August 31 - Hopewell Rocks - Bay of Fundy

Picture taken at around 11:00am.

This shot was taken later, at just past 1pm.

This was 1:45, at the highest tide.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site in New Brunswick. They stand 40–70 feet tall.

They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near Moncton. Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. However, it is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide.^{[Note 1]}

The formations consist of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. After the retreat of the glaciers in the region following the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

The vast sediment planes in the basin in Fundy supports a variety of biological productivity. Various shorebirds are often seen flocking to nest and feed in the area. Visitors are advised to stay for a full tidal cycle to get a full appreciation of the tides and formations. Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 16 metres (52 ft) giving the Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world.

Signs like this one are common all around the Bay of Fundy to tell people what to expect. The tides times are also published on tourism brochures, restaurant menus and on black boards outside of stores, because they change every day. When here, besides checking the weather, you won't leave your hotel before checking the tides.  

Tips for visitors: check when the highest tide is going to be and try to get there two to three hours before it. That gives you time to walk around and explore before the water takes over. Also, try to hang out there till is high tide and see the difference. If you are adventurous (and don't have two little children with you), I suggest to go kayaking - obviously when it is high tide - as well.

Source: Tides of Fundy by the Fundy Guild at Fundy National Park 

 Tides are the periodic rise and fall of the sea caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the Earth. Fundy’s tides are the highest in the world because of an unusual combination of factors: resonance and the shape of the bay. The water in the Bay of Fundy has a natural resonance or rocking motion called seiche. You could compare this to the movement of water in a bathtub. Although the water in a bathtub sloshes from one end to the other and back again in a few seconds, it takes about 13 hours for the water in the bay to rock from the mouth of the bay to the head of the bay and back again. As the ocean tide rises and floods into the bay every 12 hours and 25 minutes, it reinforces the rocking motion. To imagine this, picture an adult giving a gentle push to a child on a swing. Just a very small push is required to keep the swing moving. Likewise the seiche in the bay is sustained by the natural resonance of the ocean tides. The bay’s shape and bottom topography are secondary factors contributing to Fundy’s high tides. The bay becomes narrower and shallower — from 130 m (426′) to 40 m (131′) — toward the upper bay, forcing the water higher up onto the shores.

Today was a special day around here. We were told that they were expecting the highest tide in a long time, perhaps ever. I tried to confirm that, but I haven't seen any articles about it. Anyway, it was pretty high in the end.  

The reasons are because of a 18 years cycle that came to a end, the supermoon, the rise of the ocean level globally, among other reasons. A local and Parks Canada employee said he's never seen the tight this high. They were expecting 46.6 feet high (14.2 meters) in some places.

A rare family shot to wrap up this incredible experience: walking on the ocean floor, just before the water reclaims its space.

While we were waiting the tide to go up we decided to walk around and had a beautiful surprise to find out that the sandpipers birds were around. These tiny little birds fly all the way from the Arctic to South America, running away from the winter (no kidding!). 

Between end of July and beginning of September they stop here at the Bay of Fundy to feed and gain energy for their long trip south. Here they eat little shrimps from the mud, double their size and get strong to fly south three days and three nights non-stop.

I could not capture the beauty of the birds flying together with my bad iphone 5 camera. 

They are brown on their backs and white on their belly, and when they move all together you get a sensational spectacle in the air.

Interesting CTV story here with video: 

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/bird-watchers-in-awe-of-thousands-of-semipalmated-sandpipers-on-n-b-beaches-1.2528009 

One of the many covered bridges around.

Since the weather was better and our $16 dollars pass to Cape Enrage was still valid - passes normally last two days - we decided to stop there again to see what the place is like without the heavy fog.  

This time we could walk to the lighthouse and this is the view from there.

Also, we could see people doing zipline right over the cliff and ocean. 

It looks cool. Maybe next time.

August 30 - Enrage and Fundy National Park

Foggy. That's how the day started at the Bay of Fundy. 

It was hard to see a few feet ahead. But still we headed to Cape Enrage.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Cape Enrage is the name given to the southern tip of Barn Marsh Island, an island located in Albert County, New Brunswick, roughly half way along the coastline between the villages of Riverside-Albertand Alma at the eastern entrance to Fundy National Park.

Accessible from Route 915, the island itself is surrounded by jagged sea cliffs that are often more than 50 metres (145 ft) high, and is separated from the mainland by a narrow tidal creek.

Cape Enrage derives its name from the large reef that extends south into Chignecto Bay, which causes the water off the point to become extremely violent, particularly at half tide when the reef is partially exposed and the water is moving quickly. 

We arrived there late in the morning, during high tide, so we were not able to walk on the beach.

This is the highest the water gets here at this point, enough to cover three steps of the stairs.

Scary!

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The oldest lighthouse on the New Brunswick mainland, dating from 1847, is located at Cape Enrage. The lighthouse itself has been automated and unmanned since the 1980s, but it has recently become a popular tourist destination, as a result of a concentrated effort by local students to renovate the property and run it as a summer project. In 2004, Frommer's travel guide listed it as one of the Best Views in Canada.

Too bad that we could not appreciate the view, but it was still a nice experience. The fog siren was on, which makes it an extremely loud visit.

One of the ladies who work there said: "Well, if there was no fog, there would not be lighthouse". True.

