FALL IN EASTERN TEXAS

On Sunday, November 5th, my good friend Lin Craft and I set out on a ten day trip to Eastern Texas to photograph Caddo Lake, a big Cypress bayou. This was a new experience for both of us. We traveled with friends and our trip leader, Mark Rasmussen of LightChase Photography.

We started with an overnight flight to St. Louis, MO. We were met by Mark and then a day of driving South to Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee. 

 Lin Craft and I at Texarkana road side stop

Reelfoot Lake is located in the Northwest corner of Tennessee and is a flooded forest of majestic cypress trees. It was formed as a result of an earthquake which reversed the flow of the Mississippi for a time. The lake and surrounding forests attract a large diversity of wintering and breeding populations of waterfowl, and boasts a significant population of bald eagles. We did not have time to explore the area or look for eagles. After dinner at the Boat House where we had a filling dinner of fried food, we  returned to our house and made some sandwiches for tomorrow's long day on the road to Caddo Lake, located in Eastern Texas. 

 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7:

As there was no sunrise due to clouds, we were off a little earlier than planned for Texas.

After a long day in the car driving mostly on the interstate it was good to do our first exploration of Caddo Lake in the Saw Mill Pond area. Caddo Lake, like Reelfoot Lake was formed due to eartquake activity and is also the only naturally formed lake in Texas.

 It was a clear afternoon with the sun setting behind us. It is an intriguing area with pond lilies dotting areas of the pond, giant bald cypress in fall color, and Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

 

As we settled into our main house for the week, John Cunningham, our co-leader, and Cathy Ren, one of the other  photographers, put together a delicious meal of salmon and fixings. It was very relaxing after a full day on the road, crowned with some photography.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8:

CADDO LAKE

 Up and out the door this morning at 0520 for a boat ride along the channel of the bayou and out to more open water. It was an overcast morning and all photography was from a mostly moving boat. There were lots of homes built on the waterway, all elevated above the waterline. This is to allow for the fluctuation high water during the year.

We spent the morning cruising the channel slowly and observing the wildlife - mostly birds - egrets and great blue herons occasionally along the water's edge fishing.

CRUISING ONE OF THE CHANNELS

In the afternoon it was quite overcast and gray so we wandered the area and photographed yard art. It was quite elaborate at times, and fun to see what the locals have done.

It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Dinner tonight was at the house where John put on a feast of enchiladas, rice, and beans. The reason for our "home cooking" is that there are few restaurants in the area, and our agenda around photography does not necessarily jibe with local restaurant hours.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH:

Once again we were off early for the morning light which did not materialize. We photographed around the Saw Mill Pond. 

In the afternoon we returned to the Pond and wandered along the shoreline. I was very careful to not trip over the roots and knees of the cypress in the area which meant I did not move quickly nor go far, but it was fun getting into the area and experiencing it.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH:

Rainy day today. Breakfast was at the Shady Glade Resort, a small restaurant which got quite busy due to the weather. This is also where the men in our group were housed in two small cabins. 

We took out a couple of canoes from the resort to explore the environment a little more slowly and quietly.  

The afternoon was spent back at the house.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11:

Back to Saw Mill Pond for a morning shoot. Still no sunrise, but we enjoyed more exploration of the area with a camera. Afterwards we went back to the house for breakfast.

For some reason my hearing aids started working in only the left ear!! Very frustrating. 

In the afternoon we went out on Captain Ron's Boat Tour  for some more cruising. We spent the afternoon exploring the bayou and keeping an eye out for some bird activity. There were a couple of fly byes but I was not successful in catching any of the activity with my camera.

With Big Foot

As you can see there are many activities on the bayou, some more peaceful than others.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH:

Sunrise was once again at Saw Mill Pond. Again there was little morning light. Afterwards we had breakfast at the Shady Glen Restaurant which was quite busy due to it being Sunday. We were a little ahead of the crowd so got seated fairly quickly.

In the afternoon we went out on Captain Ron's pontoon boat for the last time. This time I was able to capture a couple of birds with my camera. 

Saw Mill Pond

One of Many Homes along the Bayou

On the Prowl

Success!

Our Home away from Home

After dinner at the Big Pine Lodge we returned to  home base to start packing up our gear as tomorrow we head home with a long day of driving back to Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH:

A long day on the road, mostly on the Interstate.  

We had about an hour of photography along the shore of Reelfoot Lake before sunset.  Sunset provided some good opportunities. We then headed to the Blue Bank Resort for dinner. This was a very Large restaurant, and had more variety to the menu. Lin and I had bourbon braised shrimp with the fixings of cornbread, hush puppies, and coleslaw.

Once back at the cabin it was time for a shower, and prepare for another travel day.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH:

We were  off early in the hopes of a sunrise but it did not materialize. Breakfast was on the road at a small gas station that had a set up with hot food. I opted out of that and just had coffee and a granola bar. I guess that it was much better than it looked.

We made it to St. Louis in good time and had no problems with the boarding process. The plane was a bit small so the seating was tight. The leg from Minneapolis to San Diego made up for it as we both had a 3 seat row to ourselves.

We arrived in San Diego a few minutes early, and George met us as planned. Lin treated us to crabmeat sandwiches from Point Loma Seafood which we enjoyed once we were home.

After unwinding from the day in the air and on the road we both enjoyed getting a good night's sleep.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH:

We enjoyed a short walk in the morning before heading to breakfast at Brother's Restaurant here in San Diego. As I unpacked I realized I had left my iPad either in the boarding area in Minneapolis or on the plane.

I filed a missing item report with the airport, and the airline. Eventually it was found and I arranged to have it returned to me. Due to the security of the Apple product and my use of passwords all was fine and I was able to continue to use it.

This was a new adventure for me, photographing in a bayou. it was a good experience, but would have been a bit better with better weather. We tried to dodge the grey days but were not successful. May have to go back in a couple of years.