The view from the north shore of Wallowa Lake changes with the
seasons, the days and the times of day. Blue skies, with boats,
water-skiers, parasailers and sky-blue water, leave a lasting
and colorful impression. The opposite, however, may also be
true. As our wagon eased to a stop a few wintry days ago,
Darlene, Nora the Schnauzer and I enjoyed a stark southern view:
slate-gray rippling water, fog-draped, cloud-capped dark
mountains (west to east, Chief Joseph, Bonneville and Howard),
the wooded-dark west moraine and the world-famous, winter-brown
east moraine. The grayness of the day colored the cobbles and
boulders as Nora and I strolled along the shoreline. A man and
woman walked the length of the boat dock. They seemed entranced
by the view. Otherwise we had the north shore to ourselves, and
the glacier-sculpted panorama will not soon be forgotten. I've
read estimates that the most recent advance of the Wallowa Lake
glaciers occurred 17,000 years ago
(www.eou.edu/geology/wallowalake.html). After that, "