One corner of the area is dedicated to Inukshuks. 

Now,  ours is there as well.

The first photo was taken after, in Alma, when we were heading back to the National Park. The tide is high and you can see the boat in the water. I wanted to take this picture today (first, on left) to contrast with the one I took yesterday evening (second, on right), after the concert, when the tide was low and the boats were sitting on dry land.

The Fundy National park is incredibly beautiful, but here is one place we really recommend to spend some time at, especially during low tide: Point Wolfe.

The place is quiet and peaceful. 

The rocks are amazing and the beach is protected by forests. 

The girls loved to play with the thousands of snails sticking around.

I have never seen purple and green rocks before.

Picture from a covered bridge just leaving the Point Wolfe.

If you are visiting the park, consider going for a swim for free (the pool admission is part of the park's ticket of about $20 dollars a family) at the salty water swimming pool. I didn't go in but they told me the water was cold at first but "you get use to it". The pool is right there, facing the ocean. It was a nice way of closing out the day. 

August 29 - Quietest Concert Ever - Bay of Fundy

We could not be in a better place. This is the huge cottage that we rented with five other families. The New Horton Inn has six master bedrooms with a huge comma area - dinning room and living room - kitchen and an entertainment area in the basement. But it's the outside that got us. 

The kids could just run around catching grasshoppers or little frogs all day. 

The door were never locked and the sun shone all day long.

  

This was my favourite spot in the morning, on the balcony overlooking the pond. 

The best place to get Fifi's morning hugs as well. 

But the concert was the reason for all of us to be here at this time. We were kindly invited by our friend and neighbour Kai, who works at the CBC, to attend a very exclusive and unique musical event on the Bay of Fundy. One of Canada's most beautiful voice today, Serena Rider, was booked to perform at the Quietest Concert Ever.   

Our girls ready to rock!

It was a CBC and Parks Canada initiative and the organization was incredible. Everything happened as planned and went off without a hitch.

There were only a thousand tickets distributed across the country. All participants had to be at the entrance of the National Park at about lunch time and exchange their tickets for a bracelet.

After that, slowly but efficiently people were put into school buses to be driven to were the concert was going to happen, at Herring Cove.

There, tents were set up with local musicians, food and other entertainment while the stage was being built. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world. So, hours before the concert happened, people were kayaking where the stage was going to be set up. 

Once the tides were down, a team of people set up the stage in a few hours. Even a helicopter was used to drop of equipment and material to the concert. Everything was being shown by live feed while we were waiting.

Finally, at around 4pm, we were told that it was ok to go down to where the show was going to happen. Smoothly the hundreds of people started to go down the 155 steps to the water. 

This picture shows people on kayaks still on the water, but right after that, the tide was even lower and we could walk there. 

Basically, we were all standing on the bottom of the ocean floor. 

Headphones were given to the audience to listen to "the quietest concert ever" with no amplifiers. 

The muddy and salty bottom of the ocean.

Serena Rider arriving for the concert.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Serena Ryder (born December 8, 1982) is a Canadian musician. Born in Toronto, she grew up in Millbrook, Ontario. Ryder first gained national recognition with her ballad "Weak in the Knees" in 2007. An accomplished songwriter and musician, she also possesses a three-octave vocal range and is considered a mezzo-soprano. Her timbre has been described as slightly nasal with a raspy lower register.

It was definitely and incredible experience. It's hard to find words to describe it. The place was surreal, the idea of a quiet concert (with headphones) was original to me, and Serena was a class A artist. And to experience all that with the ones you love - with my beautiful 2 and 4 year old daughters, my lovely husband and fun friends - was just something that I will never forget.

Fifi took advantage of the quietest concert ever.

This is what the concert looked like, but without headphones it sounded very peaceful.

Unbelievable!!!

Right after, the crew worked really hard, against the clock to undo the stage. 

The tides here go from the lowest to the highest in 6 hours.

To complete this perfect day, a super red and delicious Maritime lobster. 

With hot garlic butter, of course!

August 28 - Toronto to Moncton

It's almost the end of the Canadian summer and our family is on the road again. This year we are staying in the country, taking advantage of an event invitation to get to know two provinces better that have already visited by Mike and I: New Brunswick and P.E.I. 

It was my first time flying out of the Toronto Island Airport (Billy Bishop Airport). I understand the resistance of some Torontonians against the noisy and not so environmentally friendly venue in the middle of already loud and polluted city, but the convenience is what makes this airport a first choice for people living or working downtown. Besides, the brand new building and its tunnel under the water make it an even more pleasant experience.

Juju getting ready to take off.

A couple of shots of beautiful downtown Toronto along Lake Ontario. 

The airport runway can be seen in the first picture.

Flying Porter was cool... and we got to drink out of a real glass cup! 

It's been a long time since I have seen a glass cup in a plane.

Fifi was fine drinking from a plastic bottle... and got a princess treatment getting out of the airplane.

About four hours after taking off - with a stop over in Ottawa - we were in Moncton, New Brunswick.

This is what Moncton's rush hour looks like.

Moncton is the closest city to the Bay of Fundy National Park, where the concert is going to happen. We drove an hour east to a small place called New Horton, closer to the Bay of Fundy National Park. There we met some friends and made new ones, all there for the CBC and Parks Canada event. 

The full moon was the best greeter, though.