Canada – New Brunswick – Hopewell Rocks

2019 MAY 18 —–

I woke up early to hit the road on my way to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. It was pouring rain with a bit of fog. I still made good time to cross back over the Confederation Bridge. I pulled in to Cape Jourimain Nature Centre on the New Brunswick side of the bridge to snap a few photos of the underside of the bridge arches. The Nature Centre museum, restaurant, and gift shop were closed, but the bathrooms were still open. The bathrooms were very unique. There was no flushing. A fan sucked air downward into the pit where “it” was broken down by earthworms, bacteria, and insects. Disease organisms die and the rich humus is recycled as fertilizer. Urine entering the toilet system is transformed as it moves through the compost pile so that by the time it reaches the removal area it is stable and odourless. Vents allowed carbon dioxide and odours to escape. The sinks used rainwater and not well water. The used water is collected and cleaned then returned to nature.

I carried on to Hopewell Rocks to witness the tide rising in the Bay of Fundy. The average tidal range worldwide is about 1 metre. In the Bay of Fundy, it is 14 metres (46 feet) and will cover a horizontal length of two football fields. Tides can be higher, depending on the position of the sun, moon, and atmospheric conditions. Super moons can cause the tide to rise another metre. 160 billion tons of water move into the bay twice a day. There are about six hours and 13 minutes between each high and low tide. The reason the tides are so much higher here is because of an unusual combination of factors: resonance and the shape of the bay.

The water in the Bay of Fundy has a natural resonance or rocking motion. Compare this with water sloshing from one end of a bathtub to the other. It takes this bathtub 13 hours to rock back and forth. Just as a gentle push can keep a child on a swing going high, the same idea is in place to keep the water sloshing back and forth here. The sun and the moon push and pull thereby gently keeping the rocking motion. Secondly, the bay’s shape and bottom topography are factors. The bay becomes narrower and shallower (from 130 metres to 40 metres) toward the upper bay, forcing the water higher up the shores. The tides start rising slowly but speed up until they are about half way in. At their fastest, the tide can rise straight upward at a rate of 4 metres (13 feet) per hour at Hopewell Rocks. Although I did not see it, I was told that the tide can push the rivers backwards and the water can begin to whirl around, as you would see at the drain hole of a sink or bathtub.

I arrived at Hopewell Rocks at 10:00 AM and decided to take the small tram to the entrance to the Rocks, hoping to still make it to the ocean floor before the cut off time. Also, it was only 6 degrees Celsius, with wind and rain. I didn’t feel like walking the 15 minutes. According to the sign, I was already a half hour past the cutoff. The guard cautioned me to pay attention to the security people at the bottom and let me pass. I descended the huge staircase on the “DOWN” side. With 225,000 visitors a year, these designated up and down staircases help ease congestion during the busy summer months.

The water was already touching the huge rock formations. It had already risen by 8.5 metres (28 feet). The rocks stand 12-21 metres (40-70 feet) high, with the bottoms being chewed away by the water coming and going. The top of the rocks have trees growing on them, giving them the nickname of Flowerpot Rocks. There is a huge rock with an arch (Lover’s Arch) worn through the centre. The arch is 5.5 metres (18 feet) high. When the tide is fully in, only one meter (3 feet) will be visible.

The rocks sit alone, several metres from the cliffs. Some of the rocks are named, such as Lover’s Arch, Dinosaur Rock and ET, just to name a few. The most famous was the Elephant Rock. Its trunk fell off in 1997, then in early 2016 it split in two and sent 200,000 tons of rock crashing down. The cliffs are not immune from collapsing either. Back in the interpretive centre, I saw a video where a tourist was filming the surroundings when he caught a huge chunk of the cliff crashing down.

I walked as far as I could on the ocean floor, which was not too far because of the rising water. There were two Parks guards that made sure no one was where they should not be. As the water kept creeping up the shore, the few of us there did not have to be reminded to move back. I stood in the same spot, focusing my camera on the arch every 15-20 minutes. Eventually, I had to abandon my spot and move up onto the staircase. I stayed for 2 hours, until the 12:30 high tide, snapping my pictures and getting cold and wet. The bottom flight of stairs was completely submerged at this point. The goose that was nesting on top of Lover’s Arch seemed happy about the extra water and was now contentedly swimming around.

I took the tram back to the interpretive center and had a bite to eat in the cafe. There was a talk going on, but there was a school group of teenagers that were not too interested. As a result, made it difficult for anyone who was interested to hear properly. I finally decided to leave as there were a few more things I wanted to see in the area.

Check out the video for a time lapse of the tide coming in and receding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnDJ6_XpGfo

I drove about 15 minutes down the road to see the old Sawmill Creek Covered Bridge. In October 1869, the Saxby Gale, with the combined force of wind and high tides, destroyed homes and killed people and livestock all along the Bay of Fundy. The original Sawmill Creek bridge fell apart. It was rebuilt as a covered bridge. The current bridge was built in 1905 is 33 m (105 ft.) in length and used to be part of the highway. In 1975 a concrete bridge was planned, but the Albert County Heritage Trust persuaded the government not to demolish this historic structure. The highway and new bridge are visible from this covered bridge that now sits on an abandoned road. I walked the length of the bridge. It offered good protection from the wind. I could imagine how cool it would be on a hot summer day. The floor timbers were almost shiny from years of wear, but they still felt solid. The heavy rafters still seemed solid, as well. There were slivers of daylight poking through the shrunken boards that acted as siding and shingles. It had a musky woodsy smell. I lingered, even though there was not much too see, just for the sheer peacefulness of it.

