Prince Edward Island: A Flat and Easy Ride? Not Quite!

A picturesque view along the ride.

Molly bringing me coffee at the Foxy Fox.

Today, our mapping apps promised a flat and relatively easy ride to Prince Edward Island’s largest city, Charlottetown. It started off that way. After a Timmy Horton breakfast—our breakfast of last resort—we set off. The terrain was indeed flat and easy, and we rode lazily toward Charlottetown. Less than an hour into our ride, we spotted a sign for the Foxy Fox Coffee Shop and couldn’t resist stopping. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and a nice cup of coffee was too tempting to pass up. Stops like these are what make our rides magical. We sat for almost an hour, sipping coffee and reflecting on how nice it was to be free from lesson planning, grading, and all the details that come with wrapping up a school year. The simplicity of being out in nature and traveling by bicycle puts life into perspective.

And then the hills began...

After enjoying that feel-good moment in the sun, we resumed our journey to Charlottetown, thinking the ride would be a breeze due to the flat terrain. However, we soon encountered a hill climb, which we assumed would be the only one for the day. Fueled by the caffeine from our strong coffee, we made it up that hill. However, instead of a descent followed by flat roads, we faced a series of steep climbs and descents that were completely unexpected. We realized our route bypassed the busy highway and took us toward the center of the island, where we dealt with what felt like an endless succession of steep hills. At one point, we even passed an alpine ski area. So, no, Prince Edward Island is not entirely flat!

Eventually, we made it to the final descent and arrived at our hotel. It was a beautiful ride, but it took longer than anticipated and proved to be far more challenging than we had expected. So much for that lazy, relaxing ride to Charlottetown!

Tomorrow, we’ll take the day off to explore, learn more about the area, and catch up on some much-needed laundry.