Ken and I are recently back from a road trip that took us to NE Washington and SE British Columbia. As you might imagine, I made lots of images on this trip. We started at our favorite camping spot – Lost Lake in the Okanogan Highlands. We left home in the midst of a dramatic thunder and lightning storm and were a little nervous about fires, with good reason.
Once a person crosses the Okanogan and heads east into the next mountain range, they are approaching the edge of the Rockies and the habitats – the plants and animals – begin to change from what we observe here on the east flanks of the North Cascades. It’s fun to go a short distance and be in such a different place.
Lost Lake is also like a place that time has forgotten. The campground is an old CCC facility, built in the 40’s. There is no electronic communication. Boats on the lake go slow without high-powered engines. It is one of the few places in Washington where not-so-common Common Loons nest. They will be featured in another post. People walk and ride bikes; they say ‘hi’ and are happy to see you. Well, that’s been our experience. The campground host said that during the previous weekend that was not the case. Good thing we missed that! The Okanogan Highlands Alliance has worked to preserve the wetland at the far end of the lake from development and encroachment of cattle grazing. They have also been creating some interpretive trails near the wetland and in the upland section.
From Lost Lake we headed towards the far northeast corner of Washington – planning to stay near a border crossing so we could get an early start on our trip to BC. We aimed for Sullivan Lake but it was busy and the weather was pretty exciting with strong winds and thunder and lightning. A short drive further north took us to the Millpond campground. It was smaller and quieter and suited us for the night.
My Everyday Photos 