Where do I start. I guess I got to think of where I left off on. My last blog post. I really don't remember what I wrote. I should look back and see but that would mean leaving here and going to read. It is going to be hard enough to remember all the things we did on our two weeks together.
So now I sit on the plane heading for home. First flight 3 and a half hours. Then second flight another hour. Gonna be a late night getting home. For right now though I have time to write and think about my weeks away. The flight was late getting in and then late getting back off the ground. I just hope that I have enough time to catch my other flight. Only have half hour to get from one area to another. I am not a runner anymore sometimes I barely walk.
I might as well start at the beginning. Or as much as I can remember. Should have been at least jotting down notes as we went along. Things are going to be a little mixed up here as I go through things and then say. Oh yeah we did this too. So have to backtrack a little and write it down.
My flight was great getting here. Left abbotsford on time and got to Calgary in time to head to the rest room and then onto my next plane. Then I started walking the corridor to find the next gate. One way you walked it only went to A1 and then you would walk the other way and it seemed to stop at A6. So wondering back and forth to try and find the right place to go. Finally found a set of stairs and low and behold it took me to the place I needed to be. Whoa happy camper I was. Being as it was so early to get on the plane in Abbotsford, when I got on second plane for kitchener I fell asleep.. I do not normally sleep on planes or cars or just about anything moving. Or is it because I am sitting up that I can not sleep, but lately I have been able to get some shut eye. I think I slept for half the flight. For the rest of the flight I watched out the window. This always fascinates me. The clouds below you, the small cities down there, lakes and rivers to watch flowing through the landscape. Some think it is just the same all the time. I think it is interesting. I know boring person I am. Got into Kitchener in good time. Picked up my rental car and drove to my first destination. Hotel to sleep for the night. This was an older part of the hotel. You walk down this corridor and then that corridor. Up a set of stairs carrying your luggage with you. No elevator, dang! Finally got to my room flopped the suitcase on the bed and just sat there for a moment or two. Wow! To get to a room is like an o sit all course. So much fun. I sat there for a bit. Turned on the tv as I hate being without some sort of noise in the room. Set up my WIFI and emailed Ivy telling her I was safe and sound in Kitchener. Yes Mommy she worries.
Last I walked back through the obstacles course to the front office and headed out to get something to eat. There was a few places in behind the hotel so had a choice of something. Burger joint with real burgers. Oh. Y gosh was that big. Way too much for me to handle but I ate what I could. I then walked back over to the hotel and back through the obstacle course to the room. Down thepis corridor, up this corridor and up a set of stairs. Ooopppp went the wrong way. Turn around and go down this corridor. Finally made it to my room where I promptly conked out again. Sleep is my new best friend you know. I think I might have written a first blog for this trip and off to sleepy byes for me. This is a strange wonder though. Kitchener is three hours ahead of my time in BC. So I was heading to bed at 7:00 BC time. Really early but I couldn't keep my eyes open.
Day two. I am up with the birds. It is early, the sun is shining and to me it is 4:00 in the morning. Why the heck am I awake so early. Guess because I went to bed so early. Normally if I do go to bed that early I still stay in bed late. Well I am up. Watch a little TV and do an bit of sorting of things I have brought with me.i need this in this case. Have to get that out so I can listen to tunes. Where the heck is my wire for connecting to the iPod. I can't find it. I saw it before I left, but now I can not find it in any of the pockets of my napsack. Where the heck did I put it. I looked in every nook and cranny of my bag. Nope not there. Maybe I will see if there is a wire like that in shakespeare. If not I will have to buy one along the way. Can't go anywhere without my tunes. I hate quiet. Well at least the radio will play for now, but when we get north there will be no radio. Just static.
So pack up the mess I make, walk through the corridors to the front office and out to the car. Load my luggage back into the car and drive to Shakespeare. When I get to the house. Ivy says I am early. No I am not I apsaid around 10/ 10:30. She thought I said 11/11:30. Well if I did she would still not be ready. She was following down her list trying to get things done. Luggage was still up stairs. She was still drinking her coffee for the morning and moving little by little to get things together. I talked to Randy for a few minutes before he headed to bed as he is a night shift worker. Last thing he said before he headed upstairs. I am free for two weeks. They did their little insults back and forth and then he was off. Luggage was brought down and out to the car with it. My luggage in there already now where are we going to put hers. A little reorganizing. I flopped down the seats in the back and low and behold lots of room. Four pieces of luggage, two duffle bags and a couple of other bags went into that jeep. Just a little full, but yes there was still room for us.
Finally on the road.first stop was St Jacobs. We got out of the car and walked a bit of down town. Hmmmnothing is opened. Oh yeah! It is Sunday. Go figure! So back to the car. Boy was that ever fun. Well we did do a bit of window shopping, but being early on a Sunday morning couldn't get inside any of the stores.
I drove a little further north. Stopped in Montrose. There was a cover bridge there I never knew was there. In all the time I lived in Ontario I never saw any of these things. Just take the big highways and get from one place to another in no time. The problem with that is you never see any of the small towns with their beautiful buildings. The little shops with the different things in them. I find it great just to look around these boutiques and wander. Found a place to park and took a walk through the covered bridge.. got to the centre and started throwing kisses into the air. Well it is the kissing bridge you know. Walked to the other side of the bridge. Looked in an antique shop there. Oh some nice things in there. Ivy remembers an ice cream place there but we never saw it. Oh well. Walk back to the other side and head for the car. As we are away from the bridge a horse and buggy go through the bridge. Dang not close enough to get a picture of that. That would have made an authentic type picture. Can't get everything you want.
