Seasons Greetings from Southern Ontario Outdoors

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my paddling friends. Thanks to all who are following this blog; your comments and suggestions will help me provide you with even better items throughout 2009

Well what can I say about paddling this time of year; certainly not much here in Southern Ontario.

This is the time to look back at those great warm weather memories and plan for next spring. Hmmm, do I plan for May…blackfly season…do I look at June or July…peak mosquito season…perhaps later in the season? Of course none of this really matters to dedicated paddlers. Whether you hit the water in a sleek lightweight canoe or play in the raging rapids with a kayak, things like weather, temperature, and bugs are just something you learn to accommodate.

Now is a great time to get together with friends and relive those memories of seasons past and to plan your adventures for 2009. A glass of wine, a roaring fire, and maps laid out on the floor; what better way to pass the long winter evenings.

Within the next month I will have added a large interactive database to http://www.sooutdoors.ca that will make it very easy for you to zoom in on specific destination, routes and paddling related information.

“Peace on earth; good will toward men.”

Lloyd

Too Rough to Paddle

What a beautiful scene this morning as I sit pounding the keyboard. Man I could really get used to this. My wife and I managed to sneak away for this the second week of September to do a bit of "research" for www.sooutdoors.ca. To that end we rented a beautiful cottage on Cape Hurd, right at the top end of the Bruce Peninsula.

The temperatures have been on the cool side but the rain that was forecast for the week seems to have missed us. Part of the plan for this week was to hop in the canoe or kayak and paddle the shoreline of this beautiful pristine area. Alas, to date it is not to be as the strong northwest wind continues to push huge waves before it pounding the shoreline with a thunderous roar.

Waves of this size on the big waters of Southern Ontario are not something to be trifled with so I'll content myself with the pursuit of land based activities until the wind finally abates. Hopefully I'll have some great photos to share with you in a future posting.

Lloyd

Enjoy the Last Days of Summer

Summer sure blew by fast this year. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that it never really came to Southern Ontario. It seemed more like an extended spring. But here in the late days of August the skies have cleared, the humidity is low and the lakes and rivers beckon.

Rain may have dampened the spirits of all but the most dedicated paddlers this year but now is the time to make up for it. Check out your favorite route and plan a late summer or early fall trip into Southern Ontario's backwaters.

An added bonus is that as the nights get cooler those nasty swarms of mosquitoes all but disappear making portages just a bit more enjoyable...or should I say tolerable.

Lloyd

SO...Outdoors Paddling Blog

Welcome to the Southern Ontario Paddling Blog. This blog is sponsored by www.SoOutdoors.ca.

Whether you travel placid lakes and rivers in your old cedar strip canoe or run the spring rapids of the might Nith River I will bring you news, views, and interviews about everything do do with canoeing and kayaking in Southern Ontario.

For more detailed information about canoeing and kayaking in Southern Ontario please visit www.SoOutdoors.ca/paddling.