Recently we did some work for the good folks at Tourism New Brunswick and they tipped us off about a local treasure. Letang, New Brunswick, just north of Grand Manan Island on the Bay of Fundy is the home of Wolfhead Smokers, purveyors of fine smoked salmon products. So we called them up, ordered some fish, and set a date with a couple of our “foodie” friends for a maritime feast.

In 1981 George (Skip) and Karen Wolf started Jail Island Salmon, one of the first Atlantic salmon farms in North America. This company was the first Canadian salmon producer to market its fresh salmon under its own brand. In 1985 George and Karen started smoking some of their own salmon as a value added product. In 1998 they sold their shares in the farming operation, but retained the growing smoking division and renamed it Wolfhead Smokers.

The smokehouse is in the original Jail Island processing plant, located on a secluded cove off the Bay of Fundy in southwest New Brunswick. The salmon is cold smoked according to a traditional Scottish recipe. Taking their time, they start with premium fresh fillets which are dry salted and cured, then smoked very slowly at a low temperature before further curing. The result is a rich, buttery texture on the tongue and no strong salty or fishy flavours.

We also tried the “hot smoked” salmon, which is double smoked. Cracked pepper is sprinkled on the salt cured fillets before they are cold smoked. Then the temperature is turned up so that the fish is actually cooked as it is being smoked. The texture is firm, and the fish is moist, smoky and rich tasting. I took a private moment to savour this one and to recover from the exquisite sensory experience!

Wolfhead Smokers has been accused of adding a secret ingredient to make their products addictive. We were unable to confirm these assertions.

Most of the smoked salmon is shipped to fish markets and distributors in New Brunswick, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Toronto and can be found in specialty shops and fine restaurants. In 2007, NB Premier Shawn Graham hosted the Canadian Premiers’ Conference. He sent his invitations to each Canadian Premier inside a Wolfhead cedar gift box along with packages of smoked salmon.

For the past ten years, Wolfhead has participated in the annual World Wine & Food Expo in Moncton, NB, and 2011 will be their ninth straight year as the official smoked salmon supplier at the NB Spirit Festival in Fredericton.

Our delivery arrived by FedEx in an insulated box with frozen gel packs. Karen told us on the phone to try pairing the salmon with Glen Breton single malt whisky from Nova Scotia, so that’s what we did. She said that after they toured the distillery they tried Glen Breton with their smoked salmon and loved it. At our dinner, one of our dinner mates also brought a Cave de Hoen Heimberger Crémant d’Alsace, a French Brut Rosé which was very good, but you could just as easily pair it with a Niagara or British Columbia Brut if you wanted to go all-Canadian. As I expected, whether it was washed down with wine or whisky, there wasn’t a single morsel of salmon left when we were done.

If you order from Wolfhead, be sure to leave at least a week for delivery, more in the busy holiday season. They can be reached toll-free at 877-965-3432 or by email at orders@wolfheadsmokers.com.

Buried loot at the Haunted Stirling Mansion

Halloween is big business in Canada. Just ask Statistics Canada. Every year, it releases Halloween stats that include the latest demographics on trick or treaters, the number of Canadian farms with pumpkin patches, the amount of money Canadians spend on Halloween candy and even a list of places in Canada that may give you the creeps.

Based on recent travels across the country, we came up with our own list of creepy places:

All Hallows Eve at Kings Landing Historical Settlement

Bone-chilling tales including a famous cold case…

“Lizzie Borden took an axe, Gave her mother 40 whacks, When she saw what she had done, She gave her father 41″  Lizzie was later acquitted of the 1892 double-ax murder which over a century later remains unsolved. Expect this kind of bone chilling tale and more as the “dead” gather October 29 and 30 to celebrate the ancient ritual of All Hallows Eve at Kings Landing Historical Settlement near Fredericton, New Brunswick. A mysterious soul and a headless horseman will greet you at the Kings Landing gate and escort you down a lonely gravel road to the King’s Head Inn. There you’ll join others for dnner and a night of murder and mayhem.

Haunted Stirling Mansion, Stirling, Alberta

Canada’s best haunted house:

Last June on a road trip near Lethbridge, Alberta, we stumbled across what we think is THE best haunted house in Canada. It was broad daylight when the owner gave us a tour of the Haunted Stirling Mansion. It didn’t matter. I still  jumped out of my skin when I saw a strange “dude” peeking out from a door slightly ajar. The set design in this place is so well done, my imagination ran wild. Fright Nights run October 28-31.

