Have you seen Google Trekker?

Have any of you seen this big blue ball bounding around on trails, crawling through caves, and making its way around other nooks and crannies that a car, bike, trolley, or even a snowmobile can't reach?

Google Trekker has been making its rounds across the world. And recently, it was spotted in Canada's 1000 Islands National Park.

Hello world! For three days, from August 20-22, 2013, Google Trekker visited the 1000 Islands National Park of Canada.

The views from Google Trekker around the world gives me chills of the best kind. It sure beats traditional Street View!

What is Google Trekker?

Google Trekker is a backpack-mounted, sophisticated camera system that captures 360-degree panoramic images. It weighs about 40 lbs and is worn by a Google operator who can leave the street and go anywhere a person can hike. It’s Google Maps Street View gone wild – I mean off-road.

Google Trekker needed a boat to get to the 1000 Islands trails on Camelot, McDonald, Mermaid, Beau Rivage islands, and more. I don't think you'd want to haul that 40 lbs pack and camera on a kayak!

For more information and pictures about Google Trekker in the 1000 Islands, my next story is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario Tourism website where I've been a regular blogger for three years:

Google Trekker in the 1000 Islands National Park

Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Credits: Special thanks to Parks Canada for providing me with information and images about Google Trekker in the 1000 Islands and other Canadian national parks and historic sites, and for answering my questions. Sophie Borcoman, is the Visitor Experience Manager for the 1000 Islands National Park of Canada and is the spokesperson for the Parks Canada project with Google in the 1000 Islands. Images courtesy of Parks Canada.

When one sport informs another . . . where's your center?

I love this question. I began thinking about it while cycling. I haven't cycled very much this summer, but why do I feel so strong and have so much cardio despite the heat and humidity?

Why do I feel more balanced? Why do my standing yoga poses (on land and in the studio) feel so much easier and grounded? I can hold them longer in comfort and relaxation.

Nothing hurts. My muscles are long and lean.

The only thing I did differently this year from past years was lots of SUP (Stand up Paddleboard). What I call "simple SUP". Just paddleboarding at a relaxed easy pace for an hour (or two) several times a week. Even 30 minutes feels good if that's all you've got time for, or if a thunderstorm rolls in and you have to get off the water.

The results of simple SUP, something I find just plain fun and easy, are amazing.

When one sport or practice informs another, they are complements to each other. Athletes call it cross-training.

When one sport or activity informs another, and improves your performance and feels good . . . where's your center?

It's in balance! There's harmony and good flow in your body and mind.

Enjoy the many benefits of SUP (Stand up Paddleboard)!
Happy trails.
I wish you a safe, peaceful, and happy Labor Day holiday.
The BaffinPaddler

SUP junkies unite

I'll admit, I've become a SUP (Stand up Paddleboard) junkie. I tried it last year for the first time in a group SUP lesson on a lake. This year we own two SUP boards, and I have introduced it to numerous people. So far, they all take to it within minutes.

I love to watch a new SUPer get on and listen to their reaction during the first trial, "Oui. C'est agreable comme sport!", "I like it!", "It's fun!", "It's tippy! I'm scared!".  Then watch how quickly their balance and confidence improves in 15-30 minutes. And the smile grows bigger. Both for me and for them.

These are all things I've said and felt too. It's normal to feel off balance at first.

But, it's worth giving this emerging sport a try. While you're having fun, you're also getting toned with a good low-impact, core and cardio workout. And, all the little twitch muscles (muscle fibres) you never knew you had, are engaged as well. You may feel some of them the next day or so. There's so much you can do with a SUP. You hardly feel like you're working out, unless you're pushing it for speed in a race, or surfing hard with it.

SUP yoga has become popular. But I still prefer yoga on solid ground. It is hard to ground yourself into the Earth, when it's a few feet under water!

I even introduced SUP to the family dog. Now, I don't have the board to myself any more. She loves it too and jumps on the board before I even get on. When I try to sneak out by myself, the dog runs down the dock and whines for me to come back and get her. All 45 pounds of her. The extra weight on the board (she rides in front) gives me a good workout, and she is good company.

Our dog, a Border Collie, Australian Shepherd mix is smart, highly trainable, and has good balance. The soft steady beat of the SUP paddle and the gentle glide of the board on flat calm water relaxes and fascinates her. Waves, wakes, wind, and the ripple of the water make her curious and surprised and test her balance, just like mine. She may stand, sit or lay down on the board, or jump off for a swim - but, only when I invite her, or if we lose our balance and fall off. She wears a doggie PFD.

It's a lot of fun to SUP with friends, family, and even the dog. Or alone. I find that after about 15 minutes of SUP paddling, whatever I was hanging on to in my body and mind starts to let go. I can feel it. It's awesome.

The SUP crowd is quickly growing around the world. As a fan of outdoor sports, paddling, and yoga, it's more than perfect for me in the heat and calm of summer.

I just wish the ducks didn't like it too!

Enjoy the SUP, but please also respect the dangers that can come with any paddle sport and stay safe. Don't launch from docks and rocky shorelines standing up. I've seen this far too many times. And, I do wear a PFD (life jacket). Most people don't.

My next story is up about SUP on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website where I'm a regular blogger, if you'd like to check it out.

Find your beach. Bring your SUP!

Happy paddle trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Have you camped in an oTENTik yet . . . ?

