nothing but blue skies

The distant rumble of thunder hurried our preparations for departure - it was coming from the north and we were heading south. It chased us down the road, eventually overtaking us, pounding us with rain while it decorated the sky with lightning. We drove in and out of the rain as we made our way south.

We were still on a scenic route with lovely farms on each side, rolling fields and old rosy yellow brick homes made the scene pastoral. The black ribbon of pavement is rimmed with stone the same colour as the homes.

Mother Nature wasn't finished with us yet. We travelled through a line of storm that threw hail and heavy rain at us. We were driving though a small town when suddenly a gosh awful sound (think nails on chalkboard) stopped us in our tracks. The drivers side windshield had flown off onto the road. The rain was coming down in sheets as I jumped out of the truck to retrieve it. A few cars drove over it, but thankfully didn't roll their tires on our mandatory accessory. When I got back in the truck I checked the radar (thanks to mom for Intellicast) - we were right on the edge of it. A short 5 minute wait then Carm went outside to fix it - I went into the truck and got a dry t-shirt and a warm sweater. Whew. Note to self: carry a spare wiper... we were lucky, but might not be next time.

When we hit Toronto we rolled our windows down, wondering if there was something wrong with the truck - we could smell something bad... it was Toronto! Having come from the fresh air of Lake Huron our noses were not ready for the assault of the haze. But the rain had stopped by then and the sun started showing its pretty face so we were happy.

Toronto threw construction and traffic slowdowns at us, screwing our schedule by at least an hour. Stop and go, stop and go, all while breathing in the smog. I thought of the Dr. Who episode where they were trapped in a traffic jam that had lasted for decades.

With Toronto in our rear view mirror we sped up towards Brighton. Turning off the 401 onto familiar side roads was a treat. At the park gate I went inside to check in - there was a note from friends Bill and Brenda about an available site right next to them, and before I could run out to check with Carm, there they were - friendly faces after a long day. We followed them to our site and did a quick set up before joining them for drinks and supper out. Poor dogs went from the back seat of the truck to the bedroom with only a quick break to stretch their legs for a moment. We were the lucky ones and got to catch up with friends we hadn't seen since last summer.

I will be happy to lay my head upon my pillow tonight...