Lake Day

Every year Friends of ours take a day trip up past Battleground Washington to Lake Merwin. A certain special interest group within our families decided it would be a good idea if we went with them this year. Because of my work I was originally not going to be able to go. I wasn't that disappointed at first; I didn't know what I would be missing out on. However, since the weather forecast said that the temperature was going to top 100, and working outside in that kind of heat is no fun at all, Mr. D decided that it would be alright to work a half-day. He didn't know it at the time, but that decision was perfect for me to get a chance to drive up to the lake in the afternoon. So when I got of work at just after 2 I hurried home and got ready to go as fast as I could.

Following a few minutes of preparation I was out the door and on my way to Cresap Bay. (I endearingly referred to it as Ketchup Bay.) Unfortunately my driving instructions led the way up I-5, taking me right through Portland toward Vancouver in the middle of heavy traffic. I crept along the freeway in bumper to bumper traffic for nearly an hour. My car's AC doesn't work so well (at all). The heat was unbearable. The only thing that kept me from going insane was Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings playing on the radio. (What a fortunate turn of events). Thankfully I was able to keep my mind long enough to cross the bridge into Washington. Traffic cleared up and I was on the move again toward Ketchup Bay. It wasn't long though until another event caused my speedy progress the slow to a crawl. I was driving along a rural road following a sort of poky car when I heard a strange, rather disconcerting noise. At first I was very concerned for the health of my car but it wasn't long before all fears left my mind. Two cars up from me was the car that caused the noise, and was continuing to spew forth similar sounds. The primary side-effect of those unfortunate noises was that our pace slowed from a good clip to and excruciating crawl. Soon I came upon the realization that it was two cars that were together, one pushing the other. I guess that's why they call it a "bumper." But it wasn't too long before they turned off and I was on my way again to Ketchup Bay. Once I got moving again it I was finally able to make it through Battleground and out into the open country, and what beautiful country they have up there. I wound silent and peaceful through the hills and valleys, cutting my way through the dark green forests as the sunlight punctured the dense canopy leaving dappled, and mottled shadows on the road. A few minutes later, after driving over a one-lane suspension bridge spanning the the lake, I was stopping at the guard shack on the driveway leading to the parking lot at Ketchup Bay. When I first got there the parking lot was full and I was going to have to park back at the one-lane bridge and walk in, but after some finagling and convincing (and a parking spot opening up) I was given a parking pass and allowed to drive down and park near the beach.

I had finally made it to the beach. I carried my backpack and igloo to the picnic table area where I could see that we had our operation set up. Mom was there and informed me that the kids were out on the logs diving off and just hanging out. There was a large uneven grassy area the came right the terraced edge of the rocky man-made shore. There was a swimming area boundary marked about 3o feet out with a semi-circle of log shaped floats running in a continuous line. After that another 30 or so feet was another semi-circle concentric to the first constructed from actual logs chained between log posts. Right when I was about to dive in the water and join them on the outer log ring they started coming in. When the first of them got to the shore they said that we were going to go to the rope swing. It sounded like fun and they said that it wasn't far so I consented to go with them. We followed a small paved path from the grassy area toward the nearby treeline where the path changed into a narrow dirt track. I watched for sticks and small rocks as we made our way through the woods following the water's edge to the rope swing area. The path widened to a good sized dirt patch with three trees growing right in the middle. Directly to the right of the path's mouth was the rope tied around the branch of relatively bare tree. On the water side of the open patch the ground dipped down toward a steep, rocky bank that had to be scaled with the aid of a rope to get the water's edge (or to get back from the water's edge). Opposite the rope swing was a tree stump protruding right on the edge of the drop off. The others had already been to the swing earlier so they wanted me to go first. But before anyone went we needed to get the rope untangled from the branch of a Spruce tree on which it was caught. Matthew and James gave it a try but couldn't get it with the stick we had on hand. Adam then gave it a try but wasn't having any more success than they. They were going about it all wrong, I said that they needed to use the force. Right about then Adela came back from an excursion with longer stick. In no time we had the rope free and ready to be swung. Matthew showed me the proper way to run of the embankment to get the best results, then it was my turn. I grabbed the rope in my hands and waited for a second. Then, gripping the rope tightly, I ran toward the edge leaping right when I got to the drop off. Lifting my feet I let my momentum carry me out and away from the earth toward the open water. It felt like I was in slow motion as I spun out over the lake. With one last look toward the bank where everyone was standing looking on, I let go of the rope. For a split second I hung in midair before plunging toward the watery depths. From the moment I left the ground I had adrenaline coarsing through me. As it flooded my system with do-or-die instinct I could feel my whole body shuddering. I tried to straighten myself out but I hit the water a bit crooked, smacking my shoulder and side of my face as I entered the enveloping fluid. Upon dropping below the surface I spread my arms and legs out to arrest my continued drop in the water. When I stopped sinking, hands and feet kicked in, working together the bring me back up the surface. I breached the waves and made my way back to the rocky embankment to have another go. The day had been hot and it felt so good to be in the water. Doing it in an high-adventure style with adrenaline pumping felt even better. We stayed at the swing for a little while longer taking turns on the rope or running and jumping off the stump, which was probably a ten foot higher drop than the rope. Finally everyone had had there fill of fun so we made our way back to the park.


The rest of the day was spent in lesure, jumping off the logs, swimming to the buoy, and throwing the frisbee were a few of the activities with which we entertained ourselves. Slowly the sun began to plod its course toward the hills making the sky blush and color with the shades of a heavenly palette. We began to pack up our belongings and get ready to go. When we were all ready to go we all gathered around and prayed, thanking God for the perfect day. Finally finished, we left.

John