Summer Wrap Up – Whale Watching and Fossil Hunting with kids

We wanted to share our “just girls” trip with you to talk about the experiences that we were able to come home and teach the kids about. We had a terrific opportunity to go fossil hunting and whale watching. We took a quick (yes I actually mean quick) driving trip from Pennsylvania to Brier Island in Nova Scotia where we had the great pleasure of taking a Whale Watching Zodiac boat trip out on the Bay of Fundy. We truly came back with unforgettable memories and unexpected teachings. When we returned home the kids we in all about what we saw and found, that of course, they can’t wait till they have the same opportunity.

On our way up we stayed overnight in Alma, New Brunswick Canada. We then visited Hopewell Rocks. This was really neat because the tide comes in so fast and so high there. You can literally walk on the ocean floor and then kayak over it all in a day! (click HERE for more information on Hopewell Rocks Park)

Picture on Left is the of Wendy at the bottom when we first got there. 

Picture on Right is the of Kristen after only being there for 18 minutes!

On our over to Nova Scotia we stopped at a fantastic place called Joggins Fossil Cliffs. This is a wonderful place where, due to the great tides of the Bay of Fundy, the cliffs are eroding and leaving many fossils showing in the cliffs and also lying on the beach. We spent many hours looking at all the unique fossils just lying around. There is a ranger on the beach at all times that you can bring your finds to and she or he can tell you what fossil you have found. You have to leave all fossils on the beach so that everyone can enjoy them. The rangers can also show you some fossils in the cliffs. This was such an enjoyable time; we are both so glad we took the opportunity to experience those cliffs. (click HERE for more information on Joggins Fossil Cliffs)

The next day on our trip we headed down to Brier Island and after donning our floatation suites, boarded a small raft called a zodiac and headed out to the middle of the Bay of Fundy. It was a mystical foggy day on the Bay and to be honest we were worried we would not be able to see anything. After we reached the destination the guide wanted to take us to because he had just found a group of whales there the previous day, he stopped the boat and told us to just listen. All of the sudden you heard the most wonderful sound, the sound of a whale spouting out water while we were sitting in the heavy fog. The feelings rendered by this experience are indescribable. It was truly phenomenal. He then maneuvered the boat closer to the whales and before you knew it we were sitting in the middle of a pod of about 25 Humpback Whales. Before our eyes, the whales emerged from every direction! You didn’t know which way to turn your head to try and take a picture. This was truly a moment in both our lives. What a unbelievable, most beautiful experience to have such gigantic mammals around us. They sometimes were so close you almost to reach over and touch them. We even saw them directly under our zodiac. You then get a sense of how small humans really are. The majesty of these creatures is stated boldly in their quiet gracefulness. Hopefully everyone will get to experience this wonder sometime as we are very grateful to have that moment in our lives. (click HERE for more information on Brier Island Zodiac Whale Watching)

Here is a short video we took on our Zodiac Tour:

Some additional pictures:

Bald Eagle we saw:

Puffin that we saw:

More Fossil Pictures:

This one below is Wendy lost in all rocks and fossil's - She couldn't have felt more comfortable with love of rocks!