It’s been a long time since I’ve been out in a boat, and a holiday party at Cedar Hill Park near Anahuac, TX, seemed the perfect opportunity. In addition to my bow partner Ellen, there were 10 paddlers also happy to be out on the water. We were equally divided between tandem and solo boats: 4 tandems and 4 solos.
We met about 10 a.m. at the lake shore, appropriately masked and distanced. Here is our group:
(Click photos to enlarge)
In case you can’t recognize us, left to right, Christy Long, Joe Coker, Amy McGee, Harmon Everett, Tom Douglas, Kirsten Fay, Ellen Shipman, Bob Fay, Linda Shead, Liz Dennis, Natalie Wiest, and Frank Ohrt.
Although some of the photos may appear stormy, it was clearing and beautiful with very little wind. We set out for Mac Bayou and Lake. Because we did not want to miss the party and all those yummy cookies supplied by party girl Alice Nissen, we only did a short out and back trip for 2.8 miles, per map and GPS of Tom Douglas.
Here are Christy and Amy setting out across the lake:
We always gather at the entrance to Mac Bayou before proceeding.
Photo by Linda Shead
I love the light green/yellow of the willows, among the last to give up their leaves. During one of our last floods, they also lost the soil that was holding them upright and now some of them provide barriers, at least for big boats, to paddling up the bayou.
Even at our leisurely pace, we got to the turnaround spot way too soon and turned in the Sulphur Cut.
I never tire in my attempts to capture the mood of the cypress forest, and I wonder how many times I have taken photos of this particular stand of trees on the Lake Charlotte shore. Always love them.
We were back to Cedar Hill park by around noon and proceeded to the party. It was a great day to be out and about.
Natalie Wiest
Trip Coordinator
| TRIP AT-A-GLANCE |
| DATE: December 20, 2020 |
| PUT-IN: Cedar Hill Park |
| TAKE-OUT: Cedar Hill Park |
| GAGE: 8.75 (USGS 08067118 Lk Charlotte nr Anahuac, TX) |
| FLOW: only a slight inbound flow to Lake Charlotte in Mac Bayou |
| TEMPERATURE: 55-60 |
| PRECIPITATION: none |
| WIND: North 3-6 mph |
| PADDLING DISTANCE: 2.8 |