Tuesday, March 12, 1996

Bob, Kathleen and their dog, Dylan, wanted to take the relaxing and scenic route to Caddo and left the second day of Spring Break. They drove to Lake Ratcliff, in the Davy Crockett National Forest and spent their first night in a beautiful pine forest campground. Among other critters, they saw both Luna & IO moths. That night they spent several hours down by the lake watching the beaver signaling their annoyance at this intrusion by splashing the water with their tails. Wednesday morning they left Ratcliff and drove the additional 3 hours to Caddo Lake State Park, arriving about noon. Breaking the 5 hour drive from College Station to Caddo into 2 shorter drives with a pleasant camp in between is definitely the way to do it! (If you are coming from Collage Station, that is.)

Wednesday, March 13, 1996

I caught up with them Wednesday night at 6 pm. We, Nelson Guda, Tammy West, and I, had left Austin at 10:30 a.m. and had taken a leasurly drive to the park. We even stopped beiefly for lunch at a Taco Bell/Subway/Truck Stop. More Austin friends, Joanne Chu and John Wahren had beaten us to the park.

First off we unloaded the boats. I had the Grumann Canoe, two kayaks and a C-1 (a solo-decked canoe, which looks very much like a kayak) on my van and Bob carried a Mohawk canoe and three kayaks on his little red Toyota pickup. Soon after our arrival another group from College Station pulled in; David Reichel and his teenage kids Amanda, Stephen and Warren. The Reichels brought a canoe and an extremely tippy racing kayak (but more about that later. . . ) Our meal that night consisted of Bill's traditional first night at Caddo dinner - seven pounds of boiled shrimp and several bottles of Champagne. (What a welcome party!) We had time for a short night paddle and once again the startled beaver splashed the water all around us. Later we walked out on the fishing pier for some star gazing. Since the county had received little rainfall that spring, there was a burning ban on and campfires were not allowed in the state park. We had to make do with sitting around a Citronella candle and visiting before bed. (The mosquitos really weren't that bad.)

Thursday, March 14, 1996

Joanne cooked up a huge pan of scrambled eggs, onions, chilis and bacon for breakfast. She did a great job, even without her chopsticks. Tammy, Nelson, Bob and Kathleen decided to take a trip into the swamp to explore the area just outside our little state campground. They left the Mill Pond and went out into the 'river' turning West to the next inlet down from the park and coming back via the 'inland passage,' while the rest of us held down the camp. Later several of us hiked the park trails soaking in the sights and sounds of the East Texas Piney Woods. On this walk we found a great grapevine swing. Some of us (Kathleen, Joanne, and Stephen Reichel) were even brave enough (or was that foolish enough) to pose in it for pictures.

Scott Johns (a friend of Bob's who works in the computer center at A&M) was the first to arrive in the second wave. Two more families from College Station, Steve & Gwen Archer and their teenage children, Jordan & Cadie, and Stephen & Annie Zitzer and their young children, Callie (3 1/2 years) & Zoe (17 months) came next. The Zitzers are active bird watchers and members of the College Station Audubon Society. Their children have gone out in canoes birdwatching since they were first born. Though we were at first a bit concerned about the Zitzers taking their VERY young children out canoeing in the swamp, they seemed quite content, sitting side by side in their matching car seats and playing with lily pads. The Archers brought both a canoe and a sea kayak. The Zitzers brought a canoe, bringing the total number of boats in our little armada to 13! The largest floatilla we have yet put on the water. (In some small island nations, this could have been considered an invasion force.)

Nelson and Tammy brought shishkebab fixin's for this evening's dinner. We all assembled our own and fought for grill space. (It was a friendly fight.) It was fun hearing the different philosophies for putting together a simple k-bob. Another trip out to the pier to star gaze was done before bed.

Friday, March 15, 1996

This was our major day to paddle the swamp proper. We had all 13 boats out at the Pine Needle Lodge launch by 10:30 a.m. after a meal of breakfast tacos. Our group photo was shot from a bridge looking down on 12 of our 13 boats all tethered together. (It would have been all 13, but someone had to shoot the picture and Bob was elected) On this trip, we decided to again try to paddle around Goat Island, going clockwise up Carter's Chute this time and returning via Whistelberry Slough, Alligator Thicket, Bird Roost, and Black Lake. All went as planned through lunch time. We put ashore on the tip of Goat Island about 1 p.m. to cook up green & yellow bell peppers, onions, and sausages heated in BBQ sauce. Wrapped in tortillas warmed on the ol' Coleman Stove; this was our yummy hot lunch. We rounded the island's tip and once again, couldn't find the channel home. Actually the group split here; some going back to the lodge early and others searching for the channel a bit more. After Bob and I finally admitted that we never have actually found our way all the way around Goat Island, our group finally accepted defeat and the end of the trip was the same for us all; back to the lodge via Boat Road #3. We learned later that a radical environmentalist had pulled down all the reflectors and license plate channel markers in this area to make it look more natural. . . and it also makes it so many folks are unable to find their way around.

