Canada Day 7: August 6, 2010

                      

                              

                              

It was still misty and foggy when we got up today.  We decided that we were not leaving until we rode the bikes on the trails in the marshes.  Fantastic decision!  We followed part of the Atlantic View Trail to Lawrencetown Beach, then took the Salt Marsh Trail through Cole’s Harbor.  Both trails are part of the Trans-Canada path that runs throughout the entire country.  The trails were awesome!  We rode about 20km roundtrip on well-maintained gravel paths over salt marshes and bridges through Cole’s Harbor on what use to be the railroad bed.  There were lots of wildflowers and different birds in the marshes along the way, and a huge rabbit crossed out path.  The weather was even sunny for bit the further we got from the beach.  It was a beautiful ride…something Joe and I both wished we had at home.  Reminded us of Plum Island a bit and it even had a slight resemblance to the Dike in Quincy, but it was much bigger, beautiful, and we were actually able to ride out on the marsh.  Canada certainly seems to be making some progress in regard to developing bike paths for its residents to enjoy.  Wish the U.S. would do the same!

After a good pancake and eggs breakfast, and a long chat with Murray about everything from traveling, SwissAir, and his former job as a bus driver, we packed up the car and set off for our last destination, Bay of Fundy.  The four hour drive was uneventful primarily because Lauren and I slept through a good portion of it. 

Once in New Brunswick, we passed through the Moncton and on to Hopewell Rocks.  There you can see the drastic difference between high and low tides in the Bay of Fundy.  We arrived just after 4pm, about 30 minutes after the low tide.  We were able to walk out on the ocean floor at the Flowerpot Rocks, where huge rocks shaped by the erosion from the tides towered above us.  Took lots of neat pictures with these interesting rocks and a cave, and walked out along shore of the Bay of Fundy for nearly two hours.  One of the most fascinating parts was watching the speed of the tide coming in.  We found a spot to stand about 4-5 ft. from the water, and timed how quickly the tide would come in.  It generally took less than 8 minutes.  We even noticed a big difference in the amount of land we could walk on when we first arrived compared to when we left.  One bonus was the bald eagle we saw here while we were watching the tide.

From Hopewell Rocks, we drove about 45min. to our campsite at Point Wolfe Campground in Fundy National Park.  We got a decent spot in a semi-wooded area and set up our tents just in time before sundown.  Chris cooked up the remaining burgers and quesadillas we had left along with some buttered noodles for dinner and got the fire going.  Unfortunately, the skies opened up right after dinner and we got a good passing rainstorm.  After throwing everything in the car, we played a game of Scrabble in Laur & Chris’ tent so Chris could defend his title.  Then it was time for bed for one more night.