Beechey Island beckons to all those fascinated by the story of Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated crew whose 1845 journey to find the Northwest Passage ended in tragedy, mystery and death.

The title of Marlis Butcher's new book is intriguing — Park Bagger: Adventures in the Canadian National Parks. We've asked the Burlington, Ontario-based author where the term comes from and what led her to visit all of Canada's national parks and then transform her travel journals and photography into a book.

When I went on a recent online shopping spree for Parks Canada merchandise — a retro cap, tote bags, headbands, playing cards, baby onesies — I did so feeling good that my purchases would help beluga whales in Quebec.

Boating lazily down the Rideau Canal National Historic Site first on a hot summer journey and then on a cool and rainy fall one, I wonder how I lived this long in Ontario oblivious to the magic of this waterway. We glide into one lock after another, watching as Parks Canada staff use hand-powered winches to operate the gates and sluice valves, raising or lowering us from one water level to another as the watertight chambers either fill or empty.