Sometimes it takes me a while to figure things out. Maybe it’s a small amount of blonde in me, but honestly something’s don’t really connect until its all but bashing me on the head. Take University for example. For months, even years really, my family had been talking about university. What I’d like to be, what school I’d like to go to, etc etc… when the time grew closer, even my friends got in on the act, talking about the different towns and where their older siblings had moved to. It wasn’t until we went to the university fair in Toronto, standing in front of the fake waterfall that Nipising had brought with them that I realized, going away to university meant that I would move out.
I know, what a discovery right? It only took me that long to figure out what everyone else already knew. Well it’s the same thing with traveling. My family used to take us on trips all the time, big and small. When I was maybe seven we went from Toronto across to the East coast. We’ve driven through the states to Florida twice, not to mention countless camping trips all over Ontario. But traveling changed for me with one trip. In 2005 my Granddad took me and my Mom and Aunt out to the west coast. We flew to Edmonton, drove to Saskatchewan, and saw where my Granddad grew up in the prairies. After that we dropped my mom and aunt back on the plane and then just the two of us drove through the mountains to Vancouver.
It was a trip unlike any I had ever experienced. It wasn’t about racing to the destination (like driving two days straight to get to Florida) or fighting with my younger brothers in the car, or hoping against hope that my dad would get us a hotel with a pool. And it was more than just going to a place that I’d never been to before. I learned about my Granddad, his life and the life he had come from. About where my family was from.
After that, the trip had changed. Every day Granddad was showing me something amazing just off the side of the highways, hidden up mountains. The road didn’t seem like an endless black ribbon that never ended any more. I started to really look at what I was seeing. My Granddad completely changed my outlook on travel.
Now five years later, I'm going back with my best friend. Its the first of many trips I plan to make on my own or with friends. This blog is where I plan on sharing my experiences, most of them through the medium of photography, and maybe a little film.
