Category Archives: vacation

Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; St. Martins Sea Caves and Lunch


St. Martins Sea Caves at high tide

Another place we visited twice this day was the area of the St. Martins Sea Caves. As with previous places we visited twice, the purpose was for Diane Howarth of Go Fundy Tours to show us the same location at both low and high tide. The other purpose for our visit here was lunch, which we’ll get to shorty. But first, let’s take a look at the caves during that morning’s low tide:

Low Tide at St. Martins Sea Caves

As you can see, the Bay of Fundy waters along this stretch of beach have receded considerably. Here is a close up of the caves, which you to walk to during low tide:

Low Tide at St. Martins Sea Caves

So, how did this scene look just three hours later? Let’s take a look, first at the beach:

St. Martins Sea Caves at high tide

No way you’re going to stroll over to those caves now! Here’s a telephoto view of the caves:

St. Martins Sea Caves at high tide

On this beach are two restaurants. One is famous for their fish and chips, the other for the seafood chowder. Ursula got out voted by the group, so we headed over to the Seaside Restaurant & Takeout:

Seaside Restaurant for fish & chips

But, oddly enough, Seaside advertises outside that their seafood chowder is award winning, so Ursula was not too disappointed. She opted to give this chowder a try, but we both found it a bit lacking. It looks rich, and the pools of butter on top appeared inviting, but the chowder itself was a bit watery. Fortunately, the taste was good (not great), and seafood was abundant:

Seaside Restaurant’s seafood chowder

Most of the rest of our group had the fish & chips, which also came with cole slaw. The slaw was yummy, and the fish both tasty and crunchy, but the chips left a little to be desired. They came not quite fresh from the fryer and lacked the hearty crunch one craves with such fare:

Seaside Restaurant’s fish & chips

We’re about to finish up our fall foliage cruise, but we’re not done yet with Adventure of the Seas. Not only was this a fall foliage adventure, it was also a repositioning cruise that would soon take us south. Our last views of the fall foliage portion of the cruise will appear on this week’s Fun Photo Friday. Wednesday we’ll made a quick return to Quaco Head Light, then take in a scenic overlook of Saint John. Until then, here’s one last look at the St. Martins Sea Caves and the Bay of Fundy at high tide:

St. Martins Sea Caves on the Bay of Fundy at high tide

Comments Off on Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; St. Martins Sea Caves and Lunch

Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; Fundy National Park


Bay of Fundy; Fundy National Park

We left the Big Salmon River Interpretive Centre after perusing the logging museum and watching a short video presentation. Diane Howarth drove our tour van east along the Fundy Trail Parkway, deep into the Fundy National Park, for more scenic vistas.

Bay of Fundy fall foliage

But before we get into the forest, another quick word about this exceptional tour company and our equally exceptional tour guide. Go Fundy Tours has as of this writing 242 English reviews on Trip Advisor, of which an astounding 238 reviewers give Go Fundy Tours a rating of ‘Exceptional’, and three more cited them as ‘Very Good’. That enthusiastic 99.6% approval is quite simply incredible, but being with Diane Howarth all day leaves no doubt that this company earned every one of those ratings.

New Brunswick plate

Now let’s experience the scenery within the Fundy National Park and along the Fundy Trail Parkway before we return farther below to St. Martins to compare previous low tide scenes to the high tide later that day:

Bay of Fundy; Fundy National Park

Lonesome pine

Now back to the fishing village of St. Martins, which I showed you last week during that day’s low tide. You’ll recall that the fishing fleet was beached that morning, which gave us this scene:

St. Martins image taken earlier, at low tide

But four hours later, here’s that same fleet:

St. Martins at high tide

Another look at high tide in St. Martins, this time near the Vaughn Street covered bridge:

St. Martins at high tide

This image is of those same boats earlier that morning:

Reflecting on the Fleet

Next week we head back to Quaco Head Light to look at the same subject during the light afforded at different times of the day, then take in the St. Martins Sea Caves for both low and high tide views before heading off to lunch. This week’s Fun Photo Friday will have some waiting for you, as well. Until then, one last glimpse at Fundy National Park:

Specks of fall among the green

Comments Off on Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; Fundy National Park

Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; Fundy Park Trailway


Big Salmon River Interpretive Centre

A short time after Fuller Falls we arrived with tour guide Diane Howarth at the Big Salmon River Interpretive Centre along the Fundy Trail Parkway. The Fundy Trail Parkway takes you into the Fundy National Park, and the Big Salmon River once served as a major logging center. The Interpretive Centre acts as a museum to this local logging industry, and the building is a reproduction of the loggers’ bunkhouse that once stood on this site. The views here are quite extraordinary:

View of Big Salmon River from the Interpretive Centre

The Big Salmon River flows directly into the Bay of Fundy:

View of Big Salmon River from the Interpretive Centre

Looking the other way you peer into the lumber-rich forest that was the lifeblood of this industry for so long:

View of Big Salmon River from the Interpretive Centre

Just below the center you’ll see beautifully green moss-covered logs among the rocks:

View of Big Salmon River from the Interpretive Centre

The Fundy Trail Parkway is relatively new, having been opened to the public in 1998. From the parkway you’ll find some great fall foliage views of the surrounding forest:

Fundy National Park

Not to mention the Bay of Fundy:

Fundy National Park

Comments Off on Fall Foliage Cruise — New Brunswick; Fundy Park Trailway

Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation