Waterborough, New Brunswick
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We were driving along in search of the Mohawk Campground in Waterborough, NB when Zzoomm!, we must have passed through a black hole or something and traveled back in time at least 50 years. The closest supermarket is 45 minutes away and there are no shops around, except for a small local farmer’s market. When by chance you see a car passing, the driver will give you a friendly wave. The remoteness was a bit of a shock to us city folks, but we quickly grew to love it.
Surprisingly, this camp is full; unlike so many camps we’ve either stayed at or passed this year. The impossibly high gas prices have really taken their toll. All but a handful of the campers at Mohawk are “seasonals” and form a small community with all the good things that brings.
The owners, Shirley and Brian Hopson, no doubt have something to do with it. Aside from their warm hospitality, the annual Christmas Parade in July is great fun for adults and children who dressed up and rode various vehicles through the park, including a WWII motorcycle, WWII jeep, and a “real” Hummer. We even heard that Santa Claus made an appearance and distributed gifts to the children.
Our first swims of the year were in Grand Lake, right in the campground. Afterwards, we’d sit on our lawn chairs behind our trailer to view the American goldfinches, hummingbirds and other birds flocking to our neighbors’ feeders. We feared they may have thought we were spying on them, and not the birds, with our binoculars.
On the contrary, Carol and Jerry invited us to taste their homemade wine and get to know some of their friends. We must have met about half the inhabitants during a fun evening of music, conversation and wine.
Let’s not forget the natural wonders of the area, such as Fundy National Park on the shoreline of the Atlantic. In the forest we discovered some beautiful hikes, a lovely waterfall and a couple of friendly marmots who didn’t run off and allowed us almost 15 minutes quietly observing them. A true Zen moment!
The Hopewell Rocks near the park are a sight to see. When the world’s largest tides are low at Fundy Bay, you can walk out at 45 feet under sea level and admire the strange cavernous formations made by Mother Nature. Beware! You’d better not get caught there without a boat when the tide changes.
Chef Patrick visited the little farm store and bought fresh tomatoes, salad greens, beets and eggs to compose a salad Nicoise his way. Then for dinner he stuffed a pork loin with dates, garlic, and basil and cooked it his way with local new potatoes and onions.
On our last day, Chef Patrick made Crepes Suzette to order for all the good friends we made to thank them for the warm welcome. This was intended to be a dessert at 3:30 pm. It lasted until 11:30 pm after many drinks, people coming and going and a good sing along while Kenny played the accordion and yodeled. What a blast!
It’s time to say goodbye to all the nice people we met and thank them for the superb hospitality as we make our way to Nova Scotia. But folks, this is another story for cooking my way across North America!
