Maine Events: Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ahhhh, those passionate moments, the ones you love to remember, and can’t seem to forget.

I love those impromptu moments of discovery, like this special moment I was lucky to steal last August while paddling the Deer Isle Archipelago, off Stonington, Maine, USA.

This hidden little beach on Sand Island, shows up during low tide.
If your timing is right . . . you might just get lucky and meet up with it too.

A fleeting moment. I wish I could have stayed longer.

If your one true love, or best love, is secretly your awesome sea kayak and favorite Greenland paddle, you probably aren’t alone! And it's probably not a secret! I’m just sayin’: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!  

BaffinPaddler in the awesome Maelstrom Vital 166 sea kayak with favorite Greenland paddle.

What’s this all about?
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Happy paddle trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Maine Events: Bear Hugs

Why not? A little bear hug to warm up for a great meal of Maine’s awesome crabmeat stew, lobster rolls, and coleslaw at Dockside Restaurant in Belfast, Maine, while en route to Stonington, Maine to paddle the Deer Isle Archipelago last August with Maine paddle buddies.

“How come we can’t get this stuff in Canada!”

"Yeah, they make it, but Maine does it best!"

That's me thinking out loud and paddle partner agreeing in between bites. 

But hey. Why is the angle of this post’s photograph so bent out of shape? And why is there a big red dump truck barreling down the street?

Here’s a clue . . .

Me: “Here, take the camera.”

Paddle partner: “Not this again.”

Me: “Got the picture?”

Paddle partner: “I’m HUNGRY!”

Me: “Take a picture please.”

Paddle partner: “Do we have to do this now?”

Me: “Thanks.”

Note to self: Always feed paddle partner first before requesting a photo. Seems paddle partners can’t see straight when hungry.

Here’s another shot after a good feeding.

What’s this all about?

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Happy trails!
The BaffinPaddler

Maine Events: Nature's Conversations

Toadstool and animal skull on Gooseberry Island, Deer Isle Archipelago, Stonington, Maine, USA

Toadstool: Hey, Bill. How's it going?

Animal skull: Pretty good Sue. My contract has been extended.

Toadstool: Great news!

Animal skull: My client loves my work.

Toadstool: Awesome!

Animal skull: But I haven't done anything yet.

Toadstool: Keep up the good work!

What's this all about?
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Happy paddles!
The BaffinPaddler
(C) All rights reserved

Maine Events: Playing hooky from school

5 Cormorants on a big rock somewhere in the Deer Isle Archipelago, near Stonington, Maine, USA

Cormorant 1: “This looks like a good hooky hang out to me.”

Cormorant 2: “Honestly, I couldn’t stand to look at one more “algaeabraic” equation!  All that x and y stuff drives me crazy! 42y⁴ + 21xy − 14x³ + 42xy² − 42y² + 6 = 0”

Cormorant 3: “No offence Hank, but I think you spelled it wrong. It’s a-l-g-e-b-r-a-i-c. Just say algebra.”

Cormorant 2: “Why would anyone care about that stuff!?”

Cormorant 3:  “Uh dunno, maybe Einstein’s Theory of Relativity can make some sense of it?”

Cormorant 4: “No one will notice us way up here, right Ed?”

Cormorant 2: “What about those kayakers down there. Are they going to be a problem?”

Cormorant 5: “Nah. They’re too busy dodging lobster boats!”

Cormorant 2: “WATCHOUT! Here comes that Jonathan Livingston Seagull wannabe freak! He's out to set another free-fall record!”

Cormorant 1: "Hey, what's the name of this big rock anyway, so we can put it on his epitaph!"

What’s this all about?
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Happy paddles!
The BaffinPaddler

Maine Events: I think my mother was really a giraffe who wore hiking boots!

Dock in Stonington, Maine

That's the name I gave this post when I revisited this photo from last summer’s awesome kayaking trip to paddle the Deer Isle Archipelago from Stonington, Maine with Maine paddle buddies. I'm all legs, oh well. So are giraffes. At least I didn't get the neck too!

