Days 54 and 55 The Fundy Trail and Seacaves

Sunday August 4th 2013

Sometimes, well most often in my opinion, we read about a destination or scenic drive and build it up so much in our mind that it could not possibly be as fabulous as expected, and disappointment is assured.  Well, not this time!

This big day started off with brilliant sunshine, the temp’s in the 60’s,  and the timing could not be more perfect!  We are within the last two weeks of "vacation" and this is the drive I have been waiting for! This is my " Norman Rockwell" day!

One of the many beautiful vistas on The Fundy Trail, NB

We are off to The Fundy Trail Parkway which is an extremely scenic coastal drive about 45 minutes east of us.   The tourist bureau boasts that you can “ see it, hike it, bike it, or drive it “ while viewing the unspoiled beauty of the rugged Bay of Fundy.

 In fact, Norm and I both agree that this drive was even more beautiful than the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island! What we loved about the Fundy Trail was that it was completely natural with miles and miles of vistas, absolutely no signs of civilization, plentiful lookouts, and a fabulous multi-use trail that one could hike or bike if ambitious enough.  Restrooms strategically placed ( how did they know? ) and even water stations along the way! Many of the look outs were also handicap accessible.

Alison biking along the 10 mile pathway

We first drove the length by car and while in the Visitor Center, watched a movie about the creation and highlights of the park. There was a free concert we took advantage of featuring Vivian and Ivan Hicks,violinist ( or fiddler ). 
They have earned many awards and honors including induction into the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame ( both Ivan and Vivian ) and the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame ( Ivan ). 

                                                                Of all the musicians we have seen on this trip, this man made playing the fiddle look effortless! He played songs and jigs from the many provinces, demonstrating their different styles.

Ivan Hicks during a free concert

We enjoyed the music for about an hour and then left to drive back to St Martin to see the magnificent sea caves at low tide with a million other people.  We had another ice cream cone ( they are so good here ) which I vowed will be my last.

 

Late afternoon we drove back up the trail to bike a section, and ended up hiking down hundreds of feet to the beach to look at another smaller sea cave that we had all to ourselves.  The hike and then bike ride back up, however, was a killer!

Sea Caves at low tide in St.Martin, New Brunswick

We got back to camp about 7:15, had dinner, talked with the neighbors ( showered, of course ) and called it a day.

Monday August 5th 2013

Here at Rockwood Park in Saint John New Brunswick there is a lovely 18 hole golf course that Norm decided to play.  I wanted to take time to do laundry and work on this blog and do some important emailing.

The weather is so funny here!  One minute there would be a beautiful blue sky, the next minute we would have torrential rain.  Five minutes later, blue sky.  This was repeated throughout the day.  Norm had to wait for one particularly big thunderstorm storm, which included hail, to pass before he went out, but then had a nice round of golf. 

After dinner we were invited over to our neighbors, ( who are fulltime RV'ers ) for some blueberry pie and conversation.  

Days 52 and 53 Discovering St John, New Brunswick

Friday August 2^nd 2013

It was once again a rainy day, and here we are in one of the biggest cities in New Brunswick. I wanted to take the opportunity to try to find a dress for my daughter’s wedding.  Unless Walmart or Sears are your favorite stores, there is very little to choose from.  

We went to Bridal Shops and every mall in the city.  Nothing!  So I gave up and decided to wear the dress I already own thankful to have that option.

St John City Market, Canada's oldest continuing Farmers Market

One of the stops we made was to St John City Market which is another National and Provincial Historic Site.  It is Canada’s oldest continuing farmers’ market in operation since 1876. 

 The roof was built like a ship’s inverted hull, reflecting their city’s shipbuilding past. 

There were displays of local produce, meats, seafood and New Brunswick’s arts and other crafted items.  It was interesting to walk through, but other than lunch we found nothing worthy of purchasing.

Dozens of tasting stations for fresh olive oils and
vinegar

 Another stop we made was to the Liquid Gold Olive Oils and Vinegar shop.  This was one of the sister shops to the one we saw in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia but this one was 10 times bigger!

