Day 3 - Moncton to Fredericton via the Fundy Coastal Drive, "Every Brew Tells a Story!"
We woke to another beautiful day, the sun was shining and the weather in Moncton was perfect! A morning view from the Chateau Moncton helps to describe the day!
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| Beautiful Morning in Moncton, NB |
After a quick breakfast, we loaded our bikes and started getting prepped for the day. We had a pleasant conversation with another rider in the parking lot who had rode 2-up with his wife to NB from Ontario. He told us that he was having brake light issues and was heading to the local Harley Davidson dealer, Toys for Big Boys to have it checked out. We were heading there as well, so he followed us to the dealership. After a short visit to the service department and the purchase of a couple of t-shirts, we were on our way.
Our plan for the day was to head to the Village of Alma via Route 114, then through to the Town of Sussex and the Funday Trail Parkway. The 80 kilometre ride to Alma was was quite enjoyable and traffic was light, which made the ride even better! Keeping with the theme of our 3-day New Brunswick tour, we made a stop at the Holy Whale Brewing Company in Alama! We have been there on several occasions prior and it's just a cool place to stop! The brewery is located in an old church, hence the name the Holy Whale!
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| Holy Whale Brewing Company - Alma, NB |
Every Brew Tells a Story - to our disappointment, the tap room was closed. It was 11:00 am and they did not open to 1:00 pm. Luc walked up to the door, made a quick knock and to our surprise a gentleman answered the door. This is where the story gets good, Luc has the unique ability to charm people and that is exactly what he did! Luc explained, we had ridden 1000+ kilometres around the Province and the Holy Whale was one of the key stopping points on our tour and is there any way that we could get a beer. The gentleman said that he did not work there and he was just visiting his brother (who was the owner/master brewer), he said to give him a few minutes and he would see what he could do.
The gentleman came back and said that he could not let us in as they were closed and if they let us in, they would have to let others as well and staff wasn't readily available. Next came the key point...he said, "the best I can do is sell you a crowler (large beer in a can), but you can't drink it on the premises." Luc and I looked at each other and weren't sure what to do. The gentleman noticed our unsure response and said, "you can have the beer on the property next door as my brother lives there." We quickly responded, you have a deal!
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| Chica Cerveza - Organic Spanish Blonde |
We moved to the property next door, the gentleman poured us each a beer from the crowler and then stayed and talked to us for the next 45 minutes. During our conversation, it was discovered that Luc had taught school in the same community that the gentleman and his brother grew up and in fact, Luc taught at the elementary school that the owner/master brewer from the Holy Whale attended. The owner/master brewer joined us for a minute and it was fun to watch Luc connect the dots to the two guys! Although, Luc did not teach them, there was a connection. What a small world and stories like this add to the travel experience! We finished our beer, which was excellent, said our thanks and good-byes.
We proceeded through Fundy National Park to Sussex and then to the Fundy Trail Parkway via the Eastern Park Entrance. Again, the traffic was almost non-existent which made the ride much more enjoyable. The Fundy Trail Parkway is so scenic and the views never get old! If you haven't had the chance to ride through the Parkway, you should plan on doing it.
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| Fundy Trail Parkway |
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| Fundy Trail Parkway |
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| Fundy Trail Parkway |
After riding through the Funday Trail Parkway, we proceeded to the Sea Caves in St. Martins and ordered a feed of seafood at the Caves Restaurant. The food here is excellent and the view of the Sea Caves at St. Martins makes for a memorable experience.
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| The Sea Caves at St. Martins |
We finished our mid-afternoon lunch and it was time to journey back home. We followed the Fundy Coastal Drive into the City of Saint John and decided we needed to make one last stop before heading back to Fredericton. By this point, you probably guessed it, another brewery...and you are correct! We stopped at the Moosehead Small Batch Brewery on Main St. in Saint John.
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| Moosehead Small Batch Brewery - Saint John, NB |
As most New Brunswickers are aware, Moosehead is one the oldest, privately owned domestic beer manufacturers in Canada. What is unique about the small batch brewery is they have new beers that they brew that are only available in the tap room. For those loyal to their domestic beers, you can get that too! I decided to try one of their craft beers, a German Lager and being an IPA fan, Luc went with the Small Batch East Coast IPA.
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| Moosehead German Lager |
After our beer, we made the 100 kilometre ride from Saint John to Fredericton via NB Route 7. The 3-day ride took us approximately 1500 kilometres and the views along the River Valley Scenic Trail, the Appalachian Range Route, the Acadian Coastal Drive and the Fundy Coastal Drive were fantastic. Sometimes we forget how beautiful our home Province is! Also, travelling with my good friend Luc is always fun. Some day, we should figure out how many kilometres we have travelled together...it would be in the 10's of thousands for sure!
I hope you enjoyed our experience and until next time, ride safe!
