Open Road, Open Mind.

 

I believe it is fair to assume that we all have our own way of relieving stress or clearing our mind after a long day. Lately I find myself going for long drives when my mind seems to be focused on everything except what it needs to be.

Pictured above is the Niagara Parkway in the beautiful winter months. When its nice out I find myself going for runs on the parkway so this year I thought why not try driving it instead. We all have our own way to eliminate excess stress but there is something so calming about driving next to the river with the music blasted. I grew up on the parkway so I know it well, and I have all sorts of little places I have discovered over the years to park and escape the world for a little while. (I may or may not be sitting in my car next to my favourite dock writing this post).

Driving to clear your mind is one of the easiest things to do. While gas is still expensive sometimes it's worth it. The view is so refreshing and it's so easy to loose yourself in a song and forget all the negative. Does driving actually relieve stress? I suppose that depends on the individual, but my friends know that if I ask them to go for a parkway cruise it means something is weighing heavy on my mind.

The Niagara Region is riddled with scenic drives. From Niagara on the Lake, to Crystal Beach there is always something to see. In the winter months the ice and snow look beautiful on the river, not to mention the parkway homes always have the best Christmas light. In the summer the flowers and wildlife are often unexpectedly breathtaking.

I challenge all of you to take a nice long drive. See if it works to clear your mind.

57,155 kms and counting.

Giving Up Control, Can You Do It?

This weekend was the first time in a long time that I gave up the control I typically have behind my own steering wheel. It is not often that I am not one the driving when hanging out with friends or heading to school and work, but this weekend things changed up just a little bit.

Over the weekend I went on a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and let me tell you my flight there was quite the experience. Being March break I was literally SURROUNDED by children. A row of children 10 and under in front a mom with two toddlers behind and I sat next to a 13 year old boy with a serious starring problem. That is until her fell asleep on my should, how cute NOT. It has been an extremely long time since I have traveled with anyone under the age of 18 and it is probably I task I would not mind avoiding for another 10 years. Don't get me wrong I love children and I work with them on a daily basis but I just wanted to travel in peace. (Side note: I need louder head phones).

Back to the actual flight.

As the driver you are used to bracing yourself for bumps and avoiding pot holes when possible. But sitting in the 15th row in zone 4 on Spirit Airlines direct flight to Myrtle Beach took that control away completely. While our pilot seemed like a nice enough man these turbulence seemed boarder line rector scale materials. This plane was bouncing around the entire time, no napping and no homework possible. I have never been so grateful to land.

Getting back into my car when I returned home on Monday, after a much smoother, quieter and enjoyable flight was a blessing. You never realize how much you take having the control of knowing what direction you are going in and what the road conditions are like for granted.

However while I was gone my speedometer still somehow changed. Hopefully my family enjoyed burning all my gas!

56,834 kms and couting.

The Importance of the PLAYLIST

Everyone knows that every good road trip needs a pre-planned and well though out playlist. It is import to to reach every audience in your car and ensure that a minimum of three singalongs will occur. This means you need to include you classic Boy Band materials (Backstreet Boys). The 90's girl group, from personal experience Spice Worlds 'wannabe' is a sure fire start to a group sing along.

However I believe every playlist needs a few 'oldies but goodies' if you know what I mean. This means that I like to throw in a few songs that no one willingly admits they listen to, but we all know they're lying. My favourites for this include ACDCs 'Shook Me All Night Long' and 'Cotton Eyed Joe'.

In my opinion it your musical selection is the most important thing on any road trip. We all know that the radio is not always reliable and so for your night car ride I challenge you to take the matter into your ow. Hands. If this isn't your style why not give 8tracks or songza a try.

Happy travels.
56,348 Kim's and counting