Nature's Route

Once the weekend was over, we started to head back towards home, which is always an odd thing. It was also comforting somehow, since it felt like we had been on the road for well over a week, so we knew there were many adventures to be had.

There was however, one elephant in the room that Dylan made sure to bring to our attention: we had to go back through New Brunswick. Our experience the first time around was rainy and uneventful, but I knew that the province just had to have something to offer us.

Blair had told us about this farm near his hometown and he had a friend who worked there. He told us to give Dan a call, since the extra hands are always nice. So we called Dan from 'Nature's Route Farm,' looking to finally do some labour for someone who needed a hand (Remember, when we were in PEI farmer MacDonald didn't need us at his slick potato operation and told us to enjoy the island. We were starting to feel pretty lazy).

A very chipper Dan answered the phone and gave us directions, "Pass the cattle ranch and then it's the farm with the white mailbox out front!" By now we were getting used to the directions that are given out, and we rolled into the long driveway just a few minutes later.

When we arrived, Dan was very excited to meet us and our RV felt right at home on the quaint farm lot. The farm is run by a couple (who lives on property) and Dan is the only employee. There was plenty to do, especially as the season is just starting.

To start, Dylan and I were prepping the onion seedlings to be planted, because the weather was supposed to be perfect for getting them in the ground. While this was going on, Jordan and Calvin were busy moving rocks that had been churned up during the installation of the new irrigation system.

By the time Dylan and I finished, the weather had changed and we wouldn't be able to plant today. It was neat learning about all of the different factors that effect how crops grow, and I can imagine it would be frustrating waiting for the unpredictable weather to be just right.

So for the rest of the afternoon, we all hauled rocks with Dan. Just as a side note, this guy was a machine. It was clear that he was not only good at what he does but has a passion for it as well.

The rocks that we picked and dug up were taken down to where the irrigation pond is, and we started to fashion a road with them. This reminded me of how annoying it would have been to build cobblestone roads back in the day, but it was very neat to see it take shape. It takes a lot of rocks!

Since we arrived at the farm in the middle of the afternoon, before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We were graciously invited to have dinner at the house. Our excitement peaked for one main reason: we were on a vegetable farm.  The stir fry was by far the most nutritional meal we had eaten in days. The veggies were delicious and the rhubarb crisp we had for dessert was absolutely top notch.

After dinner, Dan invited us to his place to a bonfire. This was perfect as we were looking for a nice way to spend Victoria Day. We knew all our friends would be back home at the Virgil Stampede enjoying fireworks, so it was nice that we could have a big fire and meet some great folks from Sackville. We played guitar, ate smores & candy and it was overall a great time.

Although he was still skeptical right until the very end of the day, Dylan's opinion of the province was finally redeemed when a  bunch of folks went for a midnight dip in Silver Lake. Apparently, the cold water was invigorating.

Oh, and don't worry mom, we got to shower at Dan's house after working all day.

Shower Count: 3 in 10 days. Not bad, not bad at all.

Pics to come.