We made it! 

Long rides in the car aren’t fun. Period. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how much you like driving. I’ve always dreaded the 12-ish hours from home to Parry Sound, Ontario. As kids, my sister and I would fight about space on the bench seat of our old Dodge Ram van. We’d have emergency pee brakes on the portable toilet. Then there were the super uncomfortable sleeping positions- strapped into the seatbelt, head crooked, body twisted like a pretzel, only to wake up with a kinked neck and find out that you’d only slept for an hour. Ugh. The worst! As an adult the time seems to go by faster, but it got worse before it got better. 

Now I get the privilege of driving my kid(s) for 12+ hours. I didn’t realize it when I was young, but this isn’t something a parent really looks forward to either. In preparation I made up surprise goodie bags for when we’d get back in the car after breaks: brown bags with a few small new animal toys or a book and special snack. These surprise bags worked really well (note to self). 

G did SO well. The first leg of the trip was about 4 hours. Then we stopped to stretch our legs, make PB & J sandwiches for lunch, and gas up the car. The second stop was at our motel for the night. Day one, 8.5 hours. 

G was SUPER excited to get out of the car and see the motel beach on Golden Lake. We spent a little time playing in the sand and relaxing before dinner and then bed. 

The next day we got up, drove 3.5 hours and arrived at the marina. It was a quick unload of luggage into the boat and a very wet boat ride to the cottage. But, we made it! 

Soon the memory of a long car ride will fade (like a bad dream or a race you initially tell yourself you’ll never run again). By the time we’re ready to drive home, it will have all been totally worth it and the fun of Parry Sound will erase the memory of the car ride.