WHERE TIME AND TIDE WAITS FOR NO ONE

The picturesque village of Alma, 85 km southwest of Moncton, New Brunswick is located on the doorstep of the expansive Bay of Fundy National Park.

About halfway between Moncton and Alma lies the unusual site of Hopewell Rocks, an ideal place to witness the dramatic tidal action of the Bay of Fundy and worth two separate visits to experience both high and low tide. We arrived for low tide which provided the opportunity to walk on the ocean floor.  A goopy consistency, the rich chocolate coloured mud squelched nosily underfoot.  

The unusual “flower pot” rock formations rise from the ocean floor with vegetation thriving on their upper outcrops.  Studying the rocks it seemed each one had an image ingrained – one was remarkably like a bear, its ears and snout protruding from the monolith.  Another resembled the face of a Star Wars storm trooper.

At the top of the cliff ramp and its metal staircase down to the beach, a series of water hoses awaited to blast away the sticky mud that stubbornly clung to the soles of our shoes and had spattered up the back of our legs.  Some of the children on the beach had enthusiastically embraced this muddy world, much to the chagrin of their parents.  Hoses at the ready!

Checking our tide schedule we returned the next morning at high tide.  The landscape we had explored the previous afternoon was now submerged, including part of the metal staircase.  The flower pot rock formation was living up to its name, resembling floating clay pots full of vegetation in what was a 39 foot high tide.  Tides can be as high as 50 feet.

Leaving Hopewell Rocks we drove through the countryside passing hamlets quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  The old covered bridges along the way, framed by swaying grass and avenues of silver birch provided a landscape ready to be painted.

Back in Alma we spent the afternoon hiking one of the trails in the Bay of Fundy National Park.  

A two hour hike through tree roots and undergrowth, the sounds of the ocean, singing birds and squeaking chipmunks made us feel we were definitely at one with nature.  We were happy when other hikers passed us and reassured us we were on the right path.  Parks Canada has a fun policy of placing a pair of red Adirondack chairs as trail markers.  We took advantage of the chairs on this trail for a water stop and took in the view of the rows of lobster pots that stretched out neatly in the Bay.

Reunited with our car, we left the Park and made a stop at Alma’s harbour. 

Low tide had arrived again and the familiar site of colourful fishing boats immobilized, lying lopsidedly on the harbour bottom provided yet another photo opportunity as we smiled at some of the vessel names.

A nearby pub was doing a healthy trade, although we were drawn to its well worn clapboard exterior and the profusion of summer bursting in all directions from a series of colourful window boxes.

With our “exercise bank” weighing heavily on the credit side after an active day we returned to The Octopus’s Garden on Alma’s main street for a second evening.  The homemade pasta some of the best we’ve ever enjoyed.  The Fundy scallops a close second.