Oregon lake cabin, evening in front of the old fireplace

It's evening. I have a blazing fire on the old cabin hearth. The crackling fir and the heavy steady rain on the cabin's metal roof are my companions along with the November lake solitude. The current election is over, an added relief.

A super moon illuminated nearby Mount McLoughlin and the utterly still lake last night, setting at 6am. Cozied away in the screened sleeping porch, I woke to view the moon set and the first light on the mountain.

Sleeping porch

Yesterday, from my pillow, I noticed the pink sunlight of dawn on McLoughlin's peak. Quickly, I grabbed my robe and exited to the patio where I photographed an ethereal scene of rising mist off the lake, ribbons of fog across the lake's west-side forests, and pink blushes of first sunlight on the partially snow-covered mountain. I worked quickly as I know how fleeting these moments are, as years at the lake in different seasons has gifted me with scenes that few see. The screened sleeping porch—with four queen sized beds—is one of few left at the lake, if not the last one that is used as the permanent sleeping area. This old cabin fits the lake perfectly, representing an earlier era.

The cabin in 2026

There are fewer and fewer original older cabins at the lake every year as they are either remodeled or destroyed and replaced by new homes. This old cabin (built around 1930) speaks deeply and eloquently of family and friends, and is a repository of lake memories for several generations. As my brother-in-law Rob Crawford (Rob and his sister Judy Story own the cabin) once told me, “No one can buy our family tradition or heritage connected with the cabin, no matter the price they offer. No pockets are deep enough to purchase an integral part of our soul.”

			The lake, the cabin and the mountain are rich and old honored friends of mine. Lake of the Woods has inspired me since I was a child. We first came from our Malin home to fish and camp. The first cabin stay I recall was as a teenager at Bob Elden's (cabin A-1) at a FFA (Future Farmers of America) leadership retreat in 1963. In the late 1970s, I started staying periodically at Rob's family cabin, and still do to this day, including some longer stretches in the off season when few are at the lake. More often than not, I open and close the cabin every year. My wife JJ—she passed 18 years ago—and I have many cabin memories before and after our son's birth. My son Steen, who is now 31, and I were at the cabin when Rob's mom, Ruth Mary passed away. She and her husband Jack had purchased the cabin in 1946. Jack's sister Ann and brother-in-law Lloyd Prock purchased cabin E-6 for a $10 gold coin in 1944. Jack's sister Mary Elizabeth and her husband Peter Cartwright were owners of cabin C-2. Jack and Ruth Mary's daughter, Laurie and her husband Don Owens (owners to this day of Sundown Tent and Awning in Klamath Falls) later would purchase cabin W-9. Four lake cabins were owned by the Crawford family at one time.

My brother-in-law Rob's grandfather, Harry Bathiany, was a noted adventurer who fought in the Spanish-American War and once shared a tent with the famous adventurer Roald Amundsen.

Amundsen was the first human to reach the South Pole. He also joined the first expedition to cross the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific and, along with some abandoned shipmates, hiked 250 miles across Alaska in the dead of winter.

The Bathianys were once the ruling royals of the Austrian/Hungarian empire. Many buildings and city squares are named for them in Budapest. “The trashy Hapsburgs took the crown from us!” laughed Laurie.

The lake has been a welcome and powerful influence in my professional life as a photographer/writer. I'm constantly inspired by the play of light with the elements when I visit the cabin. There has never been a television or phone in this cabin and the radio reception is often poor. Many times I've tried to tune in to a World Series game as traditionally every year I'm here during the Fall Classic. I have sweet memories of being in the old canoe in the middle of the lake listening to a game back when there were day games.

The world becomes simpler and more elemental when I’m at the lake. I breathe more slowly, I get recharged and I feel more refreshed and relaxed when here. Worries and concerns fall away like autumn leaves under the spell of the lake's embrace. In a harried world, the lake is like a masseur releasing pressure, allowing relaxation and a greater clarity of being. The clarity and the play of light at the lake is amazing.

