If a photo is worth a thousand words, a great friendship is worth a thousand memories.
The hubby, T and I went on a weekend roadtrip with a good friend, one whom I’ve known for over 25 years, since I was 14.
We went to explore the Thousand Islands in Gananoque, a three-hour drive from home.
On Friday, T woke up super excited. He had been counting down the days all week. He announced as he walked into the kitchen, “It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for!”
After breakfast, a motivated T soldiered through reading and math activities and we then headed off on our merry way.
We met up with “Auntie E,” as T calls her, at Landon Bay and set off on a two-hour hike.
The trail took us to a beautiful lookout…
… and through lots of forest…
… and more forest…
… and rustic bridges…
… and an old wrecked car that must’ve been in that forest for decades!
As usual, T was a super trooper!
Although this year, he’s been very creeped out and laser focused on bugs.
He keeps thinking everything is a bee or an earwig that will attack him.
We repeatedly reminded him that he is bigger than the bugs and so long as he doesn’t bother them, they won’t bother him.
Despite his nervous behaviour, he kept up with the grown ups and made it to the finish line!
We drove to nearby town, Kingston, to reward ourselves with dinner at Boston Pizza.
It was our first time eating indoors at a restaurant in 16 months, on the first day our province allowed indoor dining to resume.
We were all starving. I enjoyed a delicious steak and T inhaled a plate of spaghetti.
We got up very early on Saturday morning and enjoyed a three-hour kayaking tour, led by 1000 Islands Kayaking.
When we arrived on site, I kept thinking to myself, “Please don’t let me be paired up with T, please don’t let me be paired up with T…”
… And I was paired up with T!
I’m not an experienced kayaker, so I was very nervous having to fend for both of us – because as I predicted, I did all of the paddling!
But we had a blast – and I kept up with the group – despite T complaining of being cold. He enjoyed the scenery and asked good questions to the guide when we stopped at a 90-year old shipwreck.
It ended up being an intimate and enjoyable morning.
Our group totaled 9 people, including the guide. The water was calm, the overcast and cooler weather was perfect for the activity.
And the scenery was so beautiful. Tree lines and rocks as far as we could see – even spotted the USA in the near distance.
We spotted numerous blue herons along the way. I’ve never seen one in person before and they are so majestic when they take flight!
There are actually 1,264 islands in total on the Thousand Islands. The hubby, E and I gawked at and admired the million dollar homes and cottages on the shoreline and private islands.
In all, we kayaked nearly 7 km and 3 hours. T was, as always, a trooper.
The rest of our day was super relaxed, including taking an afternoon nap, exploring the local town, and having dinner on a lovely patio overlooking the water.
We slept in on Sunday and after brunch together in Kingston at a 70s style dinner, we headed our separate ways to home.
Not only was this a fun weekend, it was also the first roadtrip we had with E since 2018, our third in total with her that included T.
It felt so nice to do something adventurous with a good friend after being isolated for so long.
It was like no time had passed.
I’m very thankful to have great and lasting friendships – and amazing friends that have embraced T into our ongoing traditions, which have also included camping trips.
The world is opening up again and we’re looking forward to creating more positive memories for T, and catching up with family and friends, this summer!
That looks like so much fun!
It was a lot of fun, thanks Diane! A shared resource between our two countries.
Love the hiking and canoeing adventure. Such an exciting , beautiful place. The happinesses and magic of the moments comes alive in your words and images. And the food..:delish! Thank you for this awesome family getaway. Happy weekend. Another adventure awaits. Take care.
Thank you! 😊 It was a lot of fun. If your family ever want to visit the East Coast of Canada and the US, it’s a different kind of beauty and adventure over here.
Take care and here’s to more summer adventures. It’s flying by way too quickly!
Sounds like you and your family had a lovely weekend exploring the Thousand Islands on foot and by kayak. That’s too funny that you had to do all the paddling, but hey, at least you didn’t tip over! Great capture of the blue heron!
Thanks very much, L! We had a blast. I recommend a weekend for yourself if you haven’t considered it. Apparently, scuba diving is great there too.
Hope you had a great long weekend too and look forward to reading your recap and photos!
I’ve heard that there is some good diving in Brockville. I’m not a huge fan of diving in the cold, but we haven’t been in awhile, so who knows, maybe we’ll give it another go later this summer!
We had a nice long weekend as well. It was hot and humid, so it was great to be able to go for a swim every day.
It sounds like you all had lots of fun! I’m so happy T was so excited for this trip. Kayaking sounds like something I may want to do sometime too.
Thank you, Astrid. It was a lot of fun and definitely something I recommend checking out.
The trip sounds and looks like it was amazing! I agree with T – definitely the moment you have been waiting for!
Thank you, Robyn! It was great and definitely worth the wait. 😊
Oh my gosh, this all sounds so lovely! What a wonderful trip, I’m thrilled for you 😀
Thank you, Juliette. We had a great time. Sad that it’s over but grateful for the memory.