 We spent about an hour taste testing all the different types of balsamic vinegar, and actually purchased eight little bottles of various flavors such as Dark Chocolate, Espresso ( Norm’s favorite ), Maple, Cinnamon Pear ( which was mine ) and other exotic flavors. We paired these with a Blood Orange olive oil from Tunisia as well as one infused with Persian Lime ( which Norm wants to use to marinate fish ). We will have fun drizzling these over all sorts of meats and desserts!

Just one of the many flavored types of Balsamic Vingar
we purchased

Saturday August 3^rd 2013

We needed to go to the Bell Aliant internet provider store to find out why we received a message that we had grossly gone over our allotted data allowance!  Panic!  They were able to call the company so I could speak with the representative.  Well to make a long story short, we don’t  know how we possibly used that much data, so we are relegated to the free wifi’s in public places. 

The other really important errand for my psyche is to get the car washed.  

Alison stealing a kiss from this quiet gentleman

It is just amazing how a clean car can give you a new lease on life!  It’s a wonder how dirt can get up inside the door jams( and everywhere else)!

Here in St John, the Reversing Rapids is a very unique phenomenon caused by the tremendous tides in the Bay of Fundy.

At low tide, the St. John River, which runs through New Brunswick, empties into the bay through a narrow rocky gorge.  An underwater ledge causes the water to “boil” with a series of rapids and whirlpools.  The rising tide slows the river current to a stop, and for 20 minutes it actually “rests” to allow boats to navigate the rapids.  Once the tide is higher than the river, the reversal of the current happens until high tide.  I read ( but did not see ) that the water rises up an amazing 14.5 feet above sea level in the gorge! 

Then the tide slowly descends, but still flowing inland ( in reverse ) until it is at river level again. After a 20 minute rest, it resumes its natural flow making the whirlpools and rapids.

This was much more interesting than Norm and I thought it would be.  And to be honest, now that I just did the research to tell you about it, wish we paid more attention to when the best time to be there was!

 

The Reversing Rapids on the St. John River
Jet Boat ride

Of course someone has to make money from everything of any interest, and this place is no 

exception. One attraction is the popular Zip Line, as well as many jet boats racing up and down the boiling water, spinning around in the whirlpools, jumping the rapids, and I am sure scaring the dickens out of all the participants! ( I thought it looked like fun, but since it started raining Norm got out of it ). And, truth be told, I would probably be too cheap to pay for a ride that could possibly re-arrange all my vertebrae! 

That night we decided to have dinner at another restaurant ranked #1 in Trip Adviser   This time it as at East Coast Bistro, whose location happened to be two doors down from the Liquid Gold store, which happened to be where we were walking earlier in the day!  In this great big city, we were on the same block on three different occasions!  

Well, Norm was in luck!  This restaurant served the beer he loved so much last year when he was in Prince Edward Island, and has been looking everywhere for it since.  What is that evasive but delicious beer?  Gahan 1772 IPA!  The dinner was very good, and the service VERY slow. But since we had no place to go, it was a nice way to spend a rainy evening.  

            

Day 51 A ferry ride to a new destination

Thursday August 1^st 2013

Our trip map from July 23rd to August 1st

Today we leave the beautiful province of Nova Scotia by crossing over the Bay of Fundy by ferry  into St John, New Brunswick ( a short-cut probably saving us two days of driving ).

Norm has become a mechanic!

Since Kejimujucki  only had electrical hookups, we had to really conserve our use of water over the last four days.  On two occasions we used the public showers, but as a result, we had water and sewer room to spare! Just think how long we could go if we didn't bathe at all!  We are still trying to figure out how many days can we camp with no utilities and still be clean and fresh!

While Norm was using the sewer dumping station, I made good use of the time hooking up the car to motorhome.

 One thing we ALWAYS do is to test all indicator and brake lights before we head off down the road.  Well, on this occasion we found that the brake lights in the RV, therefore also in car, were not working again ( it happened in Massachusetts back in June ).

Norm read the manual, found the spare fuse, and wow! He fixed it!  Something must be shorting out this fuse, so we definitely have to have this checked.  Very dangerous!

