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# Jason’s Birthday and Nikki’s Bash
- URL: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/kayak-birthday/
- Published: 2012-07-04T14:00:25.000Z
- Updated: 2017-04-27T21:03:52.000Z
- Author: Jason
- Tags: Adventures, Canada, Van & RV Life, #wp, #Import 2023-10-03 16:11, #Import 2023-12-05 14:16

Friday June 22, 2012 – Turning 31

This morning I’m woken by my mom at 6:30 am “we’re gonna be late”. I push Nikki awake and hop out of bed. Today is my 31st birthday, and other than a few extra hairs in my ears and a small case of moobs I feel pretty good. We rush out of the RV and we’re off for white water kayaking.

We arrive 15 minutes early and the guides look at us like we’re 3 hours early. Let’s just say in this part of Canada it doesn’t work like the states. Before we know it we’re joined by 100+ kids from a nearby high school. Dang! After nearly 2 hours of waiting around we finally gear up and head out….I could have slept in longer or had one of Nikki’s famous breakfasts!

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/family-paddle.jpg "family paddle")

We’ve been white water rafting several times, and we’ve spent many hours in a kayak….but never have we been white water kayaking! Nervous, excited, anxious, I can describe my feelings in a million adjectives. We end up opting out of the tiny kayaks because we’ve never rolled in whitewater, however we’re outfitted with a sport-yak (duckie, etc. it’s a rubber kayak that airs up).

We’re 2 hours northwest of Montreal on the Rouge River. Drop in and you’re greeted with mild rapids and fairly swift water. 10 minutes of warm-up and you’re dropping into the first set of class III rapids. A short paddle down and you’re dropping into *washing machine.* Both rapids offer excitement, surfing, and in all of our cases a chance to swim (whether you want to or not). 3 hours of paddling and we’re loading up the boats and being carried upriver for lunch followed by round 2.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jason-paddle.jpg "jason paddle")

The New World Centre is the name of the adventure company we went out with. They snap a few pics along the way and video. Of course if you want the footage or images you pay a heafty price for them. Either way it’s loads of fun to see them when you are done!

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/almost-extreme-adventures.jpg "almost extreme adventures")![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jason-drown.jpg "jason drown")![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/marys-o-shit-face.jpg "marys o shit face")

At the end of the day Nikki had taken a beating: Her shoes we’re sucked up by the *forbidden wave*, *Elizabeth* threw her in the air and slammed her into a rock, and *washing machine* folded over her kayak and smacked her face into her paddle. She sucked it up, spit our pieces of her tooth, and finished the paddle (and that’s why I love this woman!).

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e9/26/e9265740-cf9f-4d22-8ec3-333b3b0a4788/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/busted-lip.jpg "busted lip")

We celebrated (illegally) by the car with some homemade antiseptic: Cider from Picton!

Thanks mom for coming out and taking us on the water! One helluva way to celebrate number 31.