Seeing the Edge with NW Marketing Guy - Rod Brooks

Our Little Piece Of Heaven

Taking The Plunge!

There comes a time in a persons life when you know that if you don’t take the plunge soon you just might not take it at all. I’m sure that many people my age can think of a plunge that they wish they had taken earlier in life. Those who are younger might be looking ahead wondering when and where the opportunity will be best to dive in. It’s hard to know when the water will be right for us to wade in – let alone the majestic swan dive off the end of the dock. It can be dangerous and downright scary.

The plunge could almost be anything. For some the plunge could be a marriage proposal or starting a family. For others, it could be starting a business or moving to the place you always wanted to live. Or maybe, the plunge is that personal indulgence that you treat yourself to – the one that you aren’t really sure that you can afford or even deserve.

Married for the second time in the summer of 2001, (a pretty significant plunge of its own), and coming to grips with what our blended family was going to be like, Cindy and I took the plunge in the summer of 2004. That’s when we allowed a dream to become reality – when we bought our little piece of heaven on Lake Chelan.

For the past seven years, or at least the last seven summers, our dreams have been coming true during the time we spend at the lake. We love our little cove, our neighbors (well most of them), and getting away for a few days at a time to simply sit back, relax and enjoy the view. We have matured from the days of first time boat owners to a family of seasoned operators who enjoy “old fart boat rides” in the early mornings and high speed outings with tubers and wake boarders entertaining us at the end of a thirty foot rope in the afternoon.

We love to host our family and friends at the lake as well. So far none of our grandchildren have ever missed spending at least a week at the lake with us each summer. We’re hopeful that the streak will continue, but realize that with more grandchildren and farther distances to travel the challenge is getting greater. That’s why we are thankful for every opportunity that brings us together at the lake.

If you have ever traveled to north-central Washington, you are probably aware of Lake Chelan. The local chamber of commerce boasts that Chelan is the ideal location for vacationing families and tourists with its 300-plus days of annual sunshine, quaint shops, and terrific natural beauty.

The lake itself is truly remarkable. It is 55 miles long and has an average width of about 1 mile. The surface of the lake is at 1100 feet above sea level and has a maximum depth of 1426 feet. All in, Lake Chelan measures up to be the third deepest fresh water lake in the United States – and that’s a lot of water. Water that starts out in icy cold streams in the Cascade Mountain Range and the snow pack that builds up all winter long.

Now I’m no math wizard, but I can tell you it takes a heck of a lot of melting snow to fill a lake the size of Lake Chelan. And it’s the wizards who do the math in order to lower the lake level (there’s a damn at one end) from shortly after Labor Day until July of the following year to make sure the “hole in the ground” is big enough to accommodate that much runoff. Add into the mix that there is electricity to generate and fish habitats to protect and you have yourself a pretty interesting equation – one that can leave people who own lake houses scratching their heads in disbelief when they stand on the docks in the middle of May.