Heading north again. We go through Elora and Fergus. Elora is so busy. We wanted to stop there and see the gorge, but could not get a parking spot anywhere. We drove circles for a bit and finally gepave up and headed onto Fergus. Quiet little place with no one around. They must all be in Elora. I was looking for a certain road I wanted to head up to blue mountain. You think I could find it. We must have gone around so many blocks so many times in order to find it. My iPad said it should be right up ahead, but never found it. Finally took a street that actually got us to the road we wanted. As I turned onto the road I wanted we looked back. The street was under construction so that is why it could not be found. Our first round and round we go where we stop nobody will know. Ha, not even us.
Now trying to get to blue mountain.it took us about and hour to find a road we wanted. You know how many times we where on one side of Collingwood and then the other and then back on the other side. Mind you not in Collingwood just back roads around Collingwood. I guess if we would have driven into Collingwood we could have found allot easier, but no I was suppose to know where I was going. Should have been there long ago and we where still driving around in our loopy loos. Finally found a road that said blue mountain. Followed it and ended up arriving at another road under construction. Andclosed. There that is why we could not find the road. We stopped at a lookout above the caves. Oh my just beautiful. Collingwood just below us. We then headed for the caves. Getting a little late but still time to look around. Dang they would not let me in. I was wearing sandles. So much for thinking we where going to do the zipline there. Yeah, yeah all my fault. I very rarely wear running shoes and that is what they expected you to wear walking around the caves. They did have shoes for sale in the gift shop but I was not going to pay that price they wanted.
So back in the car and onto Wasaga beach and onto Midland. There was a funpark there that we could wander around. Just a kiddy park, but it had all sorts of figurines and such to look at. The place looked like a castle. Problem was it was just closing up so we couldn't wander inside. Bummer! Got back in the car found the road heading to orrillia. On the way just outside of Midland was the Mytres Shrine. We stopped and had a look inside. Stairs. Oh no Ivy does not do stairs very well. She did go up though and take a look inside the church. What do I say. Just wow! Very old and lots of interesting architecture. Beautiful. There was so much land around the church as well. With statues and information. You could walk for miles around there and I don't think you would see it all. It was getting late and we had to make our first stop for the night.
We took highway 12 over to Orrillia. Had to be on the 11for a few minutes but that was it. The traffic in the northern part of Ontario is not that bad on this highways. Then we got off after a bit and backtracked beacause yes I missed the turnoff. Over the bridge and back onto 11 again to get to the right turnoff. Okay now I am not sure where abouts this motel is, but it says it is over by the water. So if we turn off here and head towards water we should be able to come close to the street. I drive and I drive and you know we got to the water. Let's turn this way and see if it is down here. I think I am going the right way.. finally I pull off onto a parking lot. Look at my iPad cause not sure if I made a right guess. Low and behold the motel is just another couple of blocks ahead. Oh! I did good. We are in for the night. Very nice place and there is a couple of places just down the street to eat.. a very nice bed and a good night sleep.
Next day on the road heading towards Ottawa. Day two of our travels.heading up highwa y 11 towards Algonquin park. Turn at Huntsville onto Highway 60. Our first stop for the day is a trading post just before the park gate. We stop and do a little looking around. Very nice things in the store , but the best part was an ice cream shop next door. Oh my tow huge scoops of any flavour ice cream. Yummmm! We enjoyed that so much
Into the park we go. Driving along. Me hoping to maybe see some sort of animals along the side of the road. Nope didn't see a one. It seems every time I go into a park all the animals hide. I never see any.we stopped at a mining info center to walk for a bit. As we where walking I starting making a howling noise. Ivy thought there was wolves howling back. Ha I thinks it was some kids on the other trail.. I howled a couple of more times and Ivy started to howl as well. Yep just a couple of kids howling back.
After the park we made a top at a Timmies. Bathroom break need.then it was onto Ottawa. We where going to stop at the Diefenbaker bunker but figured it might be closed..also I missed the turn for it and kept heading into Ottawa.
Okay a little worry from me. Do I find the hotel okay or will I be driving back and forth trying to find it. I wanted to get off the expressway and go down by the water. I didn't make it down to the water either. I kept on the expressway. I finally saw a sign that said parliament buildings turn of Metcalf. I said watch for metcalf and that is where we are turning. Three streets up and there it was. I turned on it and then made another turn and another turn and another turn. Not a straight road. Construction on most of the streets and there was one way streets. Now am I going to find what I want. Well metcalf ended so I had to go one way or the other. Turn left. We should see Lyon up ahead. You see it that is where the hotel is. Guess what? I missed it. Drove a little further on and stopped in the parking lot of the war museum. Looked at my iPad again. The street should have been just back there. So we go out here turn left and second road should be a one way going right and we should turn on that. There it is. Umm cannot turn up that tpstreeg. Around and around we go. One one way street to another until we are able to pull into the front of the hotel. Not parking spot. Out and around we go again. Next time in someone is pulling out. Yay a place to park. We get a porter to help us in with our luggage. Yeah it fills the cart. I book us in and then let the porter park our car. I am not driving it for a week. And defineatly not in Ottawa. We go up to our room. I make a big sigh of relief and lay down on the bed. We are here andfor a few minutes am not moving. We do a little unpacking and then head down to the bar to get something to eat.
The end of day two together. Laughter and giggles. She didn't mind my loopy loos and we are having a great time together.. goofing around and just enjoy being a couple of girlfriends together. Mo re adventure is still to come
