Sacred Places - Part Five

St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Churches, cathedrals and graveyards - no holiday would be complete without a visit to at least one of these. As I said in my introduction to this series, I am not a religious man. That being said, I do often find myself  on hallowed ground when I'm on vacation. Questions of an almighty aside, I am interested in the story of mankind. Throughout history, religious buildings offer the best of what we are as human beings. I want to tell you about one that filled my heart with wonder.

The New River in my home town of Enfield

I am an immigrant to Canada. My family came to Alberta when I was just five years old. Anybody that meets me would immediately peg me as a Canadian. In fact I was born in North London and it wasn't until I was 38 years old that I ever returned to my homeland. It was an eye opening experience and it didn't take long for me to be totally enthralled by London. I think some people who know me are a bit mystified by the fact that I love London so much. Yes, I am the same person who goes to such great lengths to find solitude in natural settings. The only way I can really explain it is that I like  the "real" thing and London is definitely a real city. You can feel the buzz of the place before you even get off the plane. You clear customs and then the race is on. My father told me that his dad would always tell him "get ready to start running" whenever they took the tube into Central London and the pace hasn't slowed.



Westminster Cathedral

I have visited many English holy places. St. Mary's Church in Warwick (resting place of the Earls of Warwick and Robert Dudley) was the first. I have visited the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban's, which is said to be the oldest site of Christian worship in Britain. The Cathedrals of Westminster and Canterbury are probably the two "no-brainers"  if you're looking for history and I have been to them both. St. George's Chapel in Windsor (where I found myself standing over the grave of Henry VIII), King's College Chapel, Cambridge and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford  (it once laid claim to being the smallest cathedral in England) are some notable ones.  I think that's a pretty good list for an agnostic.

So why St. Paul's? It is different than the rest. Its high domed ceiling and climb upward to the upper galleries was an experience not unlike ascending a mountain. It is the closest thing I have ever experienced, that approached nature in its grandeur.

I must admit that I have only been to St. Paul's once and at a sad time in my life. I was in England for the funeral of an Uncle who was particularly dear to me. I had two weeks in London, which I would normally relish, but I wasn't in the mood to sight-see. One day my sister suggested that we visit the cathedral and I agreed. It exceeded all of my expectations. Standing beneath the dome I looked up and wondered at its design. There was a choir there (from Florida) that sang beneath the dome. Their voices sang out a mix of Southern Gospel and more traditional choral songs which reverberated from the dome. It was one of the most amazing aural experiences I have ever encountered.



Under the dome

I wandered the floor of the cathedral and found the American Memorial Chapel, which is dedicated to the U.S. servicemen based in the UK that lost their lives in the Second World War. It was created in a section that was rebuilt after being destroyed by Nazi bombs during the blitz. Downstairs in the crypt were heroes Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Florence Nightingale. Also lying beneath his masterpiece is the body of Sir Christopher Wren. Wren created the modern incarnation of St. Paul's after Old St. Paul's was destroyed in the Fire of London in 1666. The new cathedral was officially completed in 1711.

The City from Stone Gallery

It was when we began our ascent up a series of narrow stairways that I truly began to embrace this man-made wonder. The first gallery we encountered on the way up was the Whispering Gallery, 30 metres up from the Cathedral floor.  A whisper spoken against the wall can be heard 32 metres away on the opposite side of the dome. I am not sure exactly how this works, but I understand it was discovered after the gallery was built. Then we ascended to the Stone Gallery on the outside at the bottom of the exterior dome. The interior dome is built within the exterior one and does not conform to it at all. We climbed higher to a point at the very top of the interior dome. My sister directed me to  a small glass portal that looked straight down to the Cathedral floor, where I had stood minutes before staring up in wonderment. We continued up to the Golden Gallery which is 85 metres above the floor and looks out over London. I could see the Old Bailey, the Thames of course and the Millennium Bridge, Parliament and the London Eye. Across the river on the South bank was a pub which beckoned me with its fine ale and plowman's sandwich. Soon I was back down on the streets of London and across the bridge to a waiting pint...

