Watching 100 billion tons of water make its journey in and out of the Bay of Fundy rising and falling over 32 to 46 feet will certainly grab your attention, especially if you are in the water. Along the Bay of Fundy, we stopped at Hopewell Caves. Here we were able to walk along the ocean floor and gaze at the incredible rock formations that have been shaped by the dramatic rise and fall of the tides over the years. At high tide, these enormous mushroom shaped rocks ("flowerpots") are just barely popping out of the water. Our only comparison to such a dramatic tide was in Alaska along the Turnagain Arm at Upper Cook Inlet (which has the second largest tidal range in the world) where you can ride along side the bore tide which travels at approximately 15 hours per hour and has a tidal range of 39 feet. They are both extremely dramatic.

This is a great place to go for the sun worshipers (a bit intimidating for white, pasty Irish/Englishman). Prince Edward Island is known for its beaches. Not only are they absolutely beautiful but the water is surprisingly warm (68 degrees Fahrenheit). Our drive over the bridge to get to Prince Edward Island was also fairly memorable (Jen is still recovering). Unfortunately, our time was limited, so we hopped on the evening ferry to Nova Scotia.

The Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the surrounding area are absolutely stunning. Within our first few hours of exploring around the area, we knew we would be planning another trip here in the future. We wished we had a several weeks to spend there walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, etc... As we drove through the mountainous terrain, we were quite thankful that we had opted to have new brake pads put on.

The owner of the hostal we stayed at on our first night in Cape Breton, also ran a small whale watching tour with his Zodiac boat. Needless to say, it did not take much convincing to get us on the boat, which looked a bit like an inflatable raft on steroids, except without the hair and acne. Captain Jeff controlled the boat as if it were an extension of his body. He would repeatedly stop the boat on a dime (a floating dime of course) to get us within arms reach of a family of Pilot whales, and then accelerate up and over the consistent barrage of ten foot waves to prevent what seemed like an inevitable plunge into the ocean. We took those moments as reminders to tighten the straps on our life suits and hold on for dear life. It was an exhilarating experience riding along side these whales, knowing that we could be torpedoed by any one of these creatures of the sea. It has happened ("In The Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick is a riveting and true account of the whale ship Essex that inspired Herman Melville to write "Moby Dick"). Anyhow, we did not get torpedoed by any of the whales, but it was still quite exciting. We highly recommend it!

Several people we had met during our brief time in Cape Breton recommended that we go to the Black Whale for the best Rock Crabs around (the fishing season had just changed from lobster to crab). We had planned on spending the day taking in the sights and finishing up with a plate full of fresh crabs. Unfortunately, we became a bit mesmerized by the sunset over the cliffs of the highlands as we watched whales frolicking in the ocean below. It is also conceivable we were running a bit late because Matt's index finger was apparently glued to the shutter button on our camera. Knowing that the Black Whale closed early in the off season, we tore ourselves away from the fading sun and hit the road. Despite some valiant driving through the mountains, we arrived at the Black Whale fifteen minutes after closing time. Jen went through a most rapid transformation the moment we realized we would be dining on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead of a plate full of succulent Rock Crabs. Jen's face full of gleeful anticipation quickly faded and was immediately replaced with a not-so-subtle twitching, with steam visibly pouring from the top of her head and tears streaming down the side of her face. Slight mumbling could also be heard, "...we don't have any lunch except for a few stale Cheez-its, and now he makes me miss out on the one #*!?*@#! thing I been looking forward to all #*!?*@#! day! #*!?*@#!! peanut butter and jelly". As we approached the door with a strong sense of desperation, we were met by the owner of the restaurant. Before we had a chance to plead our case for turning the stove back on, Bill ("Wild Bill" to some) welcomed us with open arms, despite the fact that he and his wife, Jean, had just sat down to enjoy a quiet, romantic dinner for two. Make that four. Wild Bill assured us that closing time was more of a suggestion, and that he did have the freshest Rock Crabs around. He proceeded to cook us up possibly the best Rock Crab in all of the Atlantic. Great food and great company. All was well with the world again.

We made our way towards Peggy's Cove via Marine Drive. It is a beautiful drive along the east coast of Nova Scotia with seemingly endless quaint little fishing villages and picturesque coves. We did not, however, fully appreciate how long it would take to travel on this scenic road. Needless to say, we did not make it to our intended destination that night (the Ritz would have to wait), but it was well worth the extra time.

Peggy's Cove is a quaint little fishing village that looks like a Norman Rockwell painting come to life. The lighthouse at the tip of the cove was erected in 1868 and remains operational today. It is possibly one of the most photographed lighthouses in North America, and for good reason. We enjoyed a misty morning walk around the cove, imagining how many ships that lighthouse has guided into safety over the years.

After enjoying a tour of the Alexander Keith's Brewery in Halifax where we indulged in a few libations (fantastic beer!) and song, we made our way to Lunenberg to camp before nightfall. Lunenberg is one of the most colorful towns (literally) we have ever seen. We arrived just in time to observe the setting sun accentuate the colors of the houses that line the shore with every color in a rainbow represented. Our gourmet dinner of tuna fish sandwiches, Cheez-its and champagne was also not to be missed.