Sometimes in life you are forced to make
decisions. They may not always be easy, they may not always be safe – but you
have to face your fears and take the plunge. That’s exactly what I did in June of 2012. I was living in Vancouver,
BC and was incredibly unhappy. I
had made a few friends out West since moving there in August 2010 – but I
longed to be home. I missed my family. There was so much going on in my personal
life, and I made the decision to drive by myself from Vancouver, BC to Toronto, ON.
This wasn't an easy decision to come to, there were a lot of factors to take
into consideration, but I knew I had to be home with my family, in Toronto.
I had done my fair share of road trip driving prior
to this trip, but never alone. I drove from Toronto
to Las Vegas, and then a few months later I did
the drive up the West Coast from Las Vegas to Vancouver. So, I wasn't scared or nervous about the driving. I was, however, nervous to be doing it
solo this time around.
Would I get bored? Would I fall asleep? Would a
hitchhiker carjack me? Would I get lost?
So many questions were running through
my mind. After a lot of some procrastination – I finally packed up my
car, with all of my personal belongings and hit the road. It was just me, my
dog Precious and George.
Oh, who’s George? He was just my travel
companion along the way. Don’t worry – you’ll be seeing a lot of him! I’ll be
bringing him along on all my future road trips as well – he loves travelling as
much as I do!
 |
Precious and George, just hanging out in Hope, BC |
While driving, I experienced a mix of emotions;
from sadness to excitement, liberating to lonely – and everything in between. I couldn't believe I was doing it. I was actually driving across this beautiful
country of ours. Before moving to Vancouver, I
hadn’t really travelled within Canada
that much. I stayed in the GTA for the most part, venturing out to Southern
Ontario here and there and Montreal
once or twice, but that’s really about it. I was so excited to be able to truly
experience and revel in the all the beauty Canada has to offer. Driving
through the beautiful National Parks, such as Mount
Revelstoke National
Park, Glacier National Park and Yoho
National Park to the Provincial Parks
such as Obatonga Provincial
Park and Lake
Superior Provincial Park – Canada is beautiful. Even the small
towns and cities I passed through, such as Merritt, BC, Sicamous, BC, Canmore,
AB, Swift Current, SK, Indian Head, SK, Terrace Bay, ON, Wawa, ON, and Blind
River, ON – there is so much to see and do here in our own country. Of course,
there are also the big cities like Kamloops, BC, Calgary, AB, Medicine Hat, AB, Moose Jaw, SK, Winnipeg, MB, Thunder Bay, ON, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Sudbury, ON, Parry Sound, ON
and Barrie, ON.
 |
My route across Canada |
It was a surreal feeling driving alone. At
times, it felt like it was all a dream. I loved every part of my
drive, I couldn't stop pulling over to take pictures and just relish in the
beauty. However, I think my favourite part was in Northern
Ontario. Once I crossed over from Manitoba a sense of “home” came over me. It
all finally felt real. It was really happening – I was going home. I pulled
over and onto a dirt road off the highway and found one of the many little
lakes in Northern Ontario. The water was clear
as glass, and just so still. I took
Precious out of the car, and we sat there and just enjoyed it for awhile. She
was drinking from the lake, and I was just embracing all the changes coming my
way. It was euphoric. Driving through Lake Superior Provincial
Park was another surreal
experience. As I was driving through the park, the sun was setting to my left.
There weren't many other people on the road or in the park and I saw a driveway
to my left. So I pulled in and my breath was taken away. It was the sun setting
behind Lake Superior. It was gorgeous. Again I
took Precious out of the car, took my sandals off and just walked right into
the water. We watched the sun set and a liberating feeling took over me. I was
so overcome with emotions!
Nothing could beat the feeling I got though when I was finally driving down the 400, and I saw the Toronto skyline in the distance.
It was then, and only then – that I truly felt home again.
 |
Found Dolly in Merritt, BC |
 |
A jail for sale in Sicamous, BC |
 |
George being George, posing at Glacier National Park |
 |
George goofing off in a playground |
 |
Nope, I wasn't scared... |
 |
Seriously...wasn't scared at all... |
 |
Ok, maybe NOW I was a little scared! |
 |
Precious was deep in thought before we drove through The Rockies |
 |
Apparently hugs are free in Calgary, unfortunately they were closed |
 |
I don't care what anyone says, the Prairies are beautiful and not boring |
 |
See that white stuff back there? It's salt! |
 |
Indian Head, SK where Little Mosque on the Prairie was filmed |
 |
I'm coming home... |
 |
Drink up, Precious! |
 |
Northern Ontario is just beautiful... |
 |
A few of the boats at the marina in Thunder Bay, ON |
 |
Climbed to the top of this lighthouse in Terrance Bay, ON |
 |
Even George got in Lake Superior |
 |
Cloudy sky over Lake Superior |
No comments:
Post a comment