Looking down at the Millennium Bridge from Golden Gallery

At the highest point of The City there has been a church or cathedral for some 1400 years. The latest version is certainly the most magnificent one to grace this hallowed spot. I have often wondered if  I might be a more religious person if I was raised among the churches and traditions of the Old World. My only experience at St. Paul's Cathedral seems to lend some degree of credence to my speculation. Sir Christopher Wren's tribute to Almighty God's creation is quite simply the most inspirational man-made structure that I have ever encountered.

After our climb to the top of the cathedral, a pub beckons from across the Thames

My Sacred Places - Part Four

Kootenay Lake, British Columbia

In his book "The Buffalo Head", Raymond Patterson quotes George Pocattera 's description of British Columbia; "There is a softness to it that Alberta does not have; it is almost as if one could feel the breath of the Pacific."  I remember the spark of recognition when I first read his portrayal many years ago. I cannot think of a more apt description, especially for my favorite valley and lake lodged between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains.

It was over twenty five years ago when my new wife and I decided that we would take a different route to the Okanagan that summer. We drove through Creston, B.C. and continued along Highway 3a. Soon we found ourselves winding along the east shore of the lake toward the ferry. The scenery got more and more beautiful as we headed north. Pretty properties dotted the road and any undeveloped land was lovely cedar forest. To our left was the lake backed by the pretty summits of the Selkirks. which were mirrored in the still waters. Finally we saw a place to we could stop and have lunch.

The Heidelberg Inn was at a particularly pretty bend in the road. Our heads were on swivels as we got out of our Ford Escort. We took in all of the scenery, flowers and hummingbirds in front of the restaurant.  John Mclean, (the proprietor of the inn) could see we were enamored with the area and he proceeded to tell us about "Banana Bay" across the road, which he said was the warmest part of the lake. We decided we would paddle our dinghy around the bay and laze on the beach that sunny afternoon. We rented one of the rustic rooms in the Heidleberg and decided to stay the night.

 We were concerned about leaving our stuff on the beach while we were in the water, but John told us that we needn't worry - the local people were very trustworthy and honest. We floated around the bay and I am sure a few beers were consumed. We could hardly believe our eyes when we returned to the beach and all of our stuff was gone. I was stunned! Our keys, towels and clothes were in the bag we left behind. I went up the hill to the hotel with my insides churning, but just as I arrived, John emerged from a small storage shed with all of our belongings. His son had brought our things back to the inn after looking around and not seeing us on the water. When John told him we were down there, he was afraid to bring it all back. We all had a laugh as his son looked sheepishly on. We did continue on to Vernon and the Okanagan that year via the ferry and lovely Nelson, B.C., but after that day we always returned to Kootenay lake at least once a year.

 I have never visited a Scottish Loch, but I have seen pictures and films about them and I've flown over them on my way from England. I would say that Kootenay Lake is comparable to the land locked freshwater variety (there are also sea lochs). Kootenay is a big lake, much longer than it is wide. At the most the main body is perhaps ten miles wide (from east to west), but it is over 70 miles long (from north to south). It's one of those lakes that they say "nobody knows how deep it really is". That isn't true, but it is very deep! It is also a cold lake, but big enough that it doesn't freeze over in the winter.

Kootenay Lake kokanee

One of the activities that I like to do most when I am at the lake is go fishing. It isn't the typical type of fishing that I normally do anywhere else. I really do prefer stream fishing. I suppose that comes from growing up in southern Alberta. Kootenay Lake is the one place that I spend a lot of time lake stillwater fishing. The gerrard rainbow found in the lake are the largest rainbows in the world and can weigh in at 50 pounds. The North American record bull trout (or Dolly Varden as they are called locally) was caught in the lake and was about 35 pounds. Fishing for these big fish usually involves large boats with downriggers to get your lure or bait into the deep waters. One day I wouldn't mind trying that (probably with an outfitter).I am told the best time of year for this kind of fishing is February. My type of fishing is off of a rocky point or at a creek mouth with small gear. Most of the time, I am fishing for Kokanee (a landlocked salmon). They are usually small (around one or two pounds), but they are fun to catch and they put up a good fight - jumping and dancing. They have soft mouths and they will often spit your lure back at you, but a good day of kokanee fishing can be very exciting and just plain fun.

