Bay of Fundy National Park

Only a simple 300km separated us from our next destination in Alma, NB.  The salt and fir ecosystems on the Bay of Fundy and pine forests of southern New Brunswick collide in this beautiful location.  The national park is quite large and of course it boasts hiking, biking, camping, water sports and fantastic scenery all about.

We got checked in to a great motel with cabins.  The cabins were all booked, but our room is basically a suite with a kitchen and a sectioned off area with bunk beds for the kids.  The danger flags rose because of the sleeping arrangements (bunk beds), but having one of the two fall from the top would be just-the-way-things-go during this trip.  Disaster and accident has found us everyday one way or another, so the bunk beds could add to this.

Added to the fantasticness of the area, we also were 24 hours with the Tremainiacs.  After swapping stories on the highway and having some drinks, we ordered pizza and continued to one up each other's tales with reflections of our time on the road.  They had a great story about two flat tires just off of the Cape Breton Causeway and how it got fixed, to ours which was a shit explosion (by a kid), in Quebec City at our lodging and how it got cleaned.  I guess the main idea was about solving problems more then anything.

We all went for a bit of a run and or bike ride on the Tuesday morning.  Evidently the bed would not be a problem, but a pretty hard wipe out on the bike by Molly.  Trying to hard and being over confident on rough terrain, Molly had quite a header and shed some blood and lots of tears.  Her lip caught most of the fall, and it looked like it had been injected with Botox.  It was a source of a lot of whining and complaining throughout the day.  In the end the run was okay.

We also drove about 40km to the Hopewell Rocks.  It is that iconic site you see of rocks submerge to different levels during the high and low tides.  Rocks that are arched, and in one picture someone is kayaking through them and in another the person is walking.  It was neat.  But really crowded.  Tones of people and bus loads of tourists such as ourselves.  

On the way we stopped at this beach when the tide was low.  There were hardly anyone else there, and we just walked and walked out almost one half of a mile or more.  It was great and we should have just stayed.  However Hopewell wasn't so bad, that was until tiredness overcame Wally at the furthest point away from the truck and we had to just get back as he became wild and wacky beyond belief.

The park also has an amazing salt water pool which is heated.  It over looks the ocean.  The pool is probably 25m by 20, and it has an additional kids section.  There are plenty of chairs which lined the perimeter, and lifeguards on duty.  Both times we went it was busy, but not too busy.  The pool is another added touch which sets it apart from other similar places I've been.

We had walked quite a lot.  There was one more destination to get to and that was Dickens Falls.  It is a very easy 1km loop where there is a 15 or 20 foot waterfall.  The water is only about 50 cm wide when it falls, but it is impressive nonetheless.  The family was fresh, so we walked it without any problems or crowds of people.

There is so much more we didn't or couldn't do here.  4 days would be most ideal with a keen and willing bunch of adventurist with good weather.  It is an outdoors paridise and Alma offers nothing for indoor entertainment other then restaurants.  Alma is teeny tiny small, but the area at large is huge.  We stayed at the Fundy Highlands Cabins and Motel and it was amazing.  

I knew the sizeable tidal shifts that happen down here and was so glad I came to check it out.  The fishing boats are floating and docked when the tides are high, but are put on crates and lifts when the tide is low.  Scott Cook recommended that we get to this area and I'm glad to have.