Tranquility (Ross Lake)

For years, my husband and I spent our anniversary in the floating cabins on the shores of Ross Lake—structures originally built for those who worked on the dam that supplies Seattle’s electricity. We’d drive up to and across Diablo Dam, park the car, and take the City Light ferry across Diablo Lake, then truck portage to another boat to cross Ross Lake, by which time we had truly escaped the stresses of city life. We would explore the lake’s inlets in a kayak, often stopping to allow our paddles’ ripples to recede so the glassy surface of the lake could mirror the majesty of the steep walls around us.