The Rocks Park, New Brunswick

The diverse, cross-country beauty of the nation is depicted on 12 provincial and territorial parks stamps to be issued for Canada Day 1993. At this park in New Brunswick, visitors marvel at the curiously shaped "flowerpot" rocks, huge vegetation-topped formations along the shore at Hopewell Cape on Shepody Bay at the northwest end of the Bay of Fundy. Micmac legend has it that some of the tribe were captured and enslaved by giant whales that once inhabited the bay. Dashing to shore as a means of escape, the Micmacs were turned to stone as they reached the water's edge. This is but one legend as to the creation of the "flowerpot" formations. In reality their existence resulted from the earth's surface tilting and cracking as the last glaciers melted. Water entered the cracks and through freezing widened the cracks to allow pillar to stand alone. The sea and tidal waves attack and finally topple the flowerpots. But according to geologists there is sufficient material to continue forming these flowerpots for 10,000 years to come. With its picnic areas and nature trails, visitors stroll along the sandy shore past old Acadian dykes to observe these wonderous "rocks" of nature. The stamp designs convey the feeling that the artist visited these spectacular locations and was awed by their beauty.