The other thing that makes this type of fishing an adventure is there is always the threat of a big "Dolly" taking your lure and if you fish with light tackle like I do, the fight is on! I once brought in one that we estimated at twenty plus pounds with 4 lb. test line after it almost emptied my reel three times. I laughed when I got it in close and went to grab my net which was totally inadequate for bringing in such a monster. I have always sworn by the Shimano Spirex reels that we have used for years and I must say I would have never landed this fish with such a small reel of any lesser quality. My wife held the rod while I hauled the fish in by its mouth and gill plates.I removed the hook and back in the lake it went (as I believe in catch and release) and the fish was uninjured except for a sore jaw perhaps. I sometimes will keep the odd kokanee, as they are delicious eating. There are also a non-gerrard type of rainbow and cutthroat in the lake.

The climate around the lake is very temperate and more humid than the East Kootenays, which are not that far away. I like to go there in the spring, because it always seems to be quite a few weeks ahead of the surrounding areas. I have heard it said it is the most easterly area of Pacific influence and I have seen examples of this when I visited in late April/ early May. In Alberta I left behind snow or sticks sticking up from the brown tundra and even the East Kootenays were barely greening up at all, but when we pulled into Erickson B.C. there were blossoms on the fruit trees and people were outside gardening and mowing their lawns. It was very much like driving into spring.

Don't let the lake fool you. Its waters can go from placid to a tempest in a matter of minutes. One evening I had my tiny flat bottomed boat (the Li'l Titanic) out fishing on waters which were like glass. We noticed a rain storm miles across the lake and I said "we'll have to keep an eye on that". I retrieved my cast one more time and turned around to look. The lake was white caps! By the time I got the motor started and the boat turned around, we were in it. I told my wife to hang on to her seat and I worked our little boat diagonally through the waves. One moment we were between the waves and all we could see was a wall of water and the next we were on top of a massive wave (my poor five horse Mercury screaming and out of the water). I managed to get the boat back to the marina and had to gun it through the entrance. The owner was waiting for us on the docks. She had watched us head out earlier in the evening... I never took that boat back to the lake again.

In 1898, the captain of the sternwheeler "City of Ainsworth" also found that he had underestimated the power of the lake, when he left Kootenay Bay in a storm. The boat had barely rounded the headland when it floundered and nine souls were lost. The wreck still sits at the bottom in 360 feet of water.

Lockhart Creek

There are areas of old growth cedar forests around the lake. One of the places I love to walk is Lockhart Creek, where the mature forest creates its own climate. It can be windy and storming out on the lake, but a few hundred feet back into the forest it is muggy and calm. 

Sandon, B.C - A boardwalk once covered the creek and streetcars transported passengers through its streets.

The Moyie, Kaslo

On the west side there is an interesting hot spring in Ainsworth which is cut into the rock making a horseshoe shaped tunnel. Nearby is Cody Caves which I have visited several times. Highway 31a extends from scenic Kaslo (home of the sternwheeler "Moyie")through the Selkirk mountains into the "Silvery Slocan" and past the ghost town of Sandon. The West arm of the lake brings one to the City of Nelson which is built on the side of the mountains overlooking the lake as it narrows back into a river.

Nelson

South of the lake is Creston, which is a pretty retirement town, full of gardens and orchards. The Creston Valley is prime farm land retrieved from the original marshland that was this section of the Kootenay River before it entered the South end of the lake. When the Palliser expedition came through this area, it was inhabited by Kootenay Indians who fished and hunted in the marshland with their unwieldy sturgeon nose canoes. There is an example of this unusual water craft in the Creston museum. I once visited their archives and there were many interesting photos of the paddle wheelers that once navigated the lake. Some (like the Kuskanook) were massive. The Creston Valley Wildlife Centre is also worth a visit for nature watchers like me. In the summer we often drive the Gray Creek road which goes across the crest of the Purcells and on to Kimberly. It's a rough road and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it does access a remote network of roads and streams full of cutthroat.

A sign and phone booth are all that remained of the Heidleberg Inn
and now even they are gone...

I could go on and on. People that I talk to around the lake often mistake me for a local. I suppose that all of the years that we have visited the area qualify me as a spokesman of sorts. I can't help being enthusiastic about the nature and history of the lake and surrounding region. I have seen people come and go (many of them Albertans). The Heidleberg changed owners (who we also got to know) before tragically ending its days in a massive fire.

