During our raft trip on the Shubenacadie River, we got to see just a small portion of the Minas Basin, which makes up the eastern arm of the Bay of Fundy. On Friday, August 11, 2018, we decided to drive around the basin to the west side. Our destination was Partridge Island which marks the boundary between the Minas Basin and the Bay of Fundy. The rocky beaches leading out to the island are famous for the various rocks and gem stones that can be collected from the beaches.
On our way to Partridge Island, we made a couple stops. First up, was Five Islands Lighthouse a Colchester County Park. This wooden "pepperpot" style lighthouse was built in 1914. It's original kerosene lamp continued to shine until 1963. Due to erosion, the light had to be moved back several times. It was relocated to the park in 2008 where it began a new life as a visitor information center.
While not official Parks Canada chairs, Colchester County did provided a couple of red chairs for our viewing pleasure.
This area was named for the five islands seen from shore - (east to west) Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg and Pinnacle. The islands were so far apart that we couldn't get a photo with all five. So, we just picked the really cool one with the fog hanging over it.
Our next stop, was the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro. Nova Scotia has some of the most varied, accessible and really cool geological sites. When the continents collided, tons of material was thrust up. All across Nova Scotia, various layers of history can be seen and explored. The exhibits walk you through time to get a better understanding of the rocks and how they were made.
Just around the corner from Parrsboro are the cliffs of Wasson Bluff where Canada's oldest dinosaur skeletons are being excavated in the earliest Jurassic sedimentary rocks. How cool is this mastodon tooth!
After filling our arms with brochures and books on rock hounding in Nova Scotia, we drove out to Partridge Island. Along the way, we stopped to get a look at the Parrsboro Lighthouse. This octagonal wooden tower was built in 1852 at the end of a sand spit near the entrances to the Parrsboro harbor. Unfortunately, it was high tide and the access road was underwater! This is as close as we got.
Because of its position as the dividing line between the Minas Basin and the Bay Fundy, Partridge Island collects rocks both coming and going with the rise and fall of tide. It's possible to find igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic pebbles, which have been rounded and polished. Partridge Island is an island in name only as it is connected to the mainland by a long rocky spit.
As we worked our way out toward the "island," we came across some kind of natural jacuzzi. We learned from one of the locals that the Mi'kma call this phenomenon - Kluskap's grandmother's cooking pot. When the tide comes in twice daily, air trapped in the basalts under the ocean surface is forced out, making the water bubble like a cooking pot.
Perched in the middle of the rock spit was a tiny cottage. During high tide, this homestead is practically surrounded with water. With so much rock at their disposal, the owners built retaining walls using rocks of similar color.
Local fisherman use this type of fishing weir to fish for herring. The sea gulls wait for the tide to go out to check the nets for fish stuck above the receding water line.
This side of the spit faces the Bay of Fundy. The rocks on this side were much larger.
While we didn't find any gem stones or sea glass, we did end up with interesting specimens. We are looking forward to using our new Nova Scotia Rock Hounding book to uncover more fun places to explore. The adventure continues....
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