Canadian Roadflix

Sandland, on Charlottetown's historic waterfront is an art gallery of a different sort. Eight artists worked for over a month to transform tons of Prince Edward Island's famous red dirt into an exhibit of the island's history heritage and culture. Using trowels, specially designed plastic tools and (yes really)drinking straws they turned compacted wet sand into boats, bags of potatoes, fiddlers and - of course - Ann of Green Gables.

When David Wilmer first saw what would become the Inn at Bay Fortune it was a tumble-down wreck. That's certainly not the case today. He and his team of hotel pros have not only halted the decay of the Prince Edward Island summer home of Elmer Harris but turned it into a stellar destination.

Call me old-fashioned, but when I buy a souvenir – which, admittedly I rarely do, I want to spend my money on something made in the place I'm visiting. So when we stumbled upon P.E.I. Dirt Shirts we thought we had died and gone to souvenir heaven.

If someone suggested a night at the races you'd forgiven for thinking their idea of entertainment was a bit out of step with the 21st century. But you'd be wrong! Join us as we discover what it feels like to be treated like the owner of a racehorse on Prince Edward Island.

Thanks to a program put together by the people at Experience PEI we had an unparalleled opportunity to fish for oysters along side of men who's families had earned their living “tonging” shellfish for generations. Later, back on shore – following a lesson in grading, cleaning and shucking oysters - we ate our catch.

By the time we hit Charlottetown we'd pretty much eaten our way across Prince Edward Island so you'd think we would pass on Ice Cream for lunch......not a chance! Premium ice cream and puns on T-shirts proved to be an irresistible combination.

Early (the 4 AM kind of early) on a summer morning we pointed the Premag east for Prince Edward Island. We spent a week doing everything from fishing for oysters to building sandcastles. In between activities we found time to eat.... and eat..... and eat!

Friends of ours have been urging us to visit Lake Memphremagog, a 90 minute drive from Montreal in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. They claim the local summer artist studio tour is a one-of-a-kind, can't-be-missed event that more than lives up to our criteria.

We've been hearing stories about something called a Perch Roll, apparently a local fast food delicacy in the town of Lancaster, Ontario. All anyone needs to do is tell us about a dish indigenous to a region and (pardon the pun) our appetite for discovery is fully whetted. Is there still such a thing as a Lancaster Perch Roll? Does it deserve its reputation?

Spend even a short time on the main street of Hudson, Quebec on a weekend and you're sure to have someone pull up in a car and ask you for directions to Finnegan's. Since the mid 80's Finnegan's Country Market has drawn a steady stream of weekend visitors. If its Saturday (between May and October) point them west and wish them a good day.