X-Country Skiing on the low-tide beach

No doubt about it: our Bay of Fundy beaches are well-loved and oft-visited by locals year round. Lovely in the 'fair weather' months, that's for sure, but in winter the snow and tides make for some curious experiences...

Here's a one that I thought would amuse you: a low-tide Bay of Fundy beach in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, being used as a nice, flat cross-country ski trail. Only for a few hours though - the incoming tide will swallow all this snow when it flows from right to left across the frame,

Thanks to photographer, Len Wagg, for lending this picture. See more of his upper Fundy shore photo shoot from this weekend on Nova Scotia Tourism's facebook album.

Celebrating Australia Day ~ Bay of Fundy style!

I couldn't resist popping this post in the middle of my winter series...Today is Australia Day, a perfect opportunity to announce the formation of a 'world beating team' that we hope will propel the Bay of Fundy to one of the winning New7Wonders of Nature.

As many of my blog readers will recall, the Bay of Fundy is Canada’s sole finalist among 28 prestigious worldwide nature sites in the global New7Wonders of Nature campaign.

Since the New7Wonders of Nature campaign’s on-line voting system requires the public to vote for 7 different finalists, each country is encouraging Canadians and Australians to include each other’s sites in their choice of 7. Australia has two competing finalists, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru (Ayers Rock).

We've come together to support each other as we move forward in these final months of this historic campaign. The addition of Australia’s population of 21 million people could make a huge difference to Bay of Fundy’s success in the campaign.”

Here's what Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, Andrew McEvoy has to say about our partnership, “We are delighted to team up with our Canadian friends to announce this partnership with the Bay of Fundy today. If we Canadians and Australians work together we’ll be a world-beating team, and generate enough votes to get all three of our nominated sites onto the New7Wonders of Nature list.

“This is also a great opportunity for us to use our collective strength to encourage tourists from around the world to experience these incredible sites for themselves.” Tourism Australia is the official supporting committee for both Australian sites. Bay of Fundy Tourism is the official supporting committee for Canada's Bay of Fundy!

photo: Me proudly flying the Canada & Australia flags over Bay of Fundy!

Freezing ice falls

One of the peculiarities of our sculpted coast in winter here on the Bay of Fundy is frozen waterfalls emanating from the cliffs in random locations.

These ice falls come in many sizes - some of you may remember my death-defying attempt to get a photo beside a HUGE one last winter - but they can also be quite delicate like these along the coast of Cape Chignecto Provincial Park in Nova Scotia.

Thanks to paddling friends, Else & Werner, with NovaShores Kayaking Adventures who recently took these photos and sent them along for our winter series.

Bay of Fundy winters - 1st in a series

Winter is one of the best times to explore the Bay of Fundy...that is if you are enchanted by isolated two-tone seascapes, random ice cakes, frothy twists of snow and swirling winds.

Although we're not actually very far 'north' in Canada (parts of Fundy sit below the 49th parellel - US border) we still boast a fine storybookish winter season.

This winter I've invited friends and colleagues from around the bay to submit winter photos of their favourite, perhaps lesser known, corners of our bay. So curl up with a warm cup wherever you may be and enjoy these posts over the next few weeks...

This photo: me holding Belle back from having a swim at the beach last week!