Norman was very confident as the ferry attendant directed the motorhome and car in tow into the belly of the boat, sandwiching all the cars, motorhomes and semi-tractor trailers inside with literally inches between them!

Boy they sure do pack these rigs tightly!  One tractor trailor
nearly removed out mirror when leaving! I had to stop him
so he could fold his inward!  Yikes!

 We set sail for a three hour ride during which we had a bite to eat, read and watched the bit of scenery.

When we landed we proceeded to Rockwell Park in St John.  This park in one of Canada’s largest municipal parks, and offers a campground, interpretation center, lakes for swimming and boating, an 18 hole golf course, horseback riding, playground and even a zoo!  Plus many hiking trails to explore! We were anxious to see this place.

I must say, Norm and I have only had this motorhome for about a year and half, but have been camping and therefore parking, in a lot of places.  We typically have no trouble backing into very tight and heavily wooded sites.  But give us a site with miles of space and nothing to potential cause great damage, and we make fools of ourselves trying a half dozen times to get into a huge spot!  I can’t figure out why! It was really rather embarrassing, and I hope no one was watching.

Here at Rockwood Park we found a couple of problems that added to our difficulty.  The way the sites were laid out made it so that either our sewer hose would not reach, a gigantic bolder would prevent us from backing in enough, or they had a 50 foot extension cord they expected us to use.(the manual said we should never use an extension cord unless it is 50 amp so being the “maintenance Natzi” I didn’t want to do it ).  We therefore took forever finding a site that would work, and us finally getting into it. 

We finally got settled barely before dark, relaxed a few minutes and went to bed.

Days 48 to 50 Kejumukujik National Park

Monday, July 29th 2013

After our bike ride, we rested awhile and then decided to take advantage of the opportunities here and try our luck at handling a canoe.  We had both done it decades ago, but really could not remember the fundamentals.  A lot of people say canoes are more comfortable especially as we get older, and I love the idea of being able to bring a tent and “rough it” on remote islands.  ( I guess my inner Girl Scout is still there ).

Beautiful Mercey River in Kejumukujik National Park

Well, we were not a pretty canoe team.  We were given some instructions on how to steer, but I was thinking that Norm would be in back doing that job so I didn’t really pay attention.  Then when I was told that steering was up to me, I started to sweat! I thought “ oh, no this is NOT going to be fun! “  I struggled and struggled trying to figure it out, but it was difficult.  Norm would change paddling sides just as I thought I was getting the hang of it and we would end up in the bushes again!  I just wanted to cry. He was getting frustrated as well.

Enough of this torture, I wanted to change seats, and Norm, I am sure, was thrilled with the suggestion.   Now  I have to tell you, that was a feat worth bragging about!  Here we were, holding onto a branch,  managing  not fall in as we balanced precariously while passing each other on the wobbly canoe!

After that marvelous feat was accomplished, the trip went much better with Norm in the helm. ( He did, however, take a while to get the hang of it himself )  We paddled up and down river for a couple of hours marveling at how quiet it was out there, and the how the reflections of the trees upon the water made the trip just incredible.

  Our arms are getting a pretty good workout these days, so when we got home I checked to see if my new muscles didn’t  jiggle under my arm, but they sadly did.  I think it is going to take a lot of paddling to firm up those flapping babies!  

Tuesday July 30, 2013

Ahh, a day of rest.  I love these days sometimes as much as the days we are testing our physical limitations.  I vacuumed, cleaned and pulled out the extra supplies hidden away under the couch and dinette, and reorganized for the next phase of the vacation.  Norman sat outside and enjoyed a good book.
 

We also spent, once again, a few hours rearranging our itinerary making sure we are able to see and do the things that are most important to us.

 I needed to add a day to shop for a dress for my daughter’s wedding if I don’t want to wear the same one I just wore to Norm daughter’s wedding in June.  I am glad I have that as an option though.  One day. I have no idea what kind of stores there are in St John, but it is a large city.  I intend to send Norm out golfing, and he will certainly not have a problem with that.

