With Ontario being the second largest province in Canada, it is absolutely prime to be explored by a road trip! How often I recall, after working my forty hour week and Friday had finally arrived, I would go straight home from work, pack my cooler and a bag, hop in the car and hit the road!
Road Trip! I can hear my friends and I almost screaming these words, excited knowing that no mater rain or shine we would have an awesome time. Our road trips always had the same rules: Leave your worries behind, bring lots of music, and no highways when alternative back roads were available. Ontario is made up of a plethora of small towns connected by small two lane highways, that you can sometimes find yourself literally lost on, but in no time at all, you come across a picturesque village or small town and you are discovering a new gem to call your own.
I was living in Kitchener, Ontario when I had the time for road trips and one of my favorite destinations, and ideal day trip, was to go road-tripping to the town of Elora which is north of Kitchener. This breathtaking natural conservation area with the Grand River flowing through it was were my friends and I would explore endlessly the limestone caves and cliffs, often losing track of time while we became immersed in the surrounding natural beauty. After we had enough exploring, we would then usually walk the downtown enjoying the artisan shops and antique stores, and when we were hungry, we would hop in our car for the nine mile drive to Fergus for lunch and some more walking and taking in the quaint warm feel of the place.
On other weekends when my friends and I desired to take much longer trips, we would head north east to Peterbourgh, specifically ten minutes outside Peterbourgh, to a pretty cottage community called Lake Field, situated in the Kawartha lakes region of Ontario. There we would enjoy the laid back attitude of cottagers enjoying themselves in the lazy summer days of cottage country. From there we would head 15 minutes over to Youngs Point and rent a cottage and boat and enjoy some fun fishing and swimming on Lake Katchewanooka, or take the boat through the locks of the Trent-Severn Waterway.
For me, taking road trips in Canada was a way I would pamper myself to get away from my hectic week, spend time with friends and, explore this large and abundant province I called home. From driving north to majestic Georgian Bay and camping in Algonquin Park, or South to Niagara Falls and then over to the Thousand Islands on the Canadian/USA border, it has never ceased to amaze me how plentiful Ontario is with road trip destinations. Life for me now is busy, but when I have the next chance, I will grab my map – or should I say my GPS; and trade my day-to-day responsibilities for the winding and long roads of Ontario.
