On the Road Again

On the road again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

We're the best of friends

Insisting that the world keep turning our way

And our way

Is on the road again

I just can't wait to get on the road again"

(Willie Nelson)

Women Who Wander NB

Adventure One 2021

We did it friends!

Willie Nelson's words say it all! We are the best of friends and while we love being together, we especially love our travels together. The winter months and Covid have kept us pretty close to home, but Spring is here, Covid is at bay and we are off once again! We did it!

Zipping along the highway in The Incredible Wander Wheels (the car) and going whichever way the road leads, Adventure One 2021 got underway!

The 2021 inaugural journey was a day full of surprises of the best kind. It was brimming with new people met and a hidden gem or two along the way. After you're done reading our first 2021 Blog, don't forget to check out the "Friends We Meet" and "Hidden Gems" tabs on the Women Who Wander NB homepage to get the full experience of our day! https://3womenwhowander.wixsite.com/mysite-1 !

We started out, with Tim's in hand, heading upriver from Fredericton.

We had a destination in mind - Tobique Narrows - but as always, we really weren't expecting all that we found along the way.

Important things first. Pretty quickly after starting out, we realized, as usual, we were going to be hungry soon. In preparation of lunch time, we chose to zoom straight up the Trans- Canada Highway to Perth-Andover, NB. We were, of course, seeking a restaurant from which to take our sustenance before continuing "up Tobique" as they say in these parts ("following the road along the river" if you are a "come from away").

Now, in our defense, we don't think about filling our belly's ALL the time. Even though this was our first adventure of the year, we hadn't forgotten from last year that we needed to keep lunch in mind. As you know, we're easily distracted and it could take all day to actually stop for a bite.

(We should mention here that it was a beautiful sunny day, our heads were on a swivel and we were busy noting lots of places that tempted us and were added to our list for future travels!)

True to form, it took a while to actually get to Perth-Andover and grumbling tummys were demanding attention. With no lunch prospects in mind, Mr. Google was consulted. Wisely, he suggested a couple of dining options and we liked the sound of 878 Waterfront Bistro & Café in Perth-Andover.

However, after driving up and down the street on both sides of the river, searching unsuccessfully for said Bistro, we gave in, admitted we were lost (nothing new for us), and stopped at Nissen's Fish and Produce Market, located at 1233 West Riverside Drive in Perth-Andover, to ask for directions.

Yes, we know we should have, and could have, found it without help but the gods of travel clearly intended us to spend 45 minutes shopping and chatting with the ladies at Nissen's before lunch.

Nissen's Fish and Produce Market is a true hidden treasure!

The Market was started in 1983 by Lori Nissen and her husband, Kendall. It is now owned by Ashley Dallaire, Lori and Kendall's daughter,

We were fortunate enough to get to meet both Ashely and Lori who were behind the counter, helping customers the day we were there. If you've not yet been to this store, it is an absolute must!

There's a meat counter, a cheese counter, a bulk spice section, a bagged candy section (just like the good ole' penny candy days), an awesome selection of antiques and collectibles, more handmade potato baskets than you could imagine, and loads of other interesting and delicious goods!

It was full of (almost) ALL of our favourite things - we say "almost" for the benefit of our ice cream fanatic (Lynne), as Nissen's didn't have ice cream by the scoop. What they lacked in scoops of ice cream, they made up for with lots of other delicious finds! (Lynne left happy).

As we like to say - just go! You will love it! To get there from Fredericton, take the Trans-Canada Highway getting off at the exit for Perth-Andover. Go to the bottom of the hill, turn left before you cross the bridge and Voila! You're there!

After almost 40 years in operation, it was really nice to see a family business where the next generation is interested in continuing the operation and doing a great job at it!

Find Nissen's on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nissen's%20Fish%20&%20Produce%20Ltd/1716089772013026

For those of you who are wondering about our attempt to get ourselves back on track and find lunch, Ashley and Lori were able to give us great directions to 878 Waterfront Bistro & Café .

The café just happens to be at the opposite end of the bridge from Nissen's, and slightly to the left. When we were looking for it earlier we may, or many not, have driven past it once.... or twice.... maybe more. Sharper eyes and less tongue wagging would probably have found it but, alas, the Women Who Wander have neither!

