Sunday Sep 23, 2018
Map and road video – Moncton, NB to Annapolis Royal, NS
Moncton has built a tourist industry based on two natural phenomena, Magnetic Hill and the tidal bore created by the incoming water flowing up the Petitcodiac river as the tide rises in the Bay of Fundy. It has even built Tidal Bore Park with an amphitheater for visitors to watch the bore, so yesterday’s only sightseeing entailed popping around the back of my hotel, which was right on the river a few hundred metres from the park, to see the bore. The locals call it the “Total Bore” and I can see why; the wave was just a few centimetres high – similar to the water flowing down your bathtub when you first turn the tap on.
After a restful Saturday I got back on the road today and my first stop was Magnetic Hill which is about 10 km out of town. This is a straight road that runs downhill and then back uphill. The unusual part is that, if you stop at the bottom, put your car in neutral and release the brake then your car will roll backwards up the hill and gain significant speed doing it. You can see the effect on my car by watching the road video. However, the most amazing thing about Magnetic Hill is that, somehow, this optical illusion has been turned into Canada’s third most visited natural site (after Niagara Falls and the Rockies) and a theme park , zoo and other attractions have been built around it.
Today’s drive was to Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia and my timing was perfect to see the tidal bore at Truro about mid way along the route. Again, there is a purpose built information center and parking to allow visitors to view the bore but this time the wave was big enough to see and video.
From Truro I drove on to Annapolis Royal with no further stops.
Do you remember “Lily” Lance teaching us about the bore in the Bay of Fundi in year 2 geography? I remember him saying there was pig farming in the area and the pigs were very fit because the had to run away from the bore! I have seen the next biggest bore in the Severn south of Gloucester and that was quite spectacular.
I certainly remember “Lily” and much of my love for Canada stems from those classes. However, I didn’t remember the pigs joke.
I’m hoping to see larger bores later but the timing was perfect for the one I saw in Truro. Thanks for reading.
Umm … you’ll have to explain the optical illusion – it looked pretty real to me! Looked like a fun day.
The whole surrounding area is a plane that is sloping significantly. The “bottom” of Magnetic Hill is actually only a change between two inclines, one less steep than the plane and one that is steeper. The eye is fooled into thinking the first is downhill.
I think golf course designers use a similar trick. If the ground around a green slopes and the green is nearly level, the green looks as if it slopes the other way. Fools me every time!
Sounds like a good excuse for an extra stroke 🙂