We were up early Friday morning to make the 45 minute drive to Hopewell Rocks, north of here near the very tip of the Bay of Fundy. We wanted to catch the low tide so we could see the "Flowerpot Rocks" we've heard so much about. Low tide was 6 a.m., and Curt wanted to get up at 5 so we could be there for the lowest point. Now that we're in the Atlantic time zone, that translates to 3 am for those of you in Central, and 2 am for our friends and family in Mountain time. So you can appreciate why I resisted a little about the 5:00 idea. It turned out to be a great thing! We left the campsite a little after 7 a.m. And arrived at Hopewell Rocks at 7:59, just in time for the 8:00 opening. Who knew there was a gate? We sure didn't, and apparently neither did the people in the 50 or so cars that were all waiting outside the gate. Not knowing what was going on, we drove right up to the gate to read the sign just as the man swung it open, so we were the first ones through. Although we were getting glares from the other people parked all along the roadsides (those arrogant Texans!), there was nothing we could do but drive on through at the head of the line, to make room for the rest to follow. Not arrogance, really... As we're fond of saying, it's all in the timing! And blind luck timed that one for us.
There was still plenty of low tide left (and plenty of time and space) for all of us to spend a couple of happy hours among the flowerpot rocks before the tide (rising 5 vertical feet an hour on flat water) came far enough in for us to scramble back up the steep steps and get out of the way before it came rushing up in that constricted cove. Here is a taste of what we saw:
Check out that fog...there's a huge ocean out there!
Curt doing what he loves best...going where no one else dares. Who, me? Danger? Where?
Or just playing...here he's rock surfing on the beach.
This exhibit from the Visitors Center shows where we've been, where we are and where we're going. In the very lower left is Lubec, Maine and Campobello Island, N.B. The arrow shows Hopewell Rocks, and you can see the fingers of the very upper end of the Bay of Fundy. 
This shot of the Bay of Fundy's upper end shows the small province of Prince Edward Island (called PEI around here) above. That's where we're headed tomorrow (Monday) to stay for 4 days. Nova Scotia is the larger province to the right, slanting southwest to northeast. From PEI we will take a ferry to Nova Scotia on Friday. There we'll go to the very northernmost tip, Cape Breton (home of some of the world's best musicians, especially fiddle players). We'll stay at Cape Breton Highlands National Park 4 days before catching another ferry from Nova Scotia back to St. John, New Brunswick on the mainland.
But back to last Friday. We did a lot of driving and hiking, both in and out of the National Park. Saw a couple of lovely covered bridges mad hiked some beautiful trails through fir forests down to he ocean.
View out the window of the Sawmill Covered Bridge.
Point Wolfe Bridge
View out the window of the Point Wolfe Bridge.
A couple of shots of hiking trails we walked:
This is a typical view from the truck as we drive...fog rolling in and defining 3 layers of mountain coves joking the sea. It's spectacular!
We wrapped up Friday evening attending a variety show put on by the Park. It was "Molly Kool's Kitchen Party" and it intertwined local history, folklore, humor, traditional music, dancing, and refreshments all in one lively, delightful family-friendly hour. Made me want to hold a kitchen party with all of our friends. But we have to get a kitchen first!
Brother and sister duo Sarah (age 8) and John (age 6). Boy, could they play!
I never knew how many people you could get dancing in a dark kitchen! The cabin was the childhood home of Molly Kool, North America's first woman sea captain.
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