I slept in. Surprise surprise. Kyla was downstairs, starting one of her paintings, and I made my way down. It was such a bright, sunny day so we shared a few cups of java on her front steps. She lived in a downtown neighbourhood, and we hung out on the steps enjoying the warm sun. I decided to stay another night, as I just wasn't 'feeling' the hitch that day. Even though it was beautiful out, I had tons of time, and besides, Kyla was too cool!
She suggested going for a hike, as she so often does, and she knew of some great spots in the area.
We packed a daybag, and headed out in her Subaru. Northern Ontario is great in some respects, especially for outdoor-minded people who like to escape the city to hang out in the trees for a bit.
We headed north about 30 mins and stopped roadside to check out Chippewa Falls, and it was such a nice spot. The falls are beautiful, and there were enough people there who knew the secret. A few fishers, a few couples, but all had cameras out, because it was really pretty. Kyla and I walked up a rock face and chilled out for a bit, watching the water rush by without direction or resistance. It was actually pretty peaceful to just sit there in he sunlight. I was thinking about the next day, hitching again, and it had me pretty excited. We walked over to the other side of the rock face and found where it was a bit calmer, and hung out, watching the slow water catch its speed before hitting the rapids. I found a big ol' log sticking out and tried to walk across it. I have the core balance of a baby deer on ice.
We hung out for a bit, before heading back to the car. She wanted to take me just a bit further down the road, to her favourite beach that she often takes her boys to.
It was a hidden rock beach, and had some really amazing secrets. There was a long stretch of sand, but out of nowhere turned into water washed pebbles and jagged rock cliffs. They were covered in vibrant mosses, bright oranges, and lime greens. It was really cool.
We walked around to the west side of the point and hunkered down. She likes coming there and digging through the peculiar stones, finding little gems of multi-coloured rocks and polished-smooth ones you never would have thought could be natural. We hung out, talked and watched the sun set over Lake Superior. I wandered off and found a few faces to scramble, and there was even a natural crag, so I tried my luck at that. Nathan needs to get some upper body strength, especially if he wants to do well treeplanting.
As the sun was setting, tummies were grumbling, so we headed back to the Soo, and she felt like going out for a bite, so we did.
We drove to the downtown core, and she showed me the eyesore that is the main strip of Sault Ste Marie. No restaurants, no decent shops, it was dirty and there was nothing for the younger crowd to do. Oh, except shop at the dozen or more old lady clothing stores that lined the street. It was like Retimans met with Tabi and had a dozen bastard children after a weekend romp in the Steel City.
So we found ourselves at a little pub, and it was exactly what I love to spend my drinking sessions in; dark, dingy pubs with outdated ads and wood panelling under old Brit themed decorations. We had a pint, and we each grabbed a big greasy burger. It was pretty yum, although I for some reason couldn't finish it, which was surprising considering when I'm hungry Ill usually eat the ceramic plate too. We had got there fairly late, and by the time we were finished yakking and making fun of the hicks next to us, packed it in.
We spent the evening hanging out, listening to music, looking through books and talking about global issues. Global issues like the decline in youth productivity, people too afraid to talk to their neighbours, and Lady Gaga. It was getting late, so we both packed it in, and I went up to check my emails and upload pics. If ever I need assistance passing out, I surf to textsfromlastnight.com some late night laughs before passing out, and I did just that.
A white Usain Bolt.
