#11 - Waldo Lake

  

We've been wanting to visit Waldo Lake for some time, and this weekend we were going to be in Oakridge anyway. So, we decided to make a day of it. We got to bring along our daughter and Leanna's sister with us. There were some fires near Oakridge, so you will see some smoke over the lake, but it was clear when we put in. 

We chose the Shadow Bay day use boat ramp mostly because it was the first one we came to. It has plenty of parking, easy shallow incline ramp, and bathroom.
Melia had her paddleboard, and Dody had her small purple kayak. The lake was calm and clear, and a bit cold. No mosquitoes in late August! Yay!

As you can see in the background, the smoke is beginning to creep over the mountains.



Waldo is a pretty big lake. We decided to go straight out from the boat ramp. The water is very clear, and we could seen the bottom, until it got very deep and blue. We stopped about halfway across to swim, because I was feeling warm, and the water looked so inviting. It was, but also cold. I managed to go all the way underwater, and it felt great to get out.





Turns out that there is a small island on this part of the lake. We paddled around easily, and found 2 groups of people relaxing and enjoying nature. There were not many people on the lake, but then we did put in late, and the smoke was coming in. There were people fishing from boats, a few windsurfers, and the sailboat we saw at the dock.                  

Even with the smoke, Waldo Lake is amazing. If you can avoid mosquito season, which we did, I would heartily recommend coming here. There are some campgrounds nearby, and I'm guessing some people just find a spot on the shore to set up camp. 






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