downstream on the Skagit River
- Insect (Wikipedia)
Insects (from Latin insectum) are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes and one pair of antennae. Their blood is not totally contained in vessels; some circulates in an open cavity known as the haemocoel. Insects are the most diverse group of animals; they include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms. The total number of extant species is estimated at between six and ten million; potentially over 90% of the animal life forms on Earth are insects. Insects may be found in nearly all environments, although only a small number of species reside in the oceans, which are dominated by another arthropod group, crustaceans, which recent research has indicated insects are nested within.
upstream on the Skagit River
- Ross Lake (wa100.dns.wa.gov)
Ross Lake sits amongst the snow-dotted peaks and densely forested hills of the North Cascades, providing visitors with a breathtaking alpine panorama. The lake stretches from Diablo Lake in the south all the way up into Canada, hopping a fault system and several hundred millennia of geologic history along the way. Ross Lake is a hydroelectric reservoir, created when Ross Dam was constructed in 1949. The shores of this 22-mile-long lake are a perfect place for boatpacking or backpacking. Hike the East Bank Trail to traverse the fault zone, visit geologic terranes, and travel back in time through geologic history. For a more relaxed visit, the Ross Lake Resort provides cozy floating cabins where visitors can view the sunset with all the comforts of home.
- Ross Lake (Washington) (Wikipedia)
Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level (489 m).