Wednesday July 31^st 2013

The activity of the day was to be shuttled up river to a spot that would afford us the opportunity to kayak down 10 or more “swift water “ areas on the Mercer River.  I was a little nervous because I had never done this before.

After getting settled in our two person kayak, Norm and I headed downstream and within minutes had to deal with the first area of “rapids”.  After perhaps the first two “rapids” we quickly became a coordinated team.  I would say which way to aim around the rocks ( sometimes getting my right and left mixed up which would cause a problem ) and we would smoothly zip past them as if we actually knew what we were doing!

A very beautiful day on the Mercy River

I had the camera safely stored in the waterproof case, so I didn't get any pictures of these "rapids". ( In doing so I may have ruined the dangerous image you may have conjured up, and you would have realized just how "tame" these "scary" waters were! )  

We were paddling together so well, that this 2 hour trip took us a little over an hour!

  These canoe and kayak trips have been so inexpensive!  2 hours in kayak, 2 hours in a canoe, and a shuttle with over an hour totaled to only $53.00!  Back in Florida we sometimes pay that for one canoe for a couple of hours!

After a job well done, we figured we deserved another ice cream!

That evening we took advantage of the park's tour of the petroglyphs given by one of the park's employees who just happened to be a Mi'kmaw native who was extremely passionate about her heritage.

 She explained how the most noticeable traces left by her peoples, the Mi'kmaq, are the engravings they created in the glacially polished slate outcrops found at several locations around the lake, referred to as 'petroglyphs' ( carvings in stone ).  These images are an invaluable resource for learning the history and lives of the Mi'kmaw ancestors.

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 There are over 500 individual petroglyphs within Kejimkujik National Historic Site, making it one of the largest collection of such images in eastern North America. The public are only allowed to see one of the sites here, ( and only with a guide )in order to protect these faint, weathered carvings from more human damage. ( Before this became a protected Historic Site, people unfortunately carved graffiti into the smooth slate, defacing this important piece of First People's history.)

This young lady lead us on a walk in the early evening through archaeological digs, and the petroglyphs themselves proved that they were a nomadic civilization, coming and going through the seasons as the weather, and therefore supplies, demanded.  We were told of the scared burial ground that was recently discovered that only can be seen with special permission.

Days 47 and 48 Kejimkujik National Park

Sunday, July 28th 2013

The laundry pile has been steadily growing, and my hiking pants were soon going to be able to walk on their own, so I decided to get right up and do the nasty chore before moving on this morning to Kejimkujik National Park ( pronounced kedge-i-mi-koo-jik or just "kedgy" as the locals call it ).

God, I hate these campground laundromats!  I had beaten everyone there, so managed to take the 4 washers I needed.  When it was time to dry, that's when the trouble began. The machines just kept gobbling up my precious Canadian coins, and not delivering heat.  After waiting for the repair guy, the job was done about 3 hours later.

Norm and I then moved on, this time south, to the middle of Nova Scotia to Kejimkujik. This is the only national park in Canada  in which it's entire area is also designated a National Historic site.
It is named after Kejimikujik Lake, the largest body of water in the park, and it has many other lakes and rivers that were important canoe routes between the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic for the ancestors of the Mi'kmaq Indians. They have quite a few campsites here that are only accessible by canoe.  I would LOVE to do an overnight on a deserted island, but the weather forcast for our days here are not too promising.  Oh well, another item for the Bucket List.

Site # 177 At Kejimikujik National Park

We left the rugged coast behind and replaced it with lots of hardwood, fir and pine trees as well as lakes, streams and brooks.  Nova Scotia must be incredible in the fall!

As we arrived in the park and started our way down miles of roads to the campground, our poor RV pitched and rolled through the maze of potholes.  Everything in the upper cabinets came crashing out! I had learned last year to only put lightweight items on the shelves of these cabinets, just for this reason, so no real harm done (we think).

Our campsite is wonderful.  Set back about 75 feet from the road, and very rustic.  This campground does, however, have too many children running around. Norm and I still have the belief that children should be seen, but not heard. We like to hear the birds, not the screeching of ill mannered children. Perhaps when we have our own grandchild our tolerance for the little ones will improve?

