Lost among the ruins of agriculture

Forgotten
Empey Hill, ON
January 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

It's mid-afternoon in the middle of Ontario. I've just left the OnRoute rest stop after spending entirely too much time there doing nothing, because that's what rest stops are for. I was wiped, and the break did me some good.

As I accelerate back onto the highway, I see some smoke on the horizon. I don't give it much thought, as it's a common sight on a super-cold Canadian-winter day. But the plume continues to grow and darken, until it's obvious something's up. As my traumatized brain makes the connection, a police cruiser, lights flashing, passes me at warp speed, its pressure wave shoving me to the right.

Soon enough, traffic stops dead, and as the cops detour us off the highway, I can see an 18-wheeler burning like a roman candle in the distance. I say a prayer and follow the line.

Doofus that I am, I turn right instead of left when we get to the first intersection, and soon find myself alone in the hinterlands, clearly lost. I stop the car at an empty church to get my bearings. As I play with the GPS, I realize I'm surrounded by ruined farm buildings and some impossibly gorgeous landscape.

The angel and devil over my shoulders start to argue. I've got to get home tonight, but I can't help but think the universe has other plans for me today. The devil wins, so I reach into the back seat, grab my camera, and head out for a fast shoot.

The time stamps say I was there for 6 minutes before I packed everything away, got back into the car and turned on every source of heat to thaw out my now-frozen self. Sometimes you need to follow the little voice inside that says adventure must win today. Sometimes you need to ignore the voice of reason and just let those random moments play themselves out.

#deseronto #ontario #onroute #random #country #farm #street #photography #shoot #shooting #trees #highway #weather #wx #road #trip #travel #car #auto #automotive #carporn #stella #canon #canon_photography #canonphotography #ontario #canada #family #is #everything