Insults In The Dark – 2012

Well another year and another successful trip with the guys. As our numbers dwindle, our trips change and evolve.

This year we did a cottage trip and we managed to snag a rental up near St-Sauveur (within a 30 minute drive). We hiked, played board games, read, watched the Olympics and a bit of Netflix, kayaked, swam and biked. I also managed to get caught up on sleep after my whirlwind trip down to Ohio a few weeks prior to this getaway.

Here’s the summary…

A short day – Left at 4pm and after a pitstop in Montebello for an average meal at Le Zouk (good service and atmosphere though), I know many females who would be envious of the double sink setup. we took the new section of Hwy 50 (need to update my GPS as it thought we were offroad) and got to the cottage at around 7pm. After surveying our abode, we chose the sleeping arrangements and settled in which took all of 10 minutes – we then proceeded to crack open a board game, Agricola, and played that for the evening. In retrospect, I have to say that it was my favourite board game of the weekend and it involved no orcs, elves or swords in the abdomen. It was surprisingly peaceful pleasant and very strategic (the element of chance is practically non-existent in this game).

Day 2 – Saturday
Oh dear god, it burns.Shared a double bed with Bennett and it was a non-restful experience. The noisiest bed in the world ensured that neither of us got any sleep and we quickly discovered that when sunrise occurred somewhere at 6:30am, it was directly in our faces. After the crew was up, we hung out, played with the paddle boat (fastest one I’ve ever been on). Kevin and I did some recon up at St-Sauveur to find some hiking trails and after a rude concierge at a local hotel told us to go to the Info kiosk for help (after he asked if he could help us), we found some good hiking options. We headed home to report in and after dinner, we played Small World and watched some American Dad. Bennett slept on a sofa and we each got much better sleep. The sun reminded of us of its existence as soon as it came up.

After another relaxing morning, the four of us decided to go hiking up at Mt. Rolland near St-Adele. After a quick 40 minute drive and a $6/person entry fee, we were ready to see what this place had to offer. Once we were done, we headed back to St-Sauveur to offset any calories we had lost by having some ice cream to cool down on this 35c day. After looking around for a bit, I realized that Tobermory had a rival in the Tourist Trap category. Have to say that I could have just sat down and people watched for a good 2 hours. After a returning home and taking in a quick kayak, we ate and played Cyclades which was a lot of fun and then capped it off with more American Dad.

The Burning Sun paid us a visit once again in the early hours of the morning. Jonathan and I finally noticed there was a communal sleeping mask beside the bed and after realizing it was meant to allow people to sleep in a bit longer, we did a collective ‘ewwww’. Even if it washed every time – something didn’t sit well with me. After breakfast, I downloaded AutoRap on my Nexus and made a personalized rap for Kevin which he did not enjoy for some reason (guess he didn’t like the parts that mocked his home, work and sex life – go figure). The other guys found it quite humourous though so at least my 10 minutes of effort was appreciated.

For the afternoon, Joe/Jonathan hung out at the cottage while Kevin and I headed up to St-Adele to find another hiking trail. We found the spot that had been pointed out to us on the previous day. We were delighted to find out that it was free though we did pay an intangible price. A 15 minute discussion with the park entrance guide. By the time we were done, Kev and I were eager to get away on just about any trail, though we did get a lot of extra info about the local area. After 2 hours and a bit of regret for wearing Keens for the hike, we made it back to the parking lot and returned home for a quick swim and another satiating dinner. I was pretty tired so I passed on the board games that evening – Cyclades was on the table once again (so punny!). After the games were done, we caught a few American Dad’s (love that show).

By this day, Bennett and I were getting used to having our retinas seared and once the guys were up, we headed down to the lake to have some fun. Joe/Bennett on the paddle boat while Kevin and I took the kayaks. Lax Bixley, our playground. While we were testing the efficiency of me towing the paddle boat, we discovered that if you put weight on the front of the paddle boat, it will take on water due to some cracked seals. Once we discovered that it wasn’t going to make it to shore, Bennett bailed and Joe hopped into the back. After our little water adventure, we spent the rest of the morning lounging. In the afternoon, Kevin and I headed off to St-Adele so that he could rent a bike and we hit the trail known as “Le Petit Train du Nord”. After a long climb up and up and up, we made the timely decision to turn around. After 11km of a relaxing descent, we made it back to the parking lot with about 10 seconds to spare before the thunder storm rolled in. After a return trip home to clean up, the 4 of us then headed back into St-Sauveur to have dinner at Rio’s Restaurant during a fun thunder storm which knocked out the power in the restaurant for about 10 seconds. Returned home and we played Bohnanza much to the chagrin of Bennett. Afterwards, big surprise, we watched some American Dad.

By this day, Bennett and I were getting used to having our retinas seared and once the guys were up, we headed down to the lake to have some fun. Joe/Bennett on the paddle boat while Kevin and I took the kayaks. Lax Bixley, our playground. While we were testing the efficiency of me towing the paddle boat, we discovered that if you put weight on the front of the paddle boat, it will take on water due to some cracked seals. Once we discovered that it wasn’t going to make it to shore, Bennett bailed and Joe hopped into the back. After our little water adventure, we spent the rest of the morning lounging. In the afternoon, Kevin and I headed off to St-Adele so that he could rent a bike and we hit the trail known as “Le Petit Train du Nord”. After a long climb up and up and up, we made the timely decision to turn around. After 11km of a relaxing descent, we made it back to the parking lot with about 10 seconds to spare before the thunder storm rolled in. After a return trip home to clean up, the 4 of us then headed back into St-Sauveur to have dinner at Rio’s Restaurant during a fun thunder storm which knocked out the power in the restaurant for about 10 seconds. Returned home and we played Bohnanza much to the chagrin of Bennett. Afterwards, big surprise, we watched some American Dad.