Coming Home, Homeless Style

If home is where the heart is, then I have a lot of them. But the Texas side of Caddo Lake has been a special place for me since I first paddled on it, way back in the 1970's.  It is one of the few natural lakes in Texas and was formed by an earthquake. It consists mostly of swamp lands, my favorite ecosystem.  And it has long been one of my favorite places to paddle where tiny trails pass through majestic cypress trees, then open up to little prairies that fill with wintering ducks.

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Morning View of the Mill Pond

So when a friend wrote that she was going to go to Caddo Lake from October 21 - 26,  and was inviting anyone to join her, I immediately set up my trip itinerary to make it there by at least Thursday.  Then, I had a hard time leaving Utah, (It happens every time I go there.) so I had a couple of long hard driving days covering over 1200 miles.

But it was worth it to get to re-visit Caddo Lake in the company of several of my friends.

It was a little too dark yet for a good picture but I couldn't resist this composition

Loved meeting up with one the birds and my favorite plants, beautybush

New-to-me boat for the po' folks that don't have paddle craft

Carol getting ready for Saturday's paddle

Fear not - that strange single bladder is just Dutch

Natalie back to being able to push all this through the water a year after her rotator cuff surgery

Giant salvinia is stealing our paddle routes and killing off plants and animals

Water hyacinth, another terrible invasive is losing out to giant salvinia

I got ahead of Dutch and Tracy, then got a frontal view of them.  Note the baby in the passing boat

Winnie took this picture of me in her husband's kayak, Thanks Wayne. 

The group coming into a store for a pit stop

This is a great, funky way to disguise a propane tank

I never get tired of the view from my kayak

The weather was absolutely delightful

We finished the evening with a shared meal and good conversation around a campfire. Life is good.

I spent Sunday packing up, cooking breakfast for Natalie and Ellen, and then following them home on the last leg of my winter migration.