Lake Fausse Point LA to Lake Bistineau State Park LA
Planned 4:10
Actual 4:55
Got a fairly early start and drove in misty clouds for several hours, when it cleared up and we finally saw the sun again. That might explain my much improved attitude about the next part, Lake Bistineau State Park. It was lovely.
Starting with the friendly lady at the gate and ending with an easy hookup (hookups on the right side, this time!) at fairly new and well-built facilities. Most of the sites, including ours, had a lovely large deck just adjacent to the asphalt pad. The road coming into the park was good, too, but several areas of potholes badly needed attention. But it was plenty wide and well-marked. Very nice, well-tended park all in all.
Oddly, the picnic table was not on the cedar deck but down in the leaves below it. We pulled out our chairs and didn't bother stepping down ot the table. Soon it was time to take Molly for a long walk, so off we went to walk in the lake bed.
Lake Bistineau is pretty large (or so it looks on the map), but the campground is at the upstream end of it. And the lake is "drawn down" every winter from August through November in an attempt to combat Giant Salvinia. To quote Texas Parks and Wildlife,
Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta), a floating fern from southern Brazil, is currently one of the most problematic aquatic plants in Texas. It damages aquatic ecosystems by outgrowing and replacing native plants that provide food and habitat for native animals and waterfowl. Additionally, it blocks out sunlight and decreases oxygen concentrations to the detriment of fish and other aquatic animals. When plant masses die, decomposition lowers dissolved oxygen still further.
We weren't intending to fish and so we really didn't need the lake-side location, but if I'd realized that my lake view wasn't going to be, I might have reserved one of the pull-through spots further up the hill. Maybe. I don't remember seeing any pull-through spots when I made the reservation.
The campground was mostly empty--a couple of trailers were parked two sites away from us, and further around the loop in the higher numbers there were quite a few campers and things. But all around us it was gloriously vacant. And quiet--very.
Molly and went down into the lake bed and walked along a tire track path there. There were signs on the trees where the canoeing trail went:
And all the poor cypress trees were bare of water and showing their petticoats:
Our walk turned out to be much shorter than I'd planned, because I was hungry. We returned to the Mammoth home at 4:15, showered, and headed out to a restaurant that the park attendant had recommended. Well, actually she said every one else said it was good but she'd never been there.
And it was great! A little weak on the vegetable choices, but my plate of crawfish etaufee on rice and topped with three crisply fried catfish fillets was excellent. Better etaufee than I could make myself. Ed's version was oddly a lighter color and not nearly so good. His wasn't as spicy, either. Mine, while not as spicy as I would have preferred, was perfectly acceptable without adulteration. I did add a little Louisiana hot sauce at the end.
By eating so ungodly early, it was not yet six o'clock when we finished. We were back with the dogs by six-twenty. And they were very happy to see us.
At our walk that night, Molly and I did okay except I stepped in some of the potholes in the dark. But I'm not complaining about the dark--it was great. I even shone my flashlight on a pair of eye observing me from the bushes. About racoon height, I'd guess.
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