Being Around a Bore!

Let the fun begin. We picked up Bob and Sharon on August 30th in Halifax but we decided that we would leave Halifax and head out of town to the city of Turo. Turo is a beautiful town up toward the end of the Bay of Fundy, which is known for the world's largest tidal change. This flood tide creates a tidal bore that visitors travel from around the world to witness.

So what is a tidal bore? Glad you asked because I did not know what they were either. A tidal bore occurs on many rivers around the world when the incoming tide is so strong and powerful that it reverses the natural flow of the river. There are many tidal rivers around the world and in Canada but not very many where the income tidal water reverses the direction of the river but in Turo due to the extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy you can experience a tidal bore regularly. The higher and stronger the tide of the day the greater the bore will be. 

Turo has two places for you to watch the tidal bore. One area has an interpretive center and boardwalk with a huge platform to watch from, and you can also watch people launch rafts to experience the tidal bore up close and personal on the water in a raft. Nikki wanted to do this but it was pretty chilly and rainy and we decided to skip it. The other area is closer to downtown and has an amphitheater and a huge river bank area to sit and eat lunch while you watch the tide come in. 

We decided to do both locations in the hopes of seeing two bores in one day.  First, we headed to the Tidal Interpretive Center to learn more about this phenomenon and the area then we headed into town to try and beat the tidal bore to the second site. We did not make it in time to see it a second time but there was some music, a nice river view, and a short walk. The first site was good but the bore was not very strong that day so the effect was not as visually impressive. Still made for a great day. 

The next day we headed to Victoria Park for a morning walk. It was beautiful. Zorro has been loving being back in the woods and enjoying all the fresh smells after being on the boat for the last few months. The park had it all: a slow meandering creek, a small waterfall, and some huge stairs for us to get our steps in. 

Nikki and Bob had been hard at work finding hikes we could do along the way. The goal was to try and do one or two hikes every day as we drove around the island. Never to back down from a good hike we headed to Arisaig Provincial Park. This cool stop has a fossil beach and trail to the lighthouse. We did the hike to the Fossil Beach, lots of cool rocks but no fossils!

The next day we headed off to the town of Antigonish, a cool little university town with funky shops, good eats, and of course two breweries. We had a short stop here and wandered around a little checking out the shops. We needed to keep moving as we wanted to check out the live music at The Red Shoe Pub in Mabou. Owned by the Rankin family it is a must-see when visiting this side of Nova Scotia as the Rankin sisters are world-famous folk singers and musicians. The music was a fiddler's dream and the food was fantastic. Well worth a stop if you are in this neck of the woods.

We spent the night at a funky motel just off the highway in Port Hood called the Hebridean Motel. We spent two nights here as there is a ton to see in the area. The Mabou Beach Provincial Park, Port Hood Beach Park, Cape Mabou Highlands, and several walking trails in the area. After a day exploring the beaches and trails, it was time for ice cream at a lighthouse down by the docks in Port Hood. The lighthouse turned out to be an ice cream shop, much to everyone's delight, especially Zorro. 

I tried to share with Zorro but he was not in a sharing mood.

Back to the hotel for some chill time and decide where to have dinner. There was a biker pub just down the road or back to The Red Shoe, we opted for the latter. It was just as good the second time around. 

Hard to believe that we are only four days in and we have seen so much already. We are excited, tomorrow we will start our journey around the world-famous Cabot Trail Drive, one of the most scenic drives in the world. You can do it fast or slow depending on how much time you have. We elected to take almost a week which we thought would be a good amount of time but there is so much to see and do. When we go again I think we will take more time so we can enjoy more of the fabulous hikes and explore that are in this area more.