Wednesday August 9, 2017

CNC Pictou

We wake up and the rain has gone. Our breakfast consists of muffin made by a local known as the muffin queen, toast, with different types of homemade jams, and herbed eggs in a croissant. Everything is excellent and we enjoy sharing stories with some of the other guests at our table. They include a couple from Montreal and another from Vermont. After breakfast, we pack and are soon on our way. We first head down to the Pictou Harbor where they have a replica of a ship known as the Hector. It was like the Canadian Mayflower bringing the first settlers to Canada. We take a few pictures and start our journey along the coastal region here. We are traveling along the Northumberland Strait.

The Winery

Our first stop is the small town of Tatamagouche which sports a place of great importance. The Tatamagouche Brewing Company. Carol and I try several of their beers because hey it has to be 5 o’clock somewhere (even if it is A.M.) and it is 1015 here. I think the beers are OK but Carol really likes their IPA so we buy a couple for the road. They sell by the can or bottle here and at a whopping 27 dollars a six pack two cans is plenty. Canada’s way of paying for healthcare, I guess. From the brewery, we head to the next small community of Malagash and stop in at the Jost Winery. It is shaping up to be quite a morning. We sample about 8 of their wines and settle on a Riesling to have in our possession. Wineries are pretty rare in Canada due to the climate and soil but this one has been here since 1983.Our alcohol shopping could be done or maybe there is more.

The Boardwalk

We continue our drive to our next destination which is Kouchibouguac National Park. It is a mouthful but the best part is that the sun has found its way to making this a beautiful day. We see a movie about the park at the visitor center and then head out to see what this park is known for. That is the estuaries, sand dunes, and fine beaches here in the Gulf of St Lawrence. We park and walk along a half mile or so boardwalk that eventually leads to the beach.

No Carol in the Water

It is really nice sand and with the sun out, I have to check out the water here. People are standing in the water but no one is swimming. It is pretty shallow for quite a ways out but the real issue is the water temperature which I think is at 58 degrees. It seems colder than that as I walk out and it starts to get above my knees. The sea bottom is firm packed sand and very easy to walk on. The water is crystal clear and that lets me spot a big purple jellyfish before I get close to it. Supposedly these are harmless and do not taste like grape jelly so I leave it be. I finally get up the courage to submerge myself in the Gulf of St Lawrence waterway thus putting another body of water into my I swam here bucket. It is not even close to being as cold as Norway or worse yet, Crater Lake, so I am not immediately in need of retreat. It is actually quite refreshing.

Beach Bums

I go back to shore and try to get Carol to take a dunk, but she will have no part of it. She does brave the water all the way up to her ankles. Amazing! We leave the beach and get in the RAV for our final hour of travel to the town of Miramichi. We have some fish and chips and fried clams on the outskirts of town and then stop at the  New Brunswick Provincial Liquor Store in town. I told you we might not be done. The primary reason is to find a Moosehead Light Lime beer for my brother. He has to have this as it is not available in the USA.

New Brunswick Beer

We go in the store and the employees are super friendly. This is so unusual for Canada. Once again, everyone seems so happy. Maybe it is suffering through long winters that makes them happy at this time of year. They really like the fact that we have driven here from Utah. They have the Moosehead Light Lime so that search is over. The one salesman tells us that we won’t find anymore as soon as we leave New Brunswick. Then he takes us to where they have 3 beers on tap and asks if we want to try them. Apparently, he has no idea who he is talking to so we feel obliged to say yes. They are actually quite good but then we discover that they only serve these 3 in growlers. So, we have no choice to brave the blast freezer and see what local beers we might want to try. They range in price from 2.50 for a 12 oz. equivalent bottle and up to 4.50 for an equivalent 16 oz. bottle. These are the reasonable priced ones. For our convenience the ridiculous sin tax is already built into the price. That is so very nice of the government. We pick about 5 different beers from the region and go to check out. The register guy gives us some bloody mary samples and then also asks if we want to try another beer. What the heck, we do not want to insult the locals. This has been one of the best liquor store experiences we have ever had. Fully stocked for at least the next few days, we head over to our BNB for the night and check in.

Canada’s Age

The owner Sharon tells us we can walk to the local wharf and there is a bar there and it is a nice spot on the Miramichi River. We decide we can use a little more exercise and walk down to the wharf. It is a beautiful night and when we get there, a band is playing outside. We get some ice cream cones nearby and find a table to sit at and listen to the music. Then we walk off the ice cream and go back to our BNB. It has been another nice day here in Canada. See you all tomorrow, we have a nightcap to drink. we bought in the store.

Expenses                                                                                                                                    Beers from Tatamagouche Brewing 9 CAD                                                                         Wine from Jost Winery 16 CAD                                                                                                   Gas 34 CAD                                                                                                                                         Dinner at Andrews Fish and Chips 23.80 CAD                                                                      Beer from the very friendly New Brunswick Liquor 41 CAD                                        Regent Street BNB 99 CAD