After years of traveling to speak at social media conferences and staying in stuffy hotels, I was looking forward to a weekend away at the cottage. Sometimes when people say "cottage," they really mean a house on the lake, but for this trip I was staying in a cabin on my in-law's lakeside property so it was as close to camping as I've been in a while.
The drive up north was a great way to unwind from busy life in the city. Thanks to satellite radio and a smooth driving experience, we traveled comfortably during our three-hour trip from rush hour traffic to dirt roads. Like most of our travels, I sat in the backseat to entertain our son. As he chomped away on snacks and juice, I was happy to be sitting in leather seats that are easy to wipe clean (these are things I would never have thought of before becoming a Mom, but now they are of the utmost importance). I was also thrilled that our 600km roundtrip in the Ford Focus didn't even eat up a tank of gas (Ford cites that after a fill-up, you will be able to travel approximately 902 highway kilometers on the Titanium Hatch model).
When we arrived at the cottage, night time was sneaking up on us, so we had a few things to do to get settled. I was entirely focused on our campfire that night and made a special trip into the local town to get all we needed for S'mores. While my in-laws had never made this campfire snack before, I consider myself an expert of sorts. This time around, I found a great all-in-one kit so we had everything we needed to squish melted marshmallows and chocolate between two tasty graham crackers.
With a small fire in the works, we nestled around the flames and enjoyed every roasting moment. I also took some time out to check out a new app I had been anxious to try called Pocket Universe, an iPhone download that lets you explore the night sky. With five of us eating away, it quickly became apparent that we needed more marshmallows. My perfect little kit only had 10 marshmallows, so I welcomed the opportunity to take a quick drive down the road to the nearby campground to scoop up another pack in the park store.
As I was backing down the long dirt lane, I was happy to have the rearview camera so I could avoid running into a tree (I'm a good driver, but navigating the woods is never fun). Once I was face-forward on the road, I appreciated the "Dragon Eye quad beam halogen headlamps" to get me to where I was going (this is just a fancy term for funky headlights that give the car a space-age feel and give the driver a bright path). Although the Ford Focus looks pretty slick on city streets, I have to say it fit in quite nicely in the country as well. It's roomy, easy to keep clean, and most importantly, it's got all the bells and whistles for some serious time on the highway roads.
Follow Amber on Twitter at ( #AmberFordFocus). Check out the all new Ford Focus on Facebook or at Ford.ca