King of the Road - My Journey Along Through the Grand Canyon (Kinda)

Right now there are travel bans everywhere in the wake of COVID-19 and non-essential travel outside of Canada, but this summer I plan to hike, run, walk, and bike the Grand Canyon anyway. Kind of.  All while remaining in Ontario.

We were in the middle of a family trip to Arizona when COVID hit, which meant we did not pass Go, and we did not go to The Grand Canyon as planned.  Nor did we get our tour of Antelope Canyon. Instead of celebrating my in-laws 50th anniversary we all scrambled to get back to Canada, went into 14 day self-isolation, and in the time since have been social distancing, homeschooling, working from home, and everything else.

Domo enjoying a hike in Sedona in early March

I am very thankful that everyone in our family has remained healthy and safe and is doing everything in their power (like wearing masks inside public places) to protect themselves and others.

All this being said, I must admit I'm a little bummed that we didn't get to complete our trip to one of the seven wonders of the world, but I've found a way that I can engage in this trip from afar.

Three weeks ago my husband began a song writing workshop called the I Heart Songwriting Club where he is given a new writing task each week, must write, record, and share a song on topic with his assigned group. Each member of the group listens to and gives constructive feedback on each song. He's on week four and absolutely loving this new hobby. It has broken up some of the monotony of our social distanced, work from home summer in the best possible way.

I began thinking about something that I want to engage in. A hobby of sorts. Since the middle of May I've given myself monthly running and hiking quotas, increasing the distance by seven percent each month), but I wanted something more. It's been a hot summer and on a day after a long run I burn out from taking the dog on a lengthy walk - which isn't great for him. Also like everyone else, there are errands where I drive when I could easily walk and be kinder to the environment.

As I began to search for my something new I discovered an App called My Virtual Mission. Essentially you pick a challenge, a date to complete it and whether you're competing on your own or with a team. You can run, walk, hike, cycle, row, and swim the English Channel, Route 66, The Inca Trail, and several other challenge. I chose to attempt to conquer the 450KM length of The Grand Canyon in 91 days.  The purchase of your challenge (mine was around $40 CAD) gives you access to an app, shows you other people in real time competing in the challenge, where you are on the challenge including a street view of where you are, location maps, and when you complete the challenge they mail you a medal. You can upload your own photos as you complete your distances. You can also pair the App with your smart watch etc. if you want.

Where I was "along" the Canyon Earlier this week

Anyone who knows anything about me and my time in Girl Guides and Brownies, knows I love me a good badge.  Molly is also excited to be a part of this challenge and has asked me to note the portions she accompanies me on so we can figure out how much of the Canyon she's going to conquer with me.

I will continue to immaturely post names of places I pass that I find amusing. This was the first one.

My journey began near Page and will end near South Cove at the other end of the canyon. Today is the third day of my challenge and I'm 3.4KM ahead of my day-to-day target. In a couple of days I hope to get my first virtual award for completing 5% of the challenge.  I'm going to check in here on my progress every 10 days or so to keep me accountable, and share any interesting photos from our journey. I hope one day in the not too distant future my family gets to return to the red rocks of Arizona, but for now the virtual version will just have to do.

Things My Kids Say As Posted on Twitter

During these times, the small moments can be especially important. Not everything my kids say or do warrants a blog post.  This is why I like to share this roundup and snippets of recent conversations I've had with M&J as shared on Twitter.

via Giphy

Today when I asked J for a bag to scoop the dirty cat litter into he returned with a ziplock freezer bag. I am both intrigued and afraid to ask him what he thinks I do with the dirty cat litter. #parenting


Week 2 into #summervacation "wake your sister up nicely" is loosely interpreted as "pretend to bite her and tell her you made a deal with #Pennywise to eat her instead of you"

via Pinterest

M: so in the original version of #spiderman Stan Lee had Peter Parker studying #topography ? Me: now that would be a very different story & how would Jonah Jameson fit in? Dad: “Parker these elevation charts are terrible!”

J: Why do I have to do chores? Why can't everything just be filthy? #chores #parenting

via Giphy

M: Remember for Christmas when you bought us a box of turds & I gobbled them up right away because they were so good? Dad: I'm pretty sure you mean Nerds, not turds, turds are poop. M: Oh.


Dad: can I have a bookmark? J: here use this entire deck of cards. #logic
During a music lesson reviewing the provinces.

Dad: what’s the province to the west of Ontario? M: Manastacia? Close but no cigar although it sounds pretty magical #homeschooling


J: mom I just dropped a giant chunk of silly putty into your tea. Sorry. (Well at least he didn’t let me drink it?) #MYDAY #parenting

Dam That Water - Canoeing the Humber River

Did you know there is a subway accessible canoe launch and rental company in Toronto? Neither did I until my friend E told me about it earlier this spring. Turns out Toronto Adventures has offered these services for over 20 years, we were just completely oblivious. They don't just have canoes, they also have kayaks and paddleboards available for your renting and paddling needs just outside of Old Mill Subways station, with the launch below the subway bridge. They also, apparently, have a Sunnyside launch.

