Lighthouses are a tourist staple in the Maritime Provinces and Cape Forchu has one of the most unique functional lighthouses in the province. The original lighthouse at Cape Forchu, near Yarmouth, was built in 1839. It was replaced in 1962 with a unique looking tower that even today warns ships away from the treacherous rocks of Southwest Nova Scotia.
Besides the tower there are a few other things that are unique about this region. Mostly, the weather can be so brutal that not a lot can endure Mother Nature’s harshness. In the midst of all the wind, rain and ice there is one species of iris that can survive; the trees and brush are ripped away, but these irises still remain.
My parents are fascinated with these flowers and any other that can survive the winds of the ocean because the colours of the flowers seem to be more vivid that anywhere else. We spent much time musing over whether they were bright because of the salt in the air (and our eyes perceived that they were brighter) or because they are actually bright because of the soil.
This area can be treacherous for wandering around. Every once in a while you happen upon a memorial to someone who either plummeted to their death on the rocks or were suddenly grabbed by an erratic wave bent upon taking someone. The waves here can be unbelievably high and they come out of nowhere; you could have spent the last half hour watching tame waves hit the rocks and suddenly a gigantic hand just reaches out from the ocean and clears everything off the rocks. This is the Bay of Fundy where such things are normal. This is also why I think anyone who would want to swim in the ocean here must be crazy or a severe adrenaline junkie.
