Cape D'Or EarthCache EarthCache
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The tip of Cape D'Or is graced with a simple lighthouse situated on imposing cliffs, and surrounded by the magnificence of the Bay of Fundy.
In the summer of 2008, our family traveled to Nova Scotia for our summer vacation. We had a great time exploring the province. I love lighthouses, the better half loves water, and the kids love cliffs. When we discovered Cape D’Or we knew it was a place for us. It is now time to share this great find with other cachers, and bring them to this wonderful place. Park up at the information booth and walk the steep track down to the lighthouse.
Cape D’Or received its name in 1607, when Samuel de Champlain thought he saw glimmers of gold in the basalt cliffs. As it turns out the ‘gold’ turned out to be copper, and of course mining ensued. From 1897 to 1907 one of the companies that operated here was the Colonial Copper Company. Copper nuggets can still be found on the nearby beaches to this day.
The cliffs at Cape D’Or reach 60 meters in height. The basalt which makes up the cliffs in the area belongs to the North American formation, which is considered to have been formed during the Mesozoic Era. The basalt cooled forming four to six sided jointed columnar ‘crystals’. Copper blebs and copper sheets, as well as some gold and silver, are deposited between the columns.
The lighthouse is an important part of Cape D’Or. In 1874, a steam fog whistle, but no light, was established on these rocks. The first lighthouse was placed here in 1922, when the Eatonville lighthouse was moved to this location. In 1965 the present lighthouse was constructed. In 1989, it was automated, and for six years the lighthouse keeper’s quarters remained empty. In 1995 they were converted into a tearoom and a hostel, and in 2000, they became the present restaurant and guesthouse. The foghorn and lighthouse were built here to warn ships of the dangerous riptides and cliffs. Be aware of the intense sound if walking around this area in the fog.
The Dory Rips are a unique phenomenon which occurs just off the shore here. The tide rushing into the Bay of Fundy divides into the waters of Chignecto Bay and the Minas Basin. As the tide is going past this point the rushing waters from the Bay and the Basin collide at a 90° angle. The waves and riptides produced by this collision are known as the Dory Rips. The sound of the crashing water creates a rumble/roar that makes one think of a waterfall and that seems out of place coming from a ‘level’ water surface.
To log this cache please send the answers to the following questions to the cache owner (do not include them in your log), and post a picture of yourself with your GPS:
1. Measure the distance from the lighthouse to the fog horn.
2. What are the words and numbers on the survey marker at GZ. You are looking for a survey marker set into the ground, not the one (partly plastered over) on the wall of the lighthouse.
3. Let us know if you are here at a rising or falling tide.
4. Look at ten basalt columns, count the number of sides each has, and record those numbers for me.
5. Post a photo of yourselves and / or your GPS on the site with either the lighthouse or the Dory Rips in the background.
Come for the lighthouse, the water, the cliffs, the minerals, or the food, but most importantly come for the cache.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)