Black bear in Crawford Bay

We have had many adventures around the lake, but the main reason that I return is that I really find it relaxing. After a long winter of work, there is nothing that refreshes my soul more than a week or two at my favorite lake; fishing, nature watching, walking or even just sleeping in on a rainy morning. Many of my ideas (for stories, films or music) have come to me while deep in the cedar forest or on the rocky shores of the lake with only the sounds of the wind and water to keep me company. Like many of the places where I worship, I can see Kootenay Lake peering back at me when I look in the mirror - reflected in my eyes and etched in the lines of my face. Kootenay Lake  is a part of who I am. The peace I have found there is something that I take with me wherever I go.

 

My Sacred Places - Part Three

Four Corners

At Four Corners Monument

The borders of, Utah, Colarado, New Mexico and Arizona meet to form an imaginary cross in the desert. The area has come to be known as "The Four Corners" and it has a look and a feel to it that is unlike that of any place I have ever experienced. I have had the good fortune to visit this mystical land twice over the last five years and I am hoping to make the trip again and again in the years to come.

Goosenecks State Park, Utah
Called the best example of entrenched meandering in the world
The San Juan river has carved its path into the Colorado Plateau as it rose up

The first time I visited was the result of a spur-of-the-moment decision in the winter of 2009. After weeks of looking out my front door at the same old picture of snow blowing across the field and a windy, less than -20 degree cold, I booked some time off and loaded up my little Honda Fit and started driving south. We headed across the border and down the Interstate 15,stopping over first in Great Falls, Montana and then in Orem, Utah. It was the third day of travel that proved to be a total revelation. We turned east off of the I-15 at a place called Spanish Forks and followed a road that cut through a gap in the Wasatch Range. We could see a threatening looking storm ahead, but we passed through the mini-blizzard unscathed. We emerged through the gap into what seemed like another world - a world of pinion pines and Utah junipers, a world without snow! We drove through Price and Green River and finally stopped at a roadside pullout North of Moab. We were giddy! We checked into the hotel in Moab and went to Arches National Park that afternoon (which was amazing). That's how my exploration of this unique area began.

The double arches

Delicate Arch

I haven't traveled that much of the US, but I think that Utah may be the most underestimated State in the Union for natural beauty. Most of the population (80%) lives along the "Wasatch Front" (over two million people), which includes Salt lake City and Provo. the rest of the state remains much more sparsely inhabited. Near Moab there are many interesting places to visit including Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park. If you have seen the movie "Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade" , the opening scenes will give you an idea of what Arches N.P. is like. It contains hundreds of natural arches formed from the red Jurassic sandstone that is everywhere in this region, along with plenty of spires and cliffs and red sand dunes.



Looking under Mesa Arch from Island in the Sky.
LaSal mountains in the distance.



The Upheaval Dome

Canyonlands is a larger park and is divided into several districts. Island in the Sky is a high plateau from which one can view amazing vistas. Looking down at the Colorado or Green Rivers, you might think that you have landed on Mars. The landscapes are so much different from anything that I have ever experienced and I would find myself standing transfixed, staring off into the distance. I recommend visiting the Upheaval Dome which may have been formed by a meteorite impact. Chickadee-like  juniper titmouses visited us while we lunched there along with a couple of scrub jays.  South of Moab is The Needles District, which is near the junction of the Colorado and Green Rivers. It is lower down than Island in the sky and is full of interesting rock formations, Puebloan ruins, rocky desert and natural springs. I look forward to one day visiting The Maze District, which is more remote. It contains hundreds of pictographs in Horseshoe canyon and was the hideout of famous outlaw, Butch Cassidy.

Newspaper Rock -Needles district

Closer to the Four Corners itself is Monument Valley, which is situated on the Utah/ Arizona border. There we stayed at the historic Goulding's Lodge in the heart of Navajo country. Goulding's started as a small trading post run by Harry Goulding and his wife "Mike". In 1930's things were not going well financially at the trading post. Harry heard that John Ford was planning to shoot a new Western film so he gathered up what few dollars he could and had some professional photos taken of the area. Then he traveled to John Ford's office in Holly Wood. When he was told by a receptionist that Ford was a busy man, Harry just said "I can wait, I brought my bed-roll". When John Ford saw the photos, he was intrigued and the classic western "Stagecoach" starring John Wayne was filmed there in 1939. That was the beginning of a long string of movies filmed in the region. The cast and crew stayed at Goulding's and the local Navajo's got work as extras and wranglers in many of Ford's films.