878 Waterfront Bistro & Café is located at 878 Perth Main Street, Perth-Andover, NB.

Loving food as we do, 878 Waterfront Bistro & Café did not disappoint! In fact, we wondered, at times, if we had time warped to downtown Toronto. (Note to driver: check out The Incredible Wander Wheels (the car) for time warp function!)

The menu was staggeringly awesome for a small village. No offence meant to Perth-Andover. You may be small but you are mighty ..... and you have a great Bistro in your midst!

One of the signs (in our opinion) of an exceptional restaurant is the number of times you pick up the menu, make a choice, put it down, pick it up again and make another choice. Suffice it to say, it's a good thing those menus were sturdy!

If you think berry and cream cheese stuffed French toast, served with artfully arranged fresh fruit, herb roasted baby potatoes and NB maple syrup sounds good, what if we tell you that you can also have your choice of daily made fresh juice such as mango and pineapple or strawberry- rhubarb?

The menu is extensive , creative and oh-so tempting to say the least!

The owners, Shirley Hansen and Chef Charles MacFarlane each have had diverse and exciting life experiences in countries all around the world. To our great good luck, they decided to settle in Perth Andover, NB where we can visit them almost anytime we want! Shirley is actually a Victoria County girl coming from New Denmark, New Brunswick and returned home bringing Chef Charles with her!

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Just as an aside..... Guess where the Women Who Wander took their partners for Father's Day? 878 Waterfront Bistro & Café , of course! The fellas loved it as much as we did!

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You can find 878 Waterfront Bistro & Café Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/878-waterfront-bistro-cafe-133248116783496/?ref=page_internal

Or their website at:

http://the878waterfrontbistro.com/

Once The Women Who Wander NB finished every morsel of our lunch, we waddled across the street to the ever-patient Incredible Wander Wheels (the car). With loud groans (and trying not to laugh) we rolled sideways into our seats because we couldn't bend over to get in like normal people. We extended our seat belts to their maximum capacity, let out a big sigh of relief for having accomplished getting into the car without hurting ourselves, and set off upriver for Tobique Narrows.

Our good friend, Jane Geurts, owner of Bankside Cottage Gallery at 56 Front Street in Gagetown, NB (see Episode Eight, Backroads and River Crossings from 2020) , knowing we were headed upriver, tasked us with a mission that lead us to Wabanaki Maple .

Always up for an adventure, of course, we enthusiastically accepted Jane's mission!

The trip from Perth-Andover up Tobique is breath-taking . We had forgotten how majestic the Tobique river is. We daresay, on a par with the mighty Miramichi! We discovered a particularly lovely picnic sight, a teepee in the woods, and an interesting oddities shop along the way. Not to be ignored, there is also a First Nation's gas bar in case you are in need of a fill up, directions, "facilities", or all three - the later of which we find ourselves in need of frequently!

If you haven't tried Wabanaki Maple products, you need to do it as soon as possible!

Jolene Laskey is the brains behind the operation and we think it safe to say that her husband, Brian, is the brawn. Lifting those cases full of bottles of maple syrup is not for the faint of heart but he does it for sweet Jolene without complaint!

Jolene, we are happy to say, is another of our new friends and kindred spirits!

Having grown up as the daughter of a Navy man, she has lived many places but always had a hankering to come back to her roots on Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nations).

Jolene knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and also knew that she wanted her business to be a sustainable, environmentally friendly and an outdoorsy kind of enterprise that honoured her heritage.

Indigenous people have been harvesting maple sap since long before sugar arrived on our shores. In fact, it was one of the many gifts they shared with settlers which helped them survive the harsh winters they faced.

And so was born, Wabanaki Maple syrup. Jolene sources her maple syrup from organic producers in northern NB and transforms it into a trio of barrel aged products. Wabanaki is a 100% female owned company whose products can be found in over 100 retail locations across Canada (among other places, we know for sure that you can get your fix at Bankside Cottage Gallery in Gagetown, NB)!

Currently, Wabanaki Maple is not open to the public but Jolene has plans in the works to open a retail outlet in the near future. It's always a good time to support our Indigenous folks and it seems like now is an especially good time. We look forward to more visits with Jolene and her right hand girl, Angie Paul. Woliwon, Jolene, Brian and Angie for your awesome products and your gracious welcome when we visited!

