I headed out on what I can only describe as an epic, ok in my mind at least, road trip from Miramichi, New Brunswick to Ottawa, Ontario.  I’m not by nature a long term planner, I tend to be an instant gratification kind of girl so I find it tough to plan out vacations or adventures that far in advance.  In this case though, coming out of Covid, I had been planning this one for quite some time, nearly 10 months.  I should clarify, I had been planning the trip part not necessarily the adventures during the trip part!

I left the Miramichi at 6am on Sunday the 18^th of July after a huge weekend of activities, festivals and family time.  I had over packed, like in a really really significant way, over packed.  I was so excited though given that I was setting off on my own with no real adult responsibilities in sight other than keeping myself breathing and enjoying life for 7 days!  Imagine what that feeling might be like, no dogs to let out or feed or entertain, no mamma to worry over, no work to log in for and no council to prep for or  work through.  It was going to be a bit strange and a totally new experience for me.  Don’t get me wrong, of course I’ve taken vacations in the past but these days, my days are a bit full and hold a lot of responsibilities and commitments.  All on purpose of course but from time to time, that desire to disconnect is a strong one.  I had booked my hotels for Quebec City and Ottawa and knew when my high school reunion was but other than that, I had no plans for the day to day.  

The drive itself to Quebec City was a pretty easy breezy one with the sun shining and the playlist on blast.  Oh my, the singing was outstanding, like I’m not quite sure why someone hasn’t signed me to a multi album deal!?!?!??!  I headed for Saint Anne de Beaupre as my first destination.  I had been going there since I was 13 and it always held a special place in my heart.  I’ve often gone in search of solace, peace and if I’m honest a little guidance.  I remember as a child arriving at the site at the end of a dirt road surrounded by trees.  Funny, these days, it’s a pretty large part of a community, little shops all around and all the trappings of a tourist attraction.  The church itself inside still holds that peace and sense of reverence but once outside, it feels very commercial and a whole lot less, well, reverent.  I still loved it and spent quite a bit of time in reflective prayer, still seeking that solace and guidance.  I had passed the Montmorency Falls on my way in and knew I wanted to explore that before I headed to the hotel for the evening.  The falls brought about a whole different kind of calm and awe.  I headed into the park and down in the cable car.  I got a few looks from the attendants when getting my ticket but didn’t think anything of it.  But I realized pretty quickly over the next few days why the looks.  

Its funny how people perceive women who travel alone or I guess maybe it’s the rarity of it that caused a few of the looks and comments along the way.  It happened often actually, the “oh you’re on your own”, “Oh my you’re brave”, “Oh wow, I could never do that”, “That’s amazing, how exciting”.  At first I wasn’t quite sure how to take it but to be honest, I’ve been traveling and heading out to events and experiences on my own for so long I just don’t think of it anymore.  Quite a few of my positions throughout my career have involved a significant amount of travel and all of it on my own.  That was my job or jobs for a period of time so I got very comfy taking care of myself and experiencing things as I wanted to.  Don’t get me wrong, I have wonderful friends and family that I’ve been lucky enough to travel and experience life with but I also have had times that they couldn’t or wouldn’t be able to travel with me.  I decided long ago that I wouldn’t miss out of life just because I didn’t have a life partner by my side.  Don’t get me wrong, I would dearly love that in my life but until I find the right man who wants that as well, I’ll keep heading out on adventures and live out loud as much as possible.  Do the looks or comments bother me, meh sometimes they give me pause, but then I’m like whooohoooo I’m about to zipline across the Ottawa River, Giddy UP, lets go!!!!!

There are a few things I do though to make sure I’m as safe as I can be.  

1. I book myself into hotels that I’m familiar with either as a chain or location
2. I share the dates and phone numbers of those hotels with my family
3. I post a lot on social media but only after I’ve left a spot or experience
4. I don’t post where I’m heading next
5. I check in often with family and friends
6. Keep my cell charged
7. I gas up frequently so there is less of a chance of running out of gas where I don’t want to 
8. I try to be quite aware of my surroundings when I’m out and about

These things aren’t the be all and end all but they help!  

The rest of my trip to Ottawa was amazing, dinners out with old friends, ziplining along on the only inter-provincial zipline in the world, a cart ride down a ski hill that was so much fun, running along the Rideau Canal and a multi-year high school reunion that brought back memories and created a few new ones.  

Me venturing out isn’t always about wild experiences, I live my day to day the same way, heading out to a movie, supper, events or experiences.  I’ve done them all on my one as much as I have with family or friends. I don’t want to miss out, that’s the very basic of it, I want to live life in the best way I can.  One of these days, I’ll be lucky enough to find a life partner who wants the same, until I meet that fella, I’ll keep exploring and experiencing all that life has to offer, despite the looks and the comments, cause in the end, all that matters is that I have incredible memories to look back on and I’ve had experiences that bring me joy!