Independence Day

We planned this camping trip several months in advance. July 4th is one of the busiest days at the state parks and you need to book early to be assured a camping spot. It was a long weekend so we traveled up to the northwest of Connecticut on Friday and camped for 2 nights at Macedonia Brook State park. There were six of us total - two guys that I work with, and the wives.
Here's Russ breaking in his new stove. It was fajitas for dinner that night and they were excellent.
On Friday evening we went for a short hike to overlook the forest. It was later that night that the clouds rolled in and we had heavy rain for most of the night. Luckily the weather cleared up just before lunch time. We decided to kayak down a local river and called a local company to see if they had any space left on their bus. Well, because of the rain, lots of people had canceled and we were able to go. The weather was warm and sunny for the rest of the day.
Evenings were spent around the camp fire chatting and toasting marshmallows.
With it being Independence Day, the Americans were celebrating their independence from the British in 1776. There were no fireworks but there were sparklers, with which we decided to try some experimental photography.
Torches (flashlights) work well also.