Rushing river leads to calm water. As a parent of a neurodiverse child, I wholeheartedly believe this.
We celebrated Canada Day, and the start of the second half of the year, by tubing down Elora Gorge.
It’s family tradition to kick off summer break with a weekend adventure. This year, we picked Elora, a charming town 90 minutes from Toronto.
Tickets for tubing can be purchased from the Grand River Conservation Area three days in advance.
We showed T videos of other people tubing down the gorge, so he knew what to expect.
We explained that unlike a lazy river, this was a real river and the dangers are real. So he had to wear a helmet and lifejacket and stay seated and connected to one parent at all times.
We woke up early and arrived when the gates opened at 10 am to avoid the crowds – the crowd quadrupled on our way out three hours later.
It was a 15-minute walk from the registration area to the launch site and T was a trooper holding his tube… until he wasn’t. 😆
Once we arrived at the launch point, everyone’s excitement was palatable.
I made sure the hubby and T got in ok first then realized the river doesn’t wait. Oops. Bye hubby and T!
But we were quickly reunited.
We had a blast – the entire journey took about an hour and a half. 😊
Tubing down the gorge was a good reminder that when the current gets rough, resist the instinct to fight against it and to go with the flow.
Rushing river always leads to calm water.
In the stillness, look up…
… and around…
… and enjoy the view.
When the waves pick up again, hang onto each other and ride them out once more.
We are all headed towards the same finish line.
When we get to the inevitable end, take a moment to look back at the journey you experienced.
You’ll notice that what you feel the most are awe, amazement and gratitude.
This look like so much fun.
Thank you Rameen. It was very fun indeed!
I love Tubing! What fun for your family! “Tubing down the gorge was a good reminder that when the current gets rough, resist the instinct to fight against it and to go with the flow.” Brilliant!
You’ll have to give it a try, Vickie. I think Elora is a reasonable drive from Buffalo.
This looks like so much fun! I have always wanted to go tubing down the Elora Gorge. I love how you captured the excitement and joy of this adventure in your photos and words.
Thank you. It was a lot of fun and I hope you get to experience it one day soon.
Tubing down the Elora Gorge sounds like a fun activity to beat the heat and kick off summer break. We went tubing here nearly a decade ago and have been meaning to return one of these years. It’s crazy to hear how busy it’s gotten though. Good call on getting there when the gates opened. Great family photos, especially of the three of you at the start of the rapids. That’s great advice about how with many things in life it’s often easier to just go with the flow. Hope you enjoyed the rest of the Canada Day long weekend.
Thanks Linda. I think a lot of the popularity of these small town gems have been due to social media and blogs that highlight them. Tickets have to be purchased ahead of time and only three days beforehand so it was a bit stressful leading up to it. But I’m glad it worked out. It was an amazing adventure.
I had a regular weekend and had to work yesterday. Haha. I take it you got it off ad did so many others like the hubby and T. 😆 Hope you had a fun one too!
Oh social media. Sometimes I wonder whether we are better off without it. Good to know that advance tickets are required. That’s a bummer that you had to work on Monday. We took the Friday off and went south of the border to Cleveland for a few days.
Cleveland is nice. Look forward to seeing your recap!
That looks like an amazing time! What a great analogy!
Thanks Rebecca. We had an amazing time indeed. Happy 4th of July!
This looks so much fun! What a great way to celebrate Canada day and to kick off the second half of 2023! The skies look nice too when you went — I hope the recent wildfires in Quebec didn’t affect you too much.
“…when the current gets rough, resist the instinct to fight against it…” this is a good reminder for me too. Sometimes when things get too rough, I tend to try to find an escape. Maybe next time I should try not to resist.
Thanks Bama! Oh man, you know about the Quebec wildfires over in Indonesia too? Must be very bad for it to be news in your part of the world! 😆 The air was quite bad mid last week but thankfully got better by Canada Day. If people still don’t believe in climate change, come to Toronto or New York when the skies are orange! 😆
Yes, I agree that going with the flow sometimes is the path of least resistance. I need to remind myself of this all the time.
Hope you are having a good start to your summer too!
I think one day a news video about it popped up on my YouTube home page. That’s how I learned about it, and it certainly looked really bad.
What fun!!!!! I haven’t been tubing since 1982 when I was pregnant with my son. My belly stuck up and when I finish my shorts were green from hanging down and hitting the algae on the rocks. Haha T looked like he was excited, I know you all had fun. It looked like a great place to go tubing. Who doesn’t love summer? ❤️
Wow, Diane. That is very intense to go tubing while pregnant. So in a way, your son got to tube while he was very very young. That must’ve been quite the experience for both of you! 😊 T had a lot of fun indeed, we all did, and what a great way to enjoy the summer. Hope you have a great one too with your family!
Thank you Ab!
So much fun and I love how you manage to connect experiences to real life lessons. It’s a gift 🙂
Thanks Margie. It was a lot of fun. Hope your family and the newborn are doing well! And sleeping!
Thanks! Yes, they are home now, and no, they are not sleeping lol.
What a joyous day this looks like for you all!!! You guys know how to have fun!
Thanks Jill. Summers are so short so we try to pack as much in as we can. 🙂
Just remember to take time sometimes to sit back and smell the flowers, take time to breathe.
This looks awesome. These adventures make it all worthwhile
Thanks Gary. It was so worth it! 😊
Send it!
Thanks Claire. 😊
So much fun Ab! What did T think about it when you reached the finish line? Is this glacier fed water? Most of our rivers come directly off the mountains so tubing tends to be a lesson in resilience if you’re brave enough, and we don’t have anything organized like this. It’s all at your own risk, which isn’t always the smartest way to enjoy all the wonderful moments you describe. So glad you had fun 🙂
Thanks Deb! T wanted to do it all over again but we wanted to check out the nearby town for lunch so didn’t have time. We told him if next summer he’s still interested, we can come back.
I’m not sure about the water source, and can’t find information readily. When I found out, I’ll let you know!
I was telling the hubby on our way down the river that whoever came up with this business venture was brilliant. You should try to start one in your area. It would be such a hit!
Hope you have a nice 4th of July ahead!
So glad T, and his dads had a great time! Can you see me shaking my head emphatically NO at the idea of creating a river excursion business?! We have a few in the touristy towns up in the mountains. I’ll leave it to them 🙂
Oh, I love this, Ab! The way you wove in life lessons – brilliant. I especially like, “a good reminder that when the current gets rough, resist the instinct to fight against it and to go with the flow.” Yes! And then to look back on the journey with awe, amazement, and gratitude. So, so good!! Love this adventure – thanks for sharing it with us with those beautiful pictures!! Happy Canada Day to you all!
Thanks Wynne. Flowing down that river definitely had a lot of parallels with the flow of life itself. You know me and my metaphors. 😊 It was a wonderful day and way to celebrate our holiday.
Wishing you and the kids a wonderful 4th of July ahead!
Love you and your metaphors!! <3