The banks of the flats are about 10 feet below the level of the grass. Now, here comes the tidal surge, right on time:
Yeah, OK, I was expecting a wall of water about 10 feet high. But, when you consider this came from the Bay 20 miles away, it's pretty neat. What happens over the next two hours is the tidal flats fill up to the level of the grass, then they lower for the next 10-plus hours down to being completely empty again. BTW...did you know that tides all over the world are 12 hours and 50 minutes apart? I didn't either.
Having experienced all that Moncton had to offer, I headed south along Hwy 114 to Hillsborough, about 15 miles south. Hillsborough was the home of William Henry Steeves, one of the Fathers of Confederation (their equivalent of our Founding Fathers) when Canada gained independence from England in 1867. Steeves' house has been restored to the period of 1867 and was quite interesting. What's also interesting is how different the Canadians view that period of time compared to how we do. They thought we were going to invade them. Well, apparently, we did, with a little army striking across from Vermont. Who'd a thunk it? Anyway, here is Mr. Steeves' house:
I thought the church across the street was interesting, too:
Next stop was the Nee Brunswick Rail Museum, about 2 blocks down the street. This was interesting also, but didn't really have much that was unique. Here's a shot of the rolling stock they had on display:
Next time you cram yourself into a seat on an airplane, think about this Pullman day car from the early 1900's:
Lots of legroom!
After sampling all Hillsborough had to offer, I headed further south to Hopewell Rocks, right on the coast. This is the area where you've probably seen pictures of people walking among rock formations that are 40 feet underwater at high tide. Well, unfortunately, I was there about 2 hours after high tide, so I didn't get to walk on the beach. But the scenery was striking nevertheless:
People are kayaking in the area where, six hours ago, you could have walked the beach. Here are a couple other views:
This was one beautiful area. I left Hopewell Rocks and headed further south to the Cape Enrage Lighthouse. This was really remote, but well worth the drive. The lighthouse dates from 1840 and has had to be moved back from the edge of the bluffs three times due to erosion of the coastline. Here are a few scenes from Cape Enrage:
As you can see, the scenery has been absolutely breathtaking up here. By the way, the land you see in the background is Nova Scotia.
Tomorrow, it's across the Confederation Bridge to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Should be lots of interesting things to see there, too.
Miles today: 141
Total: 2,323