Have you ever heard of the Balancing Rock of Digby? It is AMAZING!! I saw a tiny picture in the corner of a tourist magazine, and had to see it!
It’s on the Digby Neck, on the opposite side of the almost-island of Nova Scotia from Halifax. It is so worth going to visit there! Everything’s interesting.
Even the trip to get there! We went to Truro first, to watch the Tidal Bore.
I talked about the Tidal Bore in my blog about Alaska, but the Truro Tidal Bore, on the Bay of Fundy, is the fastest Tidal Bore in the world!We were told it was a “must-see”, and when we got there, we were surprised to see people setting up camp, all along the bend in the river – picnics, lawn chairs, beach umbrellas. We were completely unprepared, so were forced to just stand there waiting. (How embarrassing!)
Right on schedule, we heard the sound – like a hiss – that grew into a rumble – and then into almost a roar, as the water came.
You know that movie, Backdraft? about the firefighters – there’s this one part where the fire fighter is talking about how the fire has thoughts and schemes – or something like that… The guy says “It’s a living thing. It breathes, it eats, and it hates. The only way to beat it is to think like it.” That’s EXACTLY how I was feeling about the rushing water! I felt like if I stood too close to the edge, it’d reach out its watery fingers and grab my feet and drag me in!
As I mentioned in the previous blog about the Turnagain Arm Bore in Alaska – the Truro Tidal Bore (one of the fastest in the world) can travel up to 30 miles (48 kms) an hour and can reach up to 20 foot (6 meter) waves!
After we left Truro, we continued our journey to Digby Neck, stopping somewhere along the way, in a little tiny town (maybe it was actually the town of Digby), at McDonalds, where, after waiting about an hour to order (Yes – McDonalds, fast food), we had lobster sandwiches. And, REAL lobster and REAL sandwiches!! Not even shredded or canned, but actual lobster. So yummy! Worth the hour wait. Oh! It’s called a McLobster. Of course!
The Digby Neck is a very narrow peninsula that extends out from Nova Scotia, with St. Mary’s Bay on one side and Bay of Fundy on the other.
The Balancing Rock is actually on the other side of Petit Passage, on Long Island, and is accessible only by ferry.
The Trail to the Balancing Rock is very level and calm, meandering through the forest, until all of the sudden, there’s a STEEP staircase down to the ocean (well, St. Mary’s Bay)! Fortunately, there are benches and landings at which to rest, from time to time. (Don’t forget your inhaler, if you have asthma.)
The Rock, made of basalt, is approximately 30 feet tall, and standing straight up from the ledge on which it’s perched!! Apparently, it’s attached by two small sections, but there’s a gap between the sections that you can actually see through to the other side.
Those were the highlights for us! Lighthouses, balancing rocks, tidal bores, and history.
After a few more days, we headed home (on a crookedy little tiny plane so small they could only fire one engine at a time at take-off!) And, thus ends the Adventures in a Disposable Car.
Next week, I think we’ll talk about Hawaii!!
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