The Lure of Lake Chelan
It has been said more wed-
ding rings have been lost in
Lake Chelan than any lake in
Washington state. Could be.
The Wedding Ring, signature
lure of Mack’s Lures, was devel-
oped 35 miles down the road
in Wenatchee. This petite, little
spinner has probably accounted
for catching more trout and ko-
kanee than any other lure.
Want to fi sh the same lake
for: kokanee, lake trout, rainbow
trout, burbot (fresh water ling-
cod), bass, or even triploid land-
locked Chinook salmon? The
state record lake trout, 35.63
pounds, was caught in Lake
Chelan in 2013. Lake trout av-
erage 5 to 7 pounds, with fi sh in
the 15 to 20 pound class fairly
common.
It gets better. How about a
lake so big it shouldn’t ever get
crowded. Troll along shorelines,
lined with manicured orchards
and vineyards while being ser-
enaded by coveys of quail that
overfl ow onto boat ramps and
parking lots. You can see them
sitting on boat trailers and feed-
ing under vehicles.
In May you can enjoy all this,
as you bask in warm sun, look-
ing up at peaks still tipped with
snow.
Want a change of scen-
ery. Something more rugged?
Choose one of the state parks
and launches further up the lake
and be surrounded by towering
peaks rising more than 8,000
feet, draped in snow. Snow fed
by G.I. Wilson
streams come cascading out of
Cascade Range glaciers.
Still not interested? Lake
Chelan is much more than a
big lake with hungry fi sh. It is
a destination site. A high desert
gem. A place you will want to
visit again.
Hands down, the must do
while visiting Lake Chelan is
the Lady of the Lake boat trip
to Stehekin and the North Cas-
cades National Park. It has been
in National Geographic, Sunset,
New York Times and others.
Volumes have been written
about Stehekin and the trip.
For the sake of brevity-and
this column-take the 55-mile
trip aboard either the 100-foot
Lady of the Lake II, or the 65-
foot Lady Express. The trip up
takes four hours with two stops
for passengers and cargo. There
will be a 90-minute stay at Ste-
hekin. Suggestion; when both
boats are running, if you take
the faster Lady Express up and
the slower Lady of the Lake
back, you will have longer to
stay in Stehekin.
How about, for starters, as
they say; you leave the arid des-
ert area of Chelan and cruise
into the deepest gorge in North
America, peaks over 8,000 feet
complete with glaciers, glide
over icy blue waters 1,500 feet
deep--in places--but less than a
mile wide at times.
At about 30 miles you enter
an area only accessible by foot,
boat, or fl oat plane. Arrive at
the small village of Stehekin for
food, a museum, a great bak-
ery, or board a bus for a trip to
325-foot, Rainbow Falls. The
area is popular for hiking and
backpacking. Forest service
maps detail a network of trails.
Talked to a middle age guy that
had hiked most of them. When
asked if he sees any critters on
his trips. “See that trail right
there? Bears, ticks and rattle-
snakes guaranteed,” he adds
with a big grin.
A bonus on the boat was to
visit with workers on their way
to an old copper mine deep in
the mountains. The mine closed
in the 1950s. Years of out-of-
control pollution has to be rem-
edied. They off-loaded at the
bustling Lucerne landing. We
were amazed at all the heavy
equipment that had previously
been brought in by barge.
Time to bring in the Lake
Chelan closer. Food and wine.
Now that fi shing and a ferry
ride have aroused your thirst for
puzzle answers
the area, how about some fi ne
wine and food. It’s all there to
be discovered, except fast foods.
No McDonalds or Taco Bells
here.
Want to taste fi ne wines
at wineries with spectacular
views? This is the place. You can
even take a fl oat plane to one.
Land on the Columbia River
and be serenaded by quail while
enjoying the spectacular view.
Talk about the ultimate desig-
nated driver.
One dining experience
stands out above all—Blueber-
ry Hills Farms. This is another
must experience. When we told
the ladies at both the hotel and
visitor’s center we were going,
their eyes rolled skyward, “You
absolutely can not go there
without taking me.”
