Travel Dates: August 31-Sept 2, 2018

Our last stop in the Maritime provinces was Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. We should have timed things better but by the time we drove over from Halifax, grocery shopped and made it to Hopewell Rocks, the tide was in. And we wanted to see the park when the tide was OUT. Too late we learned that our ticket would have been good for TWO days, but instead we just parked at the campground and drove back the next day.

Sometimes things aren’t perfect and that’s okay.

Bay of Fundy, National Park

We settled into our campsite at Fundy National park and then took the short walk down to the town of Alma and the beach. We walked along the shore for about 15 minutes and marveled at how fast the tide was going out. Then we came back after dinner and were just completely blown away!

Sam and I managed a date night and loved sitting right on the bay at Tipsy Tails. Poor kids weren’t invited, but we definitely needed a night out!

“Tides are fascinating. We’ve learned a few things just in the last 24 hours or so of being on the Bay of Fundy! Over breakfast we watched a video that described gravitational forces between the Earth, sun and moon that create both low and high tides every day.

Then we wanted to know why the Bay of Fundy was so extreme. Turns out it’s the perfect length and shape to match the tidal rhythm of the Atlantic Ocean (yep! They have rhythms!) This resonance between the two amplifies the tidal range and creates a larger sloshing effect. So, basically the Bay of Fundy is the world’s largest bathtub. 😂

Also, lobster poutine is one of Canada’s great gifts to mankind.” – @currentlywandering

“When in Canada, eat Poutine. When in the Canadian Maritime Provinces, eat Lobster Poutine.” – @telegramsam

Sunday was a bit of a down day. We had a morning devotional as a family and then drove over to Herring Cove where we spent an hour turning over rocks looking for crab. It was hilarious and seriously so much fun! We also did a short walk/hike to Dickson Falls. It wasn’t anything spectacular but we did stretch our legs. Finished off the day by swimming together in the salt water pool. Seriously. A national park with a swimming pool. Canada is awesome.

“Benevolent: well meaning and kindly.

Too far to attend regular church services today we had a family devotional and council instead. While I’ve long felt that full time travel has brought our family closer together, lately we’ve had a lot of discord. Perhaps because the kids are older, or we know we have a house to go back to, or maybe it’s just regular family life. Regardless of the reason, constant fighting, accusing tones, and bickering has forced away the peace usually found in our little space.

So today we talked about being kind. We believe in being honest, true, chaste and benevolent – but it’s hard to be something when you don’t know the meaning of the word. We talked about using soft answers, being unselfish, and giving service to one another.

We ended with a quote from one of our general authorities – “I promise that if you will extend yourself beyond what is easy to do, you will feel so good inside that kindness will start to become a part of your everyday life. You’ll see that benevolence can bring joy and unity to your home, your class, your ward, and your school. ‘Remember this: kindness begins with me.'” Something I think we could all do a little better at, yes?

Also, wild blackberry picking today. And then we made crumble. Both definitively approved Sabbath activities.” – @currentlywandering

Hopewell Rocks

This is one of the best places to see the dramatic effect of the tides. The water has carved incredible formations among these rocks and it was pretty fun to walk around and underneath them. Its definitely muddy so come prepared with the right footwear!

After wandering around on the beach we headed up to the little cafe and ordered probably the BEST lobster roll we ate in all of our travels.

We totally had mixed feelings about leaving Canada. On the one hand we were excited to head to Maine but we loved the Maritimes and the people so much!