Down in the valley with
Whiskey rivers
These are the places you will find me hidin'
These are the places I will always go
These are the places I will always go
I am on my way
I am on my way
I am on my way back to where I started
I listened to this song with the windows rolled down as I drove through the city last night, crazy-exhausted and crazy-happy after a four day road trip around Southern Ontario. Three of us headed out early Friday morning for the Bruce Peninsula and beyond. And then followed four days of muddy trails, lake-side-sunsets, bonfires and roasted marshmallows, getting lost and getting lost again, beers on the dock, black flies, sunshine, too-cold lake water and pristine blue skies.
The Grotto, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Tobermory, ON.
Safety first, kids.
Sun's out guns out? Finger guns that is!
After a rainy Friday afternoon we boarded the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry for Manitoulin Island and stayed in a small two-bedroom cottage just south of Little Current. Exhausted from the day spent driving in the rain it was early to bed. Saturday morning our patience paid off as we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine. We packed a picnic, put on our hiking shoes and headed out for the trails.
Cup and Saucer Trail, Manitoulin Island.
Never leave home without a selfie stick.
The aptly named Misery Bay Provincial Park.
The alvar! Misery Bay, Manitoulin Island
#GIRLROADTRIP
Sunset over Lake Huron
On day three we said goodbye to Manitoulin Island and hit the road north to Sudbury, Ontario where we visited to iconic Big Nickle and took an appropriate number of selfies. Then it was on to the French River, where we joined some friends for
a night of camping on one of the many islands in the region. The good
weather stuck around so we enjoyed some beers on the dock and went for a
swim. When the sun went down we built a bonfire, someone played the
guitar and we all sang along. There was no moon, only the stars in the
sky were privy to our midnight show.
A quick stop at the Big Nickle in Sudbury, ON.
The French River
Went for a "walk" across the island and climbed over many boulders.
A shot in front of the car at the French River marina.
I don't want to end this with some grandiose statement about traveling and how it changes you. Instead, I'll just say how nice it is to get away with truly awesome people. How much fun it can be to pack up the car and just drive - to leave the city behind. How important it is to live in the moment.
My sides hurt from laughing for four days straight, my finger nails are full of dirt and I've got bug bites up and down both my legs. I'm exhausted from a lack of sleep but I feel full and happy. I want to bottle this feeling, save it for when I get caught up in the day-to-day grind. I want to remember what it's like to drive around Ontario with close friends and how possible everything felt while we did.
When I started this blog, travel was one of the things I wanted to do more of this year. It's only May, but the the first of many summer road trips is already behind me and I can't wait to carry this momentum forward and keep exploring.
