After nearly 30 years, three friends have reunited to update their collaborative effort to find the best day trips, and the fruit of their labour is now available for sale.
Author Lynne Barnes, Keri Lockhart and Beverley Smith are re-releasing their book Backroads of Southern Georgian Bay: The Best of the Region, Revealed this week. The book highlights 11 day trips off the beaten path throughout the southern Georgian Bay area and includes historical facts, map illustrations by Smith and recipes for picnic lunches and snacks created by Lockhart.
The trio had previously released the book in the 1990s, and were inspired to get together again to update the existing routes, maps and recipes and add a few new ones.
“It’s been a lot of fun having the three of us do this together again. We’re (excited) to bring back a new version of the book,” said Barnes.
Trips include biking along a path that was once an Ojibwa hunting trail, driving along an explorer's trade route and visiting places like Little Egypt, Rob Roy and Hurlburt's Landing.
The original 1990s version was self-published by the group.
“I had done some backroading articles for a local magazine. I thought it would be fun for Keri to do recipes and Beverley do maps and kind of came up with this vision,” said Barnes. “Luckily, they both said yes.”
She says the original version of their book ended up on The Globe and Mail’s bestseller list at the time.
Flash forward nearly 30 years, and Barnes said she received a call from Smith.
“She said, ‘There’s so many new people in the area, and a lot of the road names have changed. Let’s redo the book,’” said Barnes. “Beverley wanted to redo some of her maps, and also, the way people eat has changed. You wouldn’t have put kale in a recipe 30 years ago.”
Barnes, who lives in Meaford, has visited the southern Georgian Bay area since she was two years old and chose it as her forever home nearly 40 years ago. Lockhart lives in Thornbury, while Smith lives in Duncan.
“This is such a beautiful area. Unless you get onto the back roads, you don’t necessarily see all of that,” said Barnes.
Of the 11 day trips highlighted in the book, Barnes says her favourite is one from Collingwood to Creemore and Dunedin.
“Dunedin is just so pretty,” she said. “There’s also one called The Schoolhouse Journey, too.”
Barnes, Lockhart and Smith will be participating in an author talk on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at the L.E Shore Memorial Library in Thornbury where copies of their book will be available for purchase.
In Collingwood, the book is available at Coriander Life on Hurontario Street and at the Collingwood Museum. It is also available for purchase through Amazon or Indigo.
