PEI for their summer vacations. We live an hour from the Island so we usually go over a few times per year. We have more than 4200 finds on PEI. A look at a geocaching map will show the many caching series including the more than 1500 caches on the Confederation Trail (CT). PEI is definitely a caching paradise.

 

We just got back from an 8 day PEI caching trip. This time we have done some long hikes and bike rides on trails, including the CT and CTU. We got immersed in nature as we explored woodlots on foot. We traveled many dirt roads, and heritage roads and logging roads, picking up hundreds of caches. We were brought to incredible secluded beaches known only to the locals. Rather than go into details of our trip, I thought it would be easier to just paste the basic logs that we wrote for each day. Here are edited versions of our logs.

 

Day 1 of our latest geocaching trip to PEI. We hope to be here about a week This time we are over with MaitreJack from Rimouski who has never visited PEI. Today we cached from Borden to Cornwall. We did some P&G’s, and Peters rd, and two long hikes. This included some major bushwacking and some ditch hopping. We had a great day with nearly 70 finds

 

Day 2 Today is a first for us, Finding over 100 caches on PEI without using a bicycle. Was a tiring but satisfying day. Total for the day was 112. About 90 of them were found on foot on the Augustus CTU, the Pigot trail in Mount Stewart and in the Auburn woodlot. The rest were combination driving and walking. We replaced or added logs where needed but we didnt keep track of all the times that we did that.

 

Day 3 Today we decided to do a little biking so we headed to the Woods Island Spur of the CT. The CT caches were all double containers and close to the trail so we did not have much problems. The non CT caches on this trail were a lot more difficult so we had to look a long time and had a few DNF’s. But all in all, it was a good bike ride. We started the day with park and grabs, mostly near route 22 and finished with park and grabs above Mount Stewart.

 

Day 4 We decided to start with some biking in the area of the Klondike spur of the CT. We wanted to include the C.T.U Lake Verde-Klondike Spur but were unsure of the conditions. We were pleasantly surprised with the CTU; a bulldozer has been through here levelling the trail making it passable by bike. A brushcutter has also been in this section which unfortunately has caused problems with some of the caches, although we were able to find most of those on the ground. We finished the day with some dirt road caching and a bit more biking. Total for the day is 101 caches and total for the 4 days is 369.

 

Day 5 We started the day with the C.T.U. from #002 near Iona Road (route 206) to #035 on Route 24. This entire section is under construction and will be great when finished; however at this time there are many missing caches because of the trail widening with a bulldozer and because of the brush cutting and tree cutting which got a lot of the caches close to the trail. We managed to find a number of caches on the ground and did other maintenance where possible, but we had limited supplies with us. It was a tough ride with the remnants of the brushcutter and tree cutters work on the trail in spots and with some other rough spots. We worked hard at the cache locations going up and down the steep slopes trying to find fallen caches amongst the pieces of wood remaining. It is clear that much of the cut wood was removed and the caches with them. Was a tough 2.5 hours. We then did a lot of caching on dirt roads in the area.

 

Day 6 Total find count so far is 562 caches.Today we decided to do some of the many series on dirt roads and in woodlots off Highway 16 far east of Saint Peters. But on the way we decided to grab some of the series that lead down to the coast. What a lucky decision that was. These series brought us to beautful secluded beaches and ocean overlooks. Only locals and geocachers would get to see those places and sit and have lunch on a grassy cliff overlooking the water. Incredible experience. We then hit the dirt roads to grab the many series but we had an urge to get everything which meant a lot of hiking to caches on side trails. All in all it was a great way to spend a sunny Sunday.

 

Day 7 Today was a different kind of day for us as we usually like a bit of hiking to caches. But today we did a few short hikes but concentrated mostly on P&G caches. We decided to do some of the many series on dirt roads and to stay off woodlot roads that Maitre Jack likes to attack with his Rogue.

