Playing in Quicksand!

We had the most amazing adventure today! The kids swear that this is the most fun thing that they have ever done in their lives - bar none! Today, we took Sarah and her family up to Le Mont St-Michel which is about 2 hours away. Le Mont St-Michel in and of itself is an amazing sight- a huge abbey built 1003 years ago on a rocky island surrounded by a bay which has massive tide fluctuations.
We dragged the Epple family up to the top of the abbey to enjoy the magnificent sights from up on top before descending the ten million stairs down to the bay. We enjoyed a quick lunch before meeting our tour guide for a walk across the bay to the island of Tombelaine (Ile de la Tremblaye). Now, before you can understand the enormity of what we were about to do, you must understand how the Baie du Mont-St-Michel works.... There are two rivers that run through it, there is quicksand everywhere, the tide comes in from between 4 to 10 kilometers an hour and is preceded by a small tsunami which would allow a kayak to ride in for more than 30 minutes, and the difference between low tide and high tide is 12 to 15 meters! There are signs everywhere warning you of the dangers of the bay. Every year, at least 3 people die in the bay either by ignoring the tidal warning signs or stepping into quicksand and every year, there are at least 50 helicopter rescues of people who were stranded by the tides. So, we gather our 6 kids together (Tabitha was home with the stomach flu) and tell the guide that we are ready to go! We all roll up our pant legs and take off our shoes and socks. Our guide tells us that trying to walk in anything but bare feet is more hassle than it is worth and nearly impossible. And, we set out.... It is 3 kilometers from Mont St Michel to the island of Tombelaine. We walk on every surface from dry sand to hard, packed rippled sand to mucky mud to water that is above our knees (and cold) to quicksand!!

The guide demonstrates the fun of quicksand (after carefully warning us of the dangers) to the kids and teaches them how to get out if they are up to their knees. They all quickly join in and are very soon covered in sand almost up to their waists. They loved it! My sister just about had a heart attack as she watched her kids with worry but they were all perfectly safe. After stopping many times for quicksand play, we reached the island and took a breather on the rocks. The island was once home to the English as they battled the French but is now a bird sanctuary. The kids climbed all over the rocks until it was time to head back across the bay. Phenomenal! I'm including a few videos so you can watch our fun.