Haunted Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller, Alberta

The Atlas Coal Mine:

With all the miner news of late we couldn’t resist including the Haunted Atlas Coal Mine.  It stands next to the ghost town of East Coulee, south of Drumheller, in the Canadian Badlands of Alberta. The mine’s grey-timbered tipple is creepy enough in daylight let alone at night when Hallowe’en guests are invited to explore it armed with only a flashlight. A former bathhouse has big meat hooks attached to ropes on pulleys hanging from the ceiling. Miners once used these to hang their street clothes on, above the coal dust. The Drumheller Paranormal Group thinks this national historic site is haunted. You can judge for yourself. Special Big Boo and Little Boo tours are offered October 30.

Canada’s coolest post-halloween event

Best post-Halloween event:

The Pumpkin Parade in west end Toronto’s Sorauren Park is a feast for the eyes. Every year hundreds of families bring their carved pumpkins to the park at dusk the day after Halloween. The pumpkins are then lit along a path that runs the perimeter of the park.

Fly-fishing the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. Photos: courtesy New Brunswick Tourism

Fishing the Miramichi River was a chance to catch the “king of all sport fish” the atlantic salmon, also known as “the leaper”. I was fortunate to find out why. I hired a guide and for four hours cast a fly called a grey ghost. I was rewarded with a six pound fish that was more acrobatic than any fish I ever caught before or since. Although it was a short little side trip, it was so sweet. There are many guides and resorts along the Miramichi that can accommodate anyone from the beginner to the expert. The last half of the day I spent golfing the Mirimichi Golf and Country Club.

My work then took me to St. John. I rented a cabin on the Kingston Peninsula on the shores of the Kennebecasis River. Beside my cabin ran a small creek of crystal clear water with two waterfalls dropping into deep pools. Eventually, after a series of runs and riffles this creek meandered towards and emptied into the Kennebecasis. I stayed there for five days while I worked in St. John and in the afternoons I fished for and caught some beautiful brook trout. This creek was loaded with them. Many small 6-8 inchers and a half dozen 12-16 inchers. The larger brookies were all caught on small shiny spoons and woolley bugger flies in olive tones and the smaller brookies were caught on dry flies.

On my last day there I was fortunate enough to go fishing for striped bass on the big river. The owner of the cabin took me out in his boat. He said we needed to use larger heavy action rods and large rapalas. We trolled at a fast five knots and used a constant pulling motion, giving our lures an erratic action around this big rock shoal. It took less than fifteen minutes to hook into my first striper, a twelve pounder. The best way to describe how catching a striped bass feels is to stand on a Toronto street corner and hook into a streetcar on Queen Street. I caught an eight pound striper about an hour later and that was that, but what an experience!

In closing, being away from my two boys and family for three months was very difficult on all of us, but with the friendliness and hospitality shown me by the people of New Brunswick and the natural wonders and beauty of the province I was able to keep balanced. I look forward to going back with Cam and Nate for another experience one day to show them the beauty of New Brunswick.

Tight lines and sharp hooks

Peter

Editor’s Note: For the uninitiated, I have included this picture of a streetcar in Toronto. Also, here‘s another great post about New Brunswick and fishing on the St. John River.

Drumheller, Alberta's T-Rex has a viewing platform between its teeth!

Chambers’ Dictionary of Etymology defines the term “mascot” as an animal, person or thing that is supposed to bring good luck. According to the dictionary, the word is borrowed from the french word, “mascotte” meaning sorcerer’s charm or good luck piece.

Canada is a land of mascots. I’m not sure why but they’re plentiful here. The largest is Drumheller, Alberta’s T-Rex. Four times the size of a real Tyrannosaurus Rex, it weighs 145,000 pounds, stands 86 feet tall and is 151 feet long. The cost to build T’Rex caused a bit of mascot controversy in Drumheller. But today most who live here would tell you their mascot has brought them good luck in the form of tourism dollars. This dinosaur-themed town is now the heartbeat of the Canadian Badlands, an Alberta region known for its dinosaur fossils, many of which are displayed in Drumheller’s famous Royal Tyrrell Museum.