"The Mittens"

The spire in the background was climbed by
 Clint Eastwood and George Kennedy in "the Eiger Sanction"

The mesa's of Monument Valley are  one of the icon's of the American West and I don't think I have ever seen a montage of America that didn't include at least one shot of  the area. I don't usually do guided tours, but I was glad that we did one of the valley. Our Navajo guide, Dave was informative and when he saw that we were as interested in the Navajo people as we were with the scenery, he adapted his spiel toward us (we were the only people there on that off-season weekday). We learned and saw things that day that I wouldn't have otherwise experienced.



The Whitehouse Ruins

Canyon de Chelly, in the Arizona corner can be viewed from the top of the canyon and the Navajo people still work farms at the bottom of the canyon. There are many excellent viewpoints along the canyon - two of the most famous are "The Whitehouse" and "Spider's Rock".  In my favorite science fiction film,  "Contact" Jody Foster's character sits on the edge of the canyon and runs sand through her fingers in the poignant final scene.

At "Spider Rock"

The "ring of fire"

The New Mexico corner is no less interesting. Views of  the aptly named Shiprock  follow you as you cross into the "Land of Enchantment". I have been to Chaco Canyon twice - once to view the annular eclipse on May 20, 2012 (which was an experience in itself).

Chaco was the cultural center of the "Anasazi" (as called by early European archaeologists) between 800 and 1200 AD. Today it is agreed that the ruins on the site were built by puebloan peoples, ancestors of the Hopi and Pueblo people. I really should not even wade into this subject, because there is an evolving understanding of what Chaco is all about. Was it built for trade, religion, ceremonial purposes? Trade definitely went on there - macaw carcasses, turquiose, copper and shells have all been found in the ruins of the canyon. I have been told that ancient trails emanate from Chaco heading east to the Mississippi, south to Mexico and west to California. There are pictographs in a canyon near Canmore, Alberta that appear to be made by peoples of the four corners, so who knows how far people traveled to visit this important site? I think that because these people passed on their traditions through oral rather than written means, people of  European descent such as myself will never comprehend the meaning of these places. I have little doubt that the people who need to know, understand exactly what the significance of this place is and why it is located in a particularly arid part of the high desert. Buildings such as Pueblo Buenito  are said to have astronomical significance and alignment and it felt like an honor to be there for the eclipse, after traveling 2 and a half thousand kilometres from my home. I try to never forget that I am only able to access some of these amazing places by the grace of the peoples of the desert and that I am traveling Indian land. Perhaps I am being naive in this, but this land and its peoples deserve our respect.

My wife, Bev at Butler Wash, Utah

Mesa Verde is another important archeological site in the Colorado corner. It is a high mesa which contains reconstructed ruins. I have only passed by snow-covered Mesa Verde in February. Perhaps one day I will visit the park. There are so many places that I have already visited on the high desert of the Colorado Plateau and so many more that I haven't, In fact I think one could spend a lifetime exploring and absorbing the scenery and spiritual aura of this vast area.

The Four Corners is a place that I first fell in love with from afar. The images and art that I became familiar with (long before I even knew where it came from) already were a part of my consciousness before I managed to travel to that sacred place. I was not one bit disappointed when we passed across the Wasatch mountains that winter day and into the land of my dreams.

My Sacred Places - Part Two

Fabulous Fundy

 

I might not be the most qualified person to write this blog. I am a confirmed landlubber, having spent almost all of my life in Alberta. I will however try to relate my experiences in a part of the world that has grown dear to my heart.

 

I will say that the Bay of Fundy was not love-at -first sight to me. I visited a portion of Fundy National Park and nearby Alma where I sampled the tastiest scallops I can imagine- much different than the rubbery little hockey pucks we get in Alberta The tidal flats are not the most pretty of scenes that you will ever see. They are very diverse and interesting places to explore on low tide however. Even the famous "flower pots" of Hopewell Rocks were a bit of a disappointment to me.. It took a bit of time for me to realize what it was that I was looking at -one of the natural wonders of the world!

