Lake Day ~ February
It had been two years since we pulled out the canoe and headed for the lake…
It was a rare, windless day.
The lake was low, exposing this area’s rocky shore. These are sunbathing spots in summer, but freezing today.
The surface was so glassy, the day so clear — we drifted sometimes, so as not to disturb the symmetry with paddling ripples. I thought it was cool how the sky was more blue in the reflection.
Heading toward the heron and bald eagle nesting grounds, back where the creek flows in to form the lake — it’s too shallow for most boats, but in the canoe we can glide quite close.
The plan was to paddle right up to the small white water up ahead and turn right into the parallel channel we’d explored in other years…
…but when we got up there we found the channel was gone, the creek bed had changed in winter storms — damn, no spying on nests today — only the ankle-deep creek flowing toward us, so we had to turn around.
The sun was just setting as we headed back into the main part of the lake. The views and reflections were incredible — I’d never seen it like this before and haven’t since.
The setting sun makes the eastern hills light up around here — this is the volcanic side of our valley and most of the hills are actually small domes, little cinder cones, with plugged peaks of lava rock.
I’ve always thought these hills look like velvet — they aren’t nearly so friendly, with poison oak, scrub oak, and burrs. Jackrabbits and coyotes thrive here — osprey, hawks, and eagles love to hunt here, too.
More volcanic rock — as a geology fan, I am endlessly fascinated by these seams.
They show up in lines all over this lake bed, itself part of the ancient seafloor.
That was way before these volcanic ranges showed up.
As the sun set further, it just grew more gorgeous.
As the last of the light began to fade, it was time to head home.
Last shot of mistletoe all bunched in the scrub oaks
…..until next time, lake.
These photos are from February 2013 ~
By February 2014, after ongoing drought and a winter of little snow, lake levels here were lower than I’ve ever seen them.
By summer 2014, the lake was almost entirely empty.
Here is another photo essay about the drought.
This trend continues with all western United States lakes and reservoirs, while western wildfires continue to grow hotter and more intense.
