Fundy National Park

The next morning we drove into the town of Alma, on the edge of Fundy National Park. We picked up some sticky buns, about which we had heard rave reviews, and enjoyed our morning coffee at a small tourist pull-out stop just south of town. This was another opportunity to experience the tides in the bay. We arrived near high tide, and the water was lapping the beach not far off the viewing area, as the river flowed into the bay at little more than a metre under the bridge.


We explored the seashore, the kids wandered down to the river edge, and we checked out the small store across the bridge and picked up some wieners and marshmallows for our anticipated evening campfire. In the store Mustang spotted a fishing rod - $48 plus tax. She desperately wanted to buy it, and she’s begged all spring and summer to get fishing equipment. As I’d planned to pick some up once home and this wasn’t too expensive, I agreed to the purchase as long as Mustang and Button each contributed their saved up allowance money – some $18 – to it. They readily agreed.

After lunch we explored the bay some more. By now the tides were visibly receding, about a metre’s land width every minute, and we were able to walk out and out and out, farther and farther. We discovered little crabs and small shellfish as we walked out. After an hour or so we headed back in – Mustang first with MoMo, then Button and I sneaked towards the bridge, under it - as the river was now a mere trickle and the water level a good 10m below the bridge deck – and up to the bus from the land side.







Mustang and Button joined some people out along the river flats, discovering that they were doing research on eels – fishing them out of the water and banding them. Finally I called the kids in. As we walked to the bus, two motorcyclists drove past. We called MoMo to us, and as we approached the bus the motorcyclists walked up to the bus and knocked – it was Laolao and Laoye’s friends from their home out west, who were travelling cross-country and had stayed at our house over the Canada Day weekend while we were gone!



After a brief visit we climbed aboard the bus and headed into the Park for our second night at a real campground. The first campground right at the cross-roads did not allow fires, so that one was out as one of the reasons to stay at a campground was precisely to have a campfire. So we headed a short ways south into the park where a fire-friendly campground was to be found. After selecting our spot, we walked down to the pathway to the river into the Bay. A boardwalk along the upper cliff took us past a viewing point for peregrine falcons that nest along the cliffs on the opposite bank of the river – unfortunately the view from the telescope was obstructed by a tree! Then down a set of stairs to the river. It was, however, quite windy so despite the sun we were shivering and did not stay long.




Everyone got to bed quite late after the evening campfire feast of hot dogs and s’mores.