Caddo Lake 2020

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A Scouting Trip For a Fall Workshop

A very alert Blue Heron. lit by a rising sun, watches our quiet approach.

I recently (June) hooked up to our travel trailer and dragged it to Caddo Lake State Park. It’s a favorite location for Chris and I. On this trip, however, I was on my own, and the purpose was to scout out lake guides and work on logistics for a workshop we (Benton Downs Photography) are going to host in the fall.

A few of the thousands…hundreds of thousand….Cypress trees on Caddo Lake.

If you’ve never been or heard of Caddo Lake there are many resources and the lake and the surrounding area have a rich history. Visit one of my earlier blog posts for a bit more detail and of course, Wikipedia has some interesting information. In this case, I also found a rich resource of information in the form of my boat captain Rich McFarland of Caddo Lake Bayou Tours. We had a great time touring a portion of the lake and he did his best to make sure I got to see more than the typical guided tour areas of the lake.

Still waters await sunrise on Caddo Lake.

We started well before sunrise and enjoyed the peace and beauty of the lake before most folks were rolling out of bed. As most boaters and campers can tell you, there’s nothing quite like a sunrise on a boat out on the water. Combine that with the Spanish Moss draped branches of the Cypress trees and it was nothing short of magical. We spent almost 4 hours exploring sections of the lake. Some were more open with wind-driven waves and others much more secluded with water so flat it felt you could walk out on it. He took me to places with unique wildlife viewing options like an osprey nest (we didn’t get too close and I used a super-telephoto lens), wood storks that migrated in and never left, and of course the ever-present blue & white herons.

One of the many channels in the lake.

Eventually, it was time to head back and I felt confident I had found the right guide for a group of photographers that will be attending the workshop beginning October 30th (only one seat left as I write this).

For more images check out a small gallery of my Caddo Lake images here and visit the other blog post from 2018 when Chris and I visited here.

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