Whenever and wherever we travel my trusty sea kayak goes along. It rides atop my pickup truck on a home-made cradle attached to the camper shell. Within five minutes I can have my boat launched and be paddling on irresistable waters.

Last year's 10,000 mile trek to Canada's maritime provinces and the eastern US, saw my trusty little yacht go along. I got to put it in ten different bodies of water along the way. Some were fantastic, but others were sadly disappointing.

The first and worst was Lake Lure in North Carolina's western hill country. Our campground was convenient to the lake shore and a boat dock just yards away from the trailer parking space.

This is not one of those crystal clear lakes that invites swimming. No, not at all. It is a muddy, murky and polluted place that makes you wonder whether to even put your paddle in. Though the setting is delightful and the surrounding hills are scenic, I suggest that you refrain from swimming or even wading. Dead fish, floating garbage and man's thoughtless wastes have polluted waters that once may have been pristine. The irony of this experience was that local officials wanted to charge me ten dollars for the privilege of paddling there.

Yet South Carolina's Wiley Lake, not far from Gastonia and Charlotte, North Carolina, is much more attractive. A foggy morning's paddle there was really great. The waters are a bit muddy and there is a lot of boating traffic. But very little pollution or the stench of it spoils the experience. I had a good time paddling there, and nobody insisted on a payment to do so.

East of Durham, North Carolina I paddled on beautiful Falls Lake. That's a real treat. Though a roadway traverses the shoreline and a bridge crosses part of the lake, the scene is generally that of nearly-pristine waters surrounded by wooded hills. A state park offers a fine boat launch and docks for people to enjoy.

The third place that my kayak got a workout was on Virginia's famous Hampton Roads, between Norfolk and Newport News. I launched at a public boat ramp not far from the scenic Hampton harbor. I paddled along the interesting channels lined with private boat docks and then to the downtown waterfront recently upgraded to be the pride of that fair city.

Soon I headed out into the main part of Hampton Roads, the site of that historic and indecisive battle between the Merrimack and the Monitor. Across the bay is Norfolk, home port of the US Navy's Atlantic fleet. Dozens of fishing boats, several freighters and many pleasure craft kept me busy and watchful of increased traffic. I am definitely not in their league in my 60-pound 17-footer powered by just a double-ended paddle.

My little kayak is not easily visible to others and prudence dictates extra caution. Yet I enjoy the experience and the variety of things to see afloat and ashore.

East and West Monponsett Lakes nestle in the wooded countryside at the base of Cape Cod, south of Boston. From the private dock and beach of old friends living near Halifax, Massachusetts, I launched for early morning paddles. Both lakes are a pleasure to explore and their shores offer safe nesting for ducks, geese and the occassional heron. Several sea gulls reminded me of the proximity of salt water and a much different environment. Quiet exploration there is a marvelous treat. And for variety in the afternoon my host took me sailing aboard his classic cat boat. Great fun.

In central New Hampshire are two of my favorite lakes, Winnipesaukee and Wentworth. The former was one I knew well as a boy, for our home was on an island there and boating in my blood. At the eastern end of that large magnificent lake is Wolfeboro. It's reputedly America's first summer resort where colonial Governor Wentworth visited many years ago. A few miles farther northeastward is Wentworth Lake. There must be some connection to the name.

Both lakes afforded me the opportunity to paddle my kayak. And there I encountered other enthusiasts doing the same, for this is a fast-growing and popular sport taking hold from coast to coast. The weather was ideal and my reward for trucking my boat all the way from New Mexico was two days of terrific kayaking. The summer season for that busy tourist area was just beginning and dozens of boats, both sail and power, plied the scenic waters. Kayakers like me did it just a bit more slowly.

Our trip continued "down east" to fabulous Acadia National Park and the charming Maine coast. It's hard to choose from so many inviting inlets and bays near Bar Harbor, but I settled on one of the best for an afternoon paddle. Scenic, quaint and irresistible Bass Harbor on the southern end of the island park provided some of my most pleasurable paddling.

I was delighted to discover that the waters are clean and clear. You can see bottom at 30 feet and very little debris spoils the briny shores. My excursion took me all around the bay, in and amongst the fishing boats anchored off shore, and out into open waters beyond the channel entrance. Only my timidity about the freshening winds and rising seas prevented me from venturing along the coast. And besides, paddling against the wind is like going up hill. It's a lot of work.

We headed next to Lubec, Maine and the border of New Brunswick, Canada. There the ebb and flow of the tides at the Bay of Fundy demand caution of small boatsmen like me. Fifty foot tides mean swift currents, rips and water movements that even power boats treat with respect. I waited until high tide to launch my kayak from the campsite boat ramp. It was a great experience and again one upon surprisingly clear waters. Just off Campobello Island, site of President Roosevelt's summer place, is some wonderful paddling. It's one of several places I would like to try again.

The salty waters of Bras d'Or Lake (pronounced "brah-door") on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island were next on our itinerary. The campground just west of Stanley was out on a sandy peninsula. That made for easy launching of my kayak. I had not expected a large body of water called a "lake" to be salty, but that it is. And it too is delightfully clean and clear. Its general east-west orientation makes it subject to choppy conditions with white caps and stiff breezes. I paddled there twice but one evening excursion was shortened by bothersome winds. That scenic and island-dotted lake is most inviting. But the main reason for our travels that far east was to see historic Fortress Louisbourg. That's a "must see" attraction and well worth the journey.

The next, and last, place I got to paddle was at Campbell Cove on Prince Edward Island's northern shores. That oceanic site is part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the most challenging waters I've tried. For there the breaking surf presented me with interesting and unique experiences. The swells of open seas were relatively smooth, as the off-shore breeze had not whipped up a chop or whitecaps. It was only during launch and beach recovery that I had to use caution. Away from the shore it was smooth paddling and great fun.