July 25, 2017

The Flowerpots

We both had a good nights sleep and despite the strenuous hike yesterday, we feel pretty good. It rained last night and was supposed to rain this morning but when we look outside it is cloudy but no rain. We decide to drive up the road to Hopewell Rocks Park and hope for the best with the weather. We get there just after 0800 with low tide scheduled for 0820. It is a half mile walk to the steps that go down the cliff side to the beach. Hopewell Rocks is in the Bay of Fundy which has some of the highest tidal shifts in the world with the difference between low and high tide reaching 50 feet. There is a 3 hour window where it is safe to walk on this beach and after that the tide will cover the whole beach area with 15-20 feet of water.

Kids Love Mud

That is not the only thing of interest here. The tides have carved a series of sea caves, arches and just some funky sea stacks. We walk down several flights of stairs and then are on the beach among the water sculpted rock fantasyland. There are rocks that inspire the imagination. Several of them have plant life and trees growing on their tops. Others are thinning at sea level and seem like they could topple over at any time. We watch some kids whose parents put them in rain boots, stomping around in the tidal mud flats. It looks like fun but I restrain myself. We walk a little more than a half mile along the beach before the rock sculptures give way to a broad plain of shriveled streams and miles of muddy sea floor. We can notice the tide difference in just the hour and a half we have been here. We climb back up to the top of the cliffs and visit the interpretive center. It explains that the Bay of Fundy narrows as it goes inland and that causes the rising tide to be squeezed. That is part of the reason the tidal difference is so high here.

We drive back to our hotel and have egg and cheese omelets for brunch with some Challa bread toast that Father Ron gave us when we left Vermont. We have a small kitchenette in this room and Carol makes the best of it. Having skipped breakfast this morning, we really enjoy the satisfying meal. We decide that we should just relax for a few hours and then walk around town. We go out at 2 o’clock to catch the high tide at the town dock and local river. Later, we plan on returning at low tide for some before and after pictures. Alma is quite small and it doesn’t take long for us to check out some restaurants, a gift shop, and see the tide. We go back to the room and sit on the small patio and enjoy an ice cold beer. I also download pictures for the website and we rearrange our vehicle to be packed more efficiently making the items we need the next few weeks more accessible.

Chow Down

By the time we finish we take a walk back to town to eat dinner. We return to the Alma Lobster Shop where I enjoy another big lobster and Carol switches it up with a lobster roll and baked potato. Once again I enjoy my meal immensely. Back to our room we walk and then I post the last two days journals and we enjoy some chocolate wine on the patio. We finish our day with Carol doing some packing (her choice) while I go back to check out the dock at low tide. It is amazing the difference. The boats that were at dock level now sit on the sea floor 25 feet below the dock. Check out the pictures below to see the difference with your own eyes. That is all for today. Tomorrow we head into Nova Scotia with some sights to see along the way.

Expenses                                                                                                                                      Hopewell Rocks Admission 20 CAD                                                                                Lobster Dinners 46.80 CAD                                                                                                         Bay View Motel 107 CAD                                                                                                             Walked 5 Miles