House Of Koenig

Last year in August we camped at Waldo Lake but this year we just made a day trip.  Waldo lake is one of the purest lakes in the world.  It’s waters are ultra clear.  On a calm day you can see 120 feet into the water.  We arrived just in time to head out on the lake in kayaks.  I got in one with my youngest son and headed across the lake to a secluded beach.  I felt bad for my son as every time I paddled with the oars it dripped water on his head.  But he seemed to enjoy the ride.  It was a bit windy so the water was choppy and on occasion a wake would spash us in the face.  So the boys enjoyed a nice day at the beach while I paddled around a bit on the kayak.  One thing I failed to do was put on sunscreen so my legs and top of my feet burned which is turning out to be quite painful.  But it was worth it.  Sitting out alone in the middle of the lake in a kayak just looking at the wonder of nature surrounding me was very relaxing.  As the day wore on we took a hike along the shore of the lake and then as the sun began to set I snapped a few photos (more can be seen on my Flickr site).  As soon as the sun went down the mosquitos came out in full force.  We all got chewed up pretty good but my eldest son got one right on the eye lid which proceeded to swell up.  We arrived home quite late but with wonderful memories on our minds.

I shot this sunset at Waldo Lake during a family camping trip. Waldo Lake is a large natural lake, approximately 31 miles east of Oakridge and 70 miles from the Eugene, Springfield area. Waldo is located at an elevation of 5,414 feet in the Oregon Cascades. This was a 30 second exposure shot with a Canon 20D. Later that night there were some big thunderstorms that rolled through the area. We heard what sounded like a freight train off in the distance that seemed to grow closer with each passing minute. The sound turned out to be heavy wind that soon hit the trees surrounding us. We laid in our tents in the dark with the sound of heavy rain, the occasional flash of lightning and the trees swaying back and forth, creaking like an old wood floor. We huddled in our refuge hoping the top of a tree or a large limb wouldn’t break off and crush us in our sleeping bags. Eventually the storm gave way to a gentle rain and the sound of water droplets on the nylon skin of our tent put us to sleep.