Maybe I spend too much time in hiking boots? I even wear them to curl! When people meet me they say, "Umm, your style . . . is (big pause) outdoorsy!"

I have "lotsa" heels. They get 'lotsa" closet time! And last forever.

Stonington, Maine

One of my favorite things to do on the Stonington trip was take pictures. And they’re still speaking to me. It is hopeless to resist. And fun to revisit.

Dock in Stonington, Maine, USA

Whether you are paddling, exploring an island, wandering around the village of Stonington, eating in a restaurant, or just hanging around on a dock, you’re going to discover and find all kinds of things.

And things will find you. There is something in this place that is hard to explain but fun and intriguing to discover and keep on discovering even when you've left and gone back home.

Even Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck remarked: "One doesn't have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle.”

I just read, John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America. A story about his 1960 road trip across the USA in an overloaded camper he named "Rocinante" (the name of Don Quixote's horse), and he brought along a big black French poodle named Charley as his road mate.

Steinbeck’s agent told him, as part of his travels, he must go to Deer Isle.

But Steinbeck didn’t really like Deer Isle or find anything there.

Ok, it was the 60's when Steinbeck visited. Maybe it's hipper now. More art galleries. But when you visit Stonington, even today, you may feel like you stepped back in time. Before there were fast food chains. There aren't any in Stonington. It's so nice!

Come on John!, I was thinking as I read John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America. I was really looking forward to this part! When you visited Deer Isle.

But, he had little to say about the place and he admitted it. So I guess it's my turn. Maybe he didn't stay long enough, or had no other reason to go there other than to go there because someone told him to. I'd rather go somewhere for a reason. Of my choosing.

But then again, he wasn’t a kayaker! To each his own.

What’s this all about?
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Happy paddle planning!
The BaffinPaddler

Maine Events: Lobster Boats

Working lobster boat "Tyrant", Deer Isle Archipelago, Stonington, Maine, USA, August 2011

"We eat kayakers for lunch!"

No, not really.

But the name of this Maine lobster boat: "Tyrant", freaked me out a bit when I saw it suddenly come round the bend close to an island where our group of four were paddling last August!

As kayakers, we often think it's safer to hug a shoreline when bigger boats are in the vicinity  But a lot of lobster traps are set close to islands with enough depth to set a trap in the Deer Isle Archipelago, off Stonington, Maine, USA.
 
It was a surprising learning experience for me when padding in waters with a lot of actively working lobster boats.

You can see the lobster buoys floating on top of the water, and you know there is a lobster trap below. But you don't know when a lobster boat will show up to check the trap. They work fast! It will keep you alert in the Deer Isle Archipelago if you are a paddler!

Now, for the obvious. Maybe you should grab for the paddle instead of the camera when a lobster boat with a name like this suddenly shows up?

Too tempting! But, use the zoom! Not fate.

Lobster boats are working boats. While they stop and work the traps, the boat still moves. As a paddler, you have to watch out and try to anticipate their next move and stay out of the way.

What's this all about?

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More to come . . .

Happy and safe paddles!
The BaffinPaddler

Maine Events: Only $6 for a pint!

A pint of draught for $6 at Fisherman's Friend Restaurant, Stonington, Maine, USA, last August

Well, well. Does it get any better than this for a paddler?

After an awesome day of paddling the chilly Atlantic Ocean, and dodging the lobster boats working around the Deer Isle Archipelago from the enchanting village of Stonington, Maine, USA with newfound Maine paddle buddies last August, this is what we had to endure.

Great company, good service, perfect weather, and Maine's tasty chow and brew! Yaaa! 

Fish n' chips and cornbread!

Sorry. I took this shot of my awesome lunch after I dug into everything a bit, including the wine! But, did you notice? I'm saving the cornbread for last! I love it!

What’s this all about?
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More to come . . .

Happy memories of your best paddles and planning your next . . . !
The BaffinPaddler