Cannonballs and God-beams at Devil's Junction

Next time I'm starting a competition and getting Mom to join too! Except she's too slender so no competition there.  Wonder what the prize should be??

Dear Tom, Are Bears Good Swimmers?

Dear Tom,

I could have sworn I saw some bear swimming out at the log boom one time.

Is that allowed?

Looking forward to my next visit,

signed - Bewildered in the Lowlands

Dear Bewildered,
We are a family resort as well as a fishing resort located in the middle of a national park so please be respectful of others.


Sunburn can be painful here in the North Cascades.


In June the beautiful clear waters of Ross Lake can be cool from glacier and mountain snow run off, and like diving into Puget Sound down in the lowlands, Bewildered, it is useful especially for the young and skinny to have a layer on.


Regards - and we look forward to your next visit!


T

Ross Lake file photo

Ross Lake file photo

Anticipation

©Paul Anderson
Remember when you were a kid, and how it seemed to take forever for those special events to arrive?

Every year, weeks before we start our trip to Ross Lake Resort, the kids start asking "how soon", and "are the fish biting", "who can we invite?"

And they comment: "I'm jumping in the water as soon as we get there", "this year I'm going up to Lightening Creek", or "this year I'm swimming underwater at Ruby Creek", "this year I'm letting the waterfall hit me."

Several years ago there was an early fall storm, it uncharacteristically rained on our trip in and when we arrived at the cabin we could see it was snowing less than 500 feet above us.

Eight year old Mackenzie couldn't wait - she had been anticipating this moment for too long - she had to take the plunge in the rain and the cold.

And she did it, she swam out to the log boom and back.

All the adults sitting under the eaves of their cabins or at their dining tables playing cards, reading, planning the late afternoon fish, grinned, shook their heads and remembered when they would have done the same.

Mackenzie climbed out of the water, walked slowly into the bathroom and when she finally sat in her tub of warm water I heard a satisfied "aaahhhhhh!"

Anticipation complete.

The next day was sunny and 75 degrees.

Cool, Clear, Water!

© Paul Anderson

I grew up in Iowa, near the Mississippi River.  As kids we would swim in the big muddy to cool off from the heat and humidity.  If you stuck your arm in the water up to your elbow, you couldn't see your fingertips.

This made the rope swing particularly exciting because just as you pushed off someone would inevitably yell "Hey isn't that a log floating out there?"

"Yikes! Whoooaaaahhhhhhhh! Wherrrrrrre?"

I remember dreams as a child.  How wonderful it would be to swim, and fish for trout, and float in cool, clear water.