Broadleaf Guest Ranch, New Brunswick

Every year for the last couple years about this time of year, I meet up with Chrissy and Elaine, two friends I went to university with.  We graduated from St. F.X.U. in 1983.

Chrissy lives outside Sydney, NS, and Elaine lives in Moncton, NB. This year Elaine had the great idea of spending the weekend at the Broadleaf Guest Ranch, which is about 30 minutes south of Moncton.

I flew to Halifax on Thursday and stayed with Sister Sarah that night.  Then she and I drove to Moncton on Friday (she was my roommate) ... we drove back to Halifax today and I flew home.

Broadleaf Guest Ranch is an 1100 acre, family owned and operated adventure business located in Albert County, New Brunswick, in the heart of the Bay of Fundy! We have been providing memorable experiences for over 50 years and 3 generations. The tranquil atmosphere enables our clients to submerse themselves in Broadleaf's soothing surroundings.

Combine our country setting with our delicious home-cooked Ranch cuisine and toss in some great outdoor adventures, spa treatments, and country-style lodging, to give you an award winning recipe for an exceptional, stress free, all-inclusive holiday package.

There are three cabins in a row on the hill ... we were in cabin #2 (Comanche).  It was a self-contained cabin with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms (with a double bed and single bunkbeds in each room) and a bathroom.

Horseback riding at Broadleaf Ranch, NB

There is a stable near where Chrissy, Elaine, Sister Sarah and I are staying.

I've never ridden a horse so it was on my list of things I wanted to do since I had the opportunity here.

Broadleaf Ranch has about 35 horses ... half are males and half are females.

We went on the hour ride ... it was just $30!

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick

Sister Sarah and I checked out Hopewell Rocks this afternoon ... its about a half hour south of Moncton.

The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks or simply The Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Hopewell Rocks Ocean Tidal Exploration Site in New Brunswick. They stand between 40-70 feet tall.

They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near Moncton, New Brunswick. Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. However, it is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide.

The formations consist of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. After the retreat of the glaciers in the region following the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

The vast sediment planes in the basin in Fundy support a variety of biological productivity. Various shorebirds are often seen flocking to nest and feed in the area. Visitors are advised to stay for a full tidal cycle to get a full appreciation of the tides and formations. Although the tides vary from day to day, the high tide can be as high as 16 metres (52 ft) giving The Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world.

We got there about 3:15pm ... so we were able to watch as it became low tide.

There is a gift shop, small museum and restaurant in this building which is just inside the entrance.