Days 58 and 59 Hopewell Rocks

Thursday, August 8th

Hopewell Rocks, St. Martins, NB

The landscapes of Canada are many and varied.  Each National Park protects a sample of one.

The Fundy National Park’s charm, in part, are its massive tides.  These tide changes influence the climate here, making conditions perfect for the coastal rain forest. They call this magical place the “fog forest”.  We have witnessed it several times as it silently creeps in and out, blocking the sun and any chance of a view, then retreating to reveal staggering beauty.

Throngs of tourists admire the rock formations at Hopewell Rocks in
St. Martins, New Brunswick at low tide

So today we decided to get in the car and check out more “ must see “ attractions.

 We assumed we would be bored by the famous Hopewell Rocks. After all, what's yet another rock formation. This natural attraction is all about low tide.

People come in swarms during the window of time around the time that the bay empties of water.  At this time you can walk 2km ( or 1.2miles) of “ocean floor”  admiring the vertical sandstone formations or coves, carved by the violent tides,that hours later will disappear under water.   There are several formations with trees on top that are called “flower pot rocks”.

Some kids got really muddy.

Norm and I were pleasantly surprised by the magnitude of these rocks.  Had we known just how interesting they would be, we would have paid more attention to the tide schedule and given ourselves more time to explore the caves, nooks and crannies.  Fortunately, luck and the tide were with us,and we were able to get a taste of what it is all about.  We did not feel there was a need to return at high tide, however, which is highly recommended.

 Instead we drove into Moncton and did a few errands then took all the small scenic roads on the return trip back to camp.

Friday, August 9^th 2013

Rain, rain go away.  We awakened to some serious drizzle.  Almost rain, but finer. You could discribe it as a "wet fog" almost. Back in Florida we don't seem to get this heavy mist.  There it seems like it is either raining, or not. Very often pouring so hard it bounces a foot off the pavement.  It rains really hard up here in the Maritines, believe me.  But I love this misty stuff.  Has to be good for your complexion; The woman in England have lovely skin. 

There was a highly recommended hike along a streambed that led to several waterfalls which we were determined not to let a heavy mist keep us from.  We dragged out the heavy duty rain gear – pants, boots, jackets, and even a rain cover for the back packs.  We packed the lunches, binoculars and  2 cameras.  It had started to rain in earnest as we got in the car, and after driving a couple of miles we heard the crack of lightning.  Well, THAT changed our minds in a hurry!  We went back “home” and hunkered down for the rest of the day. 

At night we took advantage of a very lovely free concert that was moved to the town’s community center due to the horrendous weather.  They were a lovely group of 4, playing guitar and singing. We thought the woman in the group had a particularly good voice.