Waterbabies

It has been one crazy week; baking for some craft fairs, getting sick, and starting with a new student (hopefully she doesn’t catch my cold). To top it off we were having computer/internet issues so no posts were happening at all. As a result I have a bunch stockpiled waiting to be posted when the computer cooperated – finally problem solved (new modem!!) With this going on I thought a post about a summer trip was due, especially with our 8cm snowfall a few days ago.

This July my sister came up for a weekend of fun and adventure. We were going rafting!!

Last summer we had joined in with the summer program and we had a fabulous time. We couldn’t believe we had waited so long. This year we had the same plan, but with life sometimes plans change. The price with the summer program was more expensive this year and the students only do one run so we decided to forgo the Ottawa River and instead made our way to River Rouge in Eastern Quebec. 

I called up Eau Vive and made a reservation for a full day of rafting (one morning run and an afternoon run). I needed to send a follow-up email asking about lunch and if they could accommodate me. The office and kitchen said that they had some fruit and vegetables for the lunch, but they were unsure if the lunchmeats were gluten-free. However, I was more than welcome to bring something and they would be happy to bring it to the lunch stop. This sounded like a great idea and on the day of our trip I had a little plastic container with everything I might need to get me through the afternoon.

We left Ottawa early and arrived just in time for our safety lesson. We were so happy and excited – the weather was gorgeous and sunny. Once at the launch site we met our guide and rafting mates, and after some translating my sister knew what to do on the French commands (I realized my French is pretty decent). We received some more tips and jumped into the water – literally. We had to practice getting back in, and ironically no one wanted to as the water was the perfect temperature for a summer’s day.

Back in the raft we made our way to the rapids – some were small and some were fast. We had so much fun. We were the only company on the water for the whole morning and so we had ample opportunity to circle around and ‘play’ in the rapids. It was surprising how quickly lunch arrived and at the lunch spot I heard my name being called. There was my little container. I took out my Udi’s bread slices, drizzled on some mustard and topped it with fresh veggies. Along with my Taste of Nature granola bar I had some protein and vitamins for the rest of the day (plus an apple too). As we got ready for round two, the staff happily took my container back to base camp for me (at least they seemed okay with it).

Our second run was the same as the first. The sun was high in the sky and the warmth felt good; a little too good actually as some of our crew were losing steam. We made our way through the rapids, again having a blast and high-fiving at the end of each one.  During one of the larger rapids we managed to flip – at first a terrifying experience, but then you remember what to do. My cheap wrap-around sunglasses were pressed hard against my eyes allowing me to open my eyes a bit and I could get my bearings (rapids look so cool below the surface!). Because we had a good guide we all knew what to do and actually thought the experience was pretty cool.

It wasn’t long before we were nearing the end of our trip down the river. It was sad to be over, but also good because we were tired. Back at the base camp we had dinner – steak, potatoes, and salad. There was also dessert (squares and cakes of some sort) and fresh fruit. We didn’t stick around for long as we needed to set up our tent. It ended up being relatively simple and after we set everything up we just hung out with a beverage (coolers for my sister and Nickelbrook for me). We watched people milling about, collecting wood for a campfire, and then we got bored. We’re busy people and like to stay busy most of the time. We went up to the camp restaurant/bar thinking many people would be there relaxing after a busy day. We were surprised to see it was only staff hanging about. We got ourselves a cooler (the only gf option) and joined them. Being two anglo-girls the male guides were happy to practice their English with us (and most spoke English really well); it was nice as after a long day my French was not doing too great.

We returned back to our tent wanting and needing a good night’s sleep. Thankfully we had brought warm sleeping bags as the night quickly cooled down (it was cold!) and I say ‘thankfully’ because my sister only wanted to take a few blankets since the weather was so warm. Morning came faster than it should have and we had a small little breakfast in our tent (fruit, Udi’s and some gf salami). Needing some coffee we made our way to the bar. To our surprise they were serving breakfast (we didn’t know so if you book, check to see what gf accommodations they can make). The coffee was good and we just sat outside in the sunshine. It was going to be another beautiful day. We took a walk down the road enjoying the early peace and quiet. Some kayakers were out on the river already taking advantage of the warm water.

We had a blast at Eau Vive and if we go rafting again, there’s a good chance we’ll go with them (two runs with two meals, plus camping for $100). It seemed as though they were the only ones with two runs, although other places down the road had entertainment in the evening. After two runs, the entertainment may be wasted on me. There was also a small restaurant just a short walk up the road from the base camp that was serving breakfast. I need to remember that for next year. We had a decent breakfast, but theirs smelled better.