So far this year's summer has been a real scorcher and the soaring temperatures has had Oregonians seeking out ways to escape from the heat. This past weekend was no different and it prompted my wife and I to get away to a mountain lake and enjoy some time in the water. The only problem was that most swimming holes in Oregon have incredibly chili water even in the dead of summer. I decided to pull out my old Oregon Swimming Holes book and find a spot we could cool off in but not freeze in our state's notoriously cold water. I also didn't want to go too far out of the way as I was looking for a day trip. Timothy Lake, Trillium Lake and many other nearby bodies of water had already been explored and I wanted something new and off the beaten path. What we found was a little treasure sitting at an elevation of about 4,000 feet called Buck Lake.Now normally if I run across a place like this I wouldn't write about it for fear of crowds ruining the charm, however, Portland Monthly already did this in a recent article so I won't feel as bad. If you are interested in visiting Buck Lake you are on your own in terms as finding it (it can be tricky).
