An Ode to Home

We returned home last night from a little family trip, exploring a little more of Ontario.

Before moving to Ontario 17 years ago, I admit that when I thought of Ontario, I thought of Toronto and that was it.  When Mike and I moved here to Guelph from New Brunswick (he's from New Brunswick and I am from Newfoundland.  We met while at Mount Allison University.), we were overwhelmed by the number of people and the pace of life, much faster than the pace to which both of us were accustomed.  For several years, we ached to be home, for we did not consider Ontario home but rather the place where we lived.

And then we began exploring this province where we now found ourselves.  And as we explored, we realized just how big Ontario is and just how diverse and beautiful.

Beautiful.  Did I mention that this place is beautiful?

The above is a photo of the gondola we took to the top of Blue Mountain near Collingwood.  The boys loved it and I was terrified the entire time.  Images of us plunging to our death flitted through my head the entire time.  I think I managed to mask my fear from them fairly well though.  But maybe not.

With each road trip we take, I fall in love with another part of Ontario.  At the end of each trip, I realize a little more that we are home.

What I Did on My Weekend Vacation

Our destination last weekend:  Blue Mountain, a section of the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario.

Here is our hotel.  We splurged for the first time ever and it was worth it.

It was perhaps the first hotel room that I felt completely comfortable in.

At the foot of Blue Mountain lies the village.  How best to describe the village?   Cafes, restaurants, boutiques and art galleries.  A great place just to walk around.

As I mentioned yesterday, we spent most of our weekend hiking after a short but steep drive up Blue Mountain to the top.  I'm just going to share some of my favourite things that I saw while hiking.  Indulge me if I have too many pictures.

In addition to exploring the side and the top of the mountain, we also delved into the mountain when we explored caves that had been formed by glacial activity.  These caves were once inhabited by the Huron people and they did not disappoint.  In this picture, Mike is making his way into the cave called the Natural Refrigerator because it stays cold year round and was used for food storage.  We weren't expecting it to be so narrow and deep.

Finally, we crossed a suspension footbridge. I'm not going to say much because I fear this post is already too long but to know me is to know that I am not a risk taker.  but somehow I thought I would have no problem with the suspension bridge.  Uhm, I was wrong.  i turned into that person that is gripping the handrail the entire way across.  I was that person who has her legs splayed so far apart while taking the few pictures that I had the nerve to take.  I had to take my hands off the rail, you know.  Risky stuff.  I turned into the person who doesn't want to move to the side for others because I somehow fear it will throw off the balance of the bridge.      Yep, I was that person.  And it wasn't pretty.

But the view was pretty awesome.