Lake Chelan’s Bargain Family Fun
Contributed by Loni Rahm
We have 5 children, so even a quick snack-and-go outing for a gang of 7 adds up quickly. OK, the two oldest “kids” are adult daughters and can fend for themselves if necessary – but still. We appreciate the abundance of “free or nearly free” things to do in and around the Lake Chelan Valley.
This is first in a series of articles on bargain family fun…and I feel compelled to begin with the jewel of our park system – Don Morse Park (aka the City Park).
Treasure hunting, boys and dogs just naturally go together
We love “low tide” at the Lake, when beach combing takes on a bizarre treasure hunt status led by our three young sons. At some point, the free fun will transform into nearly free when we finally break down and rent (or buy) a metal detector. In the meantime, we content ourselves with easily spotted surface items.
I’m one of those obsessive trash picker-uppers which means that my treasures are usually multiple bags of litter remnants that accumulate in and around our beautiful Lake.
But there’s enough of a kid in me to still light up when one of the fellas brings me a special rock or a piece of metal shaped like the crescent moon. We’ve found colored glass (spoiler alert – it’s usually broken beer or soda bottles rubbed smooth by the waves) and the occasional errant earring or bead that surely had a glamorous prior life.
We generally eschew mud boots and other sensible clothing for our beach excursions. This speaks more to the spontaneous factor of our treasure hunting trips and overrules my horror at mud-caked children climbing over my seat to get into the backseat of the car. And then there’s the muddy dog. After all, dogs are welcome at Don Morse park from September (after Labor Day) through mid-May (until Memorial Day). Just a reminder to keep them on a leash and pick up after them).
Once summer arrives and the Lake, as well as the parking lot, fills to capacity, the City Park takes on an entirely different persona. In the meantime, I encourage you to take advantage of the next warm day during low tide season and initiate a family treasure hunt of your own.