 

Day 8 We are heading home tired but happy. We wanted to find a few more caches on the island on our way home. But we had found 675 caches so far this trip so we made an effort to pick up 25 more caches before getting on the bridge. Caches were mostly P&G but we also took a couple of long walks including walks to pick up 3 of the CT caches we had missed on previous trips.

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Cachers from across Canada come to PEI for their summer vacations. We live an hour from the Island so we usually go over a few times per year. We have more than 4200 finds on PEI. A look at a geocaching map will show the many caching series including the more than 1500 caches on the Confederation Trail (CT). PEI is definitely a caching paradise.

 

We just got back from an 8 day PEI caching trip. This time we have done some long hikes and bike rides on trails, including the CT and CTU. We got immersed in nature as we explored woodlots on foot. We traveled many dirt roads, and heritage roads and logging roads, picking up hundreds of caches. We were brought to incredible secluded beaches known only to the locals. Rather than go into details of our trip, I thought it would be easier to just paste the basic logs that we wrote for each day. Here are edited versions of our logs... <snip>

Hi.

 

I'm going to be in PEI for three days in August. Any chance you could give me an idea of the beaches you're talking about up there ^ :-)

 

I did see a lot of caches. To be honest I'm not necessarily that bothered about numbers, but I'd be *really* interested to know of any caches that are out of the ordinary that you could recommend - particularly bigger ones.

 

Do you happen to know, btw, if the First Post virtual in Charlottetown is now accessible or not?

 

Thanks - we'll be in NS for most of the time we're there, so if there's anything must do there... :-)

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http://coord.info/GCWMQZ

 

To get to this cache you must drive down a narrow dirt road leading to a light house at the shore. It is an incredible place with a beautiful secluded beach on the other side of a high sand dune. Check out the photo gallery on the cache page. That is only part of the reason that this was the highlight of our day. The cache is a really great original hide and we are not surprised because it was created by the great Mingan Patch. We first discovered and fell in love with his caches on visits to PEi around 2006. The caches were interesting, the hides were original, the containers were often hand made, the locations were great and it was always a great experience. Checking his profile will not show all his caches since many of his caches, like this one, are still active and were adopted out when Mingan Patch left PEI about 5 years ago.

 

******************************************

http://coord.info/GC1EH5P

 

It is tough to walk the short distance to this cache because of the thorny bushes but the nearby beach is great.

 

The cache page says: Blooming Point beach is a wonderful 3 - 4 mile stretch of beautiful sand beach. It is unsupervised, and may be dangerous if there is much surf running. Parking is first-come-first-gets the best spot. There are a couple of obvious paths over the dunes to the beach. Please use them and keep off the environmentally sensitive Marram Grass.

 

*************************************************

 

http://coord.info/GC2V4V0

 

This where we had lunch overlooking the water. There is no real beach here.

Edited by Ma & Pa
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Thanks - just what I needed: a nice targeted list.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Now, all I need is for someone to tell me whether I should really be worried about bears and all the other killer things you have (not to mention the bugs) and I'll be set to go... :-)

 

Actually I live in New Brunswick cause it is a lot safer.

 

Oh and here is a cache at our place which is on the way to PEI if you are driving.

 

http://coord.info/GC1N26E

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Thanks - just what I needed: a nice targeted list.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Now, all I need is for someone to tell me whether I should really be worried about bears and all the other killer things you have (not to mention the bugs) and I'll be set to go... :-)

Actually I live in New Brunswick cause it is a lot safer.

 

Oh and here is a cache at our place which is on the way to PEI if you are driving.

 

http://coord.info/GC1N26E

Ah, we'll be driving up from the south and across the bridge - so I have an intention of at least one cache in NB, but it'll probably be one of the ones close to the end of the bridge or on the way somehow.

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I'm so glad I found this thread. We're heading up that way around the 6th of July......we have a wedding to attend on the 5th in Maine so why not head a bit more north!

 

Question for Ma & Pa...or anyone else....the lighthouse cache that you mention that you have to drive down a dirt road. Is this a solidly packed dirt road or loose dirt? Important safety issue for me as usually we cache on a motorcycle and loose dirt makes it tricky.

