Well there is a stark difference between my last post and this one, particularly in the temperature department. That is because a lot has transpired since those snowy days in February. For one, Chris' project in Massachusetts ended at the end of December, hence our week long ski trip to the mountains of Vermont and a nice month getaway back home to Texas. And around the beginning of May, we traded in the Masshole title for a much more civilized one: Mainiac. We are now in the easternmost state in the US!
After a good month of settling in and unpacking the (not so) tiny home, I was eager to start exploring! With Memorial weekend around the corner, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to go to New Brunswick (since we are about an hour from the Canadian border) with our friend, Jorge, and witness a phenomenon unique to the Bay of Fundy.
So here begins our Fundy Sunday Funday and Monday in New Brunswick, Canada~
Now, not to say Friday and Saturday weren't fun, the weather just wasn't optimal for outdoor activities.
So once we all met up in Saint John, we had dinner downtown followed by drinks at two very hip lounges, Hopscotch Whisky Bar serving tasty whisky concoctions and Five & Dime featuring local microbrews and spinning old school vinyls. On Saturday we made our way up to Moncton for more food, drinks and relaxation before our Sunday festivities.
The reason I wanted to go to New Brunswick in the first place is because I had heard about the Bay of Fundy, where 160 BILLION tonnes of seawater flow in and out twice a day, making it the highest tide zone in the world. That is more than all of the freshwater rivers combined on the entire planet. The best place to view these tidal ranges is Hopewell Rocks, where you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide and return six hours later (or the next day in our case) to see an entirely new seascape at high tide.
After our morning getting nice and muddy at Hopewell Rocks, we made our way to Fundy National Park for an afternoon sea kayaking excursion. It felt great to get out on the water and explore the coastline of this beautiful UNESCO Biosphere Reserve while learning about the history and ecology of the bay.
We ended our afternoon with a wild goose chase for waterfalls in Fundy National Park, where we mutually decided we'd had enough exercise and decided to just enjoy the views from the car. We came across a beautiful covered bridge, an owl, a ring-necked pheasant, a lighthouse and a very interesting looking tree.
The next morning, we said goodbye to Jorge as he flew home. We only had one plan for the day, which was to return to Hopewell Rocks for high tide. With quite a bit of time until then, we casually made our way, stopping at art studios and interacting with the locals (including the furry kind) and whatever else caught our eyes.
One of our stops was to a very eclectic looking barn and farmhouse art studio. When we arrived, the husband-wife artistic duo were so friendly, they gave us a tour of their home, where they had practically made the 100 year old farmhouse into a piece of art. They had a dog, a cat, chickens, a parrot and a sheep named Dodge that they let us feed. They even had a red-neck hot tub that they actually use! We didn't take pictures inside the house, because we didn't want to be weird, but it was such a neat experience getting to know the two and their very eccentric style.
After our time at Hopewell Rocks for high tide, we made the four hour trek home, with one last stop to witness the 'reversing rapids' on the Saint John River. While taking photos of the water, a car pulled up and a young man in fishing boots hopped out and told us of another place on the river that was good for taking photos of the rapids. He and his parents ended up being so nice and showed us the way, and while we talked some more at that spot, they took us to another great spot for photos, the Martello Tower dating back to the War of 1812 that overlooks the city and bay.
We had such a great time exploring the coast of the Bay of Fundy with our friend Jorge who is always up for a spontaneous adventure and meeting the nicest people along the way. It was Sunday funday (and Monday) for the books!
~Our treasures from the trip include a super stylish handmade birdhouse from the Bird Garden, an old medicine bottle and petrified wood given to us by the lovely artist couple from the farmhouse, and a fly from that friendly Saint John local for Chris to try out in our Maine rivers, thanks Matt!~
