Blast From The Past – Hi and Lo at the Bay of Fundy

Day 2.5 – 1000 km. Heading towards the Bay of Fundy Park.

The tides were low all the way to the bay and the rivers were empty.

The rock formations at the Bay of Fundy Park are beautiful.  There are prk employees called ‘tide sweepers’ in yellow vests everywhere to make sure that  everyone leaves before the tide comes in. It comes in at a rate of one foot every six minutes. That’s fast.

There are 2 lows and 2 highs per day and the cycle is 12.4 hours so the time is slightly different every day.

A Mik’maq legend explains how these rocks were formed. The giant whales that lived in the bay enslaved the Mik’maq and when they tried to escape, the angry whales turned them into stone as punishment for running away.

Another legend involves a monster that enslaved the Mik’maq and sent them to catch porpoises. When they tried to escape, the monster turned them into stone.

Two versions of a similar story. We couldn’t help but think of the biblical story of Lot’s wife who turned into a column of salt.  Oh, and also the flood. Maybe this is the elusive garden of Eden.

Still low tide…you can see Tony amongst the tourists, walking on the ocean’s floor.

Some things the tide left behind

and the water looks like chocolate milk.

Now for high tide:

One of the empty rivers. Now pretty full.

The bay. Ditto.

the rocks

We didn’t wait to see the tide go as high as it could, but it was still impressive.

some of the rocks partly submerged.

All sorts of creatures used to live in this place and you can see some of them in the Bay of Fundy Geological Museum.

The father of confederation’s house is around the corner and there’s a museum for that as well.

More Lupines.

Next, a short detour to PEI.

40 thoughts on “Blast From The Past – Hi and Lo at the Bay of Fundy

  1. Ab says:

    Looked like a wonderful day out. Are those the Hopewell Rocks pictured in your post? If so, I’ve visited them as well although I don’t remember the Bay of Fundy part. Too long ago. 😆

    The tides coming in and out are cool. I’ve only seen them during low tide but I’ve seen photos of people kayaking during high tide.

    What a nice trip down memory lane!

  2. kagould17 says:

    We loved our visits to Hopewell Rocks, especially when the kids were young. We never stayed long enough to see the tide come in, but have watched Fundy’;s ebb and flow from other points. Have a great week. Allan

  3. petespringerauthor says:

    The legends were great. I enjoyed reading about them. I’m struck not only by the geology but by the notion that trees can grow in some of the most unusual places.

  4. Lookoom says:

    You had the chance to walk on the ocean floor, when I arrived the tide was coming in so I couldn’t go down, and waiting for 12 hours was not very tempting. Thank you for your presentation, it confirms that it is worth it.

  5. Rebecca says:

    Those rock formations (under which you can go) remind me somewhat of those at El Matador Beach in Malibu. It really is a lot of fun going under the rocks to get closer to the tides…but also knowing when it’s safe to do so without getting washed away!

  6. WanderingCanadians says:

    The rock formations at Hopewell Rocks are beautiful. It’s crazy how quickly the tide can come in and that’s great to hear that there are tide sweepers to ensure no one gets swept out to sea.

  7. viewfromoverthehill says:

    I’ve never been to the Bay of Fundy, so I was thrilled with this post. What a beautiful world we live on. What a shame we have damaged it so much. Thank you for sharing the beauty you’ve seen. Surely your readers will cherish what we have more because of you. Muriel

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