Blue Mountain

A trip to the Blue Mountain in a country pristine white in the winter month of February – Awesome Canada and the white the brightest I have seen.

All bundled up and the car well stocked for a 10 am departure from downtown Toronto for a family weekend at the Blue Mountain resort. I, personally from outside this country, and my first winter this trip was particularly exciting. An avid photographer who looks for stories in each frame, putting them down in poetry is what I enjoy most on my vacations.

The route that took us north to Highway 26 west in Barrie and the long beautiful scenic drive under the grey sky and snow filled terrain was a world altogether different for someone like me who comes from a tropical , wet and dry climate with high levels of humidity – Mumbai in India .

The road stretched a distance of over 500 km , door to door where most parts were through internal routes and away from the highways. Beautiful homes , spread across the countryside , surrounded by a white carpet of snow , windmill farms and a few stud farms, I guessed because of the sightings of the tall , strong and sturdy horses braving the cold. An endearing sight it was.

The dreamer in me would wonder on who lived within those homes, so far away from a busy city in a world of their own. Since I come from one of the busiest and noisiest cities in the world – Mumbai this seemed like a fairly land where the silence was deafening and the air the purest , an explosion of fragrance of nature all around. Nature here has worn her best white bright cape and as she flaunts her beauty, she also takes great pride in her other color-filled shades that will follow in spring and autumn.

Long stretches of straight roads , with a mix of curvy humpy in-between bits , merging into the horizon where the sun struggled to peak from between thick clouds was a sight that will forever stay with me for this lifetime.

Arriving at the village , a pleasant surprise awaited us. Children, youngsters and families all happy to spend time at this ski resort , indulging in the sport. This was for me a moment to feel a sense of awe. The trails with inclines that were daunting , the young kids who could barely walk, trying to ski , many more at the learner’s corner understanding nuances of the equipment and others like me enjoying the view , the vibe and the aura that’s filled with positive energy.

A wished to reverse my age clock a few decades behind , which means I would be in my twenties with the grit, stamina and the strength to learn a new sport or attempt to take on the ski trails. However, it was not to be but hoping the younger generation in the family grabs every opportunity to learn and take on the challenges of not just a new sport but life as a whole.

We drive into the parking of a cozy chalet with a view of the golf course that now resembled a skating rink. The greens were buried under the white snow blanket and it seemed as if it was levelled across with no blemish horizontally. Also remined me of a huge spill of vanilla ice-cream. The chalet with a well equipped kitchen and a fireplace in the family room brought in the feeling of togetherness. The cold outside and the warmth inside – a moment to be grateful for because precious moments rare in today’s hectic world and every such second ought to be cherished because it is so precious that no money can buy.

The drive back home was probably not as exciting for me because of having seen the white terrain on the way up . Its a story that will be in my travelogue and in my heart as new vacations take over and my diary is filled with new adventures. Its after all a life where compilations are in the form of good, bad and tough experiences along routes that take you through highways, tunnels , farms , villages, cities , deserts and forests – some seen some unseen and unreal.

An ode to vacations and the joy it brings with it!