 

As we're not at all familiar with the area or Canada for that matter, any suggestions for places to camp? We have a 30 ft RV towing a trailer. Plans are to head towards the Canada on the 6th, cache for a couple of days and check out the area and then head back towards Maine to go home to Maryland.

 

Thanks for any advise.

 

Terri

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Although our cache finds in PEI are only a couple of handfuls, when we were there, there wasn't many but we really enjoyed our time there. Now that we live out west, we don't get to PEI like we would like to. However, our vacation plans are to go to NS and PEI so we hope to hit some caches in our old stomping ground. Thanks for the suggestion Ma & Pa. :anitongue:

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Although our cache finds in PEI are only a couple of handfuls, when we were there, there wasn't many but we really enjoyed our time there. Now that we live out west, we don't get to PEI like we would like to. However, our vacation plans are to go to NS and PEI so we hope to hit some caches in our old stomping ground. Thanks for the suggestion Ma & Pa. :anitongue:

 

Nice hearing from you. We fondly remember a wonderful day hiking to your caches at Cape Split in Nova Scotia.

 

PAul

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I'm so glad I found this thread. We're heading up that way around the 6th of July......we have a wedding to attend on the 5th in Maine so why not head a bit more north!

 

Question for Ma & Pa...or anyone else....the lighthouse cache that you mention that you have to drive down a dirt road. Is this a solidly packed dirt road or loose dirt? Important safety issue for me as usually we cache on a motorcycle and loose dirt makes it tricky.

 

As we're not at all familiar with the area or Canada for that matter, any suggestions for places to camp? We have a 30 ft RV towing a trailer. Plans are to head towards the Canada on the 6th, cache for a couple of days and check out the area and then head back towards Maine to go home to Maryland.

 

Thanks for any advise.

 

Terri

 

The roads to the light houses should be OK for motorcycles.

 

The area I mentioned related to our latest trip to PEI and was mostly the area east of Charlottetown along highway 2. However there are incredible beaches and lighthouses and views all over the Island. The prime tourist area in summer is Cavendish with its beaches and national park and attractions. Thee are a number of well known full service campgrounds in that area. Marco Polo is one of them.

 

Rodd hotels have resorts at Mill River to the West and Brudenell to the East. Attached to these resorts are provincial campgrounds. We particularly love the area around Brudenell. It gives good access to the CT bike trail and is close to highways leading to various areas.

 

I am not from PEI, but if you need more specific details, I can check with caching friends on the Island

 

.

PAul

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I spent the day on PEI today picking up 42 caches. Here is the basic log that i wrote.

 

PAul

 

********************************

 

PA was recruited to be the driver for the day on PEI for Belladan and KVFalcon who wanted to do some bike caching on the Confederation Trail and needed a driver to meet them and pick them up at the end of the day. (They ended up getting 150 caches or more).

 

So while they were biking, PA did some P & G and also did some series on dirt roads.

 

Was a great day.

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Ah! PEI!! A place that I'd always wanted to visit! We were in Maine for the EarthCache Event a few years back, and decided to visit the Maritimes! Very strange toll on the bridge... Only found four caches on PEI, since we had to be in Halifax by night time to catch the plane the next morning for St Johns. Very strange toll on the bridge! Enjoyed very much. Strange toll on the bridge! Glad I wasn't driving!

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Ah! PEI!! A place that I'd always wanted to visit! We were in Maine for the EarthCache Event a few years back, and decided to visit the Maritimes! Very strange toll on the bridge... Only found four caches on PEI, since we had to be in Halifax by night time to catch the plane the next morning for St Johns. Very strange toll on the bridge! Enjoyed very much. Strange toll on the bridge! Glad I wasn't driving!

 

When you leave PEI by the bridge at Borden you pay a toll ($44?). The toll is per vehicle, no matter how many are in it. There is only a toll when you leave the island, not when arriving. This cuts down on the cost of administration. I believe when the bridge replaced the ferry, they established a toll rate based on the average cost of the ferry ride for the vehicle and a certain number of passengers. The ferry price was in each direction, but the bridge only charges when leaving so they had to adjust for that.

