July 22, 2008

July 22, 2008

Despite the gloomy outlook we are getting very little rain today. Yeah! From Nova Scotia we are making our way around the very long Bay of Fundy to its north shore in New Brunswick for our last leg back into the US. It is lunchtime and we are hungry. Lobster is cheap and plentiful in the Maritimes. So much so even the fast food joints serve it. McLobster, believe it or not. Opting for a slightly healthier fare we stop at Subway for their version of the Lobster sandwich.

After lunch we make a detour to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. This is a popular spot to observe the highest tides in the world. We arrive in time to see the high water mark and walk a path following the cliffside. Scattered along the shore below are pillar-like rock formations sticking out of the water. They would be more impressive if the Bay of Fundy wasn’t so chocked full of mud it looks like chocolate milk. The tide goes in and out every six hours with about a 40-foot difference here. That translates to the sea level rising and falling over 6 feet an hour. Pretty fast but still like watching paint dry. The tides are higher than normal in Fundy because of the long narrowing channel of the Bay. The length amplifies the tidal wave like water sloshing in a bathtub. We spend the night at a private RV park next door so we can come back in the morning and see low tide.