A January Stroll Along Avonport Dykes

We are hunkering down for an impending storm here in Nova Scotia- some places are threatened with up to 40 cm of snow.

There may be power outages.,blowing snow and freezing rain.There WILL be nasty roads,all starting within the next 12 hours.

Sounds like a good time to huddle in where’s it is nice and cozy. But before that-we have the calm before the storm. It’s a beautiful sunny day and the temperatures have risen to about -3. Positively balmy. Perfect for a walk.

One of our regular walking spots is to drive down Oak Island Road in Avonport and then stomp around the dykes. Today was a gorgeous day for this- there were still extra high tides and we timed it so we were there at the highest point.

When one thinks of dykes, Avonport is usually not the first place that springs to mind,unlike the Grand Pre and Wellington Dykes,but it really is a  great spot to walk. There are views of the old Horton bridge, Cape Blomidon and Boot Island. You may see an eagle or a hawk, or a gaggle of Canada Geese or brown ducks vee-ing their way across the sky.

Tread lightly and you may even see a fox in  a cornfield

Three seasons  of the year, striped bass fishermen  haul their rods and chairs up along the waters edge in hopes of catching their supper.

In August, there are corn stalks as high a an elephants eye, and October brings the harvesting of carrots and onions and the arrival of duck hunters.

But winter.

Winter is quiet.

For once thing, a cold wind can catch you by surprise once you step out of the shelter of the trees and nigh take your breath away.

Ice patches lurk underneath a skiff of snow and can send you onto your backside.

And the walking-on-the-dyke-in-winter season can be short,once snowfall makes travel difficult.

Ice packed Avonport Dykes-Susan Carey Photo

 

 

It’s just one of the many places in the province we love to roam. I hope you take some time this winter to explore your neck of the woods-and ours!

Why are some tides so  much higher than others?
About twice a month, the earth, sun and moon  form  either a full  or a new moon by aligning with one another . During each phase of a new moon or a full moon in the Bay of Fundy two tidal effects strengthen one another-the  gravitational pull of the moon  and the sun-resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides, referred to as “spring tides”, a term derived from the  from the  word “springan” an Old English word meaning ‘springing up of the water’.