Another Glimpse of Heart Ridge: The Lake

We love our lake.  In the video below, you will see some of its wonderful features.  How thrilled we were to find a retreat center that had it's own lake.  Heart Ridge also has a couple little creeks, as well, that pour into this central feature.  

Having never grown up on a lake or visiting a lake, we've had to learn many things.  One of the most important lessons we've learned is that finding where and how water goes is crucial.  When it rains--it pours!  Since we are surrounded by mountains, the water just floods into our lake.  With that comes the silt, or sand, which clogs our drainage pipes.  We've got a driveway that's probably going to collapse with the next great rain because the culvert pipe is almost full of this silt.  In fact, the cement bridge over it is already cracking.  

This water-draining problem has to be managed all over the property.  Many ditches and french drains are already in place, but many more need repairs or are non-existent. 

Then there are issues with algae, and water "weeds."  When you see a nice lake at a golf course, they are usually managed by a company that uses some kind of weed killers and pesticides.  We want our lake to be all natural so we're seeking natural solutions--like our carp.  Overall, we are very happy with it.  It seems "healthy."

It's been an education. Most of this enjoyable "education" about our lake has come from just taking time getting to know our lake and it's many residents (frogs, fish, turtles, muskrats, birds, etc.) who live there.