American White Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata)

Provincial Parks are open and back to almost normal use. Kayaking season is well underway. The Ontario Government was kind enough to extend my Provincial Park Pass until the end of the summer 2022. I aim to go Kayaking at least once a week to make sure I get the most out of my 2021 Provincial Park Pass. At least this year all the washrooms are available (you don’t have to pee in the woods). I’ve learned to get out of the kayak at the far end of the Old Ausable Channel at the Pinery and use the facilities before heading back downstream.

I also bought a 2nd kayak so I can take friends with me. My husband rigged my trailer to accommodate the 2 kayaks. My first outing with the new setup was with my Sister. We counted 159 painted turtles and 2 snappers. I’m certain there were more turtles, but I kept loosing count and need to buy a manual clicking counter. We also were lucky enough to see 2 muskrats, turkey vultures, Blue Heron, King Fishers and King Birds. The slide show below includes photos from my last 2 trips on the Old Ausable Channel. I loved seeing the Juvenile Bald Eagle. The new to me kayak is a fishing kayak and is a bit more stable for taking photos.