Single Mom Thug Life: Solo Female Traveler. Part One. The Via Rail Cross Canada Expedition.

I think I was born into the senses of an adventurer. My Mom tells me that my Dad would just get in the car and go. He would stop in different towns, talk to people, look in graveyards and epitaphs and usually libraries for all the historical stories and then just drive to the next town....and repeat.

In 2019 while awaiting my ethics approvals for my research with young people in Southern Ontario, I picked up a book and decided it would be an adventure to read the book while on a train. I had chosen a book by Laura Ann Stohler, probably one of my favorite Anthropologists because of her method of storytelling. The title was "Across the Archival Grain".

I hopped on the TTC from York University to the Via Rail Union Station and met a woman who sold me my ticket. She was retiring on that very day! I was in tears as I bought the ticket and she asked me why. I said it would be my first time traveling solo and so far away from all of my children. She consoled me, saying it would be a grand adventure and wanted a selfie with me!!

If I recall correctly, I had something like 30 days to go from Toronto to Halifax, Halifax to Toronto, check in on my children (they are all adults btw), then Toronto to Vancouver and back. Economically, I chose economy with no berth. I am after all a student on student funds. This meant I would be sleeping next to strangers. And this unnerved me.

Preparations began. I'll admit, I delayed a bit. I was hesitant to go, but excited at the same time. I decided to bring the least amount of baggage possible and my photography equipment was as heavy as my backpack. I planned my wardrobe to be completely black so I could mix and match at my leisure, as well as layer my clothing. I had never been to the East Coast and thought it would be somewhat chilly (it was).

In this photo pre-trip I am showing off my new backpack and side pack. I am sans camera equipment which sat on the other hip and across my right shoulder. This was all I thought I needed for the duration of the trip. I was wrong. I misjudged badly. But that was the trip west, not on this particular trip.

The via rail to Halifax was quite lovely, actually. The diner car was lively and I met several fellow travelers as we watched the spectacular sunset together. I wasn't quite prepared for the coolness of the fans in the train car as I slept though and was thankful for my last minute purchase of a proper rain jacket.

I had rented a house on Echo Lake and ended up further outside of Halifax than intended. Thankfully, it came with a nice vehicle I could make use of to do my discoveries. I had a few activities planned and as it turned out they were all separated from each other across large distances!

The first day was to discover the downtown of Halifax. Of course I toured all the breweries and pubs as well as marveled in the old and new architecture. People were overly friendly, outgoing, and caring everywhere I wandered. The lobster at this specific oceanside restaurant was wonderful and had come recommended by the gentleman who owned the house I had rented. The red shawl was one of the most lovely an necessary additions I could have never thought to ask for and was supplied to every patron on the patio. I returned to my 'residence' for the evening and enjoyed the evening view over Echo Lake from a heightened vantage point.

I awoke early to the next adventure; tidal bore surfing. I had read many descriptions of it and imagined it quite a dangerous force of water where the tide was to rise by 25 feet. It was measured as one of or the highest in the world.

Upon finally finding the location as a very directionally challenged person who disbelieves and argues with google map directions, I strapped on my go pro, life jacket, and water gear and promptly "bumped" into a cousin I had never met before also prepping for the adventure! This itself was one of the greatest highlights of my trip!

I want to say that I braved the tidal bore with a generous and heroic nature. It definitely was fun, but although I had been training up the strength in my legs for at least a year, I ended up bounced to the bottom of the boat several times whilst everyone else hung on!

Heading into the tidal bore at the high cliffs aligning the shores, I witnessed my first bald eagle possessing a beauty and elegance I only ever imagined from photographs. The water was only on the edge of salty but a murky brown that told the story of its force to carry sand and mud at high speeds. Following the initial 'bore' our kodiak returned again and again to surf them!

I had been looking forward to the traditional mud sliding following the surfing adventure, however, as it turns out, this was too much of a cooler time of year.

The adventure was thrilling, fun, educating, and my first as a true solo female traveler ever, in my entire life. I didn't want to return to my air B&B quite yet. I knew that there was more to my journey that needed to be felt.

I will profess to having forgotten the name of the beach from which I encountered the Atlantic Ocean in all of its glory. I sat there for quite sometime recollecting my thoughts on my journey inside this world and the part I planned to play within it. In fact I was already, and when that notion hit my senses, I cried. I have always been a person that finds solace in being near water. Having had such a tumultuous life, I realized in those long moments that it was time to turn a corner and step into the next grand adventure as I transitioned from the fight of being #singlemomthuglife to the grand adventures afoot as a #solofemaletraveler.

Unbeknownst to how my new journey would evolve, I had listened to my heart and jumped in with both feet. Feet that would take me so far outside of my comfort zone, and I craved that adventure. It was the realization that I had done well by my children as a single mom and that I could now trust them to jumpstart their own journeys. I am still baby stepping my way through the letting go for my children. This first Maritime train ride was just the beginning. The next to Vancouver, is the next story (Part 2). # Vxo

About the Author. Veronica Hendrick is an Anthropologist and has been a single Mom for almost 18 years now. Some of her experiences are poignant, others just down right ludacris bubbles inside her imagination! Her father was an Irish Storyteller of high regard and she is just trying to step into his oh so big stride. On a more serious note, Veronica is also an advocate for at risk women everywhere and encourages them to step outside of what society says they can do and to start dictating to society what they choose to do instead.