The Big Apple, Colborne, Ontario

Drive enough of Alberta and you’ll find mascots for just about everything. The world’s largest lamp for a lamp museum. A giant cornstalk in Taber, Alberta famous for its corn. Coronation Alberta’s giant crown was chosen to honour the coronation of King George V. A model of the  Starship Enterprise stands in Vulcan, Alberta.  Manitoba’s mascots include the Melita banana, a giant mosquito, the world’s largest curling rock, and ‘Tommy the Turtle’.  A massive snowman, a giant set of hockey cards, several big buffalo and and a huge pitchfork are some of Saskatchewan’s mascots.

Shediac, New Brunswick, lobster capital of the world

Joe Muffraw, the lumberjack from Mattawa, Ontario

Sparwood, British Columbia has the world’s largest truck and Sudbury, Ontario has the largest nickel. A giant lumberjack is Mattawa, Ontario’s mascot. It was carved by a local artist using a chainsaw. In Canada’s Maritmes, you can’t miss the enormous red lobster as you drive into Shediac, New Brunswick, the lobster capital of the world. On a road trip through Quebec’s Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, we found Verger Lacroix’s basket of fruit and wine representing the apple orchards here. The Colborne area of Ontario is another apple region. The Big Apple at the side of a Highway 401 exit here has sold millions of apple pies to travelers.

Giant fruit basket in Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Québec

In Pictou, Nova Scotia, the town mascot is Ship Hector, a reproduction of a sailing ship that brought the first Scottish settlers to the birthplace of “New Scotland” in 1773.

Hector Heritage Quay Interpretive Centre and the Ship Hector – photo: courtesy Town of Pictou, NS

Got a mascot in your neck of the woods? If so, we would love to hear from you.

On-board Ship Hector – photo: courtesy Town of Pictou, NS

View of Montreal from Mont Royal

Rather than drive, we flew to Montréal and spent six glorious nights in Quebec’s largest city. Our flight was complimentary, thanks to WestJet Airlines. Westjet’s VP happened to pick my husband’s business card out of a bowl at a conference and it won us two tickets anywhere WestJet flies (except Hawaii). After much discussion, we chose Montréal. Why? Because of our affection for this city.

I was born and raised in Montreal. Later, I completed a degree at Montreal’s Concordia University. Even though I’m biased, I think most Canadians would agree that Montréal is one of Canada’s BEST cities to visit. “Les Montréalais” are truly special. They have the best fashion sense in the country, particularly the women, who always dress with a “je ne sais quoi” appeal. Les Montréalais are also known for their “joie de vivre”. You’ll find plenty of it especially at the city’s major events like Just for Laughs , North America’s largest comedy festival or the Grand Prix Montréal. The city’s biggest annual party though is the Montréal Jazz Festival.

"This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window." – Mark Twain on a visit to Montreal in December 1881

Montrealers have a love affair with their delis. Two of the best are  Schwartz’s and The Main. They sit right across the street from one and other on Boulevard St. Laurent and both are famous for their smoked meat sandwiches and fries washed down with cherry cokes. Fresh bagels are another passion. St. Viateur and Fairmount Bagel run 24-7. For many Montrealers, a Friday or Saturday night would not be complete without a stop for a dozen of these hot out of a wood-burning oven.  Then there’s the Montreal Pool Room‘s hotdogs. Don’t ask me why but they taste better here than anywhere else. Van Houtte coffee is Montreal’s answer to Starbucks. But Montreal cafés don’t need a brand name to be popular, they just need an outdoor patio. People-watching is, after all, a main activity in this town.

Two Canadian musicians waxed poetic about their hometown of Montreal in hit tunes- Gino Vannelli couldn’t forget “those nights in Montreal” in  “I Just Wanna Stop” and for Sass Jordan, it was St. Laurent Boulevard in “Going Back Again”. The one way street has played such an important role in this city that in 1996, it was designated a national historic site. The boulevard crosses Le Plateau, a popular neighbourhood just east of Mont Royal, which dominates Montréal’s landscape.

The Casa Bianca B&B in Le Plateau, a Montreal neighbourhood

We stayed in the Plateau in an affordable place I found online called the Casa Bianca B&B. Its interior was a bit sparse and I got tired of the fresh danishes for breakfast. They were delicious on our first morning but not six mornings in a row!! Our room was large enough although it lacked some of the nice touches that I’ve come to appreciate in B&Bs, like bed-side tables and good lighting. Still, the place served us well and the price was right. The Casa Bianca is on a quiet street across from a city park which was a good thing because the park separated us from avenue Parc, a busy Montreal thoroughfare. Luckily, there were traffic lights on Parc that allowed us to cross it easily to the lower part of Mont Royal Park which is dominated by a massive monument dedicated to Sir George Etienne Cartier (coincidentally sculpted by a great-great uncle of mine). This park access point is good to know about since Mont Royal Park extends to the top of the mountain and it is a favourite gathering place for Montrealers. Downtown was also easy to get to on foot. If you prefer cycling though, check out Bixi, Montreal’s new public bicycle system.

