A Sunday Drive on a Wednesday

Yesterday I had a free day so John and I picked up my youngest brother, Ricky, and decided to take an old-fashioned Sunday Drive - on a Wednesday.

We had a plan. We were going to take a scenic drive along Lake Ontario, stop at a few of our favourite waterfront spots and then head up the Niagara Escarpment. It wasn't an ambitious plan, but it sounded like a nice way to spend an afternoon together.

Ricky has Down Syndrome and lives close by, so I like to see him as often as I can. Outings have become a little more challenging now as he uses a wheelchair. There are only so many places we can easily go, so sometimes a drive and a few accessible stops can make for a pretty great afternoon.

We’re Pretty Lucky Around Here

Oakville sits along the western end of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes.

For anyone who isn't familiar with them, the Great Lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. They are enormous freshwater lakes along the Canada–United States border. In fact, they are so large that standing along the shoreline can sometimes feel more like being beside an ocean than a lake.

And we are pretty fortunate to have one right here in our backyard.

Oakville has a beautiful waterfront, and we’re also part of the larger Golden Horseshoe and Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Add the Niagara Escarpment running through the area, and there is a surprising amount of beautiful scenery packed into a relatively small part of southern Ontario.

We decided to take advantage of it.

Oakville Harbour and Tannery Park

Our first stop was Oakville Harbour and Tannery Park.

Oakville Harbour sits at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek, where the creek flows into Lake Ontario. It’s a lovely spot to wander around, watch the boats and enjoy the waterfront.

Tannery Park is just beside the harbour and has a great view out over the lake. The area also has some interesting history. As the name suggests, this was once the location of the Oakville Tanneries, which operated here for many years.

On a clear day, you can also see the Toronto skyline from the Oakville waterfront.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a clear day.

There were storms moving in and the sky was getting darker by the minute. We could just make out the Toronto skyline in the distance, but it certainly wasn't one of those crystal-clear views.

Still, it was beautiful in its own way.

Sometimes storm clouds over the lake have a beauty of their own.

A Drive Along Lakeshore Road

From Oakville, we continued along Lakeshore Road toward Burlington.

This is one of those drives that I never seem to get tired of. The road follows along the waterfront, with beautiful parks tucked between impressive homes and estates. Every now and then there is a glimpse of the lake through the trees, and then another stretch of waterfront opens up.

We weren't in a hurry. We were taking out time and enjoying the scenery along the way.

Eventually we made our way into Burlington and stopped at Spencer Smith Park.

Spencer Smith Park and the Brant Street Pier

Spencer Smith Park is one of Burlington's best-known waterfront parks. It stretches along the shore of Lake Ontario and is a popular place for walking, relaxing and enjoying the lake.

The Brant Street Pier reaches out into Lake Ontario and gives you a wonderful view back toward Burlington and along the shoreline.

We took a walk out onto the pier to enjoy the view, but we only stayed a few minutes as the skies were getting darker and the rain looked like it was getting closer. We had one more part of our drive we wanted to get to.

We wanted to drive up the escarpment.

Heading Up the Niagara Escarpment

The Niagara Escarpment is a 1,000 km long geological ridge that stretches from New York, across southern Ontario and up through Michigan. It runs through the Niagara region and across the area around Hamilton and Burlington.

It's also responsible for some of the dramatic changes in elevation around here.

Down at the lake, the landscape is relatively flat. Head north toward the escarpment and suddenly you're climbing.

The drive up was beautiful.

For much of the way we were driving beneath a canopy of trees, with the road winding its way upward. It was hard to believe we were only minutes from the busy urban area below.

Once we reached the top, we pulled off at a scenic lookout called Sydenham Lookout.

And what a view.

Below us was the town of Dundas, tucked into the valley. We could see across Western Hamilton and, beyond that, out toward Lake Ontario.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating. The storms we'd been watching were moving in quickly, and within just a few minutes the rain started and we had to make a dash for the car.

A Perfect Wednesday Afternoon

The weather eventually cut our little Sunday drive short. But that's okay. We weren't disappointed. We had spent the afternoon driving around our own area, stopping at places we hadn't visited before and enjoying the scenery.

And it made both John and I realize just how much there is to see right here at home. We've lived in this area for 26 years. Twenty-six years! And somehow there are still places we've never been and views we've never stopped to enjoy.

We realized that we need to get in the car and play tourist in our own town more often. There’s so much to do and see, right here at home. We don't always have to go far away to find something new to explore. Sometimes we just need to slow down and take a closer look at what's right in front of us.

Our little Wednesday adventure may have been cut short by the rain, but it was still a wonderful afternoon spent together. And I have a feeling this won't be our last Sunday drive - no matter what day of the week it is.