Last month I had the pleasure of leaving my very old family mini-van in the garage for a week and test driving the 2019 Ford Fusion Energi hybrid. I have never driven a hybrid plug-in vehicle before and it was an enlightening experience! The Energi has three modes that let you choose gas, electric or a combination of both. There is also a convenient app that lets you monitor and schedule charging for your vehicle from just about anywhere to help you extend your battery range. I was blown away by how little (to almost zero) gas I had used by the end of the week.

Besides using the car to do my regular day to day errands and school drop offs, I wanted to get the Ford Energi out on the road and go on a fun outing with the kids. So we decided to check out the opening weekend at Stanley’s Olde Maple Lane Farm. We have checked out a lot of different sugar shacks in the Ottawa area (you can see my blog post on all of the best here), but this was actually our first time visiting Stanley’s. We were so lucky with the weather! Two degrees above freezing and sunny…perfect for wandering around the sugar bush.

I loved the large wooden building where Stanley’s holds banquets, and their weekend brunch. We decided to start with brunch and then walk around the property after.

Brunch at Stanley’s is all you can eat and it was so good! Pancakes, french toast and waffles were all options on the menu. It was busy, but not too busy and there is a lot of seating. We didn’t feel rushed and the kids and I had plenty of time to go up for seconds.

After breakfast we enjoyed walking around the farm and going for a horse drawn carriage ride through the snow. There is no charge for visiting the farm but there is a fee for horse rides and maple taffy on the snow.

We had to wait a little while for our turn on the carriage ride but the wait was worth it. The horse drawn sleigh ride isn’t short, and you can expect to go on a good, long loop around the property.

After our carriage ride we visited the barn and made friends with a variety of farm animals including an adorable donkey. Then it was time for some maple taffy on the snow (so hard to resist…but so so sticky!).

It was really a great day, and I would definitely go back to Stanley’s again. I loved their brunch and thought the farm was beautiful. Now that spring is around the corner and the sap is starting to flow there will be even more to check out around the sugar bush.

Then we got back into our Ford Energi and started to head home on those pot-holed filled roads we are so used to driving in Ottawa. Despite the terrible road conditions, the Ford Energi really provided a smooth ride. I really appreciated the car’s advanced driver assist technologies that included a lane-keeping system and pre-collision assist which provides automatic emergency breaking. Overall though, what really blew me away about this ride was the hybrid plug-in technology. It really has me thinking that my next vehicle needs to be an energy efficient car.