Escape The City

My weekend didn't go quite as planned; I managed to blow out a tire by hitting a curb at 10:30pm on Friday night. After waiting around for 3 hours for CAA to bail on me, I ended up breaking out my car's ownership manual and learning how to be a grown-up and change a tire. I didn't get home until 2:00am and didn't get to sleep until some time after 3.

On its own, a blown tire is a serious annoyance but the timing also could not have been worse. I had plans to pick up a friend and head up to the camp ground I spend my summers at, for some early spring kyaking and a bonfire. When I finally got to sleep, I had no idea how I was going to salvage my weekend.

I woke up at 8:00am, called a tire shop close to my house and immediately remembered that it's the peak time for seasonal tire changes. They were booked solid. I took a shot in the dark and called my dealership — expecting to get some kind of automated message telling me to call back Monday, or schedule an appointment a week or two out. No, actually they were able to get me booked for an emergency appointment and I was rolling out of their parking lot on two new tires by 11:30am.

Naturally, I am extremely unhappy with the expense but the weekend was a sorely needed retreat from the day-to-day grind in the city. Touring around a still largely frozen lake and nearby swamp was really fun; I got a lot of good pictures and was able to hang out with my friends. We built an enormous bonfire and ate until moving was difficult. I already logged my first cornhole games of the year, although the wind made things challenging.

I don't hate where I live, but it's really calming to get away from the noise and crowding of a city — even a smaller one like Ottawa. This summer's going to be a really fun, extremely busy season.