This evening we jumped into the car and drove for 20 minutes to Point Prim, on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. It’s pretty cool being so close to so much geographical beauty.
I have spent quite a while this evening searching online for information about this beautiful spot and it is almost impossible to find anything. Even the Nova Scotian Destinations official website has Point Prim in the wrong spot on the map, placing it where the Digby Ferry leaves for New Brunswick! I have sent them an email about this…I’ll post their comment if and when it comes!
OMG, this is soooo Canadian. As a nation, we are so apologetic about everything (A Canadian will say “I’m sorry” if you bump into them while walking.) We think that telling the world about the beauty of this country is ‘bragging’, and we don’t really know how to promote what we do have.
So, for this reason, Point Prim, which has a lighthouse too, isn’t particularly featured anywhere.
Well, let me tell you, it’s a pleasant 10 minute drive from Digby to the rocky shoreline of the Bay of Fundy. The road there takes your past trees and lupins growing wild.
Suddenly the trees clear and the road dips down into a rocky area where you can see a vast body of water- the Bay of Fundy.
We had visited Point Prim last fall, but what really struck me today were the rock formations. The Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History site talks a bit about it. It seems that lava bubbled and set and the gaseous bubbles allowed spaces for crystals like quartz and amethyst to settle and form.
Because of this, you have this unusual circular shapes in the rocks that are made up of glittering crystals, but which look like rock paintings/carvings.
Basalt lava flows exhibit interesting features that reflect their volcanic origins:
- Amygdules: Gas bubbles trapped in the lava are filled with minerals over time, for example, agate, amethyst, jasper and zeolite minerals such as stilbite and heulandite.
Beacuse I was on a beach in California last month and because that beach was promoted with signs and brochures like most American geological wonders, I recognised that Point Prim in Nova Scotia also has tidal pools.
These are pool shaped recesses in the lava that trap tidal water and where sea creatures or plant life can flourish.
We were there around 6 pm and stayed for an hour taking in the cool ocean breezes and the beautiful scenery. We only saw 2 other people.
Larry ponders the infinity of water.
I can’t wait for the day when, at the very least, a map or brochure with some of the many, amazing beautiful natural sites will be readily available. For instance, you wouldn’t believe how many little waterfalls there are around here…….But that will be for another post.
If I have understated the internet coverage of Point Prim (not the PEI one), please send me your links!
If you would like to see more photos of the rock, click on my Flickr photos in the sidebar to your right.
7 responses so far ↓
dianne // June 11, 2008 at 10:44 am
Painter, photographer, writer, now naturalist, Flora Doehler captures and reveals the secret wonders of the east coast.
emilybee // June 11, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Point Prim is *so* gorgeous! Those rocks are really interesting, and your photos have captured so much beauty! Thank-you for sharing your trip with us, as well as your thoughts on (the lack of) Canadian tourism.
I have to completely agree with you about Canada’s lack of self-advertising compared to the States. I think it’s just not our “style” to self-advertise, and perhaps funding for these things are severely limited. It’s funny you mention this actually, because I was just talking about this exact same thing with Mike a couple of days ago (ESP!!!). There’s a local tv show here called “California’s Gold“, which airs everyday, and features a different California landmark every show (whether it’s natural or human-made, they’ve got it all). They’ve featured The Getty’s garden, the caves off the ocean in Santa Cruz, protected parks in the OC, a 200yr+ old mission in San Juan Capistrano, and the list goes on. I’ve learned more about the varied landscapes and sites here in California than I ever did back home. I’m not sure if the show is publicly funded, but Canada *TOTALLY* needs a show like this. I bet that tourism within Canada would go up if we just knew what the heck was out there (besides the typical stuff, anyways)! I feel a bit ashamed to admit it but, I’ve seen more of the States than my own country. (Don’t get me wrong, the States has very, very lovely locations, but I feel bad that I’ve made no attempt to discover Canada!) It makes me realize now why many Americans have never left the US, let alone their own State… when they have so much advertising for local attractions! I mean, just about every natural/human-made attraction here has its own website! It’s something to think about.
Oh, and while we’re on the topic of Canada’s pathetic self-advertising, check out this video that is shown in the Canada section of Epcot to millions of tourists in Disneyworld (Florida) every year. It looks like it was filmed almost 30 years ago, and while we boast about our multiculturalism in the video, I think every person they filmed is white. >_>
Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt4JpehrzxA
Part 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyUSgcUHTqI&feature=related
C’mon Canada — we can do MUCH better than this!!!!!
Barbara // June 12, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Hi Flora,
We are at opposite sides on this argument. I say
thank goodness it isn’t promoted and discovered.
Isn’t it wonderful that you and Larry could be
alone enjoying it, and that another day some
other couple could “discover” it. That’s what
I love about Nova Scotia, and every place
in Canada undiscovered, not swamped with
tour buses and tourists wrecking its character.
Yey Point Prim!!!
And as always your blog is wonderful and thought
provoking.
Barbara
emilybee // June 15, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I think if more landmarks, natural attractions and communities in Nova Scotia were better promoted, it might attract more tourists to NS, and would help boost the economy and well-being for lots of people. Some towns and communities (like Bear River) solely rely on tourists for their main source of income. For instance, the majority of sales at the local art market go to people who live outside the community (and most of the time it’s people who live outside the country). I’m not saying I’d like to see condos and massive billboards scattered across beautiful Nova Scotia, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring some more attention to the small art communities that depend on tourism.
Flora // June 18, 2008 at 12:03 am
Emily-I love the idea of the California Gold show! I have been shown so many special spots and treasures here in South-West Nova Scotia by people who live here —many of which I have blogged about. I’m so grateful for being shown, and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to find the places on my own.
That Epcot Centre movie is PATHETIC!!! I think it gives a totally misleading picture of Canada AND it looks boring.
Dianne–O you flatterer you! Thank you!
Barbara- I agree that it’s wonderful to have the place to yourself….which is why much of Nova Scotia’s shoreline properties are privately owned. Still, socialist that I am, I believe in public ownership of most things. We have some friends visiting right now from Toronto and they spent yesterday at the Keji Adjunct SeaShore and said that they had it almost all to themselves. Apparently it looks like the Caribbean there with green water and white sandy beaches. Keji is well advertised and even that beach is dead (right now). Tourism has nose-dived here, steadily every year since 9/11. Like Emily said, the little coastal and artist communities depend upon tourism to eek out their below-the-poverty-line income. (poor in cash flow, rich in quality of life). It sure is complex and not easily solved. I don’t think it’s an ‘argument’, I think it is a social/ecological/economic problem that we humans can solve if we work together.
Icicles at Point Prim « hikes i like // December 14, 2008 at 6:57 pm
[...] Prim in December is a rugged place. A summer visit is on my to do list now. These folks did visit in June and they took some great photos. We checked out the light house and then walked down to the shore [...]
Greg // January 4, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Greetings Flora and Larry,
You made a great decision to move to Nova Scotia.
Check out these URL’s for more Point Prim stuff:
http://lighthousefanatic.wordpress.com/category/nova-scotia-canada/
http://lighthousefanatic.wordpress.com/category/why-lighthouses/
http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_explorer.asp?action=display_details&LighthouseID=994
See some shots of the “Point” from the other side of the Gut on my pages.
Hope you enjoy your new home and visit Victoria Beach when you have time. You’ll love it. It hasn’t changed in the fifty years I’ve known it (escept the road is paved now, not like when I was a kid!).