Town of Alma and Hopewell Rocks, Bay of Fundy - New Brunswick

Stairs to get to Alma

It's a short walk from our campsite into the Town of Alma...just 120 stairs down...and of course up.

Home of the highest tides in the world

Picture from last night low tide 

The tide is now at high tide and pictures just can't do justice to the drastic change. 

Same picture today at high tide - boat  is long gone fishing

Alma Moose :)

We poke about the town checking out the local shops. Go figure another moose on the loose.

New Brunswick license plate

Forest G and Chris with his house in behind

While trying to find the entrance into a lobster shop, we end up meeting an elderly gentleman who lives in a beautiful home right on the water. It turns out his name is Forest G...Forest George rather than Forest Gump, but his loving wife is Jenny just like in the movie Forest Gump. He's very sweet filling us in on his life in the area. Sadly Jenny passed during Covid but he carries her picture with him everywhere. 

He moved this house back from being right on the waters edge and renovated it completely in 1975. What a location for views of storms and tidal change. He and Chris share common interests in old crystal radios and Tammy Wynette when they were young. The whole family shared a love of music and his son once travelled with Garth Brooks on tour. Very interesting man with many stories. 

Joel's lone rock top at high tide

Forest points out 'Joel's Point' and the lone black rock named'Joel's Rock'. He chuckles at all the current depth sounder technology and tells us the old guys always went by Joel's rock. If the rock was underwater or the tip was just sticking out, it was safe to enter the harbour. If the rock was totally exposed, stay away. 

Hopewell Rocks AKA Flowerpot Rocks

Low tide of The Bay of Fundy today is at 7:05 pm and our goal is to 'Walk The Sea Floor' at HopeWell Rocks. We head out on the 45 minute drive at 5pm to ensure being down there in time. 

Flowerpot rock tops

The Bay of Fundy features the highest tides in the world. Twice a day an astonishing 100 billion tonnes of water flow in and out of the bay, altering water levels by up to 17 meters (55 feet). The length and shape of the bay act as a massive natural bathtub. As the water pushes into the bay, it gets squeezed into an increasingly narrow and shallow space, forcing the water level to rise dramatically. 

Walking the sea floor

All sorts of amazing rock formations

There are exactly 2 high tides and 2 low tides each day. It takes about 6 hours and 13 minutes to transition between low and high tide thus the time shift between low and high tide is about 52 minutes each day. 

Red mud...

The tide is still going out as we walk about exposing some really sticky, mucky red mud :) We resist the urge to walk through it..lol

It is an extremely amazing experience. 

Sea grass grows from the rock

More formations

Mud flats with crevasse running through

Eventually we walk back up to the top and have a great view of the expansive mud flats. 

Old Bank of New Brunswick

Along the road on our way home is the 'Old Bank of New Brunswick'. The bank opened in 1903 in Riverside, NB. In 1928 it was placed on log skids and drawn 1.5 km by a single horse to Albert and came to rest on the corner which now houses the Crooked Creek Convenience Store. Funnily, it is said the move took 3 days, during which the bank did not close. Customers jumped on and off the moving platform :)

In 1984 the bank experienced the largest bank robbery in New Brunswick's history. The robbers were caught but the money never recovered. 

It's beautiful in the setting sunlight as are many other homes along the way. 

Classic New Brunswick home - love it