It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and our family enjoyed a scenic Saturday afternoon outing in nature.
We had planned to leave the house by 9 to maximize our day. T and I woke up at 10 and the hubby an hour later. By the time we left the house, it was Noon.
But long weekends are meant to be relaxed!
We drove two hours East of the City to a charming town called Campbellford where he made a quick stop to take a photo with a giant Twoonie.

Then we hiked at the small but beautiful Ferris Provincial Park.

Fall colours were not quite in full burst but there were enough yellows, oranges and reds on the trees and ground that made it feel magical.

The highlight of the park was the metal suspension bridge that overlooked a gorge.

We stopped by for baked goods at the well-known Dooher’s Bakery in Campbellford.
Then we did a beautiful drive through country roads to the town of Brighton, as T enjoyed shortbread cookies and blueberries.
I was driving so I didn’t snap any photos. Just enjoyed the majesty of Fall.
In Brighton, we visited Presqu’Ile Provincial Park, which is French for “Almost an Island.”
We walked through this beautiful white sandy path to the big beach.

It was nearing sunset so the beach was almost abandoned.

It was super windy and cloudy so the waves were extra busy and loud.
We enjoyed listening to the calming sound of the waves while T sprinted up and down the beach.

This was a totally unexpected slice of heaven and it was hard to believe this was only 90 minutes from home. We made a note to come back for a longer visit and swim next summer!
It is family tradition to do a short roadtrip during Thanksgiving weekend.
I love that we have these traditions and that T looks forward to them. I am thankful he is now gung-ho for the long drives, that he embraces the adventure of hikes and that he treasures these moments in his memories and brings them up in conversation later.
In 2016, the hubby, T and I, along with a dear friend who happens to be a foodie, did a two-night poutine and falls colours visit to Quebec.
We ate five poutines – a Canadian tradition of fries with cheese curds and gravy on top – in 36 hours, including a fancy foie gras poutine sold at a food stand on a duck farm.
I didn’t think I could eat another French fry for months after that weekend!

In 2018, the four of us did another food-themed and fall colors Thanksgiving roadtrip weekend – this time through Vermont and Maine for seafood, like lobster, fried clams, and chowder.

The drive back to Ontario, Canada through New Hamsphire was absolutely breathtaking – as captured through the photos at the top of this post and below. Just stunning.


Although this year’s Thanksgiving was local, we had all the important ingredients: nature, fall colours, comfort food and quality relaxing time spent with family!
While we were looking forward to enjoying our daytrip with a small group of friends, we had to keep it just our family as the government had reintroduced restrictions on social gatherings to combat rising COVID cases.
On the drive home, the hubby assembled sandwiches with bread rolls, sliced honey ham and marbled cheese slices that I had prepped.
A content and tired T told us sweetly, “I love you Papa and Daddy.”