July 15, 2018
Sand Banks Provincial Park, ON to Kingston, ON
Day 10
Weather: Really hot, tailwind in afternoon
We left the campsite at 7 a.m. after a restless night as the neighbor kids partied until the wee hours. I couldn't resist saying something to their Dad as we wheeled our bikes past their site. He didn't seem to have a care in the world and pretty much dismissed me and the issues. After our usual habit of cleaning teeth, applying sunscreen and doing a final bag pack at the washrooms, today we headed south into Prince Edward county towards the Point Petre lighthouse.
We passed the road leading to Salson Point Lighthouse but as there is no public access we continued on.
Salmon Point Lighthouse
By the late 1860’s, Prince Edward County Peninsula was marked by three lighthouses, False Duck Island (1828), Point Petre (1833), and Scotch Bonnet Island (1856). However, a dangerous reef that extended offshore from Salmon Point for three kilometers had claimed 30 lives over the previous decade.
In 1871 a lighthouse equipped with a lifeboat were built at the point.
The lighthouse was a square wooden tower, and lit for the first time on the 23rd of October, 1871.
A new lantern was installed in 1877 and in 1885, a breakwater was built to protect the lighthouse from the rising lake waters that were threatening the foundation of the lighthouse.
In 1909, a fourth-order, Fresnel lens was installed.
On July 1, 1913, Salmon Point Lighthouse was discontinued.
In 1920, Salmon Point Lighthouse were sold and has been in private hands since.
At one point the property was a campground but this has now been closed.
About an hour later we arrived at Point Petre.
The lighthouse is closed to the public but I managed to get a good photo by walking down the beach.
Point Petre Lighthouse
Point Petre Lighthouse was established in 1832 being a circular stone tower sixty-one feet tall.
In 1843, Point Petre Lighthouse was changed from a fixed white light to a white flashing light. This was to distinguish from the lighthouses on False Duck Island and on Presqu’ile Point.
A foghorn was placed in operation on November 21, 1890
A radio beacon was added in 1959 to enable ships to pinpoint their position.
The present tower was erected in 1967. A local historical society wanted to save the old tower however it was torn down before arrangements could be made. However the lamp was saved.
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After the Murray Canal (which we passed over yesterday) was built in 1889, Prince Edward County became an island. Most of it today is farm land.
We then headed across the island to Mariners Museum where the False Ducks Island lighthouse had been rebuilt, arriving right at the Museum opening time of 9:30 a.m.
False Duck Island Lighthouse
False Duck Islands are a group of two island off Prince Edward Point. Construction commenced on a lighthouse in 1828, however delays in construction saw the light first exhibited on July 25, 1829.
The circular limestone tower was sixty feet tall.
Joseph Swetman was the first keeper and island the light stands on is now named after him.
In 1863, Frederick Swetman replaced his father as keeper on the False Ducks. Together, Joseph and Frederick Swetman served a combined fifty-eight years.
In 1885, the lantern room was replaced along with a new third-order Fresnel lens and in 1904 a fog signal was added to the station.
On November 26, 1905 lightening struck the lighthouse causing damage, another fork struck the house igniting coal oil and the resulting fire engulfed the house.
In 1907, repairs were made to the lighthouse and a new house was built.
The current hexagonal concrete sixty-foot lighthouse was erected in 1965, going into operation November 3, 1965. This was also the end of keepers stationed on the island.
Unfortunately, the old tower was knocked down on June 3, 1966.
As part of the Canadian centennial, a replica stone tower was built and the original lantern room installed on top. The replica tower is half the height of the original tower standing at thirty feet tall.
The tower was dedicated on September 17, 1967 and stands as a memorial to over one hundred sailors from Prince Edward County who had lost their lives at sea.
We spent about an hour looking through the museum and also grabbing a bite to eat.
The museum had a extensive collection of photos of the lighthouses on Prince Edward Island including; Telegraph Island, Main Duck Island, Point Pleasant and Point Traverse.
Telegraph Island
Point Pleasant
Point Traverse
I decided not to ride the 25 mile return trip to Prince Edward Point Lighthouse, the day was very hot and water supplies are scarce out here. There are no nearby stores and no water at the museum.
Prince Edward Point Lighthouse
Prince Edward Point lighthouse is located on the southeast tip of Prince Edward County and a lighthouse was erected here in 1881. The lighthouse was a square wooden tower 36 feet tall with a keepers house attached.
In 1909 the original lens was replaced with a fourth-order Fresnel lens.
By 1941 the light had been automated and then in 1959, a replacement skeletal tower was built to display the light and the lantern room from the 1881 tower was removed.
Point Edward Point Lighthouse was recognized as a Heritage Lighthouse in 2015.
As we made our way around the island we got a distant view of the Prince Edward Point, the location of the Prince Edward Point lighthouse.
We then rode on to Glenora, where there was a ferry that would take us across the strait and on to Kingston. As we were low on water we decided to wait for the brewery to open at 12 noon and get a beer and a refill for water bottles. I got the beer but when I asked for water they said they didn't have any that was drinkable. I guess they truck the water in to make the beer too. Or I hope they do.
Somewhat refreshed, (Cameron thought the root beer was awesome), we headed to the ferry where we met the Kingston Tri Club who invited us to stop at a winery up the road that had water and pizza.
The winery was a great stop where we met the owner who made us a delicious pizza, filled our bottles and with that we were ready to tackle the last 20 miles to our hotel in Kingston.
We checked in to our none to fancy hotel, showered, and had a nap.
I woke up and discovered food options were pretty scarce if we wanted to walk anywhere. Not wanting to bike too far we opted for Tim Hortons across the street.
I spent most of the evening there trying to upload photos but their internet was real slow. When I got back to hotel and finally got the password for the internet to work I discovered it was super fast. I was a bit annoyed at myself for wasting so much time at the Horton.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 457 miles (735 km)
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