Whale Watching in the Bay of Fundy - Petit Passage

On our way back from hiking the Balancing Rock Trail earlier in the morning, we thought we would check in with Petit Passage Whale Watch Company to see if they had any cancellations for the afternoon trip.  Just our luck, they had seats available for the 1:30 trip.  It's rare that they have a cancellation but it's a good thing for us. 

As you can see, we have plenty room for all passengers.  The upper deck can accommodate up to 12 people.  The captain can steer the boat from the upper deck as well.  A good viewing area to track the whales. 

After about an hour or more drive on the Bay of Fundy, we came upon our first whales. A pair of humpback whales that have been feeding in the area. 

Our first blowhole. When whales dive under water their nasal plug covers their nasal passages to the blowhole, but when they come up for air these muscles contract and allow for the blowhole to open. Some are quite spectacular. 

There is a whale chart on board to help passengers identify different types of whales. 

A humpback whale eats about 1.5 tons of food a day while feeding mainly krill and other small schooling fishes. Everyone is excited to see them.

These humpbacks will travel all the way to Argentina to breed.  They do not eat anything during the breeding season. The blubber they store helps protect them from the cold and provides an enormous, stored energy.  

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We came upon two Baleen whales, a mother and her baby.  When born, the calf is about 23 feet long and weighs 5,000 to 6,000 pounds. 

Our first good view of the whale fin.   We were told that the boat captains take photos of the fin to identify the whales.  Boat Captains carry an identification list, so they identify individual whales. 

Other whale watching companies were also searching for whales as well.  They sometimes shared whale experience but always stay at bay so not to harm the whales. 

 We had a great time seeing the whales. In 2011, we flew our grandkids to Seattle to start a Coast-to-Coast tour with our motorhome. We all went on a whale watching tour, but never got to see a whale.  Disappointing at the time. 

 

 MVI 1948 - YouTube

Here is the best video of our trip.

The seas were very calm, and the weather was fantastic.  We stayed out about 2 hours before returning back to shore.  During our return, we spotted an Ocean Sunfish about 6-7 feet long.  They are the worlds heaviest bony fish. 

We really enjoyed our day hiking and whale watching.  It was an incredible day!

 

 

The Balancing Rock Trail - Long Island NS

The 1.0 Mile Balancing Rock Trail leads visitors from the parking lot, just off Highway 217 outside Tiverton, through woods and bog to the southern shore of Long Island. We decided that this would be another good tune up for our upcoming Acadia NP trip in Maine in a couple of weeks.

To get to the Balancing Rock location, you have to take a short ferry ride from Tiverton to Long Island.  The ferry is free for all vehicles and passengers. 

Once on the other side, it's a short drive to the Balancing Rock Trail entrance.  

A map of the trail. We did remember to bring water and insect repellent for this hike. 

We had a narrow wooden bridge to walk over for an 1/8 of a mile.  Not a lot of room for people to pass each other. 

Most of the trail was packed loose gravel. The path was in good shape and easy to follow.

No, it's not Big Foot, it's me walking down 250 steep wooden steps which provide access to a cliffside viewing platform.

At the end of the trail, you have a great view of St Mary's Bay and the rock formations. 

A brief explanation of how it was formed two hundred million years ago. 

The Balancing Rock is a force of nature standing proudly on the cliffs. We did read that fishermen tried to pull the rock loose with their boat, but it would not move.  

Another view of the cliffs. 

The platform was solidly built with metal handrails as you walk down the steps.

We did hike back up the 250 steps with a little rest along the way. We did see many people hiking the trail during our return. When exiting the trail, you see some encouraging words "May your steps from this point forward be as enlightening as the ones you have just taken".   We were very glad we did the hike. 
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Driving South West Nova Scotia Shoreline

 

We rode our trike along the shoreline in Yarmouth Arcadia Shores down to South Shore.  The yellow line on the map shows the scenic route.  We also rode from Digby, upper left down to East Ferry on the peninsula along the Bay of Fundy.    

We traveled the Evangeline Trail along the shoreline stopping at lighthouses and fishing villages.  The shoreline and fishing villages are wonderful, and the scenery was outstanding. 

The Gilbert Lighthouse, built in 1904.  Nova Scotia has given lighthouses to local communities to operate and/or maintain as they see fit.

 Many lighthouses are automated while some are just for visiting. 

Kathy spent time talking with the lady running the lighthouse store. She climbed the ladder to the light area on top and took a couple of photos.

This is what you see typically in most fishing villages.  In Yarmouth Nova Scotia, the Lobster season starts in November and ends in May.   The rise and fall of the tide in this area is about 15 feet. 

The locals say the Nova Scotia lobsters are sweeter than other lobster caught in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Our whale watching tour boat does double duty for the lobster season.

 

We saw many great looking Churches as we travel throughout the region. Saint Marie, the largest wooden Church in North Ameria.  Most of the Churches have large steeples. 

Saint Bernard constructed in 1910. 

 The villages in Yarmouth are very similar to the villages in Cape Breton and other fishing villages in Nova Scotia. The people here are walking around in shorts and tee shirts, while we have 4 layers of clothing riding the trike. 

Kejimkujik National Park - NS

 

 

Kejimkujik National Park Seaside is a protected coastal wilderness. 

After reading about the park, we decided to do a 3.0-mile round trip hike to the beach and back.

We did notice the warning about bears in the park but decided to hike anyway.  

While walking down the path we noticed several bear scats, a couple very fresh.  Probably should have carried our bear spray, which was safe in the RV. 

We finally arrive at the beach.  Although we had water in the truck, we did not bring that either.  

I did not mention in any of our previous posts but the mosquitoes in Nova Scotia are many and aggressive.  They love my O-positive blood.  Kathy sprayed me up before heading on our hike.  

As you can see, many others decided to do the same hike.  

This was a great tune up for our upcoming visit to Acadia NP in Maine.  We had a very good time at the park. 

Cape Forchu Lighthouse

 Cape Forchu Lighthouse - A light like no other!

The only Apple Shaped lighthouse in Nova Scotia that you can climb. We took a walk around the Leif Erikson Park, passing the impressive whale skeleton display, interesting rock formations and stunning ocean views. 

Meet "Foggy" the only 50' whale skeleton on display at the park.  The carcass found in 2006 was transported piece by piece back to the lighthouse by a local fisherman after receiving permission by the Department of Fisheries.  

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• After wearing Billy Rascoe's shoes for several weeks, I thought I was big enough to handle this chair.  Maybe not!

Standing at the lookout deck reading about each light keeper. 

The flag displays.  Left "The Municipality of Yarmouth", Center top, "Canada", Right, Flag of "Nova Scotia". 

The fun didn't stop there, we decided to come back another evening for the stunning sunset. 

We were not disappointed. 

An awesome view before setting.