Monday, July 12—Day 15
We sleep in a bit this morning then have a nice breakfast looking out over rainy Alma and the Bay of Fundy. After breakfast I do the dishes and the girls go out to pet the horses a few more times before we leave for Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick.
We decide to take the scenic route to Hopewell Rocks even through it will add about 30 minutes to our trip. We see several little towns and ranches with cattle grazing as we drive along the coast. We stop briefly to see one of New Brunswick's famous covered bridges just as a group of about 15 horseback riders come through the bridge.
We reach Hopewell Rocks about 11:00 a.m. and go into the interpretation center. The center explains not only how the striking geological formations at Hopewell Rocks came to be, but also gives a wonderful explanation of how the shifting of the continents, early volcanic activity, and advancing and receding glaciers created the Bay of Fundy and the Appalacian Mountains that stretch from Georgia in the U.S. to the northeastern tip of Newfoundland.
We spend almost an hour reading through the displays before beginning the walk along the cliffs to see the "flowerpot" rocks and the incredible four storey tidal shift. The first thing that strikes us when we see the Bay of Fundy is the muddy water. Because the tides are so dramatic in the Bay of Fundy, the mud and sand at the bottom of the bay are constantly stirred up, so the water is never clear. One hundred billion tons of water flow in and out of the bay at each tide change.
We arrive at the flowerpot formations while the tide is rising. At low tide you can walk on the mud around the flowerpots, but, to be honest with you, I'm really glad we didn't arrive in time to tromp through the mud. We see people in the large rinsing area trying to wash and scrape off the dark red mud. Hilary and Olivia would have been covered in mud from head to toe had they walked on the bottom of the bay. I would have had to strip off clothes and through away their clothes!
We observe the kayakers paddling around the flowerpot formations, talk with one of the naturalist about the flora and fauna of the region and then head to the hotdog stand for a quick lunch. Walking back to
the parking lot we make a quick visit to the gift shop and then we hit the road to Prince Edward Island.
On the way to the Confederation Bridge, which we will cross to reach Prince Edward Island, we pass through Moncton, New Brunswick. Moncton is a small city surrounded by agricultural areas. We pass through the downtown and are impressed by how clean it is and how the city planners have managed to artfully meld the old architecture with the new architecture. On the eastern side of Moncton we pass through fields of corn and wheat and encounter many miles of road repair. The winters are tough on the roads here, and repair work can only be done in the short summer months.
Just before we reach the Confederation Bridge we enter the 1700-acre Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area. At the base of the bridge alongside the Northumberland Strait is the Cape Jourimain Nature Center. We stop to get a good picture of the bridge and are pleasantly surprised by the marvelous nature center.
We watch a movie showing the construction of the Confederation Bridge and then walk through the "Tale of Two Islands" exhibit with its amazing life-sized bird carvings and information displays. Olivia settles in at the controls of the bird migration display, which has a 20 by 10-foot wall of lighted bird pictures and interactive audio questions and answers. She spends more than 30 minutes listening to the audio about each bird that lives in or migrates through the Northumberland Strait.
Olivia and I walk through the life-sized bird displays and are awed by the beautiful carved wood birds. We see many birds we are familiar with, but also learn about some birds we've never heard of before. One of the birds is the black-backed seagull. It is the largest seagull and is easily twice the size of the seagulls we are accustomed to in California. We also see carvings of the great blue heron and loon.
The nature center also has many working displays of green technology (including green bathrooms!). Marshal and Hilary ride a stationary bike and make lamps light up, fans blow, and radios and TVs work. There are different kinds of solar cells and a large windmill powering various parts of the center. After about an hour at the center we prepare to cross the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island.
The Confederation Bridge is a spectacular sight. It stretches 12.9 km (8 miles) across the Northumberland Strait from New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. Construction on the bridge started in 1993 and it was completed in the spring of 1997 at a cost of $1.3 billion (Canadian). The company that built the bridge has a 35 year contract to collect the tolls from the bridge. Approximately 4000 vehicles cross the bridge each day. Prior to the construction of the bridge the only access to Prince Edward Island was the ferry and flights into Charlottetown. The tallest section of the bridge is 197 feet above the water, which is high enough to allow the sea-going ships to pass through without difficulty. The piers that hold up the bridge are 820 feet apart and are specially designed to break up the ice the floes in the Northumberland Straight in the winter. It takes us about 12 minutes to cross the bridge to Prince Edward Island.
Prince Edward Island is beautiful with its rolling hillsides covered with corn and potato fields. We also see wheat crops. Oh, and potatoes. Dairy herds graze peacefully under the golden evening sun. And there is a field of potatoes. Lush green-red beets grow along the road. And, surprise, there is a field of potatoes. A large plot of carrots appears just over the top of the hill. And did I mention a field of potatoes? Yes, potatoes are king on Prince Edward Island. The unofficial provincial song is "Bud the Spud" and is sung with great fervor across the province.
It takes about an hour to get across Prince Edward Island to Cavendish. We check into the Anne Shirley Motel and then go out to dinner. After dinner we go to Prince Edward Island National Park to see the red cliffs that Lucy Maud Montgomery writes about in the Anne of Green Gables books. It is quite hot and we hope that the cool air blowing in off the ocean will cool us down.
The red cliffs are lovely, especially in the late evening light. We decide to walk along the beach and watch the sunset. Watching the sun set over the Gulf of
St. Lawrence is fascinating because the gulf is really part of the Atlantic Ocean. Being from the west coast, we're used to seeing the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, so watching the sun sink in the Atlantic Ocean is unusual.
We stay at the beach until the sun has dipped into the ocean and then climb back up the red cliffs to the car. We drive along the ocean enjoying the fading light. Returning to the hotel we slip under the covers for a good night's sleep because tomorrow we will be visiting Avonlea Village!
that was gr8! I luv ur pictures!
ReplyDelete