The Maritime Provinces of Canada - Part 1

     This is where I am going; what they are called. I never realized I really wanted to visit them so badly until about a year ago. I started making a "bucket list" -- or "wish list" for those of you who do not want to hear it (you know who you are!) :) Shortened it to manageable must-sees.
     I was attracted by the sheer beauty and history of the Maritimes. It is driveable distance. So it is first on my list. Here is a quick map of the area where I will be traveling.

     Canada’s Maritime Provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island – are dominated by the sea, with a long, jagged coastline punctured by picturesque bays, sandy beaches and towering cliffs. The ocean was crucial to the development of the Maritimes, bringing in waves of settlers and  accounting for its greatest industries: ship-building and fishing. Forestry became important in the 19th century, and even today a large part of it remains intractable wilderness.
     After Saint John (mammoth bones!!), I head to Nova Scotia for 3 days. Likely explore the west coast first, and the Bay of Fundy. I have printed the tidal charts. It is home to the world's highest tides -- as high as 11 feet, tides in the Minas Basin can reach 43 feet!! The tides are so strong they actually reverse the flow of several local rivers.
     The Bay of Fundy was formed due to continental drift millions of years ago. They estimate 100 billion TONS of water flow through the bay every tidal shift.
     That is some awesome powerful force of Mother Nature.

      Of course I will be doing some touristy things along the way, and there are things I do want to see and do. But I have also left a good portion of my trip open for random and unexpected experiences.
     After all, is that not what the journey is about?