I'm a documentary photographer and a travel/adventure writer. The lake and its environs offer the perfect palette for painting with the camera. When here, I experiment a lot with the technical and creative nuances of the camera, as time slows down and allows such. It is here where I've perfected the technical aspects of night photography, which I've been able to take with me to such places as the active volcanic flows on Hawaii's Big Island, the streets of Quebec City, and the intoxicating mountains that surround Sestriere, Italy. Over the years at the lake, I've experienced a plethora of wildlife and bird life which I've photographed, including martin, weasel, deer, raccoon, pileated woodpecker, pelicans, osprey, bald eagles, and loons.

	Merganser family in front of the cabin		Reading by the fireplace

	Mount McLoughlin and Lake of the Woods		Rob and Author's Sister LeAnne

I come to the lake to edit, write, read, relax, engage in physical activities,  and to enjoy family and friends in a social setting where relaxation comes readily. While here, I've received emails and calls from noted publications, leading to sales of my work to such publications as The Atlantic, Smithsonian, American Heritage, Browntrout Publishers, Range Magazine, Vermont Monthly, Nevada Magazine and many others.

I've explored every nook and cranny of the lake, some many times over. My son, brother-in-law, niece Callie, sister LeAnne and I especially love seeking morel mushrooms during the spring flush.

The lake has allowed me to meet some cabin owners that have become lifelong friends. Caretaker Justin Andersen—one of many that I've known—has been a treasure. Sailing with John Poole and driving Chris Cotton's boat while he water skis has been a pleasure, too. Both of these friends have passed since the release of this story.  

	Old fun days at the cabin		The cabin log		The cabin library

I love biking around the lake and exploring the many trails that our area offers. And of course, there is the fishing! I'm a devout fly fisherman but Lake of the Woods is the only place where I'll use powerbait to bring in some big daddies for filleting and frying!

I experience the lake in all seasons. My favorite is autumn. But I love winter, too as few other people are here. I have fond memories of cross-country skiing across the lake in star and moonlight, and skiing to the lodge for dinner and drinks when it was open during the winter season.

	Mount McLoughlin and Lake of the Woods		Removing snow from the roof, 1950s

The winter cabin is not for the faint of heart as the temperatures can be severe. Since there is no year-round water and the cabin was built with minimum insulation, winter time is more like snow camping. But the reward is extraordinary with night skies scintillating, day and night skiing energizing and fulfilling, evenings gathered around the blazing hearth primordial, and the taste of drink and food as though you've savoured something for the first time. But more than anything, the quiet is so deep that your heart and soul sing to you, gently, beautifully—poetry beyond the most eloquent human words.

	Basically, the cabin and lake give me sustenance to weather and enjoy the remainder of the year. They recharge me and render me into the deepest quiet that I've ever known. Note: Today is April 21, 2026. Yesterday, I opened the cabin to this year’s new season. I harvested morel mushrooms which I prepared for dinner. In the evening, I made a blazing fire on the old hearth, did some writing, and then I finished the book "The Aviator’s Wife," reading from the fireplace’s available light. I fell asleep in one of the screened porch beds. A steady rain fell all night.
			Morel mushrooms 2026

Story originally published in Cabin Cruising: A Lakeside History of Lake of the Woods, Oregon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Larry Turner is a productive, respected regional, national and international photographer/writer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, including Browntrout and Avalanche Publishers' calendars and books, American Heritage, National Geographic Traveler, Travel and Leisure, Sunset, Range Magazine (29 covers), The Atlantic and many others. He is the co-author of the book Mount Shasta Reflections, and his photographs have appeared on covers of many books and magazines. He is an active skier, gardener, fly fisherman, and adventurer. His greatest love is spending time with his son Steen, Chef de Cuisine at Buchanan's Chop House (Whitefish). Click for Larry's Facebook page.