Scratch one more item off the bucket list: visit Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy.
For years I wanted to see the Bay of Fundy, site of the world’s highest and lowest tides. During low tide you are literally walking on the ocean floor and fortunately, I was able to do so. Perhaps the most iconic place to see the low tides are the Hopewell Rocks, a mere 33 minutes from Moncton. En route I took a photo of the Moncton skyline. Compared to Toronto, it is a tiny city, but for me it’s just the right size as I am not one who cares for congested megacities.
Before leaving Moncton, I checked the tide schedule to determine the time of the lowest tide, which was around noon. So, I had a leisurely breakfast as to not arrive too early. I also made a brief stop to buy some souvenirs for my wife and stepdaughters. My goal was to explore Hopewell Rocks for an hour or two before moving on. The ride to Hopewell Rocks was pleasant, leisurely and full of nice scenery.
I arrived just in time to experience the low tide and walk around in the mud to take some photos. My relatively new and shiny boots were neither after walking along the shoreline.
I took far too many photo, but who cares, digital photos are practically free. I also shot some video footage that I will post later on. Fortunately there was some overcast which makes for nicely diffused lighting. During my walkabout, the tide continued to recede eventually reaching the lowest point around 12:40. It would have been really cool to see high tide when all the rocks are submerged.
High tide was e early evening and as much as it would be amazing to see the water rushing in, I had to be in Halifax for the night. A week to explore the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is a very aggressive schedule and that means sacrifices. The ride to my crappy hotel in Halifax was about 320kms from Hopewell Rocks. It was Labour Day weekend, so finding accommodations in Halifax proved to be a challenge. Virtually hotel and motel was booked solid and one had to choose between a few luxury rooms left priced over $300 CAD or one “budget” place at $120 per night, namely the thoroughly unspectacular Commons Inn. To make matters worse, the hotel was located in a less than desirable part of town and constant sirens and other street noises kept me awake all night. Moreover, every nearby restaurant was closed by 8 PM for Labour Day, so I settled for takeout pizza and there was nowhere in my tiny room to sit down and eat it.
It rained throughout the night and into the morning. One good thing about heavy rain is it washed off countless dead insects that clouded up my windshield. I waited until the rain stopped, around 11 am, I got back on the road to see more of Nova Scotia. I had no desire to explore Halifax as cities do not interest me. I’m far more at peace seeing the ocean, mountains and wide open spaces.
