Yellow leaf among the rocks at Lucerne Landing.
Sunrise as seen from "the second level."
Moving ribbons of light reflected on the side of the Lady of the Lake.
Rocks, clear water, floating leaves and a reflection of trees.
Reflections of light on the rippled surface of Lake Chelan.
Bosc pear and chair at the window.
Light on the rocks at water's edge - Refrigerator Harbor.
Window box of nasturtiums in morning light.
Snow on a length of chain.
Rope on the pilings of the dock at Lucerne.
The wake of the Lady of the Lake on Lake Chelan.
Mariel's cup.
Icicles from the roof overhang outside the window of my room.
Rain on a windowpane.
Offerings left at the center of the labyrinth.
At the labyrinth,
And "too late" may be defined variously. As in "too late" to make another trip down the switchbacks before an accumulation of snow on the road makes the trip impossible for a bicycle. Snow is forecast for the end of the week, and this time the days and nights have been cold enough to chill the ground. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility that snow will stay on the ground and begin to accumulate. And alas! I have neither chains nor snow tires!
But here I am, aboard the trusty bicycle that has "seen it all" over the course of the last year and a half. And yes, I am aboard and racing down the road, steering with one hand and taking pictures of my shadow, also on a bicycle, following along beside me. What can I say for myself? I was alone. There was no one there to chastise me, and I wanted to see if it could be done. There is the proof.
A mile down the road out of Holden going toward the lake, of course, there is a bridge over a creek (Ten-Mile, it is called...signifying that it is 10 miles up the road from Lake Chelan). It is at the bridge that I generally stop and adjust clothing...taking off what I deem to be too much or putting on a bit of extra clothing...usually hat or gloves. I always try to remember to turn around and look behind me. This is what I see as I leave. This is what I will see upon my return...by bus!..bicycle in the back.
The mountain peaks are retaining the snow that has fallen there over the past several weeks. The levels at which that is occurring continue to drop.
At this time of year, the sun is quite low in the sky, so low that it frequently disappears behind the mountains, reappearing again quite suddenly to illuminate a dogwood tree.
The fall foliage coloration here runs primarily to the various shades of yellows and golds. When you find a dogwood tree at the end of the season, the red is a beautiful shade of a blush pink, as opposed to a darker red.
A tree, its branches still covered with gold leaves stands as as sentinel beside the road.
In some places, the leaves have already fallen and cover the road. Riding a bicycle through them creates a storm of gold behind you.
Some of the most beautiful spots along the way occur where trees on either side form a sort of canopy over the road. One stretch of the road is referred to by the same name. Riding through it...or under it...is a delight at any time of year but is made even more wondrous when the leaves are in full fall color.
Two years ago, Holden was evacuated when a forest fire, threatened to compromise the road, the only really viable escape route for those in the village. The fire actually came up to the road but did not spread across to the other side. A part of the forest burned in the fire can be seen behind this young tree growing at the side of the road.
Once the bicycle begins its descent down the switchbacks, it is difficult, even with good brakes, to stop your forward motion. (Without brakes, as I was to discover on an earlier ride, it is impossible.)
Along the way down, and truly in the wilderness, is a huge boulder with a star carved in it. It is referred to as "Rock Star" (ha-ha) but no one knows how the carving/chiseling came to be. It sits up on a hill overlooking the road.
Yet another mystery is the identification of this rather strange looking plant. There were 4 of them, two of each emerging from the same spot, and no others anywhere in sight. I have never seen any others anywhere, as a matter of fact. The little seed pods along the stems, if indeed that is what they are, resemble tiny brown pumpkins.
At the end of the journey down, by the dock at Lucerne, there are more red dogwood leaves, these on a tree just to the side of the dock.
How about more trees with yellow leaves, mountains, blue skies, blue waters? It is enough to make you want to hitch a ride back up to the top and ride down again.
The prize...a stringer of rainbow trout to be cooked and eaten just out of the lake.
Part of the way up the trail, we replenished our water bottles with water from a spring.
The fall colors (here the very unique colors of a dogwood tree) were still very much in evidence along the trail and served to cheer us on.
The trail to Domke Lake is 3 (long) miles. Going there, the gradient is relentlessly up, up, up. What is worse, on the return, the journey is made by going down, down, down. (For those of us no longer in their prime, and for those of us with bad knees, the descent is excruciating.)
Once you are at the lake itself...Oh, my goodness! It is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. A lovely piece of the wilderness.
As soon as we had rowed across the lake to a campground and set up the tent and stowed the gear, we rowed out into the lake to fish for our supper. Here Terry holds up the string of fish we caught before calling it a day for the fishing.
As we rowed back to camp to cook our fish, this was the late afternoon view from the place we were camped.
Darkness came quickly, but a blazing fire with a skillet of fish cooking over it cheered us on. Temperatures were falling rapidly and little did we know that the night ahead would be one of the most miserable on record. To say that we nearly froze to death is putting it mildly and making a long story short.
As daylight came and it became abundantly clear that we had survived the night in spite of the cold, we took the boat out on the lake to fish again. Terry is holding the stringer of fish we would take back to Holden to share with anyone wanting fresh rainbow trout for breakfast. It is a tradition that the kitchen will cook your fish for you and have them ready to eat at the time you specify. They were delicious and were enjoyed by many.
Returning down the trail to Domke Lake, this was the view of Lake Chelan stretching into the distance far below...a beautiful end to a wonderful camping and fishing trip.
