Week 54: New Brunswick Travels & Tales

I make it a priority to go home to New Brunswick to visit my loved ones twice a year, every winter and summer.  In the winter I fly and in the summer I drive.  The flight is a quick 1.5 - 2 hours one way, whereas the drive is 16 hours including short stops for gas, etc.  I've made this driving trip more than 15 times and I think I have it perfected.  I prefer to start the long and very boring drive from Ontario in the evening, after rush hour, and go straight through the night.  This way I avoid driving in the dark in New Brunswick which is very scary with all the moose, deer, and complete wooded darkness.  There's a shortcut through New Brunswick to get to my hometown, called the Plaster Rock Highway, which is about 1.5 hours of driving through the thick forest with absolutely NOTHING or NO ONE, not even cell towers!  It's not unheard of or even uncommon for someone to see or hit a moose on this stretch of highway.  In the day it's not that bad.  But, at night it's an entirely different story.  Thankfully, I've been pretty lucky the times I've played "chicken" with the moose at night on the Plaster Rock Highway.  Although, a few years ago I had a very close call.  As I was driving I spotted two moose on the side of the highway across the road.  Seconds later another moose came out of the woods and started to charge towards my vehicle.  Moose, by the way, are crazy.  Anyway, for some unknown reason the moose changed its mind at the last second and took off across the road and into the woods.  The other two moose crossed and followed.  I've also seen a few deer along that road, and although they can do a great deal of damage to your car, they are nothing compared to a certifiably insane moose.  Since I've been taking the Plaster Rock highway during the day I've only spotted a few tiny critters like rabbits and chipmunks.  I'll take Alvin and his brothers over Bullwinkle any day.

Most people who visit New Brunswick probably try their fair share of seafood.  I'm not a big seafood fan, but I enjoy a good lobster roll.  There's something I've been wanting to try at home for a couple of years now, and it's not offered in Ontario.  Both McDonald's and Subway offer lobster sandwiches on their menus.  I thought it was pretty neat and definitely worth a taste test.  The first one I sampled was the McDonald's McLobster:

Cost:  $7

It was fairly tasty with an appropriate amount of lobster meat.  I enjoyed it and recommended it to others.

The second was the Subway lobster sandwich.  This one totally rocked my taste buds.  What's always great about Subway is that you can customize your sandwich with many different toppings and sauces. My delicious sammie included:  6" honey oat bread toasted with cheddar cheese, extra lettuce, green pepper, onions, olives, hot peppers, jalapenos, lobster (of course), chipotle mayo, and a bit of salt and pepper.  It was really something.  If you're ever in New Brunswick in the summer and want to try a fast food lobster sandwich - go to Subway.  Cost:  $8.

Future thoughts:  Maybe I should go out and buy a live lobster and cook it up in a pot and try to eat it.  I've never cooked a lobster or eaten a whole one either.  In fact, I talk to the lobsters in the tanks at the grocery stores.  What a blog post that would be, eh?