Capturing the Art of Nature
Chilliwack Lake – Sort of
It was the first time out for my grand-daughter Elizabeth and so we planned for a nice stay on the beach along Chilliwack Lake
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2018
Click on image to view gallery
The grand kids are coming of age, all too soon, Liam has been on a few trips but today was to be the first for Elizabeth. Ethan wanted to start her off easily so we picked a nice trek to Chilliwack Lake and the wide beach area two thirds the way down the lake. This would expose her to a bit of rough road and then allow her to enjoy the beauty of the lake. Well, most of our plans worked out but not quite all.
We began the day as usual with the arrival at my home of whoever was joining me for the day. We loaded up the truck and realized that Elizabeth had no jacket. Now the day started warm but up in the hills it is less predictable and the clouds were thicker now than when Ethan left home. My wife found a jacket for her and we set off for coffee and fuel. The drive along the highway went quickly as did the drive along Chilliwack River Road. We stopped at the Lindeman Lake parking area to use the outhouse and then made our way to the start of the gravel road.
The first thing we noticed was that the park had a no campfires sign posted! Now that would get in the way of a wiener roast. But we continued on to the road and soon we were bouncing all over in the potholes. This road does tend to be very bad for them and so it was a rough drive over the next number of kilometers. We came by a couple of nice waterfalls that caught Elizabeth’s attention and so we stopped for her to look them over. Finally we came to the spot to park for access to the beach area.
We parked the truck and made our way down the trail to the water. Unfortunately we were stopped well short of the beach! The water level of the lake was very high with spring runoff and the path was under water! Looking forward we realized that the beach area was also mostly submerged. At first I thought of working my way through the trees to get to the beach but we decided it wasn’t worth the bother as the beach was mostly missing and with the campfire ban it was better to look for a spot outside the park where we could eat lunch.
So we returned to the truck and continued further south along the road eventually coming to the far end of the road where the bridge is barricaded. A bit before the final bridge the creek was over-flowing its banks and washing across the road. It wasn’t deep but it would be a fun drive for Elizabeth to experience a water crossing. So Ethan took her across and back again while I took a few photos. A bit back from the water was a side spur that was less travelled which headed east into the bush area. It was a deactivated road but without the potholes it was actually much smoother.
Eventually we came by a pair of downed trees blocking the way forward. It wasn’t too much effort to get out the chain saw, and soon we were on our way. Not much later the road opened up into a clearing and here Ethan thought we could spend lunch and build a small campfire safely away from any trees or grasses. Once we had settled on the spot Ethan remembered he had found my lens cap fallen on the ground fairly early on and he handed it to me. As I was putting it back in my pocket I realized my cell phone was missing! Did it fallout at the same place? Ethan wasn’t sure where it was that he found the cap. I thought that perhaps it fell out when I was sawing the trees so I drove back there and looked around but found nothing. So it was back to camp for lunch.
After cooking some wieners and s’mores, we packed up the site and started back to the main road. When we came to the sawn trees Ethan suggested we have another look. So we drove past the trees and parked. As Ethan was making his way back to the trees he spotted the cell phone leaning against a weed at the side of the road. It wasn’t near the trees but was near the spot where I was starting the chain saw! So I the end we found the missing item and life was even better once again.
We then continued on to the main road and drove up to the viewpoint just north of the beach area we had planned to be at. By now the wind was really whipping down the lake. I think our secluded spot nestled up the side valley was the better place to spend the afternoon. I gathered a few photos of the lake and mountains and then we made our way back up the rough road to the pavement. That road does tend to wear one out with all the jostling around the cab. But we got out in one piece, I’m not sure what impression we made on Elizabeth but hopefully she will look forward to a second trip.
The final drive along the Chilliwack River road and highways went without incident and Elizabeth was catching a few moments of rest while her father drove us home. I enjoyed the adventure, not as much exploring as I would normally do but it still felt refreshing to be out in the hills breathing some fresh air.