We didn’t really have a set schedule. The only things that we planned were the cities that we needed to be in each night so the driving would be spaced out enough for us to be able to rest and see things. We aimed to do between 3-5 hours a day and arranged the time spent in the car around my work schedule.

That day, I had a meeting at 3pm so we made sure to be sitting down in a spot with wifi by then. We decided to leave at around 9am, giving us ample time to get there and to take a break in between. The first stop we made was for Costco Gas in Barrie since it was cheaper. Since I was working, he got gas and went inside to get us lunch. On his way out, he dropped a hot dog and the lady at the counter gave him another one without asking (bless her).

The drive up to Sudbury was alright; there wasn’t much traffic and the cell phone signal was strong except for the last 20 minutes or so before we arrived in Sudbury. What shocked me the most was the immediate landscape change in Northern Ontario. It was suddenly just really rocky and they were still there in downtown Sudbury.

We had about an hour before my meeting, so we decided to go see the Big Nickel before checking in and settling down. It was only a 10-minute drive from our hotel and there was no one there when we arrived. We were both in awe of the Big Nickel and ran around it like kids at a candy store as Hohyun took pictures.

The place we stayed at for the night was at the Super 8 by Wyndham Sudbury, which had all the basic amenities we needed and was a good, cheap place to stay. We quickly checked in and moved all our stuff in before my meeting, and after work was done for the day, we went to see Sudbury’s main tourist attractions. Hohyun had done most of the accommodation bookings and sightseeing planning, so I usually had no idea what/where they were until I showed up to them.

#1: Science North

On our way to his first destination, we saw signs pointing towards Science North and decided to just turn in anyway since we were passing by. It was closed because of covid, but there were a couple sculptures out front that were slightly interesting. As someone who likes museums, I was pretty bummed out but would definitely come back and visit another day.

#2: Lake Laurentian Conservation Area

This place was only 15 minutes from downtown Sudbury and felt like it should’ve been further away from the city given how nature-esque it was. We only had time to do one short, easy trail (the Chickadee Loop, which was supposed to take 45 minutes) but it took us a lot longer since we kept stopping to take pictures. The trail was a lot rockier than the trails I was used to in Southern Ontario. The views of Lake Laurentian on the walk were spectacular too. There weren’t many people on the trail that day, which was an added bonus.

#3: Bell Park

He refused to tell me where we were going, so I had to sneak a look at the GPS on his phone as he was paying for parking to figure this out. It was a really nice park downtown with nice waterfront views, but the thing that surprised me the most was how bilingual Sudbury actually was. It was really fun for me to listen to people’s conversations as we walked by and understand all of it. I got a few aerial shots of the park, which was cool to see from above. There were a lot of small flies swarming us as I was shooting though.

We were getting hungry and tired of the flies, so we decided to get dinner. We searched up places online and decided on eating at Eddie’s Restaurant + Sports Bar, which was apparently known for its fish and chips. We each ordered a fish and chips and while we were doing so, I noticed this really funny sign which made me instantly like the place.

We asked for extra cutlery since we were going to be eating it in the room. Unfortunately, they didn’t have actual takeout cutlery, so the lady at the counter gave us their actual cutlery just so we could have some (bless her). She even gave us extra vinegar after Hohyun told her he liked vinegar. We took our food back to the room and changed into our workout clothes to do our daily workout prior to eating.

At the beginning of the trip, we had promised ourselves that we were going to do a 30 min HIIT workout every day using Hohyun’s 3 month Apple Fitness trial. How long this lasted is a different story. We decided to work out next to the Big Nickel that night because there was open space near there and we wanted to watch the sunset as well. The views were fantastic but the mosquitos were brutal.

We went back to the hotel afterwards given that we were tired and hungry and got ready for bed. The food was fantastic and was a great way to end the day. Every night before we slept, we’d plan out the next day’s driving schedule so we’d know when to leave (wake up) the next morning. I had 2 hour long back to back meetings at 8am and 9am. We decided that we’d leave Sudbury at 10am latest to make it to Sault Ste. Marie in time for my 2pm meeting so we ate, watched a bit of Superstore, then went to bed.