Remnants of  the bygone era of wooden shipbuilding dot the shore. In Harvey Bank, New Brunswick we found the old Turner Shipyard and a memorial to the "Revolving Light" - a ship that was launched from that spot on 1875 and out into the Bay of Fundy. It reminded me that European history in this part of the world goes back hundreds of years. Acadian settlement, British conquest, American Independance and even a threatened Fenian uprising (which helped to the hasten the formation of the Dominion of Canada) are all part of the story.

It wasn't until I had a chance to get out into the bay that I really appreciated it for the wonder it is. The" highest tides in the world" are something I've heard again and again, What does this really mean? For me, it means an amazing diversity of aquatic life that is represented in one thing... whales!

My first trip to Grand Manan Island and whale-watching tour on "Sea Watch Tours" http://www.seawatchtours.com/  resulted in sightings of many of the endangered North Atlantic Right  Whales, along with seabirds and pelagic birds of the open ocean (such as shearwaters and puffins). Right whales are the "cows" of whales. Over fifty feet long, they float on top of the water - taking long naps between foraging. They begin to rock from tip to tail and once you see the tail come out of the water, you know they will disappear for extended periods - diving perhaps hundreds of feet to the bottom of the bay for food. Then once again they ascend to the surface and you can see and hear the clouds of mist and air expelled from their gigantic lungs. In fact we were close enough to smell their breath! I don't care who you are (or how cynical or jaded you have become) being in close contact with whales is one of the most amazing things you will ever experience as long as you live. The next day we took the ferry from Saint John to Digby, Nova Scotia and I will never forget the experience of  slipping into Digby Harbor after crossing the bay from New Brunswick.

My second trip to Grand Manan was even more spectacular. This time we took a sailing ship http://www.whales-n-sails.com/ out into the bay to a spot where it meets the Gulf of Maine. I rode on the bow of the ship the entire way (which was well worth the price of admission in itself). I spotted the whales by their dual spouts of mist on the ocean ahead. As we approached the location, we could see hundreds of seabirds flying all around us and (in the water) harbor porpoises swam alongside. Whirlpools caused by the rapidly rising tide and upwellings from the bottom caused a feeding frenzy beyond my imagination. Three types of whales were in attendance that afternoon; minke whales (the smallest of the baleen whales), gigantic finbacks and the stars of the show - the  humpbacks.

My last trip I made to the area was Campobello Island (in 2013). We arrived on the island via two ferries. One government ferry to Deer Island and another private ferry to Campobello. The weather wasn't great on our way to the island, but the fog lifted like a veil at the end of our journey, revealing the pretty coast of Maine and the island itself.

Eastport, Maine from ferry

I found Campobello Island to be a total delight. We rented a sea-front cottage with a view overlooking our own tiny bay where we could watch sea birds and bald eagles feeding on herring, as well as harbor porpoises and the occasional minke whale. One evening we just played on the beach at Friar's Bay and enjoyed watching the tide come in. While not being an momentous event it was something that somebody like me would never have a chance to see in everyday life and I enjoyed it immensely. Naturalists like myself will definitely enjoy Herring Cove Provincial Park for its beaches, marshes, fens and forest.




Most of the visitors to this small Canadian island seem to be American, because it is most easily accessed by bridge from Lubec, Maine. The main thing that drew my attention to Campobello was its association with a man that I believe was the greatest president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His mother and father took 3 year old Franklin there  in 1883 and they loved the place so much it became their summer home. Eventually Franklin and his wife Eleanor had their own cottage on the island where they visited almost every summer up until he became president.  Tragically, in August 1921, it was at this cottage he developed the paralytic disease which left him forever paralyzed from the waist down. This huge setback didn't stop him from going on to be the 32nd President of the United States.  The Roosevelt's property is now the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which takes up a major part of the island.

 

Roosevelt's "cottage"

On my second trip to Nova Scotia, I had the good fortune to witness the Bay of Fundy from the air and I was able to observe the "Digby Neck". The neck is a long peninsula formed of volcanic rock that extends from Nova Scotia into the bay. It, along with some other places on the Nova Scotia side of the Bay of Fundy are places that I would like to visit to complete my odyssey to this unique part of the world. Though I can probably count my time spent around the Bay of Fundy in days, it is a region that has opened my eyes to the marine world and changed the way that I see nature as a whole.

Liberty Point, Campobello