Grand Falls Gorge, New Brunswick, Canada
“Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit.” – Frank Borman
Facebook post, February 12, 2018:
- Conversation with my client, earlier today:
- Me: “Do you have your passport?”
- C: “I have it just for you.”
- Me: “Perfect.”
- I like when they follow directions. 😉
A plan is born.
One day, I had an appointment at the tip of Maine, on the Canadian border. I drove up the night before, and I knew the ride home would be a long one.
Since I was so close to Canada, I wondered what was in the area. I pulled up Google. I found a gorge about 30 minutes away. I asked friends for Canadian food recommendations. I was told to eat poutine. Boom.
When exploring on my own, I can be creative. However, I was traveling with one of my fun, laid-back clients, Christian. I wondered if he would want to join me on my escapade. I told him to pack a passport, and I would figure out the details. He agreed.
Canadian crossing.
After our meeting, I hopped into Christian’s vehicle. Canadian Customs was super friendly, as they christened my brand-new passport with its first international stamp. An electrical charge shot through my body.
When we crossed the border, Christian’s GPS adapted an accent and became super polite. We got a good giggle from this. We knew we were in for an adventure.
A snowy gorge.
First up? Grand Falls Gorge. Although I tend to live by cities, I gravitate towards nature and water. We journeyed along, until we hit our destination.
Despite the nip in the air, Christian was patient with me, as I took pictures. He told me he is not a big nature guy. He would have never done something like this on his own. However, crossing the border to find lunch and a gorge was a fun excursion. When given the opportunity to explore international territories, I tend to influence my co-workers to deviate off course, into the unknown (e.g. Niagara Falls).
What do you see in this picture? Do you see anything special, or do I have a vivid imagination?
The first thing my eyes gravitated to was the heart. My friends pointed out the witch on the broomstick. The heart is between her head and her broomstick. Do you see it, now?
When I could no longer feel my hands, I was forced back to the car. Next up? Poutine.
Time to fill our bellies. Our mission? Poutine, of course.
Grand Falls was a small, sleepy town. There were a few chain places and other restaurants on the strip. We opted to find something foreign. To our dismay, most places were closed. Our tummies were grumbling, and our hearts were set on poutine, a Canadian dish which includes cheese curds, french fries, and brown gravy.
We finally popped into a sandwich shop, which sold poutine! Score. We ordered our meals, then enjoyed this Canadian treat.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The clock was ticking, and we knew the road ahead of us was a long one. After lunch, we headed back to the United States. Our games were over.
When we reached the border, my giddiness and sunglasses made the female customs agent suspicious of our journey. She ordered me to take my glasses off. She asked what we were doing in Canada and why we were traveling together. We explained we worked together, and she demanded we give her our business cards. When everything checked out, she let us through.
Before leaving, we had to gas up our cars. My gas tank was frozen. Thank God Christian was there to open it for me. At this point, we parted ways and headed off onto the dirt paths, leading us home.
We had a fantastic day venturing off the beaten path, into a foreign land. Thanks for the memories, Christian, and for being open to whatever unexpected curve ball I threw at you.
