Kate LSY

Note:
This is a repost of the FULL POST broken out by attractions and provinces. If you’re looking for a quick and dirty summary guide with cost breakdowns, click HERE to get in and out with the golden nuggets.

Stop 3: Grand Falls, New Brunswick

Drive Time: ~ 2 hours. The waterfall is situated right in the middle of downtown, so we took our time to scope out the area and the landscape while stretching our legs. Funny enough, the highlight of this stop was not the majestic waterfall or the picturesque downtown core. Instead, it was the ketchup-flavoured chicken nuggies from Burger King. I hope you are ready for Storytime!

---

Storytime

“I’m sorry for the long wait; I had to make these fresh for you guys,” The cashier made deliberate eye contact as he handed over the bag of goods -16 ketchup-flavoured chicken nuggies.

“Oh,” Feeling taken aback, I continued on, “Not a problem, thank you!” ultimately, I felt grateful for his kind gesture, even though his stares seemed to linger for moments too long.

With a bag of freshly fried nuggies, anticipation quickly replaced weariness at the thought of biting into a juicy nugget. Yum.

Eagerly, we walked out of Burger King, “Does it smell good?” Ben asked with anticipation. He lowered his nose into the paper bag and took a whiff, expecting the salivating smell of deep-fried heaven. Instead, I watched him stumble back, wincing as if punched in the face. His painstaking wince quickly turned into a wide-eyed disbelief with a shadow of horror, “Oh my god, babe, smell it!” He pushed the open bag under my nose.

I stared at him questionably and cautiously hovered my nose just above the paper bag to take a sniff.

“OH MY GAWD!” I screeched before processing. As I wore the expression of a squinting fox, my nostrils burned like I was force-fed a spoonful of wasabi, and my eyes watered like it was assaulted by a perfume purely made of onions.

Who knew ketchup could be this deadly?

After sharing a moment of stunned disbelief, we each picked up a nugget drenched in ketchup sauce, red liquid dripping down our fingers.

“Dink it and sink it,” We boinked the red blobs together and stuffed them down; the pungent ketchup flavour attacked our tongues, and disbelief spread across our faces once more.

I stuffed another firey blob in my mouth, “If carcinogens had a taste, it’d probably taste like this,” I mumbled as my tongue went numb at the intense ketchup flavour.

“I wonder who at the head office tasted this and said, yep, approved!” Ben dipped another nugget in honey garlic sauce.

And just like that, one after another, losing feelings in our tongues, we finished all 16 nuggets. There were no photos because our hands looked like we’d fingered the devil, and the white sweatpants I’d been wearing had ketchup and honey garlic smeared all over. It was a mess, to say the very least.

Would we order these ketchup nuggets again? Maybe only to find out if the cashier pranked us, but likely not. Would I recommend trying it once? 100%, but perhaps only get one order of 8 nuggets?

---

Stop 4: Hartland Covered Bridge, New Brunswick

Drive Time: ~1 hour. We didn’t stay at Grand Falls for long and headed to the next attraction an hour away – the longest-covered bridge in the world. It’s as it sounds, a long bridge with a roof, and as Ben ever so eloquently put it, “A big barn built on top of the water.”

During our visit, the bridge was closed to cars. We crossed the tunnel on foot and enjoyed a lovely sunset before heading to our resting grounds. 

Friendly Tip:
If you’re interested in exploring the town and shops, try getting there during the day, preferably not on Sundays, as most stores will close early. I know it’s obvious, but it’s something to consider if you are a meticulous planner.

---

Stop 5: Fredericton, New Brunswick

Drive Time: ~1.5 hours. Much the same as the first day, we arrived at the Airbnb after dark and hurried out to find food before everything closed. The Airbnb, conveniently located in downtown Fredericton, was within walking distance of everything; I highly recommend it if you plan on visiting for a day or two.

For our meal of the day, we stopped by The Snooty Fox – a Chill tavern offering comfort fare such as shepherd’s pie & ribs, with a full bar & a rooftop patio. 

As someone who doesn’t drink or crave pub cuisine, nothing was of note to me, but hey, it opens till two in the morning, so I can’t complain. Ben enjoyed their craft beer selection, and I was grateful to have food in my belly after a long day of snacking on tomatoes, celery sticks, chips, and cookies. Oh, the service was also MUCH better; we’re definitely at a net positive with Snooty.

---

Day Three

To my surprise, Fredericton has a lot to offer. Why am I surprised? Perhaps I was expecting to be in the boonies. Well, colour me a stupid big city gal because Fredericton is bumping; it has all the uniqueness of an up-and-coming city in the booming stage. The downtown core is characterized by local independent stores, reminding me of Toronto’s golden era of perhaps over a decade ago. 

I’d stay an extra day if we had more than 12 days. But then again, an extra day would be nice for almost every city we visited during the trip 😛

Random Tip:
I Highly recommend picking an Airbnb that’s central to the downtown core in Fredericton; you’ll be able to leave the car without worrying about paying for parking and explore on foot. It worked out well for us as we also brought our longboards.

Speaking of longboards, the number one perk of going on a road trip? The ability to bring a bunch of stuff and the capacity to bring back a bunch of stuff. Not only did we pack both of our longboards, multiple pairs of shoes, two carry-on suitcases of clothes, and a small cooler, I also brought my skateboard and all the necessary protection equipment, such as knee pads and helmets. That was the second mission of this trip – to skate in each province.

As luck would have it, after visiting Snooty, we stumbled upon a paved trail next to the lake and a brand-spanking new skatepark. I was very excited to return during daylight, where we spent the first half of the day exploring Fredericton on our boards.

I fell in love with Fredericton a little that day. I loved how the wind rustled past my ears as I pumped and carved down the path by the lake. I loved how it made me feel when I closed my eyes, breathed in the breeze, felt the rush of joy and let it fill my heart; there was a strong feeling of gratitude as I took in the cloudy lakeside view and the winding road. I pushed as hard as I could, for a bit more speed, carving and pumping rhythmically, feeling weightless and free like a loose leaf circling in the wind. It was the development of a core memory I’ll always remember; the feeling of how wonderful it is to be alive. 

The feelings and sensations are vivid, even as I write this months later. Maybe it was Fredericton, perhaps it was the magic of travelling and new experiences, or maybe it was the longboarding. Combined, they showed me an image of myself that matched who I had in mind, for once. I’ll take those moments as a reminder to live every day with a little sense of adventure, a sprinkle of carefreeness, and a whole heart of gratitude. Here is to bring a part of our vacationing selves to our everyday lives.

---

Stop 6: Magnetic Hill & Magnetic Hill Zoo, New Brunswick

Friendly Tip:
If your gas tank is half full and the gas price seems outrageously high in NB, just fill your tank, my friend. The price will only increase as we travel further East. :’)