A LEISURELY EVENING PADDLING AROUND DEER LAKE

Deer Lake is a peaceful, small lake in Burnaby with leisurely walking trails and scenic vistas.  Nearby in the park area there are often summer music festivals.  The Burnaby Art Gallery, Shadbolt centre for the Arts and the Burnaby Village Museum are also located by the lake.

It's a beautiful area of natural habitat with wooded areas and trails for walking.  There are canoe, kayak and paddle boat rentals there as well and last week a friend invited me to go  with her on a little outing.

We chose to use the paddle boat as neither of us have had much experience in kayaks or canoes.  The boat was very easy to paddle and steer and quite comfortable.  For two hours we paddled our way around the lake, stopping now and then to take photos, have a relaxing chat, or to observe the lovely scenery around us.  Such a serene way to spend a Friday evening!

There is a Coast Salish tale about this lake, told by the poet Pauline Johnson.  The story is about a hidden waterway between False Creek and Deer Lake that was discovered by a young Indian, the first Chief Capilano.  He speared a "king" (harbour seal) in False Creek with his elk antler spear but the seal escaped through this hidden underground creek.  Chief Capilano spent months searching along the shore and one day he was enticed to go inland by what turned out to be the flames of a forest fire.  On the shore of Deer Lake he found the remains of the "king" seal and recovered his lost spear, giving him back his prowess as a hunter.

I didn't know about this legend at the time we were paddling the lake.  I do recall the former location of the Oakalla Prison farm on it's shore.  Now there's a condominium development there.  That was a notorious prison and had the bad reputation of a place where hangings took place.  I couldn't help but think of that as we paddled by it and it was a relief to see now there is this green space where once the prison farm was.

We enjoyed our excursion.  The gorgeous sunset was another reward of an evening well-spent on the lake in the company of a friend.

If you want to go paddling, canoeing or kayaking, check out their website for rental fees and times:

www.deerlakerentals.com 

A KAYAKING ADVENTURE

An old camp song kept going through my mind as my kayaking tour guide and I paddled across the serene water of the Indian Arm.
"My paddle's keen and bright,
flashing with silver,
swift as the wild bird flies,
dip, dip and swing..."

It's actually a canoing song, but it helped me keep the rhythm as we glided through the water.

Before we had set off for our adventure at the old heritage settlement of Woodlands, near Deep Cove on the Indian Arm inlet, Peter, the guide, gave us the basic instruction for paddling and kayak safety. Kayaking was a first for me. I'd so often watched kayakers plying the waters around Vancouver but had never imagined myself out there exploring the coastline.

I was given the opportunity by Peter Loppe, who guides nature adventures around Vancouver with his Lotus Land Tours. We're lucky here on the coast to live in such a nature lover's paradise. Lotus Land offers personalized guided tours for nature lovers of all ages, even if you're inexperienced like me. Besides kayaking, you can also go on whale watching safaris, floatplane adventures, wildlife viewing excursion and guided tours around the city.

From our starting point at Woodlands, we paddled across the Arm and along the shoreline while Peter explained the eco-system and sea-life. A few curious seals popped up around us checkiing us out but not coming too close. We had a little lesson about the various types of star-fish that clung on the rocks, and the types of algae and sea growth. It was a beautiful, sunny September day. There was hardly a ripple on the water which made for a pleasant kayak journey up the Arm.

We came ashore on one of the tiny Twin Islands. A lot of other kayakers were there, some of them splashing in the water enjoying the mild day for a last of the season swim in the sea. We beached the kayaks along with all the others that were there, and hiked to a secluded spot where our guide prepared us a delicious salmon barbecue.

I can't think of a more pleasant way to spend an afternoon. This kayak adventure was one of my most memorable experiences and now I've tried it once I'm sure I'll go again.

You can book tours with Lotus Land Tours by checking their on-line site at
http://ww.lotuslandtours.com or email info@lotuslandtours.com

You'll be picked up from your hotel or residence iin Vancouver and on your way to your adventure destination your guide will give you a guided tour of the region. In all the years I've lived in Vancouver I hadn't heard of Woodlands, one of the earliest settlments on the Indian Arm. There's always something new to learn and plenty of exciting adventures await you here on the Pacific Coast.