Saint John, NB to Amherst, NS = 367 km

Since I did not sleep well the night before, and since there was chance of rain for Saint John by 100%, needless to say I was not motivated to get up to do a thing. The only motivation I had was that breakfast would be closed at 9am. Up I got to grab some food. Pointless because I needed to stop at McD's anyway for a proper coffee. Oh, and I could have spent another hour in bed, breakfast closed at 10am. Lesson learned #4...listen for start and end times for breakfast. I originally wanted to do a bus tour in Saint John, but based on the walking trek I did last night, didn't wanna do that in the pouring rain to get downtown. I also felt there was no need to rush, maybe that's an East Coast thing trickling in. I had one place to be at a certain time, so I finally got my ass in gear and left the hotel. 100 metres away stopped for gas. 100 metres away got my coffee......20 mins and still no headway! I noticed even Willow was a little grumbly this morning, and she was hungry. There was remnants of what I thought was a bird by the headlight. Closer inspection proved that it was merely a giant bug with massive wings. The rain did ease up as I left Saint John on my way to St. Martins via 111. In fact, the further away from Saint Johns, the roads were dry. With coffee kicking in I had a spirited drive to my next destination.

Naturally Hopewell Rocks was the ultimate sightseeing stop today, however I opted to take the long way to get there. The visitor centre at St. Martins was incredibly helpful and they told me the must see Fundy Trail and helped me figure out the best time to walk on the ocean floor. They were based in a lighthouse....finally I got to go in and up one! There is one road to get in and out of the 16 km long Fundy Trail Parkway and roughly 1.5 hours to go to the end and back including brief stops along the way at scenic lookouts. The visitor centre folks highlighted a few outlooks I should focus my time on and I followed their recommendations. Stops 1, 4, 8 and 11 were my targets. With a cloudy but dry sky I stopped first at Fox Rock for my first breathtaking view of the Bay of Fundy. Merely 2 mins spent taking pictures and I was off to the next stop. I for the most part was alone at every stop.....the world for me to take in all by myself. Refreshing really. Sorta like a show mother nature is putting on just for me, and a true priviledge to bear witness. Stop 4 Pangburn Beach had a really cool waterfall tucked into the woods. A quick stair climb down...the oddest stairs I've ever set foot on, a suspended sort going steeply down to a platform. Fuller Falls were very pretty to see. If I had time, I'd prefer to hike this whole trial instead of take a car....if there was a bicycle rental I'd SO do that. Drive along again to stop 8. A suspension foot bridge this time....again all on my own. In the middle of this huge bridge...little me! Quick trek back to the car off to the last stop 11. Had time to get out and snap some photos of the red beach at Long Beach Lookout. I could start to see the rain coming in off the Bay. In minutes the view was gone....and it would be gone for the remainder of the day. I was incredibly lucky to make it to the end of the trail and see the visible wonders. I made my way out of the trail onto highway 114 to Fundy National Park. If I was thinking correctly, and if weather cooperated, I would have been better off to take Highway 1 straight to Moncton and south to Hopewell....but dumb me ;) and I'm stubborn and wanted to say I drove through that park! Nothing notable on 114 and after what felt like forever, I arrived at Hopewell Rocks. I'm not sure what I expected when I would see the rocks but when I returned to my car 2 hours later, I was beside myself with awe. I paid for a shuttle and waited in the drizzling rain to take me to these magic rocks. Its a 4 min drive or 15 min walk. To save time, and because I've seen enough rain today, I opted for shuttle. There is a quick walk down to the ocean floor. I walked around with my runners, and brought my flip flops just in case. So there are rock formations...its raining, yet I'm delighted. I am one of few on this "beach" and perhaps thats what makes this experience so great. I'm getting soaked by rain that is constant but I dont even have the hood of my jacket up most of the time. Perhaps I just have a new appreciation for rain. The "upper portion" of this beach is rocky....as the water recedes a softer side is shown.....red...mud. I decided to venture out a little further because I really wanted to touch the waters edge...... I heard a teenager grumbling about losing his sandals. I promptly changed from my runners to flip flops, rolled up my pants and in I went. First step nearly put me on the ground. I did not expect the ground to be slippery or muddy, I expected sand texture. Flip flops covered. I took em off, and continued to the edge of the water, that seemed to tease me, since it kept getting further away from me....making me walk more in the mud. Fun game mother nature! I was able to rinse my flip flops, put them and my runners on a rock and take in the water and the Bay. Then it hit me. I don't want to leave. It was very peaceful, no one around me, and really I was at the mercy of the elements. The mud that was sucking me in, at times nearly up to my knees (oops), the drizzling rain that soaked my face, hair, jacket, pants, oh and little crabs walking around....i swear I stepped accidently on some living things (sorry). If I could have had a chair, I would have sat there and slept till the tide came in, and likely every once in a while walking further to the water as it would leave my feet. What a highlight of my trip. Now what to do with these feet! I managed to find a big rock that had "fresh" water around it where I rinsed my feet off enough to put my sandals back on. Before reluctantly leaving I did a panoramic view.....i was the only one there within a kilometre in every direction. The isolation was peaceful and calming. I have never had so much fun in the rain before. I will treasure Hopewell Rocks and New Brunswick forever in my memory. After hosing off I got back into the car to continue on. I stopped in Amherst so that I am that much closer for a better start time tomorrow and because New Glasgow is 2 more hours away and I couldn't make it before dark o'clock. Lesson learned #5...leave earlier in the morning so you can goof off at places throughout the day, and maybe make it a little bit further with distance. These last two days have been baby drives compared to my monster one the first day. I fear tomorrow will be long. Cape Breton here I come.