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| Parrsboro Harbour at low tide. |
The Sassy Sue sits on the muddy ocean floor, patiently
waiting for the tide to come back in. A handful of ropes tightly secured to an
adjacent dock is the only thing preventing her from tipping over in the harbour
with no water.
She’s joined by a green buoy lying motionless on the barren
landscape dotted with clumps of seaweed and barnacles clinging to rocks. The ground
crackles and pops like a bowl of Rice Crispies.
In six hours, the harbour in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia will
dramatically change as the tide rises 13 metres, giving the Sassy Sue her
freedom again. This is life along the Bay of Fundy – home to the highest tides
in the world, and a 165-kilometre shoreline recently recognized as the Cliffs
of Fundy UNESCO Geopark for its geological significance.
“More water moves through the Bay of Fundy every six hours
than in all the freshwater rivers in the world,” said Beth Peterkin, executive
director of the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark. “That’s a crazy amount of water so you
can imagine the impact on the shoreline, the cliffs, the food, culture and the
livelihood of the people. It’s so interrelated.”
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| One of the many stunning beaches along the Cabot Trail. |
I arrived in Parrsboro during a seven day road trip with my friend Meike through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Known for the fresh lobster, lively Celtic music, picturesque shoreline and history, Canada’s east coast is a place I had always wanted to explore, especially during the fall.
The Bay of Fundy was the last stop on our itinerary that began with driving the
world famous Cabot Trail – a 300 kilometre highway that weaves through Cape
Breton Highlands National Park. There were also several stops to gorge
ourselves on delicious lobster rolls and admire the many sprawling beaches
along the way.
Typically, tides along Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast range between one to two metres. But the tides in the Bay of Fundy are a natural wonder, rising and falling more than 15 metres every day at the closed end of the bay near Minas Basin. As the tide moves up the bay, the water is forced into a shallower, constricted area that builds into a tide ten times higher than the outside the bay.
But the tides aren’t the only draw to the area. The variety
of rocks and minerals along the rugged shoreline stretching east to west from Lower
Truro to Apple River house more than 500 million years of geological history
and include fossils from Canada’s oldest dinosaurs, ancestors of modern
mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
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| Cape D'or in the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark. |
More than 100,000 fossilized bones have been unearthed within the red sedimentary rock at Wassan Bluffs near Parrsboro. All of them date back some 200 million years ago to the mass extinction that marked the end of the Triassic period and the beginning of the Jurassic.
Peterkin knew the area was special when she moved to
Parrsboro from Ontario six years ago. At that time, a group of volunteers was
already working towards the UNESCO designation that celebrates connections
between geology, local communities, culture and nature. Today, more than 140
global geoparks are recognized in more than 40 countries, including five across
Canada.
“Every time you’re at the water, you go to the same spot and
it looks different depending on the weather,” said Peterkin. “I love it in the
winter. The lighting is different, the images are different, sometimes you can
see the further shore, sometimes you can’t so it never stays the same. It’s
just a real draw.”
To explore the Bay of Fundy’s rugged coastline, I sign up for a guided kayaking tour with NovaShores Adventures. Launching from the red sand beach at Spicer Cove in Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, I quickly find myself marvelling at the red and black cliffs, lava tubes and unique rock formations that look like sculptures.
We paddle through coastal arches and caves before arriving
at the famous Three Sisters sea stacks near the abandoned community of
Eatonville, which was once a vibrant shipbuilding village. The sea stacks are remnants
of lava flows and magma intrusions from deep within the Earth. The beauty of
the area is stunning.
On the way back to Spicer Cove, I’m surprised by how much
the landscape has already transformed as the tide comes in. The arches and
caves we explored earlier are now part of the beach, demonstrating the
ever-changing landscape in one of the most unique places on Earth.
- published by the Edmonton Sun October 2021: https://edmontonsun.com/travel/travel-canada/stepping-back-in-time-at-the-cliffs-of-fundy-unesco-geopark
IF YOU GO:
Located in the centre of the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark,
Parrsboro is the ideal place to stay while exploring the area. Built in 1893, the
Maple Bay Inn in Parrsboro offers beautifully restored rooms in two century-old
houses. The boutique hotel has a homey feel the instant you walk through the
front door and are greeted by the friendly Aitken family. For more information
visit https://mapleinn.ca/
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