Reversing Rapids - and other experiences in Saint John

One of our reasons for coming to Saint John was to see the Reversing Rapids.

On Thursday, we visited the overlook for low tide...

... at low tide, the river is flowing out - from left to right in this picture

We went down to an overlook near the river level where we could see whirlpools and rapids as the river was flowing out to the bay.

On the way back up, this pretty yellow bird (wild canary?) flew up on a branch just a few feet from us.

We returned to the same overlook spot a couple of hours later at "slack tide" - between low and high tide - when the water flowing down the river and the tidal water flowing in from the bay were almost equal (it was still flowing outward a little).

Note that river traffic can only safely navigate this portion of the river during the time around slack tide.

On Thursday, after seeing the river at low tide, we had gone to the market in downtown Saint John and purchased some fiddleheads (ferns). On Friday, I cleaned and cooked them...

... this is what they looked like after being saute'd with onion and garlic.

We weren't overly impressed -- it didn't seem that they had much flavor -- but they are interesting looking! I would like to get some at a restaurant cooked by someone else who knows what they are doing to make a bona fide assessment.

We stopped for a late lunch / early supper at Lily's at the Lakeside - this restaurant is near our campground and campers are given a 15% off coupon...

We got Seafood Chowder -- with shrimp, scallops, haddock, and mussels -- yum!

We also ordered Fish 'n' Chips but asked for an upgrade on the "chips" (fries) to "Poutine" - this is a French Fry dish that evidently originated in Quebec, with fries having melted cheese curds and gravy over them. They were "okay" but we're not sure we'd have them again - the fries were a bit "soggy".

After our meal, we went back to the river to see it at high tide (we had not felt like going out again on Thursday evening to complete our three viewings). At this point, the water is flowing upriver as the tide pushes in from the bay.

Since it is more interesting if the water is actually moving, I created a video with all three tide points -- found here: https://youtu.be/6JNcJlXMhQI

Although the skies haven't been great for sunny pictures while we've been here, we're glad to have seen the reversing rapids and other sites and experiences around Saint John!