Me in the Maritimes

This morning after a crappy breakfast I went to Hopewell Rocks, just a few minutes drive from the motel. Weather is not good, very grey and rain. Not the best for this walking excursion.

What are the Hopewell Rocks?

The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site in New Brunswick.

They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near Moncton, New Brunswick. Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. However, it is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide.

The formations consist of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. After the retreat of the glaciers in the region following the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

The vast sediment planes in the basin in Fundy support a variety of biological productivity. Various shorebirds are often seen flocking to nest and feed in the area. Visitors are advised to stay for a full tidal cycle to get a full appreciation of the tides and formations. Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 16 metres (52 ft) giving The Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world “The World’s Highest Tides”.

Actually when I went down as it was low tide, the weather became a bit better (although still far from good) and due to the fast retreat of the water it took not long that I was able to walk under and along the rocks. Great sight, although bit grey due to the weather.

On a good sunny day it can even look like this (taken from pictures at the museum), here you see also the tide difference:

After the rocks (also met some Dutch, actually the first in Canada) I went down south towards Saint Andrews. I followed the Fundy Coastal route and passed the Fundy National Park, where I did some hiking, actually climbing stairs down to and up from the water.

Leaving the Fundy National Park I called John and Shelley, owners of and sellers of lots at Mariner’s Reach. The weather during the ride was getting worse and worse, with thunder and lightning all over. I found their house (due to good directions from Shelley) very easily and was welcomed very warmly in their just finished house on top of the cliffs. Got a tour through the house and we had a long and nice talk, also about the available lots. Due to the weather we decided I will come back tomorrow, it was just too bad. But great start and a very nice couple.

From there it took me almost half an hour to get to the very beautiful Rossmount Inn, I have staid in worse places :-), but that is an understatement, it is great.

it is also fully booked, that is also nice for a change, as many motels, hotels, B&B are still rather empty.

I ended by having a lobster dinner in Saint Andrews, very nice town with many restaurants.

Tomorrow back to Mariner’s Reach and possibly to Campobello Island.