Since we knew the temperature was expected to top 32 degrees today we figured it was the perfect time to trade in our hiking boots for some life jackets. Rentals for a big canoe for two hours (which we needed for the four of us) was $70 ($60 on weekdays) and you can book in advance online. The river offered calm shady spots to enjoy nature and feel like we were far away from the city.

Rentals included life jackets (although we brought our own for Molly and Jack because we had them). They also included mini paddles and for the first time ever the kids showed some interest and inclination on helping us paddle. Even though we were outside people were wonderful for maintaining social distance, wearing masks when in closer contact, and had plenty of sanitizer on hand.

The set route you try to attempt goes from the Old Mill and Bloor launch right into the mouth of Lake Ontario. The discovery walk in the area along the river is approximately a 7.3KM loop, so I'm guessing if you'd make it to the lake and back it would be roughly the same.  The river was nice and calm, good for novice and advanced canoers. There are three small marshes/inlets you can go into and explore along the way, and the kids thought that this was one of the best parts.  

 That and discovering that someone who lives along the river owns a giant swan paddle boat AKA Mecha-Swan (named by Jack)

We explored all three marshes, stopped for some granola bars and water, and made it out to the Queensway before heading back and calling it a day. We also saw a pair of real swans that Molly and Jack named Peter Swan Jr. and Uncle Feather  (Molly's been reading a lot of Judy Blume lately).

There were several families of ducks we passed on our journey, and some geese that flew pretty close to us trying to get some space from some other paddlers. Chris thinks he saw a beaver, muscrat or something similar, but the rest of us missed it.

 Other canoers, kayakers, and paddleboarders were friendly, respectful, and tried to keep their distance giving everyone space on the river. There was only one group of highly intensive and aggressive kayakers who maintained their speed at all costs and got really close to others, not caring if they splashed or grazed your boat to get by. Chris and I called them "the Olympians in training".

Heading back to the bridge after a successful two hour outing on the river. I'd forgotten how much I missed canoeing from our pre-kid days. This is the first time neither minion complained a half hour into our journey.Molly even asked when we can go again, so we will definitely be back. They offer a frequent paddler card for discounts that we will pick up.

On our way back to the car we had a bonus animal spotting when we saw this turtle heading back towards the river. The best part, we were only 10 minutes away from home after we completed our trip.

It looks like, weather providing, rentals are open well into October. Happy paddling!

Walls of the Cave - Hiking Hamilton at Eramosa Karst Conservation Area

When people hike Hamilton and the Niagara Escarpment they usually have one thing in mind - waterfalls. While I like waterfalls as much as the next hiker, I know they draw big crowds and have less flow when we've had particularly dry weather.

Parking was $5 and this well kept secret of a trail meant that we only ran into a handful of other hikers during our hour and fifteen minute adventure filled with sinkholes, caverns, passages, and caves oh my!

From the roadway the Eramosa Karst Conservation Area looks like almost nothing, but don't be fooled by this hidden treasure. The paths are dirt, gravel and cement. You'll want to stay on them and wear long pants as there are several warnings about poison ivy and ticks.

We chose the most popular 2.5km Karst Features Trail loop to explore because it offers several side paths of interest and caves to cool off in. Grab a map from the Visitor Centre display because many of the markers on the trail are faded and can be a little confusing. With the side paths you're probably hiking closer to 3KM.  The kids climbed along the Old Quarry early on our hike.

Looking down on a balancing rock into Pottruff Cave.

The old trees bent here to make passages and "caves" of their own.

The kids sitting above the flowing water in one of the many sinks to cool off. I think this one is atop Pheonix Creek Sink (yes it's spelled that way).

Climbing into Nexus Cave Entrance to see what's down below.

Looking down at the Cave Explorers.

Like something out of a story the Nexus Cave Window is at the base of a tree.

Naturally they had to climb into that too.

The area is known for the wildlife. We spotted many chipmunks, squirrels, birds and butterflies (and Ted had a blast chasing them). We also saw a dragon fly and a small snake hanging out in the rocks near the entrance to the hiking paths. We overheard another family say they had spotted a weasel on their journey. The area is known for owls and while it was too early to see an owl, we saw evidence of owls along the paths in terms of 'owl pellets' of the remnants of bones and fur from their former meals. Much of this hike is accessible, save for the side trails to some of the caverns and sinks. Molly said this trail ties the Limehouse Side Trail with the honour of "best trail" we've hiked so far this spring/summer. I must admit, at just 45 minutes away from Toronto I would come back here again in an instant!