As it was such a nice day, I took out my Harley-Davidson Fat Bob out for a ride to Wellington, Prince Edward Island, to visit the Cape Egmont lighthouse – which some consider a hidden treasure. 

Construction of the Cape Egmont lighthouse began in 1883 and it was put in operation in September of 1884, with Bruno Perry serving as its keeper at an annual salary of $200. The lighthouse, which overlooks Northumberland Strait on the southwest shore of Prince Edward Island, was valued by fishing and marine interests as it was the only beacon in the forty-six-mile-long dark expanse between the lighthouses at West Point and Seacow Head.  The shingled tower was enhanced by decorative details including pedimented windows and originally had an attached dwelling, which was removed in 1958 along with the station’s oil house. A concrete foundation replaced the lighthouse’s original rubblestone foundation in 1946.  Due to severe shoreline erosion, the lighthouse was moved back from the surrounding bluffs in April, 2000.  As seen by the blue panels in the photos, the lighthouse is currently undergoing exterior renovations.

It is easy to see the lighthouse from the shoreline, however getting up to the lighthouse itself is a bit tricky.  It requires one to reach it by an unfinished, slippery and gnarly road called Phare Du Cap Egmont Rd.  The road is full of potholes, deep mud grooves carved up by pickup truck tires and bounded by loose gravel shoulders and ditches.  Not a good match for a 675 lb motorcycle not designed for this kind of terrain.  Foolishly, I thought, “Well I’ve come this far, so why not?”.  I came close to dropping the bike when the rear tire slipped into a deep mud hole. Eventually, I made it to the top, took several photos and was white knuckled going back down this awful road. I was elated as hell to get back on asphalt.  My next destination was the neighbouring town of Mont-Carmel.  Along the way, I spotted this abandoned home and shed.  On the island, It is not uncommon to find similar properties crumbling away – a few of them are on my street.

After nine kilometers of riding, I arrived at the historic Église de Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel.  The French heritage of Prince Edward Island is evident throughout this Acadian area and this Catholic church, with its French inscriptions, speaks directly to the local Francophone culture. It was built in 1898 from funds raised by parishioners and the work was completed by many local artisans, including Anglophones who were not members of the parish. All of the estimated 450,000 bricks were made nearby at Frederick Strong’s brickyard in Lower Bedeque. The architect for the design was Rene P. Lemay, the son of Pamphile Lemay, who had translated Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s influential 1847 poem, Evangeline, in 1865. Next to the church is a memorial graveyard dedicated to Mont-Carmel soldiers of World War II.   

The hour long ride back home was a bit of a cool one.  When I left Cornwall, it was 16C and by late afternoon, the temperature dropped to around 8C – good thing I wore a few layers.

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