There are few things in life finer than a lazy summer day on a lake. The smell of sunscreen, a page-turner in your lap, maybe a glass of Whispering Angel at your side...dozens of children scuttling over your sandy feet…

Ok, while the last part may fit into my perfect scenario five years from now, it isn’t necessarily a part of my ideal summer day today.

I don’t have the answer for avoiding throngs of people at every beach, but I’ve found my idea of perfection—and isolation—at Donner Lake.