I felt like I was on vacation Sunday. The day was just that relaxing! I personally feel I have been working long hours too often lately and I think my husband was thinking the same, so we revved our motor and headed out with our dog-eared copy of The New Brunswick Atlas in hand. Normally we take oodles of supplies, but this time - nope! One bottle of water, one coffee, some extra socks, our hiking boots and my favorite, favorite accessory, my shewee which I feel no woman should ever venture into the woods without. Actually, I think they are handy for more than just the woods - talk about empowerment!! Every woman should get to pee standing up!!
I appreciate my shewee. It saves damp pant legs.
Anyway.
Our goal was to find a beach we had heard about but never been to, as well as some new to us hiking trails. Our destination was the Riverside-Albert area of NB.
As we drove, we passed through the village of Hillsborough and also past the entrance to Hopewell Rocks. The sky was blue, the few clouds were pristine white and the fields were luscious green sprinkled with buttercup yellow and every shade of lupin you could imagine.
Finding Dennis Beach was akin to finding a gold mine! I had no idea there was this beautiful wind swept, light sand beach on the Bay of Fundy and it was hard to tear myself away! I love my beaches and could have happily stayed there for the afternoon. The beach is located near Cape Enrage and I guess as many times as we have visited the Cape, we just never went in that other direction, the one which would have led us to Dennis Beach.
Next we headed along the roadway in search of some trails. Rejean had an idea there were a few hidden in this area and we were excited to find two we hadn’t hiked before. Marking a page in our book for future reference, we continued on to the picturesque village of Alma.
Alma is full of great things! It is a pretty little touristy village with shops and craftspeople and fish vendors and Kelly’s Bake Shop.....Because of Kelly’s, Alma is home to the world famous sticky bun and this was my first taste experience. The buns are so popular they are handed to you fresh from the oven and are so hot they melt the waxed paper they are wrapped in! They were delicious and I also happily discovered that Kelly's multi grain bread is now a favorite of mine!
After lunch (fish, of course!) we headed up the little ridge to check out the view and found the very amiable owner of Vista Ridge Cottages who shared the very interesting history of his cottages and some info on the nearby Fundy National Park. What a perfect location for a little getaway holiday or even a quilt retreat!! The cabins are really, really nice and bright and if you happen to be there on a Sunday, there is a super Farmer’s Market until 2 pm. This truck is parked at the entrance and I love how they have chosen to display it and have plants for sale on the back!
Taking another route back home, we did some exploration of another new to us trail in the Shepody National Wildlife Reserve and we have figured out the logistics for a hike/canoe trip in this area. It could be the perfect New Brunswick day outing!!
Continuing on, we also noticed a section of the Trans Canada Trail that we hadn’t really paid attention to before, so now we have another trail to try out with our bikes! We are collecting all kinds of possible excursions and at this point I am thinking a nice stay at those cabins would be a great idea!! Especially since they are open year round and we love off season activities!
This section of the trail passes right through the property of the historic Riverside Consolidated School. The image of a train passing so close to the school teases my imagination. And notice how there are entrances marked for girls and boys! This school is still in use and while we visited a family arrived, ready to play on the playground equipment. That big shoot on the side was the original fire escape!
By now we are both ready to be home, so hitting the main road we motor on. As we pass Hopewell Rocks area, my husband says off-handedly, “oh, there’s your blog friend!”, as we pass a house where we see a woman loading wood in the side yard! Yeah, sure I say! I had mentioned to him that Marjorie lived in this area and that we planned to meet in person one day. What a laugh I got the next day when I saw a comment she made on Holly’s blog that she had been stacking wood that weekend!! It was her! Next time we won’t be in a rush to get home and will make a planned pit stop to say hi!
New Brunswick is a beautiful province to live in and these little day trips serve to remind us of just how much we still have to explore here. Even within a 45 minute radius, we have so much to see and do!
I appreciate my shewee. It saves damp pant legs.
Anyway.
Our goal was to find a beach we had heard about but never been to, as well as some new to us hiking trails. Our destination was the Riverside-Albert area of NB.
Next we headed along the roadway in search of some trails. Rejean had an idea there were a few hidden in this area and we were excited to find two we hadn’t hiked before. Marking a page in our book for future reference, we continued on to the picturesque village of Alma. 
This section of the trail passes right through the property of the historic Riverside Consolidated School. The image of a train passing so close to the school teases my imagination. And notice how there are entrances marked for girls and boys! This school is still in use and while we visited a family arrived, ready to play on the playground equipment. That big shoot on the side was the original fire escape!
New Brunswick is a beautiful province to live in and these little day trips serve to remind us of just how much we still have to explore here. Even within a 45 minute radius, we have so much to see and do!
It was a great day! Much needed, too. Our summers are so short, aren’t they? I am almost in a panic this year to make sure I get to soak summer all up - there have been years I didn’t get to and getting through winter was very difficult. And paying those green fees does kind of tie you down, I know - but again, with such a short season, you want to make the most of your tee time, too.
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