Lake Bistineau - August 20, 2006

Don and Susie wanted to look at a house for sale on Lake Bistineau, so we decided to bring the kayaks and go paddling while we were there. It was soooooo hot that we really should have stayed home, but we went anyway. The car temp said it was 100 degrees when we got to the state park where we were going to put in. And the park is not on the open part of the lake, it is on a very tree filled part, so we could not count on any breeze to help cool us off. We put in about 5:30 PM, so the sun was pretty high and boy was it hot.


But as we went from the park down to the bridge we saw quite a bit of wildlife, so I just tried to ignore the heat.


The water was filled with yucky dead and rotting hydrilla. They have drained the lake for the last two years and so as it filled up over the winter time the dead plants just rotted in the water. So it was not exactly a nice place to paddle.


We weren't sure that we would make it to the bridge because the hydrilla that was not killed in the drain off was everywhere blocking the way, but Don went ahead and found a decent pathway for us to follow through the stuff.


We rested under the bridge for a bit to cool off. It was pretty hot still and I was not about to take water from the lake and splash it on myself like I usually do. No telling what bugs/bacteria would be in it. So I took my drinking water and poured some on myself. That felt pretty good.

As I was resting, a dragonfly decided he needed to rest too and lit on my kayak just long enough for me to take a picture.

After we rested a bit we headed back to the park.

I saw a blackish small bird so I went closer to see if I could get a picture. I thought maybe it was some type of black bird until I got the camera on him, but then I saw that it was a green heron. I was too far away to get a really good picture (reminder to self...get a teleconverter!).


The egrets were everywhere, and I saw a whitish bird in the distance and I started trying to get closer. Susie (whose eyes are much better than my expensive lasik fixed eyes) said, Hey that one looks different from all the others. I zoomed in and...it was not an egret!

It was a juvenile blue heron...my first! I was thrilled!

I wish that I had been able to get closer, but the water got too shallow and it was filled with the hydrilla and grass. But I was just pleased that I saw it.

I looked a couple of hundred yards away from that and saw another blue, but it was almost all blue. And I definitely could not get real close to this one. Oh well....at least I got one good bird picture!


Susie was close and she said that she saw something moving on the distant shore, so I looked and sure enough there was a doe coming down for water. It was too far away to get a good shot even with the telephoto, but I am posting a few pictures anyway. It's not every day that I get to take pictures of a deer!




When I looked up Don was out of sight and Susie was pretty far away too, so I gave it up and headed back to the car.


As we were putting the kayaks on the trailer, Susie said look...another deer, and sure enough there was another doe feeding on the bushes across from the dock. But by the time I got my camera back out of the car, it had just about disappeared into the bushes. So I missed that one.

All in all the Lake Bistineau trip was very hot...it had nasty water...I think we almost all got heat stroke...BUT I saw a bird I had never seen...so it was worth it for me! I told Don and Susie...we go to Caddo or Cross Lake from now on if it is close to 100 degrees! No more small bodies of water with no lake effect cooling breeze! And when we got our yaks out of the water you could see the scum built up on the sides of our boats. So we will have to wash them good before we take them elsewhere. We certainly don't want to spread that stuff around!

Well...that's it for this report... Hope to go somewhere again next weekend. I am looking forward to September 8th when we go up to Table Rock Lake in Missouri for a few days.

Until next time...

Cathy

Caddo Lake - August 12, 2006

Well, it was 100 Degrees here today, but we decided to make the trip out to Caddo Lake anyway. We hooked up the trailer to haul Don and Susie's kayaks and of course mine was already on top of the 4Runner. We arrived at Caddo Lake State Park about 5 PM. The car thermometer said 99 degrees. We got everything unloaded and the yaks carried down to the water. Don and I decided to take a short swim first to cool off. The water was extremely brown because the waves were really kicking up the dirt in the water. We loaded into the kayaks and took off, going a different direction than last time. It was extremely challenging!



There were a lot of times that the waves would break over the sides or stern of the kayak. Don thought it might be fun to go into the cypress trees and ride the waves. He said it was fun, so I tried it...it was fun...just had to make sure that I didn't run into to any trees!



The wind on the water was so nice. Even though the waves were awesome, it kept the sun from being so hot. So it was really quite enjoyable. But next time, when we decide to go to Caddo, I think I will take some Dramamine before heading out! Those waves were so high at times that I felt myself getting a wee bit seasick!



We paddled around until around 6:30 then decided to head back to the dock. It was quite a nice workout paddling in the waves. I tried to take a few pictures of some birds that I saw during the paddle, but we were moving so much vertically that the pictures all turned out pretty blurry. I did get one on a post, but it was pretty unspectacular...so...No birdies this time...



But I did catch Don outlined by the sun as he rested before heading in to the dock.



All in all, it was loads of fun! I just love getting out on or into the water!
Well, until next time...

Happy Kayaking!
Cathy

Cross Lake - August 8, 2006

Went kayaking Tuesday evening after I got off work... I just had to get out on the water since I had not been in a week and a half. It was a very hot day. Even when we were out on the water the temperature was still 90 degrees at 7 PM.

Even the water was hot. Little Bit likes to get on the front of the yak to see better, but he always falls off after he is there for a while. I will have to see if Dad can build me a stand of some sort to allow him to stay up there without slipping in to the water.

He is so cute after he falls out and gets wet! His hair just sticks up everywhere!

Out on bird island there were a lot of egrets, and immature herons.

I think the birds below are the same baby birds that I took a picture of in early July. The green legs and where they are hanging out are the same! I think they are immature green herons.





I guess these are immature blue herons? But they are certainly NOT blue at all. They are very brown/red.

I caught this heron in the treetop with an egret behind him and one landing.

Well, even though it was way hot, it was still great to get out on the water. Being there always helps me relax and replenish my spirit.


It will be nice to kayak when the temperature goes down a bit. I am looking forward to September when we will take a camping trip up into Missouri. We plan on going to Mill Creek on Table Rock Lake. It is a great campground and a wonderful lake. We plan on being up there when some gospel singers are camping there. Last year when we were there the campground hosts told us that the singers held impromptu sing-a-longs and concerts each night during the time that they are there so Mom and Dad are really looking forward to it.

Well, until next time....Happy Kayaking!
Cathy

Caney Lake July 29, 2006

We went to Caney Lake a few weekends ago and I am just getting around to posting the pictures. The lake was a real disappointment. It was so full of weeds and plant growth that it was very difficult to paddle. We only stayed about an hour and then left. I have a lot of great memories from camping on this lake and getting out in Dad's pirogue, but we probably won't go back unless something is done to stop the growth of the weeds in the lake. What a shame. It was a beautiful lake and still could be. Even with the weed growth the lake itself is crystal clear.


The flowers were quite pretty though.







There was a storm that came up just as we got there, so we had some interesting cloud and light shows.





It may very well be a sad end for a wonderful place for families to camp and have fun. I hope the National Forest officials will do something to help save the lake before it is too late.