So we're half way through summer and I don't think I've proper sat down yet.
Summer started with days and days bussing to Toronto and then after that I was of on a road trip around a bit of the East coast in the U.S. We were gone I think 12 days and stopped at 5 different places. We started at Shenandoah national park where we had a bit of crappy weather but the sights driving up the mountain were so worth it. We only got to do a minimal amount of exploring but we saw this cosy lodge, visitor centre and hiked down a stream that ended in a waterfall. The sheer amount of deer in that park blew my mind. I thought Canada had animals but the deer at this place were the opposite of shy. They casually wandered around the campground as if we weren't even there. After that we were off to the outer banks in North Carolina which gave us our very first taste of the ocean. The waves were wicked and we later found out that it was a common place for sharks. Good thing we were out there swimming for hours! There was no shade and it was blistering hot and we all got sunburned pretty badly but I loved it. The drive down the coast was stunning and unlike anything I'd ever seen. On the way out we got to cross the big bridge-tunnel that was HUGE. Then we were in/around Virginia beach for a few days where we saw the shops and again went in the ocean. The park we stayed at had a huge boardwalk type thing leading t the beach which took ages to walk down but we saw tons of little crabs and jellyfish and DOLPHINS. WHAT. We also got Ben & Jerrys which was expensive but really good. Can't say the same about McDonalds sweet tea but I had to try it. Then we were on our way to New York City with a short 1-night stay in a small New Jersey town with a cute little hotel for cheap. New York City was everything I expected it to be. Busy, bright, smelly and captivating. We started by going to central park for a little walk around stopping to take a ton of pictures and see a group of people dancing with rollerskates on. We went to all the typical shops in Times Square, my favourite being Toys R Us because it was so big and people were demo-ing all these neat gadgets. Our hotel was a few steps from Rockefeller so we got a nice view of all that stuff. The second day was spent in full-blown tourist mode because we got this crazy pass that lets you do basically everything. We managed to hit up the Museum of Natural History for a bit, tour Radio City, go to Madame Tussauds (because I begged my dad, I had to see the One Direction figures), tour NBC and see the Jimmy Fallon and SNL stages/sets which I freaked out over. I couldn't control myself. My brother even volunteered to take part in a mock-broadcast. Last we went up the empire state building at night, we didn't stay long because it was super crowded but the view was really gorg. Our last day we saw a bit of the 9/11 memorial and saw the Statue of Liberty from the shore. We also took the subway a few times which was really cool obviously. Confusing but cool. Along the way I got to try a bunch of American food such as Chick Fil A, girl guide Snickers, cherry Dr. Pepper, Wendy's strawberry lemonade etc. etc. Once we got home we had about 4 days before leaving again, this time with my mother. We went up to Tobermory where we went snorkeling around a sunken ship, took a glas bottom boat tour, tried a fish taco and went in a grotto. The weather was absolute shit cold and rainy the whole 5 days but whatever. I managed to read 3 books on the trip which was great. Then we went to Collingwood and saw fossils, went to Wasaga beach (not really worth the hype in my opinion, just your regular beach with tourists stores), went touring some caves, went across a huge suspension bridge and did a high ropes challenge at the Blue Mountains resort. I also had some really good poutine. Now I'm back home for a while, I've got a concert this weekend and next weekend I'm going camping with the whole gang a few hours away. I'vemissed 4 weeks of work and counting so my funds are dwindling down, I've got to register for my college classes and talk to my boss but everything's going good. I think I'm gonna get my hair cut this week. Maybe. Anyways...............