NEW BRUNSWICK: FUNDY TRAIL PARKWAY

On the morning of August 9, after getting a good night's sleep to make up for the previous night, we headed out into a rather gloomy day. We were hoping it would be the perfect weather for some moose, but this is as close to a REAL moose as we got:

We were just about to enter this covered bridge, when all of the sudden Bob threw on the brakes:

He's a sucker for restaurants that advertise "The World's Best (fill in the blank)" or "Award Winning (Anything)," even though he also frequently pokes fun at those monikers. The Seaside Restaurant was advertising its "Award Winning Chowder." While our son rolled his eyes, Bob went inside . . .

. . . and returned with some thin, decidedly average seafood chowder . . .

. . . and a boring lobster roll with a side of not bad poutine:

At least our view while we all sampled the morning "snacks" was incredible:

It wasn't far to the Fundy Trail Parkway, a beautiful scenic drive along the Bay of Fundy that includes a network of hiking trails:

The man-made landscaping surrounding the entrance gate was stunning:

On the other side of the gate, God's landscaping was also stunning:

. . . and decidedly grander:

Once again, we seemed to be the only people in the park:

Well, this looks interesting. Flower Pots?

Steps led down towards the bay:

. . . and THERE is the flower pot, a rock formation caused by tidal erosion:

So so so SO beautiful:

According to our son, that's beautiful, but THIS is what is really beautiful to him:

Next stop, the Sea Captains' Burial Ground:

Another stroll through the Narnian forest:

I kept looking for Mr. Tumnus or the White Witch to appear:

There is something magical and mystical about this place:

Two families of shipbuilders settled this area in the late 18th century. Two small graveyards, which contain 45 of their family members, were restored around the year 2000:

On our way back to the where we'd left our car, we found a sweet little bench perfectly placed among the trees . . . 

. . . a perfect spot for soggy sweethearts:

Off to Fuller Falls Cable Stairs and Lookout:

The view before we started down:

The view from the lookout:

The cable stairs are much steeper than they look in these photos:

Looking up the stairs from below, you can see that they aren't really anchored in the ground, just suspended between the two cables, kind of like a flexible ladder:

A gold mine of fungi!

Yes indeed, those ARE chanterelles. A pound of these golden nuggets is $25 to $30 at Whole Foods:

Chanterelle mushrooms are nearly impossible to farm, unlike shiitake and other mushrooms, and will live in soil only around birch or pine trees. What you buy at the store is most likely purchased from foragers:

We harvested a nice amount for our dinner that night before moving on for a short stop at the Visitors Center. Remember that moose sign at the beginning of this post? Yeah, here he is:

They had a deck overlooking a narrow inlet of the Fundy coast.

 Depending on the time of day and the tides, there might be a lot or a little water here:

This looks like low tide:

Next stop: Hopewell Rocks Park