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East
Texas has some of the most beautiful lakes in Texas,
largely because they are surrounded by lavish forests.
If anyone ever
asks me to pick the lake I like most, Caddo
Lake, located near Jefferson,
would be high on my list, largely because its mystical nature is captivating.
Caddo
is among the few naturally formed lakes in Texas.
It was created in the 1800s when the backwaters of the Red River broke though
a logjam, eventually sprawling over more than 26,000 acres along the Texas-Louisiana
border with water.
What makes Caddo so different is its large cypress
trees. Their roots, called knees, poke out of the water like gnomes. |
"What
makes Caddo so different is its large cypress trees."
Photo courtesy Maryanne
Gobble, November 2010 |
The
lake is also rich in wildlife. The lake’s alligators are shy, but if you look
closely you’ll find them swimming lazily between the cypress trees, sometimes
with birds riding on their backs.
You’ll also find opossums, all kind
of snakes and scorpions, egrets, blue herons, beavers, deer, raccoons, bobcats
and coyotes. And in the trees, barred owls seem to call out with a low-pitched
sound that sounds like, “Who cooks for you?"
The cypress trees are home
to a Spanish moss, which isn’t a moss at all, but related to the pineapple, a
guide told us. |
Spending
the night on the lake is an experience of its own. The best place is one of nine
stone and log rental cabins built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Caddo Lake is actually a state park with 2.5 miles of hiking trails that wind
around a handful of small communities, including Uncertain,
which was once a steamboat landing named by a captain who often told his nervous
passengers, “Landing here is always uncertain.” |
 |
Guides carry tourists
through the swamp with “Go-Devil” boats, a low-profile metal craft with an outboard
motor that can navigate the shallow waters with ease.
One Go-Devil guide
often tells his passengers, ”A lot of people get lost here and have to spend the
night without wanting too,” while patting the metal storage bin on his boat, which
is always packed with tins of sardines and Vienna sausages.
If you want
more comfort for your boat ride, larger boats, some shaped like old steamboats,
often carry groups of sightseers across the lake, weaving among the old cypress
trees.
Adding to the mystery of the lake are several sightings of Bigfoot,
the large man-like creature which has been seen by visitors on several occasions.
Bob Bowman's East Texas
May 22, 2011 Column.
A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers
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