On my way to Hopewell Rocks, I saw many creeks with no water but with muddy banks. On my way back, after the high tide, the same creeks had water rushing back into the Bay. That explained the muddy banks. Also, I drove along some low flat land where it was quite obvious that the water rises up nearly to the road during high tide. There were muddy flats all the way to Moncton, NB.

I stopped at Hopewell Cape to see the Albert County Museum. It is a series of buildings built in the early 1900s. The first building I entered was the old Community Hall. It was a hall as I remembered as a child. It was one big open space with chairs lining the walls and a stage at the far end. The stage had a heavy red brocade curtain with gold tassel trim.

At the far end of the street stood the County Courthouse. It had a very New England look, with 4 white pillars holding up the portico. It was painted a soft gray and had white trim. Inside was a harmony of different woods. The floors were reddish, the jury chairs were a dark walnut, the judge’s stand looked oak or maple. The defendant’s area looked like a gilded cage with its lone chair circled by a pretty wooden railing. The brick fireplaces on either wall harmonized beautifully with the terracotta coloured walls. The spectator benches were tiered so that everyone could have a good view. At the back of the was a balcony where more spectators could sit. These benches were also tiered.

On the second floor, in both corners flanking the judge, the press had chairs where they could have a good look at the defendant and prosecutor as well as the audience. Also on the second floor, behind the judge’s bench, was the judge’s private bathroom and office. It was a grand building and had a definite air of seriousness.

Back outside, across from the Community Hall was the County Gaol (Jail). It was built in 1845 with 3 cells in the back and living quarters for the gaol keeper in front. In 1902 a second storey was added to accommodate the gaol keepers large family. The original bottom floor was built with huge stone bricks that are at least a half metre thick. It would take a bomb to break out of there! The front stone step had a huge dip attesting to years of use. The wooden floors inside were lumpy with the tree knots taking longer to wear out than the rest of the wood. The front door had iron slats attached to the outside.

No one was breaking through this!

The cell most used was the debtor’s cell. People who didn’t pay their taxes would be placed in this cell, but let out every day to work for the county as a means of paying their debt. This became a viable option for many citizens. There was also the criminal’s cell and the dungeon, which had two sets of bars on the windows and a ring in the floor to shackle the prisoner.

The dungeon was where Tom Collins was kept. He was the only prisoner to be hanged in Albert County. He was accused of killing Mary Ann McAuley. He was tried three times for the murder. He was found guilty during the first trial, but the judge had swayed the jury so a new trial was granted. The second trial ended in a hung jury. The third trial found Tom guilty again and sentenced him to hang. It was a trial that left the community split over his guilt or innocence. His initials are still carved into the windowsill by the bars.

Behind the gaol was a long low machinery shed. There were dozens of people milling about with sandwiches and pastries in their hands. It seemed as if I had wandered into a private party. Oh well! If I looked around quietly, maybe no one would mind. It was a museum, after all. I was pleased to see a few pieces of machinery that my Dad had on the farm. Machinery that I hardly took notice of as a child, but now suddenly had a strong affection for. I took pictures of them. I was beginning to attract attention, so I left.

I realized I had not paid an entrance fee. Maybe I was supposed to have a sticker, bracelet or button to indicate payment and that is why I was drawing attention. I quickly headed to the Lodge & Library, where I saw a sign saying to Pay Here. I apologized to the girl behind the counter for snooping around before paying. She told me that today was their opening day for the season and it was a free day. “Oh and have you helped yourself to the free lunch in the machinery shed?” LOL, I had not wandered into a private party, it was a public party. The only reason I attracted attention was because I was avoiding the free lunch! Too funny! At this point, I was ready to hit the road anyway, so I skipped the free lunch and headed to Sackville and my AirBnB.

The town of Sackville is a University town and by just driving through I could see that it had a lot to offer. There were lovely old buildings and tree-lined streets. I had been looking forward to visiting their Waterfowl Park, but it was still raining a bit and very cold. I had had enough of cold this day, so I opted for an early night.

I was greeted by Steve at the guesthouse. He recommended a nice restaurant, The Painted Pony, which was nearby. The food was excellent and the prices reasonable. The nicest thing was I arrived before the dinner rush so the manager, Paul, sat and chatted with me while I waited for the food to come. Once again, the charm of the Maritimes! No one is too busy to stop and talk. I loved it! Back at the guesthouse, I told Steve how I stood out at Hopewell Rocks for two hours taking pictures. He realized I was cold to the bone and suggested I take a hot bath. He even gave me some Epsom salts. What a sweetheart! He said not to worry about lingering in the bathroom because I was the only guest and they had another bathroom upstairs. I took his suggestion and slept like a baby that night.