Thursday, August 28, 2008

Bay of Fundy, Part II

High: 78° F
Low: 55° F
Conditions: Unlimited sunshine

We spent a good part of last week camping at the Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, home of the highest tides in the world. It's also home to some great flora and fauna, including this pernicious little creature who took great delight in tourmenting one caninaturalist in particular:

Since lounging isn't much of an option when rodents are yelling at you, Ari agreed to join us on a 10-mile hike that looped through the southeastern most part of the park.
We began just above the confluence of this stream and the bay. The covered bridge is a recreation of a 1902 bridge that once stood on the site, a time when this locale was dominated by mining and timber camps. Both did a fair amount of environmental damange, but in the last 10 years, the area has seen the return of Atlantic salmon and eels, along with bald eagles (we counted five!) and the original upland forest.
The trail took us up a steep ridgeline, where we had several miles of fantastic ocean views. We were particularly taken by the halo of sandstone floating just off-shore.

From there, we descended to this fabulous (and completely empty) pebble beach. Unlike our first park, this one didn't prohibit dogs on the beach, so the three of us had great fun taking a cold swim, having a picnic lunch, and lounging as we watched the tide engulf this expanse of land.
From there, our trail turned us back towards our temporary home at the campsite. We passed through this lovely meadow, which was positively blanketed in goldenrod and Queen Anne's lace ,before it returned us to the shadow of a hardwood forest:


Hugging both the ridge and the ocean shore, these woods existed as a micro-rain forest in the otherwise temperate region. We found scads of ferns (good for sniffing) and moss (great for rolling):

Best of all, we confirmed a simple yet beautiful truth: where there is rain and quick elevation loss, there is much moving water.

I think all three of us fell in love with the Bay of Fundy on this trip (though it took awhile for one of us to realize that we were not going to be eaten by squirrels, bears, or dinosaurs). We return refreshed, revitalized, and ready to embrace the new semester.

17 comments:

YourFireAnt said...

Doesn't Ari just look the part in that last photo. Definitely a prime candidate for international diplomat.

Loved the photos. They made me homesick again.

FA

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

WOW!

All that and sandymuddydirty paws!!

Thanks fur sharing!!!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Unknown said...

This looks gorgeous! We especially love the pebble beach. That looks someplace we could spend the entire day! Does Ari go off leash? We couldn't trust Booker for a minute, with all those temptations for the nose.

D'Azul Siberian said...

What a gorgeous place for Ari to vacation. She looks so regal sitting in the car too.

D'Azul, Where Siberians Rule

Eve said...

What a great trip! Ari you are such a good looking girl! That was lots of fun, thanks for sharing!

Maverick the Pirate said...

Harrrrrr Ari
you look good in yer land ship (the last picture) Harrrr. The Beach looks like a good place to be Harrrrrr.
Cap'n Maverick the Pirate

Kess And Her Mama said...

What a gorgeous day for an outing! Couldn't ask for more. Glad you found a beach which allows dogs. Yippee!

Teddy Westlife said...

Ari gets to go on the best adventures. I'd like to visit a beach some day...

Huffle Mawson, Honorary Husky and Explorer Cat

Charity, Katie, Louie & Natalie said...

What a stuningly beautiful trip! I'm so glad you all had a well deserved fun time.

Regarding your question about puppy siblings, in my experience littermates do not recognize each other after being separated for a few months. We go back to our breeder's place to visit at least once a month and there doesn't seem to be any kind of special bond between Katie or Louie with either their littermates or parents. Now, with each other, K & L have an incredibly strong bond. They are 65% blood related siblings, but their bond comes from the fact that they belong to the same pack. Our pack of four (K L Me & Gary) is extremely bonded.

Charity, Katie, Louie & Natalie said...

I should add that doesn't mean that Louis can't have a super good time playing with his brother. He's always happy to play with anyone who is interested in a good romp.

Steve, Kat, & Wilbur said...

I need to eat that squirrel's head.

Steve

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

Wow Ari you had a beautiful hike. The ocean would have been our favorite. Great pictures..

Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

Kapp pack said...

That looks like a very cool place to visit. Bewootiful pictures!

Kisses, Sky boy

Danni said...

What a fantastically beautiful place! I'm in awe of Bald Eagles - to see five would be amazing!!

The Army of Four said...

Oooh, look at all the beautiful scenery and the SQUIRREL! Now I know why it's called the Bay of FUNdy!
The bald eagles are so magestic - we have some that come spend the winter here.
Love,
Amber

Lorenza said...

Sure you all had a great time there.
I guess my mom needs some vacation to recharge her batteries too!
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Kathie Brown said...

What a fun trip. It all sounds so lovely and Ari even looks wiser to boot!