 

BTW the bridge is 9 miles long.

 

2.jpg

 

When MA and I go caching on PEI we usually go for at least 3 days as we dont find it economical to go for only one day. We go off season and get off season rates for accomodations, etc.

 

Speaking of tolls. We took a trip to get caches in 5 states and we were paying tolls on lots of interstates, (especially interstate 90). Interstate 294, west of chicago seemed to have a toll booth every 5 minutes asking me for $1.50 or more. The caching trip cost over $100 in tolls.

 

.

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When you leave PEI by the bridge at Borden you pay a toll ($44?). The toll is per vehicle, no matter how many are in it. There is only a toll when you leave the island, not when arriving. This cuts down on the cost of administration. I believe when the bridge replaced the ferry, they established a toll rate based on the average cost of the ferry ride for the vehicle and a certain number of passengers. The ferry price was in each direction, but the bridge only charges when leaving so they had to adjust for that.

The bridge is an alternative means of traveling to and from the island and replaced only one of the ferry services (at least from May to December). The ferry price is $69 for most passenger vehicles (including all passengers) and is only charged when you leave the island. For as long as I can remember, ferry fees have been charged only upon departure. The bridge toll is $45 when you leave.

Edited by CanadianRockies
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When you leave PEI by the bridge at Borden you pay a toll ($44?). The toll is per vehicle, no matter how many are in it. There is only a toll when you leave the island, not when arriving. This cuts down on the cost of administration. I believe when the bridge replaced the ferry, they established a toll rate based on the average cost of the ferry ride for the vehicle and a certain number of passengers. The ferry price was in each direction, but the bridge only charges when leaving so they had to adjust for that.

The bridge is an alternative means of traveling to and from the island and replaced only one of the ferry services (at least from May to December). The ferry price is $69 for most passenger vehicles (including all passengers) and is only charged when you leave the island. For as long as I can remember, ferry fees have been charged only upon departure. The bridge toll is $45 when you leave.

 

You may be right about only paying in one direction, although I seem to recall paying both ways at Borden. I also recall that there was a charge per passenger plus the vehicle. I have only taken the remaining ferry at Woods Island once and cant recall the cost.

 

.

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When you leave PEI by the bridge at Borden you pay a toll ($44?). The toll is per vehicle, no matter how many are in it. There is only a toll when you leave the island, not when arriving. This cuts down on the cost of administration. I believe when the bridge replaced the ferry, they established a toll rate based on the average cost of the ferry ride for the vehicle and a certain number of passengers. The ferry price was in each direction, but the bridge only charges when leaving so they had to adjust for that.

The bridge is an alternative means of traveling to and from the island and replaced only one of the ferry services (at least from May to December). The ferry price is $69 for most passenger vehicles (including all passengers) and is only charged when you leave the island. For as long as I can remember, ferry fees have been charged only upon departure. The bridge toll is $45 when you leave.

 

You may be right about only paying in one direction, although I seem to recall paying both ways at Borden. I also recall that there was a charge per passenger plus the vehicle. I have only taken the remaining ferry at Woods Island once and cant recall the cost.

 

.

I hate to admit this but Pa is right again. When the ferry was owned by CN Rail and known as CN Marine they were more than happy to take your money at Borden and Cape Tormentine. As a cost cutting measure the ticket booths were taken out of Tormintine sometime after the CN Marine split from CN Rail and became known as Marine Atlantic. I worked in Borden for a summer and as an employee I got on free but I still had to pay for my vehicle.

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Having now returned from PEI and Canada in general, I'd just like to say thanks for the points being made in this thread. They made the odd geocache easier than they may have been, although we didn't manage to get to any of those recommended here!

 

I would add the Mouse Hunt multi-cache in Charlottetown to any list of caches worth doing on PEI though. Especially if you have children with you.

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