Tides and Bridges

August 17, 2016

We left early today.  On the road by 7:30. Merv did the devotional and talked about the greatness of God. We sang “Oh Lord My God” and then Dave read an account of how the moon literally scrubs the earth clean; without it we would all die.  I’ll let you research that for yourself.  What an amazing creator we have!

The rain was steady with no signs that it was planning to let up anytime soon.  We reached the Confederation Bridge which is, at nine miles, the longest continuing marine span in the world. I quickly sent a message to my kids back home to watch for us on the live cam.  Jaimee’ saw us and managed to get a photo. She sent it to us and I posted it to Facebook.  This all happened in the span of a few minutes.  Pretty incredible.  New Brunswick to Ohio to New Brunswick to Cyberspace.

Another hour or two of traveling brought us to Magnetic Hill in Moncton, Nova Scotia. We drove down the hill, turned around, put the bus in neutral, and coasted back up the hill.  Whether it’s an optical illusion or an actual magnetic pull up an actual hill, I couldn’t say. I will be researching the story a bit more when I have internet service again.

After coasting up the hill we de-boarded at the gift shop and restaurant nearby.  To reach the buildings we had to cross a covered bridge.  The sign said it was 12 feet and 3 inches tall.  Same as the bus we are on.  It’s not an air-conditioner kind of day but we’d still like to keep the one on the roof just in case we need it.  Dave stepped out into the rain to check things out.  He told JR, who was behind the wheel, to lower the bus as much as possible, a nice feature used when people are getting on and off.  With the bus lowered and Dave watching from outside, we made it across with everything intact.  These two guys have displayed impressive skill more than once on this trip.

I’ve had plenty of embarrassing experiences in my life thus far.  Today was no exception. I made my way to the restaurant for some coffee and snacks to take with me.  After visiting with the nice lady behind the counter I bought a piece of the homemade butterscotch pie that she assured me was very good, planning to eat it later when we were on the road again.  After shopping at the gift shop I boarded the bus to check on one of my fellow passengers who had hurt her foot earlier;  last evening her husband dropped a large suitcase it.  Yes, it was an accident.  We had filled an ice-bag in the restaurant and she was doing fine, with her leg elevated and propped up with pillows. 

When we were all boarded some time later, Dave told us all that the lady in the restaurant was missing her cell phone.  He pointed out to everyone that I HAD pilfered the TV remote at an earlier stay on this very trip and maybe they should frisk me to see if I was the guilty party again.  I had my phone in my hand so I laughed with everyone else.  Then I got nervous.  I ransacked my purse and was relieved to find there was no extra phone there.  I checked my raincoat pockets.  Only my phone found there. And then, as the bus was pulling out, I patted my rear pockets.

“Stop!” I pretty much screamed. “OH MY WORD!  I have her phone!!”  JR brought the bus to a stop and I ran into the restaurant where a very relieved woman was happy to see her missing phone.  I was so humiliated, I told her I didn’t want to get back on the bus since I knew they’d never let me live it down.  I’m not traveling with people who forget things like this very fast.  “Can I just stay here?!” I asked, practically whining. I could feel the heat in my face which I assumed was probably bright red.

She and her companions laughed heartily and told me I was welcome to move in.  Then I walked back out in the rain to face the people on the bus with all their best jokes ready and waiting.  I had been pretty pleased that I am the youngest person on board.  One of them pointed this out to me and asked me how I’m going to function when I’m their age.  I often wonder the same thing myself.

Then Irene told us what happened to her at the same stop.  She had headed for the bathrooms as soon as she got off the bus.  She opened the door indicating public washrooms and came face to face with five or six men.  She screamed and backed out the door as fast as she could. 

“No no, wait!” they told her.   “This is the right place.  Come on in!” It was a hallway leading to both bathrooms. 

Paul said, “I heard someone scream but didn’t know what was happening!”  Everyone on the bus was laughing heartily by this time. Our unsympathetic fellow-travelers were all wishing for videos of the both of us. Both of us shocked and startled and humiliated. It’s a good thing we both have a sense of humor in our possession.

Speaking of bathrooms - I was somewhat incredulous at a sign I saw in one of them today. If I tried standing or squatting on the toilet I would surely end up in a full body cast. 

At low tide as pictured in info center.

During our visit today.

We toured Hopewell Rocks and learned about the incredible power of the incoming tides.  Some years ago attempts were made to harness the power of the mighty Atlantic with a turbine built to last ten years.  Nine days later it was useless.  Millions of dollars spent and still this particular site has not managed to tame the tides.

We spent much of the afternoon on a curving bumpy road that was touted to us as a great scenic way to get to Saint John.  Curving and bumpy do not equal scenic.  We bounced along for what seemed like a long time finally reaching the city where we were hoping to see more tidal action.  The Saint John River empties into the Bay of Fundy through a narrow gorge. At high tide the flow of water causes the current to temporarily reverse its flow at what is known hereabouts as the Reversing Falls.  It took us awhile to find it but eventually, with Marge’s help in finding the microscopic signs, we pulled up in front of an information center beside the river. 

There were beautiful walkways to the water’s edge and a wall of windows at the back edge of the info center for those who preferred the overlook view.  It was beautiful to see, the churning currents swirling in circles, foaming over rocks, the river displaying its power.

Our next stop was a nearby shopping mall where we scattered at the food court foraging for supper, then to the hotel for another fun night of games.  Hand and Foot and Black Seven.  Lots of trash talk from people who are usually all politeness and warmth.  These evenings are some of the best moments of the trip.  

Oh. . .and. . . Magnetic Hill is an optical illusion.  But as one blogger said, an illusion that still appears real after you realize it's an illusion is the best kind.