My 30th Birthday ended up being amazing. The night before Dan surprised me with one GIGANTIC firecracker. We brought it out to my parents house, had a BBQ, bonfire, then lit the ‘Grave Digger.’ According to the package it was to shoot 15 fireballs 60 meters into the air, and was complete with something called ‘Time Rain.’ Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was an awesome birthday gift. The memory of my dad and Dan venturing off into and empty field to light this gigantic bomb, followed by a few minutes of what I think was ‘Time Rain’, then as it promised, 15 amazing, glorious fire-balls shot into the sky. Afterwards we watched fireflies, and Dan and I headed home.
We hit the road around 10 on the 1st – Canada Day – and headed a few hours north to Restoule. I can’t say enough how beautiful this part of the country is. I just love the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Shield. It is glorious. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Canada Day.
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| Our Expertly packed CR-V. |
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| Not all photos are flattering… me devouring left over birthday cake! No make-up, and camping hair. |
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| Our camp set-up is getting more elaborate. |
The first day, we didn’t do much other than set-up camp, which is more involved now that we have a dining tent in addition to our sleeping tent… Dan decided he wanted to try his hand at a bow drill to make fire, so he scavanged some twigs and sticks from the bush, and was able to make lots of smoke, but not so much fire. Luckily, we also brought a lighter to start a fire!
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| Bow Drill… made smoke, no fire. |
We did two hikes – the fire tower trail which is a 2.5 hour long hike up a large rocky hill. The photo below shows the fire tower, which is the halfway point of the trail. It’s a pretty steep incline, but the lookout point is awesome and well worth the work!
On the third day we did a much smaller trail which is on the opposite side of the lake as the fire tower trail. It was pretty nice, with a rocky swimming area. We also came across a large snake, which was both cool and icky.
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| There is a snake hiding in that grass! |
We had many animal visitors including deer, a Raven (I think it was a raven, not a crow) who knocked my scissors off the picnic table and dunked his head in my coffee cup, two snakes – one swimming and one sunbathing, a raccoon, and a chipmunk with a weird scar on it’s head (fell out of a tree maybe?). We had one afternoon of rain, which was ok. I read then napped. In fact, I had an afternoon nap all three days.
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| Hello, deer. |
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| Sunset on our final night. |
Before our vacation, I made Dan and I both swimsuits. For myself, I converted the Jasmine Bra and Grace Panties into a really cute bikini that I will share tomorrow. I added boning for a little support and shaping. I was glad to finally have a bikini top that fit and bottoms that are flattering!
So, our vacation was great. Just what I needed. I am looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow, and am glad to be home with my dog… Anyone else doing any summertime travels this year?
9 Comments
Jenny
July 5, 2013 at 12:46 amHappy Birthday! Sounds like you had a really lovely, relaxing time, as all birthdays should be. Beautiful photos 🙂
Andrea
July 5, 2013 at 2:32 amHappy birthday! I've never camped before, but I'm so inspired by your post.
Marie
July 5, 2013 at 1:44 pmOoooh, Happy Birthday! Your photos are stunning, what a great way to spend such a special day(s). Can't wait to see your bikini!
gingermakes
July 5, 2013 at 2:33 pmHappy birthday, lady! What a wonderful and memorable way to spend your 30th! 🙂 I'm hoping to get up to Maine when my job ends in August. I'm a country girl at heart, despite spending the last 12 years living in large cities. 🙂
anto
July 5, 2013 at 4:57 pmI'm so happy you had a wonderful birthday! The pictures are so beautiful, that part of Canada is stunning!
Jill Wasiewicz
July 5, 2013 at 6:27 pmHappy Birthday! Your camping trip sounds great and the area looks idyllic! The photos are gorgeous! We just got back from our own camping trip. Such a great way to get away from daily life when the only décisions to be made are where to pitch the tent and which hiking trail to take 🙂
ZoSews
July 6, 2013 at 8:56 amHappy birthday! That landscape is stunning, and how cute is that deer!
Amelia Lovely
July 17, 2013 at 2:59 pmLooks amazing!
Molly
July 19, 2013 at 7:04 pmHappy birthday! I went camping with my guy for my birthday just a few days earlier, and was also rocking my me-made bathing suit! So fun.