Beresford, New Brunswick is a long, long way from Saskatoon. Three flights across the country gave me a lot of time to think about the fact that I’d be visiting the new home of my parents for the first time a few months after they moved away from what was our family home just outside of Halifax. While this was first and foremost a visit to catch up, it was also a visit to check in and see how they were doing in New Brunswick and to visit an area I hadn’t seen in close to twenty years.

Shortly after getting off the plane and reuniting with Mom and Dad, I got to catch up with the other family member that had made the move… Tia. Good dog!

I had spent parts of summers as a child in this general area of New Brunswick, but had not been back this way save for a train ride passing through Campbellton when I took a job in Ottawa for four months many eons ago. One of the days of my visit, we all got into the car for a road trip up through Dalhousie (my Dad’s childhood home), Campbellton (my Mom’s hometown) and along the Restigouche River. This river valley is an underrated beauty in Canada.

We drove over to Quebec and admired the view from the other side of the river before making our way back into New Brunswick at Campbellton. While this northern New Brunswick town has seen better days, it’s still mighty beautiful, and continues to attract a significant number of visitors for the fishing along the river. Back in the day, Ted Williams would fly in here to a camp for extended periods of fishing on the Restigouche.

After the better part of the day spent road tripping, Dad and I headed to a gastro pub in Bathurst for a feed of deep fried clams and a pint. This was a late father’s day meal celebration. I miss these deep fried meal dates with my Dad and really treasured this.

No visit anywhere these days is without at least a small sampling of local craft beer. New Brunswick has really upped its game since I moved away from the Maritimes. All of these were great, but the hands down winner was the Trailway Brewing “Patio” pale wheat ale. For my tastebuds, Trailway is the best brewery in New Brunswick and everything I’ve had from them has been nothing short of excellent.

We spent the last full day of my visit doing another road trip. A major heat wave had gripped this area, so the air conditioning in the car may have been the initial reason we planned for a day out. We hit some areas I had never been before – Caraquet and Shippagan on our way to Miscou Island, the northeasterly most point in the province. The lighthouse here is a draw and looking out over the water hit a special place in my Maritimer heart.

We had a lot of laughs over the three days, and while the backdrop was different, that’s all that had really changed. This trip, while far too short, was an important one for me. It was great to see my folks again and catch up, and it was good to see how well they were settling back into life in rural New Brunswick after living in Halifax for more than fifty years.