I could easily write a col-
umn about Blueberry Hills, the
menu, food, and fi fth generation
owner history. Since it would
be obvious I am not a culinary
writer, it would be best to say,
try the blueberry blintz and you
will be back. When the Seattle
Times gives it four stars for its
breakfasts, you know it’s good.
And, it is more than just a great
place for breakfast. How about
selling 100 fruit pies a day dur-
ing the summer?
I’m not encouraging you to
take a three-day weekend and
make the seven hour drive to
catch a bunch of fi sh, I’m urging
you to plan a vacation to a place
you could fall in love with. And,
who knows, while you’re there?
Not many lakes around with all
those species to be chased.
For more information, contact:
Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce,
www.LakeChelan.com; Lady of the
Lake, www.ladyofthelake.com; Blue-
berry Hills Farms, www.wildabout-
berries.com.
MAY 29, 2015, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
DUST,
continued from Page A8
on base in the game, Gresh-
am stranded 11.
Strong base running and
a couple of doubles and a
triple by Kelsi Christensen
kept the game moving at a
swift pace.
“We really focused that
inning and had a lot of run-
ners with clutch hits,” said
Oliver.
Even though the offense
was making waves, McNary’s
defense played tough with a
pair of double plays. In the
top of the fi rst, Kinsey Mc-
Naught made a running
catch in center fi eld and an
eagle-eyed throw to second
to catch a runner trying to
advance.
“Every catch in the out-
fi eld, every throw in the out-
fi eld, every single one was
spot on,” said Ulrey. Ulrey
threw a complete game with
three strikeouts after strug-
gling to fi nd her zone in the
fi rst inning.
With bases loaded and
one out, Ulrey was part of
the second double play in
the sixth inning when she
scooped up a grounder and
threw to catcher Kiana Vil-
larreal who got an out at
home plate. Villarreal threw
to fi rst for the second out to
end the Gopher’s inning.
As far as the contest with
North Medford, the Celtics
were hoping their own win
streak outlasted North Med-
ford’s.
Ulrey said she wanted to
see the team strike fi rst in
the second round.
“We need to start sooner
and not let them score fi rst.
We need to work on that be-
cause it’s a big part of how
we play,” she said.
McNary
sports
banquet
set for
Saturday
McNary High School’s
Athletic Booster Club will
hold its fourth annual dinner
and auction on Saturday, May
30, at the McNary Restaurant
& Golf Course.
This year, the club will
also be having a golf and foot
golf, described as a combina-
tion of soccer and golf, tour-
nament before the evening’s
events. The last three athletic
benefi ts raised enough to
renovate the athletic training
room, which serves to reha-
bilitate injured athletes and
help prevent future injuries,
purchase needed equipment
for teams and create a fund
to help support athletes with
monetary needs and would
not otherwise be able to afford
to participate.
This time around, the
boosters are raising money
in hope of supplying OSAA-
sanctioned and club teams
with needed equipment.
“The big thing is you don’t
have to have a student attend-
ing McNary to get involved.
My son is a seventh grader at
Whiteaker Middle School and
this group is about forming
the relationships and fi nding
ways to get involved,” Danielle
Bethell said.
Banquet tickets are $35
each. Registration and ticket
orders can be completed on-
line at mcnaryabc.com.
Keizer CERT is seeking items for its
garage sale fundraiser on Saturday and
Sunday, June 20–21 starting at 8 a.m.
4575 River Rd N, Keizer
(next to Faith Lutheran Church)
Sale proceeds will be used for supplies and
equipment, and to further the training of Keizer
CERT members and others in our community.
We are looking for donations of items that can be
used in our sale. We are a nonprofi t organization
so all donations are tax deductible.
If you have items you’d like to donate,
please contact Bonnie at (503) 931-1450
or Trish at (503) 930 - 7318.
The Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT) Program educates people about disaster
preparedness for hazards that may impact their area
and trains them in basic disaster response skills.
Advertising space donated by Keizertimes
Sam Goesch
Ins Agcy Inc
Sam Goesch CLU, Agent
3975 River Road North
Keizer, OR 97303
Bus: 503-393-6252
State Farm , Bloomington, IL
1211999