Fundy Trail Parkway

One day, while staying in St. Martins, New Brunswick, we decided to head out and explore the Fundy Trail Parkway.  The Parkway runs along the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides (the highest officially measured was a 71 foot difference between low and high tide) in the world.  Our explorations today were limited to one side of the Bay of Fundy, and unfortunately, the timing of the tides was such that we didn’t get to see the tide actually coming in or going out – just the after effects.

Boats on the Hard

When we started out, we drove by the little harbor in town when it was low tide.  We got to see boats “on the hard”.  Jeff explained that what sometimes happens is that a wooden structure sits below the water (at high tide) on the floor of the bay so that when the tide goes down, the boat rests upright on the wooden structure.  If this structure isn’t there, the boats will rest unevenly on the floor of the bay, and if tide comes in while the boat is at the wrong angle, the boat could be swamped and end up sinking.

The Caves at Low Tide

Just down the road from the harbor is an area known simply as The Caves.  It’s an area where we could get a first-hand feel for the difference in the tide here on the Bay of Fundy.  These images were taken at almost, but not quite, the lowest tide.  If it was the lowest tide, there would be no water rivulets running between us and The Caves.  As it was, altho the water looks very shallow, it was deep enough to totally cover our shoes.  Not deep, but deep enough that we didn’t want to wade thru it.

Looking Out from The Caves

When I turned around from The Caves, I saw this really pretty “shoreline” view looking out.  The rolling terrain was very gentle and at this time, it was sort of hard to believe that this would be under some significant water later in the day.

The Caves at High Tide

When we finished our exploring for the day, we stopped back at The Caves to check them out at high tide.  I don’t know if this image does justice to the difference in the tide.  The water would most definitely be way over my head, if I were so silly to try to swim out to them.  However, the incoming tide would absolutely not let me get there.  Also, the cold waters of the Bay (coming from the North Atlantic Ocean) would probably do me in!

The Views Along Fundy Parkway

There were a number of fabulous sights to see along the Parkway, and these are two of them.  We were always up high on the bluff or cliff, so the views were quite dramatic!  Thank goodness the weather gods cooperated with us today!

Fuller Falls Flowing

This waterfall is really quite pretty, but I wasn’t able to get down to the bottom of it without climbing down some sort of rope ladder with pieces of wood periodically placed in it as, I think, steps.  Maybe if I were 30 years younger and had a more flexible body, I might have tried it.  But, then, probably not.  Even 30 years ago, I don’t think my body could withstand a misstep that might cause a drop of perhaps 30-40 feet!!

Lunch View of Nova Scotia

At lunchtime, we stopped for a picnic at a place that had a pretty nice view of the Bay.  And, across the Bay lay Nova Scotia.  You can barely see it – it’s the faint blue horizon line above the lighter color of the water.  It gives you an idea of how big the Bay of Fundy is.

Big Salmon River Suspension Bridge

Our final stop on our exploration on this day (before we turned back toward the campground) was at the Big Salmon River.  It flows into the Bay of Fundy.  And, when we walked down a little path, we came to this great suspension bridge!  There wasn’t really anything on the other side of the river, but Jeff enjoyed bouncing me on the bridge as I tried to take some photos of the river itself.  As he reminds me, deep down inside, he’s 12!

Big Salmon River

When he stopped bouncing me long enough, I did manage this really nice image of the Big Salmon River.  I loved the way it meanders out of the forest, and how clear the water is.  The rocks are so pretty!

Big Salmon Flowing into Bay of Fundy

Here’s the view of the Big Salmon River from walking along the path to and from the suspension bridge.  I can’t decide which view I like better – emerging from the forest, or this view of the water making its way into the Bay. 

Enjoy!