This was our destination - Cooper Lake in Kittitas County, in the central part of Washington State. We've camped here before, with our kids. The campground is on the right.
Cooper Lake is an excellent canoeing lake, with enchant- ing little hideaways lined with wild violets, white daisy, purple aster, and huckleberry bushes. The snow-capped Cascade peaks are in the distance. We canoed to the very end of this lake, where there are passages into wetlands, with reeds lining the shallow water. Other canoers were here, basking on sandbanks, enjoying the sunshine and blue sky. This is strictly a canoeing/kayaking lake. There is no boat access, and the campsites are set off from the road so unloading camping gear is tedius and time-consuming. The work involved is quite strenuous, and families had every member, including children, huffing and puffing to get the gear down to the campsite.
We secured the very last campsite, mid-morning on Saturday - I was glad we loaded up our van the night before, and headed out early, as quite a number of people came looking for a campsite mid-day and found none available. 
George and I had our afternoon coffee here, just a few steps away from our tent. We were camped next to a Seattle family with 2 sweet young children. The father had the most charming melodious voice, and as I sat in my chair by the lake, I listened to him coo to his children with the utmost endearment. He sounded like a Jew at the Wailing Wall, with his deep, reverant voice and strong accent. Later on, while we chatted over coffee, I found out that my imagination was correct. His parents now live in Israel, and are Russian Jews. He said he has tried hard to remove his accent, so he sounds more American. Surely, what a disappointment that would be, and I told him so.The most enchanting paddle we had was at dusk, Saturday evening, when the lake was completely still. (I didn't bring any of my cameras, as I wanted to enjoy the peace and tranquility.) As the sun set, it highlighted patches of reeds on the far shore, making them golden and enchanting. The happy sounds of campers could be heard across the lake, and campfires glowed along the shoreline. For the most part, it was quiet during the day, with just an occasional set of calls by resident ravens and the sound of chipmunks scurrying from one picnic table to another foraging for food. I left part of a peanut-butter sandwich on the table, and some little critter had found it, unwrapped it, and struggled to carry it away.
When we packed for this trip, I included my winter coat, mittens and a scarf. I knew mid-day temps were only in the high 70's, and nights were in the 40's. (Alpine altitudes.) We used our down comforter for warmth, and come morning, I could see my breath as I cooked breakfast!
We made steaming cups of hot coffee, followed by a breakfast of bacon and eggs on a fried English muffin. Within hours the coat, sweater, and long sleeved shirt was off, and it was T-shirt weather.We took our time striking the camp, hiking all the gear uphill. A type of commeraderie occurs among all the campers, as they visit along the trail. I noticed that most of them were 'enthusiasts', with very muscular legs and arms, with impressive kayaks and gear.
We saw a number of them stopped at a swimming hole along the Cle Elum River, lounging on big rocks here.
We climbed some big boulders to watch the little rafts float down the current. 
I walked along the river, too, going from rock to rock. The current was very strong, and the water very clear.On our way to Cooper Lake and also on the way home we stopped in the rustic little towns of Ronald and Roslyn up in the mountains.
Ronald had just a few buildings one could call town, and we stopped to shop for some supplies at the country store. This old building had just about everything one needed for an emergency, for fishing, camping, skiing, backpacking and hiking. 
George wanted to buy his meat here, at Carek's Meat Market in Roslyn, an establish- ment that has been around since 1913, and still serves up smoked ribs, bacon, jerky, cheeses, and smoked summer saussage. 
The lady here said that she could slice up a rib eye steak, slice up a roast, or grind some hamburger for us. 
She showed me the specialty jerkey - black pepper, honey garlic, Teriyaki, and the cajun, all for about $15.00 a pound, and looking like they went through a forest fire. 
An old scale was the only adorn- ment, and it had to be hung from the ceiling as the shop was so tiny. Roslyn is a little mountain community that began around 1889, with the discovery of coal.
The mines were worked to provide coal for the railroad. Nowadays, it has that image of being held together by memories, hard work, and ..... fame! It was the location for the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, in the hit TV series "Northern Exposure". All of the fuss is gone now, with just a few shiny cars basking in the noon-day heat in front of buildings over 100 years old. There are many delightful tourist images for Roslyn, but we decided just to drive down old alleyways, where I could find what I enjoy most, that image of 'make do', that characterizes small western towns.
No fancy buildings here, tract houses, and the like. Just one small building which served for awhile, then was added on, and on, with all types of stovepipes and chimneys to help keep the establishment warm in the winter.
I love this makeshift, tumble-down image of building still being used. Across the street was a saloon, with a mural on the back. There were quite a few murals in Roslyn, but the light was so glaring that day, I was reluctant to photograph them.
I hope to come back here on a daytrip sometime, and really explore this little town. It has a ton of history. Unfortunately, we just breezed through on our way over to Lake Easton on our way home, for our last paddle of the weekend.There, we paddled under the freeway, up a river with the most exquisite tiny pebbled riverbottom, and had to negotiate our paddle very carefully while gliding under a bridge. Lots of people were there, ready to jump with a powerful splash into the water below. We had to make sure they didn't land in our canoe.
