ST. MARTINS, NB.
Day 15 – The wind & rain both decreased during the night. The fog rolled in. We couldn’t see much at all outside the RV when we got up. It was 48 degrees. A couple of hours later the fog let up somewhat, and Rob took a walk down to the beach. Other people from the campground had the same idea and later people walked down to the beach with their dogs and/or kids. The tide was going out & it was really amazing to see as more & more beach became accessible. The Bay is like a basin or valley, like a big bowl; when it empties you can see just how high the tide comes in when it’s full.
St. Martins Sea Caves in the fog, St. Martins, NB
Entrance to St. Martins harbor, St. Martins, NB
We decided to camp next farther up the Bay of Fundy where the tides change the most, very close to a place called Hopewell Rocks. When the tide goes out there, it leaves behind very tall “sea stacks”, some arches and caves, which are completely covered when the tide comes back in. Newfoundland & Labrador will still be here if we hang out in New Brunswick a little longer.
Late yesterday afternoon we were sitting in the RV reading and a Bald Eagle flew by at eye level right in front of the dashboard window. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a camera ready. This morning for a while, Swallows were chasing bugs, veering back & forth around the RV. No camera out then either.
We left around 11 a.m. for a drive around the local communities just to check things out. The wind was supposed to increase a lot in the afternoon but there would be some sunlight then. We figured we’d go out to dinner to The Caves Restaurant, a local seafood place on the Bay by “The Caves”. They are rumored to have “the world’s best chowder”, but we’re betting we hear that claim about a thousand times before this trip is over, LOL.
We drove east through that part of town and over to The Caves. A nice River runs through town and then you get to the Bay. A decent amount of people were there for early May; the parking lot by The Caves Restaurant was very large & a sign said busloads from cruise ships were welcome. It must be really crowded in the summer! The Caves are large openings in the cliffs that have been created by the erosion from the tidal activity. When the tide is out, you can walk to them. They are kayakable at high tide. On the other side of the Harbor is a covered bridge. Beyond, looking back, you can see fishing boats tied up and sitting on the gravel since the tide had gone out. We expect to see those same boats tonight floating in the water. The views were lovely. At several places we saw chunks of the rocky coastline that had split off (leaving a future sea stack) or that remained attached to the coast by a “bridge” of rock (leaving a tunnel). These tides are strong!
Then we headed west out of St. Martins to a little settlement, West Quaco. We drove through the town and took a road to the Bay. There was a lighthouse sitting in the fog on a cliff and the fog horn was amazingly loud from up close. We went back to the RV for lunch. After lunch the wind started picking up and the fog blew offshore. The sun was going in and out of the clouds, and it was really pretty.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
After lunch we went back out to see more. We drove west again, taking a different road and turning off on several small roads we saw along the way. At the end of one road was a wharf. There were some fishing boats off to the side in the low tide, waterfalls, and gorgeous scenery. We looped around on our drive, eventually making our way back to the RV. We passed several large Lakes, went through some tiny villages, saw awesome views of the Bay in the distance from the rolling hills, passed through farmland, and even came across an historical marker for “the Black Settlement”, where some of the black refugees from the War of 1812 were relocated when they were seized by the British Navy. When slave trade was interruped by the British Naval blockade of the American coast, as many as 3,000 people were relocated to Nova Scotia & New Brunswick. What we came across was the burial ground for one of those groups of refugees.
The high today was 58 degrees inland and in the upper 40/s by the Bay. Back at the campground, the tide was coming back in and the wind gusts were still increasing, enough to blow the RV a bit. We worked on the Blog and the pictures, then went out to dinner at The Caves Restaurant, hoping to get there early enough to get a good table with a view of the cliffs, the caves, and the incoming tide.
We did get a table by the window. The Seafood Chowder was excellent and the homemade Biscuit that came with it was even better. We each got the Chowder as a starter and the Fundy Scallops Platter for dinner. It was very good and very big. We’re both pretty full right now. The wind is still blowing and we are cuddled up with the cats, warm in the RV.
What kind of rock makes up the caves of St. Martens? Is it a sandstone? It appears to be rich in Fe. It also appears to be similar to the Catskill Red Beds of New York State – a deltaic sedimentary rock. On close examination, can you see little circles in the sediment, if so it is an oolitic sandstone, much like the Catskill formation. Sorry, but the geologist in me has reared its curious head.