Everyone was impressed by the lake. Since our trip was a little earlier than normal this year (we generally go around mid-April), the Cypress Trees had yet to leaf out, but this just added to the somber beauty of the place. The Spanish Moss hanging off the trees looked almost like giant cobwebs; as though the lake had been abandoned for years. It would have been a great trip to have brought some black and white film, which of course none of us thought to do. The plus side of this early trip was that the poison ivy hadn't started to leaf out yet. Still, I could see their little bare branches sticking out of the ground everywhere and wondered if the others knew what they were.

We caught a little hatchling Texas Spiny Softshell, a Red-Eared Turtle, and several Broad-Banded Water Snakes. In the clear, yet tannin tinted water we saw chain pickeral, bowfin, gar and white bass. Caddo lake is the original home of the white bass and the Texas Parks and Wildlife employees have spread them through most of Texas from this one lake. We also noted that many more Cypress knees (where much of the tannin in the water comes from) had been chewed by beaver than in the years past. We wondered if the current drought and its effect on the young plants the beaver feeds on, had anything to do with this.

By the time we got back to camp, Jennifer Townsdin (caver friend and two year Caddo trip veteran), Patti (her sister) and friend, Scott had arrived. Patti's black Cadillac really classed up our two campsites which were now really packed. There were tents, kids, and camp gear everywhere and we weren't done yet. Before nightfall, Van Miller (from Dallas and a three year Caddo veteran) got to the park. This brought our total to 25 good friends and family, the largest Caddo camping trip so far! For dinner Joanne cooked a luscious noodle casserole with the smoked turkey John had gotten from work. (We almost lost this great meal when the pan fell off the stove and flipped over on the ground but the lid stayed on and saved the day. . . er. . . night.) All (but the kids) went to bed early that night for some reason.

Saturday, March 16, 1996

It rained a bit that night; but it didn't seem to bother anyone. We needed the rain. This day (like all the other days) was warm, partly cloudy and lovely. We really had great weather this year. The trees were grey but the Dog Woods and Red-Buds were blooming. Spring Peepers, Cricket frogs, and a lonely Leopard Frog were calling. Owls were heard at night and woodpeckers, herons and finches were in abundance. Nobody had a problem with too much sun and noone complained of more than a few mosquito bites. This morning, after a feast of more egg & sausage breakfast tacos a couple of trips were planned. We split our group up that day. The families did the longest paddle we've have ever attempted; from Johnson's Camp, around Taylor Island, through Mossy Break, up Smith Slough, through Big Hole and Carter's Lake, and back to the State Park by way of Hell's Half Acre and Big Cyprus Bayou; approximatedly 9 miles! Afterward we thought the least we could do was to drive them back to Johnson's Camp to pick up their cars.

Bob's and my group went back to Pine Needle Lodge and tried to find the way around Goose Island from the other direction.(If at first you don't succeed. . .) Without our license plate channel markers we were once again stymied. Nobody really seemed to mind though. We did see a muskrat, beaver, more turtles and snakes and a couple of hopeful vultures posed on a duck blind. (We really weren't that lost!) Saturday afternoon, back at camp, we all gathered at the shore to take turns trying out the Reichel's racing kayak. Imagine a narrow boat design for speed, having an almost perfectly rounded bottom. It was by far the fastest boat in the armada, and the tippiest! Several folks took turns trying to paddle it, though it was quite enough for others to just sit in it in the shallows. Bob did pretty well, actually paddling it half way across the Mill Pond before deciding not to press his luck and turning back. 100 feet from shore a great round of applause went up, just as he flipped into the dismal depths. Later there was some debate as to whether the applause simply broke Bob's concentration, causing the flip. . . or whether the applause was in responce to the flip.

Dinner was a huge dish of sausage, rice and beans. Everything tastes so good when you are outside. Saturday night we sat up around our single Citronella candle and told exciting tales of daring, and sometimes foolish deeds, until the wee hours. I think the younger members among us gained a greater respect for their elder companions after hearing of our exploits. (I just hope we didn't give them any bad ideas.)

Sunday, March 17, 1996

This was our clean up and go day. Van had already left by the time the rest of us arose. After a last great breakfast of Mexican Crepes (warm flour tortillas with cream cheese and strawberry jam) we packed up the tents and tried to get everyone's equipment into the right cars. The van was on the road by 10:30 a.m., the same time we left for the park last Wednesday. True to form, after a short dinner stop at Subway we were back in town by 6:30 p.m.. A mileage reading read almost exactly 300 miles from Caddo Lake State Park to Austin. All got back to their respective homes safely. Monday morning meant a return to school or jobs for most of us. . . and possibly the last blustery cold front of the year with wind, rain and freezing temperatures. Our weather luck had once again held out just long enough. Another great Caddo Lake camping and boating trip was a fond memory. . .