Alma

We came here to Fundy National Park to see the famous high tides and the trails along the cliffs. However, we were captivated by Alma, the town east of the park. We were staying at the Headquarters Campground in the National Park. It is within walking distance from Alma. My guess is less than 500 meters. That was very convenient, and so we explored the amazing food in Alma, as well as the beer and wine.

The first place we visited we ordered fish and chips. It was very quiet. This was the last week of the tourist season. We learned about the town and found out that the Alma Lobster Fleet Launch was scheduled for 7pm on Sunday, October 13th. Listening to the locals in the restaurant, we got excited and changed our travel plans. We extended our stay at the campground. The best decision we made and this is the story.

Alma in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and the crazy tides from St John to Moncton and the Alma Fleet Launch on our last day.

The campground has all the conveniences we expect from the National Parks.
The proximity to Alma and the very tasty selection of seafood in the restaurants left us no other choice than to visit them all. This is not a review of the restaurants or the food. As it turned out, they were all outstanding, every restaurant in it's own way.

Now it is time for dinner. Off we go, Alma, here we come.

There is a short way and there is a long way to walk to Alma. The path via the campground entrance takes a few more minutes. We suggest taking this route at least once to visit the giftshop along the way. And while you are there, the red chairs are right there across the road. These chairs are the trademark of the National Parks here in Canada. All the trails we visited up to now have their own chairs. As we found out, they are usually placed at a nice lookout.

The shorter route is not without some challenges. There are lots of steps. These are wooden steps and get slippery in the rain. The leaves made the situation even worse.
Reflecting back on that day, the real problem may have been the way home, after I had a beer or two. I thought it was a good idea to race up the stairs. Let's just say that the stairs were wet, and I blame the leaves for my mishap. Both times. We had a good laugh and only my ego was bruised.

The Fundy National Park boundary is a few steps before the bridge to Alma. We walked over the bridge often and saw people fishing from the bridge. When the tide comes in, that attracts sea bass . We didn't actually see anyone catching a fish, but we were told that this was the place to catch them.

The Bay of Fundy is famous for the enormous tides. Here in Alma, the water levels moved around 8 meters. This is by no means an exact number, but what we experienced during our stay. Books were written about the tides and the Bay of Fundy. We don't have to read a fancy book, they are absolutely spectacular.

Muddy Rudder Bar & Grill
It was raining when we woke up, and it never really stopped. The camping trailer was our shelter, listening to the rain, reading, organizing our pictures and trying to keep busy. Around 4 in the afternoon, we decided to go to Alma for deserts.
We went to Muddy Rudder Bar & Grill where we had breakfast the day before.

The deserts were as delicious as they looked. The walk through the rain was well worth it. We were the only guests when we arrived, but not for long. The place filled up fast with tourists that had the same great idea.

Octopus's Garden Cafe
Other travelers raved about the Octopus's Garden Cafe for their seafood. Now we know, they were all correct. I don't know what they did with the tomato soup, it was the best I ever had. It is lobster season, so lobster it is. Actually, it's almost always lobster season in the Maritimes. The dates for catching them are controlled by the ministry, and different areas have different dates. In short, you almost always get fresh lobster there.

Alma Lobster Shop
We saw the signs along the road. The Alma Lobster Shop is not on the main road. It is located on Alma Beach, still within walking distance. Actually, a visit to the beach afterward was a good reason.

We spent well over a week here in New Brunswick and never had a full lobster. I'm not really a lobster fanatic, but Ursula loves the lobster rolls. So I volunteered for the beast. Ursula got the 'Lazy Lobster'. Same as mine, but without the shell.
As we found out later, they do have their own boat in the harbour.

Holy Whale Brewing & Buddha Bear Coffee
How do you define the perfect match? Well, I think we found it right there in Alma.
I noticed the Holy Whale Brewing sign and Ursula noticed the Buddha Bear Coffee. After the one kilometer long hike this morning to the Dickson Falls, this was the perfect place to talk about the picturesque falls. What the trail lacks in length, it makes up with the cascading falls over rocks. The park claims that this is the most photographed waterfall in Fundy National Park. Yes, that was no surprise to us.

So here we are, Ursula enjoying an Espresso-Martini, and I'm enjoying a beer.

We included the Holy Whale Brewery in our "Nourishment and adventures, Halloween edition" video. One of the beer is called 'Devils Half Acre' based on the historic trail in the park. The trail may be gone, but the story lives on.

Alma Lobster Fleet Launch

The boats were loaded and ready to go. Only 40 minutes until the 7 o'clock launch. Will the tide be high enough by then? Some last-minute preparations and loading supplies on the boats.
I was reading an interview with one of the local fisherman. The conditions here in Alma can be very difficult. It is October and by the time they launch, it is dark. Actually, it very much depends on the tide. They can only leave the harbour at high tide and also have a small window to return again. If they miss it, they have to spend half a day waiting out in the bay. The weather can be very rough and unforgiving. The temperatures can drop very low. It is a dangerous job.

They were on time, 7 o'clock. High tide, dark and loud. Everybody was cheering. Fireworks and bag pipes. What an amazing sendoff.

Our YouTube video coveres all three days of the Alma Fleet Launch. The town was buzzing with activities. This is an event not to be missed. The link to the video is on top of the page.