Proof that God Loves Us and Wants Us to be Happy

No, not beer as Benjamin Franklin claimed, but Lake Chelan.

I spent a glorious weekend in Chelan, where it reached 100 degrees. Being from Seattle and spending only four years in California not including the summertime, 100 degrees is entirely too hot for me. Yet 100 degrees on the shores of a Cascade stream-fed, crystal clear, 1,486-foot deep lake nestled peacefully within the North Cascades National Forest and steep, craggy hills is certainly nothing to complain about. The cold, (nearly) pristine oasis offered a satisfying respite to the heat and scorching solstice sun. According to Wikipedia, the lake is the third deepest in the country and the name comes from the Salish Native American word "tsi - laan" meaning "deep water."

I won't gush about Lake Chelan for long in this post because I will be visiting the lake again in August for an entire week with friends. We have a lot of fun plans for that trip, including: visit Stehekin for a day (the northern most point of Lake Chelan where there is a small town not accessible by car); go for a sunrise boat cruise; intertubing; travel to a boat-in campsite for a day; visit a couple small lakes nearby, along with Lake Entiat (actually a river, along Highway 97); and float and swim every time in between.

Here are some photos I took this weekend.

Another photomerge photo, taken from 25-mile creek campground.

Beautiful Lake Chelan.

At the Manson Marina, bright and early to pick up our boat for the day.

Hard to believe there was any snow left!
Goodbye till August, Lake Chelan!
We stopped at the Icicle River in Leavenworth on the way home. It was 103 degrees!