Lakeshore
by Robert Bales
Title
Lakeshore
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
We had a family camp out near Anthony Lake which is above 7000 feet and this beautiful alpine lake was only a very short hike form our camp site. This was taken in the late afternoon on our first day at the lake.
Just as beautiful, but more accessible than the more famous Wallowa Mountains nearby, the Elkhorn Range boasts craggy granite peaks and high alpine lakes surrounded by wildflowers. A paved road climbs to a lovely campground and picnic area beside 7,140-foot-high Anthony Lake. From here hikers can stroll around the lake in half an hour or tackle a more demanding 8.2-mile loop around Gunsight Mountain.
A little history on how it was formed. The Blue Mountain range began as a volcanic island archipelago in the Pacific Ocean 210 to 270 million years ago. The Earth's crustal movement "rafted" this volcanic and sedimentary debris onto the advancing North American continent about 200 million years ago. Later bubbles of relatively light granite rose through the sediment to form the core of the range. This granite has since been exposed by erosion.
A glacier scoured out Anthony Lake's granite basin from the crest of the Elkhorn Range relatively recently, during the Ice Age 6,000-20,000 years ago. Today there are no glaciers in Eastern Oregon. Instead, subalpine firs and wildflower meadows ring the lake. Still, exposed patches of granite often exhibit "glacial polish," shiny surfaces where the weight of grinding ice has polished the rock as smoothly as a granite tombstone.
Uploaded
September 8th, 2013
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Comments (16)
Marvin Blaine
What Beautiful Scenery Robert Exceptional Capture! L/F
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks so much, Marvin for the very nice comments and the LF!! Sure like to be there on this hot day!!
Melanie Lankford Photography
Stunning image, Robert! Looks like a perfect spot to sit and reflect! v/f
Robert Bales replied:
Yes it was. I stayed all morning on the lake watching the light hitting the lake and thanks for the v/f!!
Ruth Housley
Robert this is really a beautiful scene as well and love the sky and mountains. F/V Ruth