Prince Edward Island Roads - Route 16

Route 16



Looking south from Basin Head (home of the Singing Sands) at Red Point. Of course it would be called Red Point - every point on the island is red thanks to the unique, iron-rich soil. The beaches are red, rocks are red, dirt roads are red, while the water is blue and the fields are green. It's simple and beautiful. This photo is taken from the middle of the Singing Sands, which are more accurately the Squeaking Sands because if you walk barefoot and kick every step into the sand harshly, the sand yells at you to stop. It's quite amusing for about thirty seconds, and then you want to take a dip in the water. Which is best done from the inlet that connects Basin Head Harbour to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, just to the east of where I'm standing. It's a popular place for teenage boys to take turns showing off by disobeying the "no jumping from bridge" signs and showboating into the deep water as lifeguards watch indifferently.


EB from Route 303 (west of Basin Head) to East Point, the tip of the island. Follow the starfish around the eastern coastline and it frequently branches off to afford you lighthouses and beaches.


This East Point is serious business. Whether you look left or right on Route 16, the highway heads West. At the very least, it would make sense to have the "bottom" Route 16 be north-south to prevent the confusion inherent in trying to head west from East Point.


Windmills stretch back past East Lake for several kilometers, the only orderly row of the many wind farms on the island. PEI takes the maximum advantage of its gulf exposure and lack of elevation, and despite the incredible number of windmills in an incredible number of locations, wind power is not close to supplying the island's needs. PEI proves that wind energy can never be the answer, only one small part of the solution.


WB from Route 301 to Route 336.

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