My husband went to high school in Westmount and he was keen to check out his former ‘hood, so we took the Metro, Montreal’s subway, to the Decarie stop and walked back over the mountain through Mont Royal Park, and down the other side to our B&B. Several lookout points along the way gave us spectacular city views and we saw lots of Montrealers enjoying the park and Beaver Lake.

Indoors at Marché Jean-Talon

We’re big fans of city markets which save us a ton of money on food when we’re traveling.  Montreal’s Atwater Market is in the southwestern corner of the city while Jean-Talon Market is in Little Italy, in the city’s north end.  Both are well worth visiting.

Joggers enjoy spring conditions on the roads and paths near Beaver Lake on Mont-Royal

In our recent Newfoundland post I talked about how our travels across Canada always have a bit of synchronicity. We meet people who know other people we know or they are connected to the Canadian tourism industry like us. Canada is a huge country, the second largest in the world, but its population is small, so when we travel, we really notice the six degrees of separation. My recent trip to New Brunswick had more than its usual share of synchronicity.

When my dad’s youngest sister, Jean, died of old age last month, a milestone passed. She was the last direct descendant of a family that has been in New Brunswick since the 1700s. Jean was the “glue” who kept in touch with family members in Canada and the United States. By chance, a work-related trip took me to New Brunswick in early December. It was a chance for me to honour Jean and my family’s roots and to see what’s new for travelers in this great Maritime province.

Fredericton, New Brunswick was our destination. It’s on a strategic point of the St. John River central to Quebec City, Moncton, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The US border is just 98 miles or 158 km away. I found this Loyalist city surprisingly vibrant given its population is only 50,000. The University of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design are here and so is the Beaverbrook Gallery. People from around the world travel to the Beaverbrook to see its famous Salvador Dali painting, the Santiago el Grande (1957).

There are several private galleries and artists’ studios in Fredericton too, and a whole lot more. edVentures are new arts and craft learning vacations taught by qualified instructors. They run for six weeks every summer in the city. 2010 dates are July 5 to August 20th. We got a taste of how the workshops work during our visit. I glazed two clay pots at New Brunswick’s College of Craft & Design and I made earrings at a dynamite little Fredericton studio. All courses are hands-on. You can take a five-day course, a two-day class or even a one-day intensive workshop. They’re part of a city-wide cultural bonanza that really heats up in the summer. Under the Stars Classic Movies attract hundreds  to the Historic Garrison District on Sunday nights. There are New Brunswick story tellers on Wednesday afternoons in the same park. Outdoor music concerts run almost everyday of the week and a Fredericton Baroque Music Festival is held every spring. Canadian Heritage recently named Fredericton one of Canada’s cultural capitals.

Another one of my trip highlights was a traditional Christmas dinner held at Kings Landing, a recreated historic village on the St. John River. Hundreds pack its village inn every year for the holiday dinners. The settlement is a half hour north of Fredericton on the T’Can. As we made our way to the inn by horse-drawn wagon, we passed the Joslin farmhouse. According to my mother, the family genealogist, the New Brunswick side of my family is connected to the Joslin family. My Aunt Jean liked genealogy too.  So does a New Brunswick cousin of mine with a big apple orchard near Kings Landing. The tourism gang in Fredericton were familiar with him, and with his orchard. He and my mother keep in touch with Christmas cards every year and on one of our family trips to New Brunswick, he took us to an old family cemetery near Kings Landing where relatives of ours, including Joslins, are buried.

My dad and Jean were both avid fishermen. I remember him telling me that Jean used to even tie her own flies. The St. John River is one they both used to fish. It flows 400 kilometres/ 700 miles through the centre of New Brunswick. Roads on both sides follow it pretty much from beginning to end. A new St. John River tourism heritage group is working hard to point travelers to interesting sites along the two river routes.

I had the pleasure of meeting another avid fisherman while I was here. His name is Brad Woodside and he’s Fredericton’s mayor.  His Honour told me that they fish Muskie in the St. John along with several other species of fish. That really surprised me. I didn’t realize Muskie were found this far east in Canada. They’re a favourite with many sport-fishing enthusiasts.