The Bay of Fundy near Selma, NS
Low Tide
Investigating along the Bay of Fundy shore, you are driving the Glooscap Trail. We arrived at a lookoff between Walton and Selma, Nova Scotia and what a view. Complete low tide, so the Bay was almost empty. There in the background, the cliffs and hills of Glooscap – now known more widely as Blomidon. The red mud seemed to go on forever, and it is amazing to think that in 6 hours, the tide would bring salt water to within a couple of feet of where we stood.
The tides are well known to me, as I grew up on a farm near Canning, NS and our land sloped down to the canard River, which was a 300 meter or so wide and maybe 20 meter deep river at high tide, but the merest trickle at low tide, when our landscaped changed to the same red mud vastness. The power of this tide range is amazing, and once you witness it, you never forget.
As I was writing this, a large hurricane, Florence, approached North Carolina and I saw on TV and read online that a few folks even under mandatory evacuation were going to try to stay in their homes. For some it isn’t a real choice – with pets or lack of funds the decision to move away to safety is too hard. For others though, who think it can’t be that bad – well, they’re in for a surprise. You see, it isn’t the wind, rain and waves that kill most people in a hurricane. It is the tide surge and resulting flooding and loss of power and drinking water that does in many.
The TV and the internet play a part in this, as messages become mixed, aided by the current US administration that has, shall we say, a hard time being completely truthful. It must be hard to know what to do for some in such emergencies and given the conflicting advice.
All I know is, I listen to NOAA and Environment Canada, and if they give a warning I pay attention. I witnessed the power of the tides every day. It is nothing to try to mess with.
I hope the folks in the South East US stay safe, and maybe Florence’s remnants will bring us some much needed rain here in NS next week!
