Caddo Lake, Texas

Its a tradition now in our family to go to a State or National park during Spring break. This year it was the Caddo Lake, Texas's one and only naturally formed lake. After a short three hour drive from Dallas, we reached the marina close to the cabin we stayed in. Started the afternoon with a picnic.

We spotted a trail not too far from where our picnic bench was. It was a short 2 mile easy trail. Pulled my hair up, changed into my hiking shoes, grabbed a couple of water bottles, my camera and we were all set for the hike.

The park has a couple of trails, both short and easy. We took another trail the following morning. It rained that night, covering the trail with leaves. The rangers warned us about Patulous snakes. Husband and daughter had immense fun scaring the poor the mom and son all the way through the trail.

 The feature that makes this lake a unique experience is the presence of Cypress Trees in shallow marshy water laden with Spanish Moss. The trees are anywhere between 90 - 200 years old. For the first 18 months of their life, they grow on land and then they are ready to survive in water. The shallow waters and heavy evaporation during Summer in the lake makes that a possibility.

If you are lucky, you can spot owls, cranes, beavers and even alligators. Whether you prefer canoeing, driving the pontoon or fishing, you can spend hours on the lake doing various water activities. Sipping beer and not doing anything will work too.

Spooky, isn't? Reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean.