I am an avowed day tripper. But somehow in the thrust and cut of daily life I can forget the benefits of getting away, even if just for the day.
In years gone by, Hubby and I would drive off on a Sunday morning with a thermos of tea, a packed lunch, and a vague plan to go brook trout fishing, or walking, or sometimes skiing. We most often headed up the Ottawa Valley, down side roads, and along streams that ran past abandoned farms.
We had a few places where we fished for brook trout. My favourite was one near the old village of Brudenell, where we pulled off the narrow road into an open grassy area where a farm had once been. We beat our way through long grass and bushes downhill to the stream. I can’t remember if we caught anything that day, but I know we later ate our lunch in the sunshine, sitting on a pile of rocks that had once been part of the foundation of an old barn.
Sometimes in the winter we skied the old logging roads. Those roads could be quite hairy, my friends. They were often steep and deeply rutted under the snow. I remember falling one day and tumbling to the bottom like a whirligig, all flailing arms and skiis. With Hubby jumping out of the way at the last minute to avoid being hit by a flying pole.
But my favourite day trips were in the fall. The leaves in the Ottawa Valley can be spectacular. We’d finish our “traveller” tea, then climb out of the car and walk a trail or an old road. Sometimes along the top of an escarpment which overlooked the valley, sometimes through damp valleys and up hillsides back into the sunshine. One day I fell soundly asleep while we sat on a small bridge that spanned a creek. We’d finished our bologna sandwiches and our tea. I just lay back for a minute, and I was gone. Fresh air, sunshine, fall breezes, tired legs from hefting heavy rubber boots all day… well… you know.
That’s what Hubby and I did last weekend, took a day trip up the valley. On Sunday morning we filled our thermos cups and pointed the car north west. Hubby had mapped out a route for us that we followed, more or less. We wanted to end the day back in Almonte at a riverside patio for a fish and chip supper.
I seriously have no idea which way we went, or how we got where we were going. The Ottawa Valley is home territory for Hubby. He spent his childhood summers at his grandparents’ cottage on Lake Dore. And he’s spent probably years of his life fishing and hunting, hiking and skiing the back roads up there. I don’t do a thing on these drives but sit and chat and enjoy the scenery. Sometimes I pass him the map if he thinks that an old road should be somewhere it apparently isn’t. Ha.
The hillsides of colourful leaves below were much more beautiful in person. Hubby says that Constant Creek where we fished and I fell asleep is not far away.
If you look at a map anywhere in rural Canada our multicultural roots are not hard to see. In this one small area I see names like Balaclava, Scotch Bush, Balvenie, Shamrock, Khartum, Matawatchan, Ompah. Ompah is my favourite. And Flower Station. We’ve fished there. I think. Or we did something there.
After a while we fetched up in the village of Blakeney and went for a stroll along the trail in their lovely little park that runs through the trees and alongside the rapids and falls of the Mississippi River. We’ve been here before. On our day of escape back in the spring of 2020. You can read about that day here if you’re interested.
But unlike that day trip back in the spring of 2020, last Sunday we eschewed the towns of the valley for the farms and hillsides. We wanted to see the leaves before they are gone. Hubby and I both said we have not seen such a beautiful fall in years and years. Everywhere there is colour. Photos do not begin to capture the beauty. Nor the lift of our spirits when we round a corner and are confronted with a wall of gold and yellow and orange.
Finally about five o’clock we sat down at a table overlooking the river in a restaurant in Almonte and had our fish and chip treat. Oh my. That tasted good. In fact the whole day tasted good. A tremendous boost to my spirits which have been flagging of late after almost six weeks of lingering Covid symptoms. I’ve not been ill. But not feeling myself. Who knew that a day of driving, an eyeful of orange and yellow and red leaves, and some fish and chips could be such good medicine?
Then just to effect a complete cure, I took a day trip to Merrickville with some of the “hockey wives” this week. Strolling the streets of this historic town built on the Rideau Canal. Shopping. Browsing, drinking coffee, eating lunch. And talking, talking, talking.
We had a lovely, lovely day. I’ve known these women since I very first started dating Hubby back in 1984. He played hockey with their husbands for decades. And over the years we’ve become like family.
That’s us below. Just as we were about to move on from shopping to lunch. We laughed when we sat down at our table a few minutes later and looked at the photo. Who knew that I was so much taller that everyone else? Or am I? Maybe it’s just a bump in the sidewalk and I’m the only one standing on it? Ha.
This is me after lunch. I was talked out. But feeling wonderful. Replete with good food and friendship.
That morning in my haste to meet my friends, I’d driven by so many images I wanted to capture with my camera. Bright leaves and historic stone houses with the Rideau River shining in the background. My plan was to stop several times on the way home to take photos.
But alas when I emerged from the restaurant the sun had gone and the wind was chilly. Still, I managed a couple of moody sky shots.
You know, travel doesn’t have to be all about cathedrals and cruise ships. At least in my view. Hubby and I love to meander small villages, poke around interesting shops, and talk to people.
And we love to travel on country roads no matter where they are. We have been on some interesting roads in our time together. Like the one to Angastaco, Argentina. Or Capljina, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Or the particularly challenging gravel road to Telegraph Creek, British Columbia. We love our backroads.
Even the ones closer to home.
Travel doesn’t have to take us far away to work its magic. Just out of ourselves. Even if only for a day. Sometimes a day trip can be the best medicine.
Now I must close this post. I’ve waffled on long enough. I’ve chores to see to. The washing machine is beeping. The jeans I hung on the clothesline earlier are whipping around and in danger of ending up in the river. I’d better go rescue them.
And Hubby just came inside and said the leaves won’t last on the trees in this wind. November is closing in on us.
How about you, my friends? Do you have favourite day trips that sustain you? That can take you out of yourself and send you home feeling better?
56 thoughts on “The Day Tripper’s Diary”
I used to love the hotel experience when traveling, but Covid and being immunosuppressed changed things for me. Once vaccines came and with my N95 mask, I have ventured out again. For my 76th birthday next week I will travel to La Costa resort in the city next door. The hotel has agreed to give me a room that has been empty for 24 hours before my arrival. I will walk the lovely grounds, eat lunch on the patio, eat cheese and crackers in my room in the evening, do my own yoga, and read. Yes…it will be good medicine for me.
That sounds like a lovely get-away, Linlee.
Miss day tripping through the Ottawa valley..so many beautiful villages to visit.
There are. Most only a half hour’s drive away.
I love day trips! I live in NW Washington State and I keep finding new places to explore.
I’ve never been to Washington State. I’d love to go one day. I hear it’s beautiful.
Canada is so gorgeous. The skies in some of your photos are simply wonderful. Autumn and spring are my favourite seasons. Our spring has been a bit hit and miss so far, but today is gloriously warm, with a Mediterranean blue sky, and not a cloud in sight. The jacarandas are blooming and I am very content.
Thanks, Maria. I just looked up jacarandas. I didn’t know what they looked like. They’re gorgeous!
When my children were smaller, a couple of times a year I would schedule a vacation day without telling anyone. I would get everyone off to school/work and enjoy the luxury of a quiet day by myself. Occasionally I would go my favorite flea market or antique store and wander up and down the aisles. I always ended the day at the library…picking out three books to delve into. I would wander home and usually bake cookies to have warm out of the oven for when they got home off the bus. They were always glad I was home early and God those days were treasures for me. I felt relaxed and happy I had some time to myself. It was great for my sanity.
That sounds heavenly, Kat. How smart you were. And how pleased the kids must have been to find you home early… with cookies. 🙂
Your photos are so wonderful. Thank you for allowing us to tag along on your road trips. Getting out of town is always a good idea, for a day or for a little longer. My husband and I have discovered that after years of flying, we actually really like to drive. Glad you are finally feeling back to yourself post Covid. Such a nasty thing.
Thanks, Mary. Hubby loves to drive, and rarely asks me to spell him off. Even on our long, long drives down east.
Wonderful photos indeed,Sue-agree with Maria,Canada is beautiful.
You both look so happy.And healthy.
When I was small,my parents,me and their friends were always out and about every Sunday,villages,little towns,nature,picknic lunches on meadows….I’m so fond of these memories .It is something everyone could enjoy and,sadly,rarely do
Dottoressa
Sunday picnics were the best when we were kids!
Lovely photos of your beautiful homeland . I envy you the space of Canada & you seem to have it all to yourselves . It can be harder to do that in the UK but we try . Today we are going to an area called Fewston , about twenty miles away , for a decent walk amongst the autumn colours . It’s an area of small valleys that was flooded for reservoirs in Victorian times & since then nature has taken over & there are lots of nice walks in the woods & around the ‘lakes’ . It’s popular though , especially on a sunny day like today , so we shall set off early & get ahead of the other walkers & joggers . There’s a good pub but it will be busy on a Sunday so we’ll take a packed lunch . It’s so easy to get bogged down in the daily routine of chores & as you say a day out is good for us , good for our wellbeing .
That sounds like a great day, Wendy. And maybe you’ll be home early enough to squeeze in a nap. Ha.
Beautiful photos. I love the colours of autumn but living in the north of NZ we don’t really get the lovely autumn colours.
We were also fans of day trips. When the children were younger we would head off most Sundays for a drive and a picnic. Sometimes to a beach, other times out into the country to a regional park or river. Great memories. As the children got older weekends became overtaken by sports, friends etc. Once we retired we decided we would try and go out for more day trips but covid lockdowns were followed by injuries, surgeries and health problems! Hopefully they will behind us soon and we can try to get back on the road again.
What is interesting is that our grown up children now take their own children out on day trips. They said the trips and camping holidays were their fondest memories of childhood.
I sympathise over the time it is taking to recover from covid. I got a second dose about a year ago, despite being fully vaccinated. Although I wasn’t as sick as the first bout the second bout hung on for weeks. Just felt off and tired all the time. Rest as and when you need to.
It’s wonderful that you’ve passed on the love of day trips to your kids. Now their kids are benefiting. Hopefully you and your husband are back on the road soon. 🙂
Being positioned pretty much in the middle of northern England, we can take a day trip to the Lake District or Whitby with ease. Leave after breakfast, there in time for a drink, a wander, a lunch. Both beautiful drives, except in winter. Fish and chips in Whitby is the ultimate treat.
I still remember what a treat fish and chips in Whitby was. Definitely the ultimate. 🙂
“Replete with good food and friendship” – perfect description. Every now and then you read a phrase that is perfect; this is one – simply perfect.
Thank you, Julie. 🙂
Loved this post! This gave me such a nostalgic feeling, as my mom has always been a big day dripper and this conjures all sorts of wonderful childhood memories. We have roamed over so many of the backroads of Ontario, particularly the stretch between Toronto and Georgian Bay, where our ancestors once farmed. When I was little we would roam around to find long laneways and signs advertising “antiques,” which led us to many rummages in barns for treasures.
I would do this in the Ottawa Valley, but I don’t own a car (by choice). It’s a principled thing to do (largely as compensation because I have to fly quite a bit) and means also that I do everything on foot in the city and so I am always roaming by walking. I belong to the car sharing program for emergencies so I could book things occasionally to get out of town and rented when my mom had a cottage in the Tay Valley (now on Vancouver Island), but haven’t for a long time. You’re giving me something for the to do list for this winter and next spring. I love to see the lilacs blooming in some of the old towns of the valley. Would be wonderful to have a guide like your hubby to find all the ld logging roads. So many memories I’m sure.
Thanks for sharing this lovely, dreamy post. Oh and curious to know if the glassblower is still in Merrickville? One of my funniest memories with my Italian partner visiting Ottawa is of taking him to Merrickville maybe eight years ago. We were roaming around on a rainy day. After visiting the glassblower we went down to the river where there was an enclosure with an old turbine in it and some history of the area and early industry. On the fence was a sign stating that the turbine had been junked but a group had formed called “friends of the turbine” to have it restored and preserved on the spot. Naturally , as an avid Canadian history person I thought this was wonderful, but my Italian partner thought this was so hilarious that he laughed and laughed in the rain and had to call his sister in Italy to share the joke. He grew up playing in the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre. He still talks about the “amici della turbina.”
Anyway, hope your energy levels fully return soon! I was very tired for a month or so after C.
Your story made us laugh too, Stephanie. Our “old” things are certainly not old if you grew up in Rome. Ha.
We love “bumming” too. We live in northern Minnesota, about 150 miles from the Canadian border, and yes, the tree colors have been incredible this fall! Windy the past 2 days, so they are bidding goodbye, but this is so much later than in the past!!
Our leaves are going as I write this. But, oh, how wonderful they were while they lasted.
What a lovely post!
I agree entirely – daytrips are wonderful. Just long enough to get away and not too long so that one must pack a bag.
We love picnics – wicker hamper, gingham cloth and all. I pack a thermos and teabags, fresh bread, fruit pastes, chutney and cheeses, and some homemade cake or slice. We take our dog, and we find ‘off the beaten track’ places where we can walk and have perfect peace in a pretty setting. I envy you autumn colour, we have precious little here in Tasmania, apart from private gardens and orchards. But even so, some trees have spread and naturalised and will give us little pops of gold over a river – worth having a picnic for.
PS: Are you really that tall? No wonder you wear jeans and pants so well!
You picnic fancy, Prue. Our bologna sandwiches do NOT measure up. Ha. Still… we had some wonderful packed lunches when were in Italy. We always travel with a cooler bag and picnic utensils etc. 🙂
|Wonderful and amazing pictures. What a great photographer you are. We use to do day trips to the Kitchener Market and other outlets in that area. But have not done much in the way of long travel because of gas prices and some of those outlets have closed due to Covid I think. We have a local Simcoe market which is nice in the fall for all kinds of produce. Day tripping really is a nice getaway. Just as good as a holiday. One of our favourite things this past summer has been the wonderful play at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover. Quite a drive, but the shows are so well worth it and it is “relaxed” intermission with drinks to your seat. What a great idea. So, lots of things to do in the summer/fall which do not cost a fortune; but get one out to see other venues. Great post Sue.
Local summer theatres are wonderful, aren’t they?
I fly in to Ottawa to visit my daughter often but never bothered day tripping. From following your blog I decided on my last trip to travel farther afield and get a taste of some smaller towns. One day we explored Almonte, wandering the main street and its charming shops, then ate at the same restaurant on the falls. They had the most wonderful wood fired pizzas. Another day, we decided to go to the night market in Perth, where we again wandered the main street with all the shops and booths set along the street. I wish we had explored the town more but it was getting dark, so we headed home to Ottawa. Next visit, I think we’ll hit up Merrickville.
Now Perth is one day trip I haven’t done in a while. Hmmm.
Loved this article. Hubs and I are roadies and we love to take day trips, especially in the Autumn. We live in Collingwood beside Blue Mountain and near the beautiful Beaver Valley. We have taken Fall trips to the east coast and other domains but realized all that beauty is here at home. We almost missed it this year. It is a beautiful year for colour but we were so busy with hosting out-of-towners and a special birthday (mine) that we did our day trip later than usual. The area did not disappoint; the scenery was as beautiful as ever and we stopped at roadside markets for the bounty they held. At home, in the chilly evening, was a crockpot full of delicious butternut squash soup……….always a treat at this time of year. We live in such a beautiful area, the Elora Gorge, St. Jacob’s and the Market and southwestern Ontario’s glorious farming area, are only a day trip away. So good to read that someone else loves this country.
You have way more scope for small village outings down in your area. I hear it’s lovely but I’ve never been.
When we moved to Texas for work, day trips were a favorite pastime on weekends. Texas is a huge state with endless possibilities. We would put the cooler in the car and stop at one of our favorite stores with good deli selections and choose lunch. A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread with prosciutto baked in it, which was a favorite, and a selection of cheeses were on the menu. And for me, a pastry or some treat for dessert. Maybe a thermos of coffee. We always looked for something new to try and usually did not have a destination in mind. We just chose a direction and headed out as it was all new to us. Sometimes there were treats along the way to add to the menu such as the kolaches prevalent in some areas. We would stop at a roadside picnic area or a park for lunch. We lived there 15 years and never ran out of places to go or picnics to try. I still miss that.
What a wonderful way to explore your new home, Sara.
You have described my favourite kind of day! Whether close to home or further afield, taking the path less traveled, exploring backroads, poking around interesting little towns and shops, perhaps stopping for something to eat… those are definitely some of the things that feed my soul.
It’s amazing how many new and unexplored areas there are even if you’ve lived somewhere for years.
Hasn’t this been the MOST amazing fall I’d say in all of Eastern Canada? I was swimming in the North Atlantic off of PEI all of September…watching amazing colour in the Ottawa area in October and spent a few days in south western Ontario last weekend ( where colour had yet to peek) in our shirt sleeves. There is still a lot of scarlet and gold in our west Ottawa neighborhood but I suspect a good rain/wind will blow it away…cannot believe Halloween is this week, I hope the mild weather hangs in until then for the little ones. I remember fashioning costumes to be worn over snowsuits or rain apparel back when mine were young. Thank you for the lovely armchair trip through towns and places where my ancestors come from, I must visit the old cemetery in Renfrew to visit a few graves. November is the right time for that.