You can find Wabanaki Maple on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wabanakimaple

and on line at https://www.wabanakimaple.com/

Sadly, we felt time slipping away and The Incredible Wander Wheels (the car) was pointed toward home knowing that we would likely have an extra stop or two along the way.

Sure enough, we didn't get far when we realized that we had read and heard about the Shamrock Suites and Shamrock Train Inn in Bristol, NB.

Given that some of us like to sleep almost as much as we like to eat, the idea of a unique sleeping experience intrigued us greatly! Being, sort of, in the neighbourhood didn't hurt either so, a slight deviation in the route home and we were on our way!

All aboard!

Even though it could be argued that this part of our wander wasn't strictly within our spontaneous, blow-us-where-the-wind-takes-us vibe, (we didn't stumble upon it), we followed our instinct anyway and the Shamrock Suites turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the day!

This adventure involved so many of the things we love - meeting people, touring their premises, taking pictures of beautiful rooms, imagining (and discussing ad nauseam) what it would be like to live there, learning the history of a beautiful place and discovering the journey of it's owner(s).

All the boxes were all checked!

Giggling with anticipation we pulled into the parking area!

Unannounced and brazenly, we knocked on the door of Shamrock Suites....

.....and when we say "we knocked" we mean "Lynne knocked" (we always send Lynne in to do the dirty work, mostly because she'll do it!)

Back to the story:

Unannounced and brazenly, Lynne knocked on the door of Shamrock Suites and found owner and operator, Pam Brennan, at home, warm and welcoming!

Within a few short minutes Lynne had worked her magic and she waved us in! Pam made time to show us around and graciously invited us to join her for a tour! What luck!

The century old home that now calls it self The Shamrock Suites, is perched on a hill at 8 Curtis Road, Florenceville-Bristol, NB

It used to be the home of the Marich family!

The Marichs were known throughout New Brunswick as owners of E.R. Marich Department Store located in the center of The Village of Bristol.

This upscale store was distinguished throughout the Province as merchants of fine China and other beautiful things.

Being purveyors of quality goods and lovely wares, the Marichs' resided in one of the finest homes in the Village which has now been lovingly restored to its former grandeur.

During our tour Ms. Brennan explained that her guests are welcomed for as long or as short a time as they need or want to stay. She has restored a kitchen on the second floor of the Inn for the convenience of her guests who are with her for a longer stay.

No matter if your visit is long or short, when you are a guest of Shamrock Inn, your breakfast is included with your stay and after sleeping in one of these beautifully decorated rooms, a leisurely breakfast on the sunny patio would be heaven.

Thinking we were exhausting our welcome, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that there really is no end to Pam Brennan's hospitality. She was quite happy to tell us about the other part of their business, The Shamrock Train Inn.

While we couldn't take a tour of this unique accommodation due to the happy circumstance that the rooms were all occupied, Ms. Brennan filled us in on how the train inn came to be.

The Shogomoc Railway Site is prominently located on Main Street in Florenceville-Bristol and was declared a historic property in 2008 and that's what started the whole thing off!

A project was undertaken to restore the 1914 era train station located at the site and Pam Brennan jumped "on board" to convert and restore the authentic passenger train cars there as well. (The Shamrock Train Inn is in close proximity to The Shamrock Inn but isn't on the same property.).

Today, two of the passenger cars have been beautifully restored and made into luxury overnight accommodations. The third car has also been restored and converted into a top drawer dining car providing luxury gastronomical experiences for lucky gourmandizers!

We can't think of a better girl's getaway than "Adventure on the Rails, which encompasses an entire train car with two double berths, one queen berth, a kitchenette, continental breakfast, private bathroom and seating area with games. Or try "Romancing the Rails" with your honey in a queen bed room with a fireplace, kitchenette and private bathroom. We think either option would be a winner so "just do it!"

You can find more information at www.shamrocksuites.ca or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShamrockSuites

And so ended our day.

Trunk now loaded with goodies from Nissen's, tummies replete with lunch from our new favourite bistro and heads brimming with dreams of maple syrup, rivers and Inns, it had been a good day.

We were homeward bound. We just can't wait to be on the road again!

Just adventure!

Women Who Wander NB

Lynne, Barb & Gail

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