I cut my hair off!

You know when you write something awesome and then somehow delete it and realize that it wasn't saved anywhere on your computer?  I just did that.  I want to scream, but that wouldn't be socially acceptable in this cutie patootie cafe.  BLURG!  

Do I look like a 12 year old boy?

As a symbolic gesture of the changes going on in my life (major travel, quitting my job, moving to Asia, etc) I decided to make another major change - I  CUT ALL OF MY HAIR OFF, YO (see above)!  I've had long hair since like grade 11, so it was time for a change, and why not make the most dramatic change possible if you're going to do it at all, right?  I also thought it would be more practical considering the limited access that Duncan and I will have to showers on our journey.  So far, the practicality has proven true - I haven't showered in three days (although I have swam and that's kind of like a bath with no soap) and I'm still feeling relatively clean; washing my face in cafe bathrooms has really helped!  I also haven't had to comb or braid my hair, which, when your hair is half way down your back takes precious time.  I think I could get used to this short hair thing...

So, we're stuck in Huntsville right now, and because there is little else for me to do, this blog can expect more frequent posts.  Since it's pretty pricey to camp in provincial parks these days and the 18 hour a day pouring rain doesn't allow for much fun outside, Dunc and I have opted to live out of the van for the weekend.  We found an awesome empty parking lot at the Hidden Valley Ski Resort with a view of the lake, and trees to hide us from the local cottagers - score!  We have a pretty nice setup there actually.  When our beds are laid out in the back and all of our gear is piled up in the rear window, the van is kind of like the forts that I used to build out of blankets and boxes as a kid, except way cooler!  We duct taped a light to the ceiling so we can play cards well after dark without blinding each other with head lamps.  With the sun roof open we can see the stars above (well, we saw them for 10 minutes last night when the clouds broke).  There are lots of little cubbies to store stuff conveniently, and the front tire is great for leaning on at midnight when you have to pee and just can't bring yourself to trek into the bush.  We have a little seagull buddy who hangs out close by, patiently hoping for scraps from what we cook under cover of the trunk hatch, and a beaver even paid us a visit this morning - not bad for a parking lot!      

Seagull Buddy and Beaver in the back.

Plus, we found this great cafe, Soul Sistas http://www.soulsistas.ca/, on the main drag in Huntsville with delicious gluten-free quiche, lentil soups, fair trade coffee, and best of all free wireless internet!  Needless to say, we've been camping out here a lot to escape the wetness and to get our web on.  

Sweet potato salad, lentil soup, and leek & mushroom quiche. Yum!

Thanks for the internet Soul Sistas!

So, the new plan - we're heading to Algonquin on Tuesday morning bright and early (fingers crossed for no rain since the deposit is non-refundable) to start our way on the Highland Backpacking Trail where we'll be for 4 days, hiking a 19km loop around Provoking Lake.  Got that?  So if you don't hear from us by Monday next week, call in the search parties.