A lone and camera shy loon 

It was a little after 1 PM, and the day was young. We decided to take advantage of the lack of rain and take a kayak trip out to the huge Kejimkujik Lake.

 A loon ( type of aquatic bird ) suddenly appeared a little off the boat, and every time I got my camera out it would duck under the water and swim in some unknown direction for many minutes before it again popped up and taunted me!  Norm was very patient, paddling the kayak around and listening to me curse when I missed it yet again.  After a half dozen misses, I finally got it!

Then I saw my own little "loon" testing the waters!

Monday July 29, 2013

Norm and I got to break out our bikes today, because there are miles and miles of lovely trails here.  Many, I hear rumored, to get lost in.

We studied the possiblities, and chose a trail that would give us about a 10 mile ride, and hopefully a lot of views.  It was all that.

A perfect bike trail for old farts. Wide and smooth.
Although it does give you a chance to look around,
it does not give you the excitement of a little danger.

The roads were perfect for us old farts.  Nicely leveled with crush gravel, but narrow
enough so it didn't lose that wooded feeling.

I once again would stop to marvel at the dead trees, and various types of ferns and moss, giving it really beautiful colors and shading.  Norm peddled on, wondering what in the world I found so attractive about a bunch of dead trees.

Now I think this is really beautiful!

The river that ran beside it ( is there a movie or book by that name? ) was flowing pretty fast, with some "rapids" in many areas.  I wondered how scary it would be to kayak down it; Norm wondered what day we could schedule it in. We probably wouldn't drown, it looked pretty shallow but did have quite a few large boulders..........

After the ride we hung around the campground and enjoyed Norm's perfect campfire.

Days 44 -46 A purchase made, and exploring Norm's roots

Thursday July 25th 2013

Well, after 5 years of searching for a perfect centerpiece for the table in the lanai ( screened in covered room ) we finally found it!  About a month ago at the Halifax farmer's market we saw a display of gorgeous kiln fired glass pieces.

We were particularly attracted to the trays of varying sizes.   They didn't have exactly what we wanted, but said they could make it for us.  The catch -  we would have to drive several hours back toward Lunenburg to the town of Chester to the main showroom.  Well, we did love it, but not THAT much we thought.

These were so adorable.  I read that they can make
these look like your own cat if you send them a picture!

Well, the weeks went by and we continued to stop at nearly every craft and gift shop along the way. Often we nearly missed the small signs on the side of the road, screeching the brakes as we wildly turned into the rutted lot.  We need a bumper sticker that reads " we brake for gift shops ".

Before long, we knew we lost our opportunity to finally fill that decorating void.  I just hated to go home from another big trip with only a couple of refrigerator magnets as mementos! Norm just hated stopping to browse yet another gift shop.

 I looked on the internet and realized this place was just an hour south of where we were now staying!  Another chance!  So after calling and making sure they were going to be open, ( we learned these creative types are often not in their studios or shops as advertised. ) we took another drive.

Sample of the work from Kiln Art in Chester, NS

 We arrived at the Chez Glass Lass  studio and we were just mesmerized by the rich, vibrant colors and unique designs!   I stumbled through the door feeling like I finally found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Dishes,plates, glasses, large ornamental bowls that were $1500 - $2000 (sorry, no thanks ) hanging pieces, candlesticks, and of course the trays of various sizes that we made the pilgrimage for, all beckoned.




Sharon,the creator of this beautiful artwork, took the time and explained that she uses crushed stain glass, or "frit"as if it were paint.  She said it was like painting with colored sand, and then it is kiln fired. Every piece is unique. I loved them all.

 Thankfully my friend, Kathy, had previously gone over to our house to take a picture of our very predominant painting that sat next to the dining table, so we now knew which colors would work the best. It is amazing how you can forget what your house looks like when you are gone this long.

Norm and I finally came to a decision and ordered a lovely glass tray with the perfect colored fish swimming across it.  We discussed at length what type of fish, how many, what direction they would be swimming in, types of grasses, etc.  I can't wait to see how it will come out!

