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more about New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island that were both along the way, I decided to investigate
them a little more closely. My first night in New Brunswick, I stayed in a town called Fredericton. It is the
capital city of this Province and the second largest in population. A pleasant surprise along the way to
Fredericton was River Road. This road, which travels along the Saint John River for quite a ways, was very
beautiful. Between the rolling hills, picturesque farms, deep blue skies broken up by various pure white cloud
formations and the meandering river, it was about as close to perfection as one could imagine. All along I was
playing classical music as I drove, so the effect of a new incredible vista around every bend in the road or
sneaking up over every hill top along with the ebb and flow of the music was incredible.
I found a Comfort Inn on the edge of town and settled in around 7pm. I grabbed a quick dinner at a Pizza
Hut nearby. This was a mistake.
Wednesday, September 3: I didn’t spend too much time in Fredericton. It didn’t seem to have too much there
to interest me. I did have breakfast at a Pancake House located next to Norm’s Butcher Block on Route #640.
The food was good and hearty. Then I headed south towards Fundy National Park. I drove along River Road
for a while longer then headed south to Fundy. I entered the Park through the Northwest entrance. The road
through the Park was very scenic and beautiful. I turned off the main road a couple of times to see what was to
be seen. At one of my first turn-offs, I ran into a very majestic looking lake, Lake Bennet, where people could
camp beside it. There were people kayaking and canoeing on this lake. I then drove by the Headquarters
Administration office near the Southeast entrance on my way to the coast. I passed through a traditional covered
bridge with its pitched roof and deep red clapboard sides. At the end of the road, I took a well laid path down
to the water to Point Wolfe. There was a small peninsula jutting out with rocky beaches. From there you could
sit on a rock or a tree branch and contemplate life while looking upon the serine waters of the Bay of Fundy.
Next, I drove to Herring Cove. Here is a scenic overlook to look out on the Bay of Fundy with Nova Scotia
behind it. All the trails and overlooks have well designed informational signs to give you some history of the
region and general information on the local wildlife and geography. My next stop was the Chutes Dickson Falls.
The Falls weren’t the largest in the world. But, the overall effect of the meandering multi-leveled falls along with
the rock formations, vegetation and the sun peaking through the leaves was truly impressive and calming at the
same time.
After my short but memorable tour of Fundy National Park, I headed out the Southwest entrance to the City
of Alma just beyond the gates. I drove through this small seaside town to get my bearing. Then I chose a well
positioned motor lodge, the Alpine Gift Shop and Inn. The manager was out, so I waited with a few other people
for him to return. There were two older couples and two older women all on vacation. The manager showed up
shortly there-after and I got situated in my room. The manager recommended a seafood restaurant two doors
down, the Parkland Village Inn, so off I went hoping to have some local lobster. I was disappointed when I was
told, after I had sat down, that they had just run out. I was too hungry to go somewhere else so I just ordered
the seafood medley with pasta. It was pretty good. Nothing too exciting to do in Alma at night, so I stayed in.
Thursday, September 4: Before I left town, I walked down to the Wharf to see the effect of the famous Fundy
tides. I was astounded (see photos). The fishing boats and trawlers were sitting in the sand forty some-odd feet
below the docks, one after the other. They seemed fairly comfortable down there on the bottom of the Bay with
wood crates holding them upright. It was a bizarre scene. From there, I drove along the coastal road to Cape
Enrage. While driving, I came to the crest of a hill and on the other side I couldn’t believe what I saw; there was
the huge crescent shaped beach where the Bay’s water had just been. I pulled over to take some photos, when
the mosquitoes attacked. As soon as I got out of my car, like heat seeking missiles they appeared. I rushed to
take a couple of quick snapshots, but not quick enough to avoid being lunch for a few hungry insects. I drove on
to my main destination for the day, Hopewell Rocks. Here is where some of the most evident effects of erosion
can be witnessed. At this section of the Bay of Fundy, the tides rise and fall by approximately 38 feet twice every
twenty-five hours. I also found out that approximately 100 hundred billion tons of water ebb and flow out of this
Bay twice a day. Here can be found some of the most elaborate rock formations anywhere in the world. This
sedimentary rock has been shaped by the effects of nature over hundreds of thousands of years into these unusual
and beguiling columns, arches and caverns. I stopped at a couple of overlooks for photo ops and to enjoy the
view of this outer worldly phenomenon. Then I headed down to the beach to get a closer look. There are Park
guides located throughout this area. Down on the beach I asked one of the guides to explain about the local plant
and animal life and to take a photo of me next to one of these massive rock out-croppings. The guide responded
to all of my requests with a smile and competently. It was raining this whole time, so I was rather anxious to get
in to my car and to remove my drenched jacket and shirt.
Time to move on. I decided to head next to Prince Edward Island and to base my explorations at the capital,
Charlottetown.