Summer Hangouts: Then, Now, and in the Future

Forged Series: Lucky Peak Reservoir, Bannock Zone, UPT

To learn more about the FORGED series, visit the Table of Contents.

Lucky Peak

When selecting locations for the Forged series, I drew on my experiences as a teen in the Boise area. Early in the story-writing process, I knew I wanted to include a summer beach day at Lucky Peak because of my fond memories there.

In 1989

The summer between my junior and senior year in high school, I spent many days at Lucky Peak Reservoir. A friend’s family owned a jet boat, and she graciously invited me to join them.

I’d never been much of a swimmer. I’d taken lessons growing up, but to this day, I have yet to master putting my head under water without plugging my nose. And the doggie paddle is my idea of the perfect swimming stroke.

Needless to say, my attempts to learn how to waterski were not very successful. But here is proof that I was able to get up on waterskis. At least once.

PHOTO CREDIT: Margaret Heitzeberg. 1989

Despite the lack of any waterskiing prowess, summer days at Lucky Peak were always fun. Some days, a bunch of us would hang out at Sandy Point, the park at the base of the dam. We’d take a picnic lunch, spend hours jumping off the floating dock anchored in the calm waters, playing beach volleyball, listening to music, or simply relaxing—soaking up the sun, reading books, and flipping through magazines.

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PHOTO CREDITS: Idaho Peak State Parks (left) and CB Mason (right)

Today

Lucky Peak Dam, a rolled earthfill dam, was completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1955 to provide flood control and irrigation in the Treasure Valley. The reservoir behind the dam is twelve miles long, with a storage capacity of 264,400 acre-feet of water.

According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, there are seven park areas, four boat launch ramps, and eighty dispersed recreation sites accessible only by boat among the 4,079 acres of managed lands. Three additional parks are managed by the state of Idaho.

Not until October 1988 did the dam have power-generating capabilities.

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Hand-drawn map of Kairos Island, a fictitious island in the Lucky Peak Reservoir. CREDIT: CB Mason

In 2134

In the world of the Forged series, Lucky Peak Dam is a major hydroelectric power source. The reservoir is still a main recreation area for the citizens of Bannock. Just as in my days, the teens in the future like to hang out on the shores, swim, and take jet boats out to waterski or ride inner tubes.

The teens who attend Bannock High School have an annual event the second weekend of the new school year. They spend the day on Kairos Island (an imaginary island that does not exist today) and do all the things my friends and I did the summer before my senior year. Plus, some things we never did. (We were not cool enough to have a smoked salmon dinner and had never heard of the crazy game called spikeball or access to paddleboards.)

The island has a long pier, a floating dock with a slide, kayaks and paddleboards stored in a shed, a picnic area, a sandy beach and shallow swimming area, space for frisbee golf, and cliffs at one end for jumping. Isaiah invites Tessa to join the fun, which ends with a bonfire after dark. It is the perfect place outside of school for Tessa and Isaiah to get to know each other better. And for Jenna to point out that someone has a crush on the new girl from the Wilds.

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I lowered myself to my paddleboard without a word, reclining on my back. Isaiah circled my board once before bringing his parallel with mine. I smiled as I heard him ease his lanky frame down.

I kept my eyes closed and savored the stillness. Tired from my hard paddling, I sighed as the sun heated my bones and showed red on the inside of my eyelids. I reveled in the warmth and the contented quiet between us. We floated for long minutes, our boards rocking with languid rolls. The sound of others faded away until a feeling of solitude surrounded us.

Excerpt from Shattered, book one of the Forged series from

Provender Press

.

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Now available in paperback and eBook. Order from your local independent bookstore, find in most major retailers, or purchase a signed copy from Provender Press. Check here for where to buy.

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Boise Peeps!

What landmarks do you hope to find in the pages of the Forged series? If you’ve already read Shattered (first of all—Thank You), what familiar places did you find?

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What I’m reading

Here are some other dystopian and Sci-Fi fiction pieces available on Substack that you might enjoy. Plus, some thought-provoking pieces.

1. Forbidden Parallels - The debut novel from Fellow Provender Press author,

   Kevin Carver
   , came out May 27th! I’ve started the story, and I’m loving it! Watch for my review in a next week’s newsletter.

2. A Story from the Year 3053 - Check out this short, poignant read from

   Strawbridge
   , and you’ll be thinking twice about checking your phone’s notifications.

3. The cellar of a thousand skies - As I said on Notes, this piece by

   Nathan Slake
   is “Written as prose, but this reads as poetry.”

4. Mars Sample Return 5 -

   Larry Hogue
   gives us another great episode of his speculative tale based on the history of the Viking Lander experiments and recent NASA plans.

5. Is Empathy Really the Weakness of Western Civilization? -

   Neela 🌶️
   does it again. This piece will make you think and cost only “2 Cents & a Lime™.” My favorite line: “It's that we've been raised to believe strength only comes from stoicism and strategy, not connection.“

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