After we left the showroom we shared a dish of homemade ice cream at a very quaint little shop, and headed back, all a-glow from our purchase ( and of course, the ice cream ).

Friday, July 26th 2013

One huge thing I failed to mention, is that my daughter Laura, is getting married!  She is expecting a baby in early November; she and her fiance Mike decided to make it official with a small but lovely ceremony on a mountain in the western part of Massachusetts!   I took a couple of days helping her make some of the wedding arrangements. Oh, the internet is such a marvelous thing! All the while I was working with the other grandmothers ( Mike's mom and Laura's step-mom ) to nail down the particulars for the baby shower next month. The baby will be so lucky to have 3 sets of grandparents to spoil him/her!

Because of this sudden, but wonderful news,we need to get back to Massachusetts a couple of weeks earlier than planned.  No problem, but the itinerary and reservations needed to be adjusted, and it took a bit of time.

On Friday we left Kentville and headed further west to Annapolis, Nova Scotia to our home for the next few days at Dunromin Campground in Grandville Ferry.

 It seemed like a nice enough place that was conveniently located. It had what appears to be the prerequisite pool and playground and what seemed like a very popular little restaurant (none of which we used).

We quickly set up and headed into Annapolis to see Victoria Heritge Gardens.  All the tour groups go here, so we hoped it would be good.  After seeing Bouchart Gardens in

Norm found further evidence that his family was here
in 1671 

Victoria, British Colombia, nothing compares.

 We meandered around and just by chance saw a small very old dwelling with a plaque with the list of families that were in the census of 1671, and the Belliveau family was included.  That was pretty neat. We then headed across the bay to Port Royal to check out the spot where Norman's ancestors first came to this continent from France in 1644.

Reconstruction of Port Royal settlement that was
originally built circa 1605

Port Royal is a reconstructed village of the first Acadian settlement that existed between 1605 and 1613, at which point it was destroyed by the British.  We enjoyed the people there in period costumes who explained the history of these French settlers, and we watched demonstrations on how they made wooden bowls and roof shingles.  It's always good to know, if we ever needed to build a hut in the woods, how to make the shingles!  Time consuming, but not too difficult, really.

One of the "settlers" demonstrating how to
make a wooden shingle

Norman brought his genealogical book that lays out the entire Belliveau family from when the first one arrived in North America in 1644 up to and including his children. There are over 20,000 Belliveau's spread across America listed in the book.

Norm was disappointed to learn that the "Port Royal" referred to in his book as the port of immigration of his ancestor was not the reconstructed place we were visiting.  Obviously it had been destroyed by the British thirty years earlier. What is now Annapolis Royal (back across the bay where we started today's journey) was previously called Port Royal as well.  But it seemed to lack any places of historical significance worth exploring so we moved on.




Saturday July 27th 2013

We rose to a very cold, windy and drizzly day but we headed out anyway to the local farmers market.  I think of the old "hunter-gatherers" of centuries past and wonder how hard it must have been for them to forage for meat' fish and berries.

We found some great local blueberries ( $3.00 qt ) and enough greens to get us by while we are in the National Park, which is our next stop.

Farmers Market in Annapolis, Nova Scotia

After lunch Norm and I played golf at the Digby Pines Golf Course, which was on his list of "must plays".

 It was still dreary out, but the weather forecast promised unlimited sun in the afternoon.

 Well, I have to tell you. We have never played on a course with so much standing water on it!  We had to keep the golf carts on the cart paths, so we had to continuously walk back and forth to our balls ( which always landed on the far side of the fairway ), sloshing through water many inches deep! It was easy to find your ball by the huge SPLASH it caused when landing!
A couple of times I found mine sitting in 6 inches of water!  No extra yards gained from bouncing and rolling on this course!

Sprouted Beans!  What a find at the farmers market!
They are one of the most nutritious foods known.

 It was a highly rated course, and I am sure it would have been more pleasant if we hadn't felt like a couple of ducks.