We got Covid/flu vax this week at Costco they are doing the +65 until Oct 31. They have the new Covid vax…I had C three months ago but took the shot anyway, no way in hell I’m going through that again over the holidays..simply awful! Getting RSV shot in a couple weeks too, before my little vectors bring their germs to visit granny. I did note an increase in masks in many stores. Hope you are feeling better after your lovely excursions…I have conjured up a few members of my coven for lunch tomorrow and will contact a couple more for lunch/supper dates over the next few weeks. Have to get back on track!! It does lift the spirits to sit around the cauldron enjoying each other’s company and a bit of gossip. LOL
A coven lunch or dinner date sounds great. I must steal that idea. 🙂
Love hearing about your day trips through the back routes of the Ottawa Valley and visiting Almonte and Merrickville. Such quaint little towns with lots of cute shops and restaurants. We like to do this as well whenever we get a chance to return to the Ottawa area. I have relatives up the line in the Barry’s Barry area. Agree that the fall colours have been wonderful this year.
I like Barry’s Bay. It’s such a lively little town. 🙂
Love this. Sunday afternoon was adventure time when I was a kid. It was the only time my farmer father wasn’t working. We might go for a walk in the woods or a drive somewhere, but we’d have to be back on time for the milking.
Reading your story helped me see how I’ve missed that. But MY hubby is only interested in driving straight to a planned destination, and restaurants are for eating. Not much conversation. But road trips with girlfriends are a delight. I need to do more of that. 💕
When my mum first married Lloyd, we had a Sunday drive and picnic every week. I remember those Sundays so fondly.
You have just described my idea of two perfect days. My husband and I always love our drives out in the country especially in the fall. We also noticed the extreme colors of this fall. Your day of shopping, eating and talking with friends also high on my list of mood elevators. Thank you for sharing all the beautiful pictures of your lovely Canada. I live in the U.S. and New Jersey, a place everyone thinks is awful but actually north western NJ and north eastern Pennsylvania are quite beautiful.
I think all kinds of places have reputations they don’t necessarily deserve. I have a friend from New Jersey.
I just picked up a copy of Maggie O’Farrell’s, “This Must be the Place,” and while I’m only one chapter in, I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve been searching for something different from my usual serious and dramatic reads and this is IT!!! Thank you so much for this recommendation. I’ve a few days off this and I can’t wait to spend it reading this book.
Hope you continue to enjoy the book, Beth. And your time off work. 🙂
Your pictures are all fabulous!
Thanks, Judy. 🙂
I agree that a day trip is wonderful. Fall trips, with colorful leaves, are just the best. I was away for peak leaf season, but got home in time for some beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. I was so happy to see them!
I like a drive somewhere on Martha’s Vineyard, where we have a small home. We can wander places near the ocean, marshes, or forest. Sea birds keep us entertained. My favorite time of day is when the sun is long and color pours through the trees onto the fields.
I hope that your residual Covid symptoms are gone now and that you are feeling better.
Late afternoon is wonderful in the fall, I agree.
P.S. Your trip photos looked wonderful on IG, Dottie.
Popping in late just to say I loved this post — and I remembered just how striking is the light of the autumn leaves in the area around Ottawa. We get some fall colour out on the West Coast, although some years it gets rained on and blown away too quickly. But we rarely get that phenomenon whereby the trees seem, collectively, to be lit from within, to actually be emanating light. Fabulous!
Glad your day trips lifted some of those lingering Covid symptoms! I’m going to have to plan a few (day trips, not Covid symptoms!) for after my return home — I’m going to want to cocoon for a bit, I know, but then January, and after that, oof, February — definitely be needing a fresh but accessible perspective! Thanks for the reminder. xo
Thanks, Frances. I’m the same after a long trip. I don’t want to leave home for a while.
A friend came to visit last weekend and we took the ferry from New Jersey to New York, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and wandered around Brooklyn where I had lived in my 20s (now almost 70). It was aimless and lovely with a wonderful companion. A flea market, bookstores, rivers and ferries, vintage stores, pizza. The sun was shining but it was just the right amount of cool. It was a perfect day.
Oh gosh…that does sound perfect, Maryellen. 🙂
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