BaffinPaddler - http://baffinpaddler.blogspot.com

OK, the time has come to feed the hungry paddler who needs to warm the belly and likely other parts after a spring paddle in the North. Maybe the gear got wet one way or another, the wind picked up, and it was a rigorous paddle. Back home, or resting on a shoreline for a break, a hot and hearty meal is gonna feel good. When I first started the BaffinPaddler blog two years ago, a paddler/kayak instructor asked me, "What's your blog about? Recipes?" I thought that was a funny remark coming from a guy to a girl paddler with a paddle blog! I like spending as little time in the kitchen as possible and even less time doing dishes. The BaffinPaddler outdoor, paddle, and travel blog is not about recipes, but what the heck, maybe we can throw in a few once in a while. Paddlers need to eat. Paddlers love to eat. Some even like to cook. So here goes, a simple, easy to make hearty pork tenderloin stew with veggies and potatoes to pop into your wide-mouth thermos for a g

Valley Sea Kayaks on Camelot Island, 1000 Islands, Ontario. Canada Here's a little exploration of neighbors. Having neighbors and being a neighbor. Don't you just love it . . . ? Camelot Island Neighbors is a story from the perspective of a sea kayaker (me) on an island in the 1000 Islands off Gananoque , Ontario, Canada, kayak camping for the first time with the Boreal Baffin sea kayak last August with a group of paddlers from Ottawa, Ontario. This trip really made me start to think about neighbors and the neighborhood. You can relate I'm sure. You have neighbors and you are a neighbor too. My next story about kayak camping on Camelot Island in the 1000 Islands is up on The Great Waterway , a cool new Ontario Tourism website where I'm a regular blogger. You can check it out if you like: Camelot Island Neighbors: My first kayak camping trip with the Boreal Baffin. Awesome! For more about the Camelot Island neighborhood visit: Setting up Camp on

“OK, you go first. I’ll wait.” I give wide berth to the tall ships. Sometimes I find this a tricky call in wide open spaces when a big boat looks far away, and I can’t judge its speed or set path. “Can we make it?” When paddle buddies and guides respond, “I think so . . .”, it gives me an adrenalin rush of the worst kind! Crossing boat channels and wide open spaces when you’re the littlest guy makes me feel better when we travel in bright coloured pods. When in doubt, we wait and take a pic instead. Notice all the pics? There's a lot of waiting and wondering what to do sometimes. Sitting still isn't always the best option either. You're harder to see. The movement of the paddle blade is often the first thing people spot on a moving kayak in the distance. But a barrage of fast moving lobster boats going this way and that are another story. How do you figure out this crossing now? Look at all the lobster buoys scattered everywhere in the Deer Isle Archipelago o

 Spending time at a beautiful crossroads on the way to Stonington, Maine, USA in August with the Maelstrom Vital 166 and Maelstrom Vaag 174 sea kayaks. Have you ever been there? Ever wonder how you get where you’re going sometimes . . . Paddle Partner:  “Now what? Which way is the right way?” Me: “Left is right.” Paddle Partner: “What!” Me: “The right way is left.” Paddle Partner: “Are you sure?” Me: “Yes.” Paddle Partner: “How do you know?” Me: “I’m navigator! I’m looking at a MAP! Turn LEFT!” Paddle Partner: “Yeah, but . . . what if you’re wrong?” Me: “Then go any way you wish. We’ll end up somewhere, just maybe not STONINGTON! ” Paddle Partner: “I think I’ll go left.” When you spend a lot of time in the same place, there must be a reason This was a beautiful crossroads en route to Stonington , Maine to paddle the Deer Isle Archipelago last summer with Maine paddle buddies. Worth spending a little extra time to linger there using whatever excuse you n