By the time we finished it was after 6:00PM so we went to dinner to sample the famous Digby Scallops,and they were fabulous.  The rest of the seafood dinner was just ok, but the highlight was definitely the large, succulent scallops!  Right off the boat, and perfectly cooked.





We returned to the campsite to witness "Christmas in July" and saw Santa on a golf cart driving away yelling "HO HO HO! "  Several of the campers were decorated in the wintertime holiday fashion.  Wierd.

Day 43 - Blomidon Provincial Park

  

Wednesday July 24, 2013

The weather is once again overcast with periods of rain.  Last night we were advised by the gentleman at dinner ( who owns the local Outdoor gear store, so in our book is a credible source ) that if was overcast, hike the Blomidon trails and skip Cape Split.( Both are known for their spectacular views) because it would be socked in with fog.

So off we went with our gear and picnic lunch, and headed to the coast, and to Blomidon Provincial Park as advised, to do some hiking.

  This is during a full moon period,
and tides are running 3 feet below sea level at low tide.

Unfortunately our hike took too long, and we did not return at high tide.
Note the dark water mark on the pier to see just how high the tide got.
It went from low, to high and back down this far in 4 hours!  Wow!

Norm hiking along the beach at Blomidon Provincial Park.
Note the red cliffs. 

 We stopped so I could take a picture of fishing boats left high and dry at low tide.

The Bay of Fundy  is said to have the world's highest tides.  What that means is that there is a 50 foot difference in the height of the tide from low to high.   This is five times higher than typical tides on the rest of the Atlantic Coast!  The water drains right out of the harbor and comes back in on a rush of water, almost like a mini tsunami reaching 3 feet in height, creating with it, whirlpools and rapids!  There are all kinds of "tidal bore" adventure activities in the Bay of Fundy, which I really wanted to do, but as vacation time nears its end, and the weather "unsettled" at best, I will just have to miss that adventure this time.

Where we want to hike is socked in the fog!
So eerie! But beautiful

 As we continued on up the mountain, it got foggier, and foggier.  By the time we reached the top, we could hardly see past the hood of the car.  Darn! No views here!

We drove back to the bottom and climbed down to the beach to take advantage of the low tides while we were able walk the beach and marvel at these amazing red cliffs. There were many signs warning people to watch the incoming tide carefully, because at this particular place, it rises VERY quickly, perhaps trapping folks.  Not good.

 Norm had the great idea to keep an eye on a large rock that was about 15 feet from the water's edge.  Well, within 10 minutes, the rock was underwater! That information suggested we not dawdle any longer, and get off the beach. This tide is REALLY fast!

We stopped and spoke with a number of people, some of whom were Rock Hunters. They shared their stories of local rock hunting, and how they create jewelry from the agates, jaspers, quartz and other crystals that abound at this beach.  They shared where the best rocks are found, but Norm didn't seem too interested, so I will have to add that to my Bucket List of things to do. I would love to find a stone and have it made into a piece of jewelry.

Future jewelry from the trunk of
a Rock Hunter 

Norm and I walked the beach and marveled at how fast the tide actually does come in here, and how easily the careless could get in serious trouble being stranded.  We thought we would drive up the mountain try to hike to see the fabulous views of the Fundy Bay again.  The fog must have cleared up there by now.....  well, no it didn't, but we were very determined.  We thought that if we hiked through the woods for several miles, then come out at the coast, perhaps the fog would have lifted by then.

Believe it or not, this is a "look-off".  All we could
see was white!

 

We trudged along, sometimes in the rain, anxiously awaiting that first, and highest, look-out.  We found the platform, but beyond it was an endless white.

We continued on, stopping at each look-out, seeing nothing.

When we reached the end of the trail -  TA-DAH!  The sun was shining, and the air was clearing! Figures!

The fog is beginning to finally lift, but I didn't have
the energy to climb back up the mountain to see
what we imagined would be a phenomenal view.

People sure love their gardens around here!
This yard was completely filled with lilies. 

I was able to take a few pictures, then we headed home, a couple of disappointed hikers. I am told the view we missed was one of the best of the Province!