This is the best picture I could get from my kayak of the new oTENTik at Mallorytown Landing (Ontario, Canada) after a good day's paddle in the 1000 Islands. The beautiful sunshine and glare from the clear water in the St. Lawrence River kept getting in my way. It's a happy and welcome problem!

oTENTiks are exclusive to Parks Canada, new for 2013, and found in numerous awesome parks across Canada. In the summer of 2013, Thousand Islands National Park installed some oTENTik tents (a cross between a cabin and a tent) on the popular islands of Camelot, Gordon, and McDonald, and one on the mainland waterfront at beautiful Mallorytown Landing.

I tested the Mallorytown Landing oTENTik this August. Two thumbs up!

For more information about the new oTENTiks and images of Mallorytown Landing, my next story is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website where I'm a regular blogger. 

What I like about the cool new oTENTik at Mallorytown Landing in the 1000 Islands

Special thanks to the people at Parks Canada and Thousand Islands National Park for their awesome help and service. I really like the new oTENTiks and had a great trip in the region.

Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Do you like backcountry cycling routes?

I like urban cycles, but I especially enjoy a backcountry cycling route where I can get away from urban sprawl. Most cyclists do. 

I tested one of the Township of Rideau Lakes cycling routes in Delta, Ontario, Canada. It was refreshing! I hope you like open road and the sight of peaceful cows grazing in endless fields of green pasture, and a few more interesting sights along the way. 

For more information and images of the cycling route, my next story is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website where I'm a regular blogger. 

Backcountry Biking, Route 8, Rideau Lakes, Ontario

Enjoy the road with your bike! It just feels good

Happy trails.

The BaffinPaddler

Favourite day paddles - Narrows Lock to the village of Westport, Ontario, Canada

Upper Rideau Lake

Here's one of my favourite paddles to share with a friend or a group!  An 18 km (11.2 mile) round-trip day paddle crossing Upper Rideau Lake from Narrows Lock, part of the historic Rideau Canal, to the charming village of Westport, Ontario (Canada).

It’s an easy, uncomplicated route with open water and an awesome beach to stop at for a swim in clear, cool water along the way at Foley Mountain. Narrows Lock and Westport are both very kayak friendly. Two thumbs up!

Westport Harbor, kayak friendly dock

In Westport you can picnic along the shore or head over a footbridge into the village for a choice of restaurants, ice cream, bakery goods, chocolate, shops, and supplies.

For trip details and more images about this paddle route, my next story is up on The Great Waterway, a cool Ontario tourism website where I'm a regular blogger.

Kayaking Narrows Lock to Westport on Upper Rideau Lake. Two Thumbs Up!

Kayak friendly launch near Narrows Lock, Upper Rideau Lake, Ontario, Canada

Happy paddles!
The BaffinPaddler

Old dock or snapping turtles?

My paddle partner said, "I need to take a break ashore somewhere. Oh look. There's an old dock over there. Maybe I can climb out."

Me: "OK, I'll wait out here in the middle of the creek!"

Paddle partner: "Come over here with your camera! It's not an old dock. Look! It's a bunch of snapping turtles on a fallen log!"

Oh joy. Do I have to? There's a little current in the creek pushing me one way, and the wind is blowing 25 km/hr with 40 km/hr wind gusts pushing me the other way, and all I've got is a little hand-held snap'n'shoot camera with only a 3X zoom, and you want me to get a picture of this without scaring them all off the log if I get too close!

I did this for you turtle loving friends and almost lost my paddle.

Snapping turtles on fallen log, Lyndhurst Creek, Lower Beverley Lake, Delta, Ontario, Canada

My quick drift and shoot plan worked out, and the turtles stayed on the log while I cursed that I don't yet have a GoPro camera, and that I forgot my paddle leash on such a windy day. 

The pictures turned out fairly well for all the trouble they were to get. I've never seen this many snapping turtles in one place before. 

And notice the hierarchy for the best real estate. The bigger turtles are on the bigger end of the log with the best sun. Turtle size diminishes as the log narrows and disappears into the marsh grasses with less sun.

Depending on the image and the angle of the photos, I count 35 to 40 turtles. You can click on an image to enlarge it. The images are scaled down from the originals. 

Lyndhurst Creek, Lower Beverley Lake, Delta, Ontario, Canada

And the turtle stories continue. 

People keep making me stop and look at snapping turtles. I never notice them, or seem to care if I do, but they keep showing up and catching my attention one way or another.

I recently passed by a large female snapper laying her eggs and burying them next to a bike path route near a river where I was cycling. I cycled right past her, and someone said, "Hey, look . . . !"

Snapping turtle laying eggs, bike path, Moira River, Belleville, Ontario, Canada

I've got more pictures and a short video of this snapper laying her eggs in early June, and a cycling story of the bike route along the Moira River in Belleville, Ontario that I'll publish later.

One of my most popular BaffinPaddler posts is Turtles! People are interested in seeing snapping turtles and learning more about them. So, all this turtle stuff is for you. 

And, if you are a paddler, a swimmer, or a fisherman spending time in the same waters and shorelines as snappers, it's good to be aware, as they can get very big, and can deliver a nasty bite if surprised or bothered. They also like to steal your bait or small catch.

I keep learning more about snapping turtles, and I keep thinking, "There are a hell-of-a-lotta snapping turtles out there in rivers, creeks, and lakes. This turtle probably just laid about 50 eggs!" 

Happy trails!

The BaffinPaddler