[Paddlewise] Paradise Lost

We had a bit of a discussion a while back about paddling destinations and
moving to somewhere else to put yourself into what one might perceive as
better paddling opportunities. I thought it was interesting at the time that
most agreed one should just "paddle where they are planted" as it were.

I remember a bit of back-channel with Tim Shuff, the new editor at Adventure
Kayak Magazine, and my bemusement at him leaving Victoria and the west coast
paddling environs for the colder climate of Ontario. Tim replied (I don't
think he would mind me sharing) that there was awesome paddling potential in
and around the Great Lakes, so no problemo.

Tim has just had an article published in the local Times Colonist called
"Letter to Paradise," where he rather tongue-in-cheek -- well, maybe he is
actually very serious -- writes to us here, back in the west, decrying a
whole range of irksome things, like the cold winters, humid summers, swarms
of critters back east, and of course, leaving BC.

With all the wind and rain of late, I'm not so sure this is paradise. At
least Tim gets to make snowmen while I just keep trying to keep the leaves
off the drain covers. Of course, all the water around here remains in a
liquid state all year long usually, my cat doesn't freeze if it gets locked
out at night, and the grass is always greener here, literally - well, its
still growing right now, anyway.

And while we may not have the population base to afford the plethora of
entertainment venues like back east, where else would you get the kind of
entertainment value like we had the other night during the weekend gale?
Three men left Victoria Harbour, bound for San Francisco in a 50-foot
sailboat. They were drunk. The Coast Guard and the RCMP had to track them
down in Juan de Fuca Strait, and subsequently arrested them. Rescue
Coordination said most mariners would not normally set out at night in such
conditions. (We won't tell them that sometimes there's paddlers out there
doing just that). :-)

Doug Lloyd
Victoria BC
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