Ontario summers are fleeting – as soon as it starts to feel warm enough for the beach, it seems that September is just around the corner. Which is why I was so happy to have been invited by Ford Canada to spend a weekend at the Westin Trillium House at Blue Mountain Resort with my blogger besties. In the spirit of #FordTryMore, we were offered a range of fun and exciting activities we could participate in, to take our summer up a notch.
So, on a Friday evening, the girls and I piled into the super sleek 2015 Ford Focus Titanium – decked out to the brim with handy features like active park assist, blind spot information system, SYNC with My Ford Touch that allows drivers to interact through voice control, and of course, GPS that helped us navigate from my house to our home for the weekend. Road trips with friends are always fun, and the 2-hour drive felt like 30 minutes, because we were chatting and snacking the entire way.
Once we arrived at Westin, we were welcomed into our stunning one bedroom and loft suite, complete with a lovely view of the resort, kitchenette, and lots of lounging space. After a delicious dinner at Tholos Restaurant in the village (two words: fried cheese!), we called it a night.
The next morning, post-brunch at Oliver and Bonacini Cafe Grill, it was adventure o’clock! First on the agenda – Wind Rider Triple Zips. After getting strapped in and advised of the risks, we walked up the mountain, and found ourselves staring down from a considerable height. Luckily, none of us was afraid of heights, so off we went – and it was thrilling! Two zip lines later, we were back on solid ground, and itching for more. The rush of flying through the air, limbs flailing all over the place, had gotten our adrenaline flowing – and we wanted more!
More after the jump!
And while our next activity was supposed to be a roller coaster ride, Apex Bag Jump looked mighty appealing, so I abandoned my group and ran off to do some jumping, with the girls looking on (and filming) from below. I have to say, from the ground, the three jumps looked fairly unimpressive…and definitely super easy. And yes, the first jump was pretty straightforward and not scary at all, almost mechanical – take a running leap, fold arms across the chest, kick out the legs, land on your bum – it took all of 30 seconds to complete. But jumps from platforms 3 and 4 were a bit trickier – looking down from the third platform, I was suddenly aware of just how high up I was – it certainly didn’t seem as easy from the top. Before the fear could set in, I took a running leap and pretty soon I could feel the cushiony bag below me. The final platform was even scarier…giving me second thoughts about the whole thing – I decided not to look down and just go for it…and seconds later, I found myself running, jumping, screaming, and falling for what felt like forever, until the trusty bag was finally underneath me, and I was once again on solid ground – exhilarated and alive.
After witnessing my bag jump experience, the girls were intrigued by the idea, and did their own versions of “I believe I can fly” jumps – some pretty entertaining. Something that looked pretty lame, was in fact really exciting and scary, and we got to experience it together.
It’s funny how leaping 21 feet down could make one super hungry…and so we jumped into our Ford Focus and drove to The Smoke in Collingwood, for some BBQ and delicious Wild Boar Bacon Bourbon Ice Cream. Once our bellies were full once again, it was finally pool time – inflatable pizza and all. Westin’s hot tub is literally my fave Blue Mountain activity in the winter – it’s so magical to be in a hot tub as snow flakes fall all around you, but it was just as fun in the summer! After our pizza shenanigans, swimming, and just hanging out in a hot tub, we were all super relaxed, and…once again hungry!
The rest of our evening involved ordering a ton of room service (OMG the s’mores cake was BEYOND), watching Spy On Demand (HILARIOUS!), and just catching up. The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we were back in our Ford Focus, headed back to the city…and thanks to the smarty-pants navigation system, we even avoided heavy traffic, as the GPS re-calculated our route for us. We were home in no time.
With so many personal commitments, our lives can get so hectic, so spending quality time with friends is incredibly special and rare. Last weekend, we got to feel like kids again, trying new things, enjoying our time together, and that was my favourite thing of all – four friends on a road trip, soaking up every splendid moment of a late summer weekend. Thanks to Ford Canada and Westin for making this happen for us! Memories for life.
So tell me, did you have any memorable summer experiences this year? Share in the comments!
