Re: [Paddlewise] trip reports, bread pudding, and other b/s...

PaddleWisers...
Ahhhh, fall at last here in bayou-country and I'm catching up on
water-time.  Daughter 1of3 and her hubby (also a paddler) are staying
with us a while to attend an upcoming wedding (daughter 3of3).  They are
also making a circuitous move from Texas back to southern California.  

  Blowout Lake:  the '93 highwater at Corney Lake in the Kisatchie Forest
caused a major earthen dam failure that virtually drained this remote
wooded lake.  The flood, while very unfortunate for camps, boathouses,
etc. on Lower Corney and even down into D'Arbonne Lake, created a
wonderful new "hidden horseshoe" that now makes a nice waterfilled
playground.  The outside of the bend has a high steep bank for most of
its apprx 2 mile gentle arc.  The inside has the nicest, thickest layer
of clean white sand making a marvelous beach like atmosphere surrounded
by deep woods.  Hardly anyone uses this lower lake and we had it to
ourselves for a 3 day weekend earlier this month.  The main channel of
Lower Corney lies a mile or so east of us.  Mixed hardwoods with just a
slight hint of fall color tightly surround the quarter-mile wide ribbon
of deep, noticeably clear water.  Even though this is still low-water
season, this spot seems full and quite fresh.  Perhaps there are
hydraulic springs filtering and feeding this lower lake from the main
lake a half-mile away.    Several side creeks feed into the horseshoe and
would be bone dry but for the constant efforts of a large family of
beavers.  At first I thought they were nutria, but no.  After their
initial fright at the presence of our boats, they settled down.  By the
3rd day they simply ignored us unless we paddled right by their
structure.    The low 90's day temps were warmer than I preferred, but a
picture perfect swimming hole kept us cool and comfortable.  Night time
temps were low 50's.  I broke out the DutchOven for a feast one night of 
Sage Dressing w/Loin Chops.  Later, a Cinnamon Apple Crisp sent everyone
to bed happy.  Only downside to the entire weekend was when Eye
discovered early on that Eye had forgotten my large jug of "boat ballast
and survival wine".  My-oh-my, Eye MUST make better preparations in the
future.  Perhaps, that was the real reason I kept losing at the
free-for-all game of kayak stern-tag, what with my boat being badly
unbalanced...    8->

  Ouachita River:  this is the main local river.  Starts up in Arkansas
near Rich Mountain and mostly meanders east and southeast for over 600
river miles toward the Mississippi.  The Native Americans called it
"Washitaw", which means "river of good hunting and sparkling silver
waters".  Pretty efficient language, if you ask me.  Spanish influence
came next with DeSoto's explorations.  Later, French trappers, hunters,
and traders made their way into the valley and changed the spelling.  Now
not many can even pronounce it correctly.    The Ouachita is truly a
river of diversity as it runs its course.  Whitewater spots in Arkansas
(I-II), huge island studded lake sections elsewhere, lower swamplands
with moss laden cypress, sandbars, and braided channels, and finally a
deep wide river are all characteristics of the Ouachita.  I have lived
near the Ouachita for all of my 52 years.  Hmmm, Eye wonder how much time
Eye've spent actually IN the Ouachita...

Today is a make some miles day.  We load the boats light and plan a day
outing to follow the west bank from the mouth of D'Loutre down to
D'Arbonne, about 18 river miles.  Big bends of a mile or more, and some
lo-o--o-ng straight stretches typify this section.  One gets to either
think about a lot of things, or nothing at all, when paddling in this
fashion.  Eye like it !  A weeklong canoe trip used to be the big finale'
of summer for my Boy Scout troop many years ago.  Most of the Ouachita
still cuts through wild and wooded areas with little development on its
natural banks.  There are numerous towns with levees or seawalls, and
lots of C.O.E. concrete for several lock and dam areas, but not much in
between.  Fishing and hunting is still excellent as it was for the early
inhabitants.  Five hundred years of increasing human encroachment has
taken some of the sparkle off, but it is still a beautiful river. 
Several large flights of honking geese roll by looking for a landing
strip.  Seems early in the year for geese with the warm, dry weather
still here.  The geese will probably set down in one of the many side
lakes that escort the Ouachita southward thru here.  Pace, Hamilton,
Horseshoe, Wall, Moon, Chauvin, and many others.  All of them are either
old river shortcuts, or highwater drainage basins.  Some have names, some
do not.  I share a common feeling with the travelling geese.  I am
searching the distant shoreline ahead for our take-out.  My muscles ache
with that good kind of used, but not abused feeling.  However, my butt is
really in need of a rest.  Maybe just on around that next bend ...

  Black Bayou:  another day outing here.  We follow the western shore out
from the NWR boatdock leaving the morning glare behind us.  Low water has
concentrated the shore birds by the hundreds, maybe thousands.  They
flutter, fly, and move to let our boats pass, then resume feeding with
that disgruntled look all nature responds with when breakfast is
interupted.  Low water has also concentrated and compacted the prolific
aquatic growth near the shore that gives this water an Everglades kind of
look.  Speaking of breakfast, I am still within sight of the boatdock and
have already eaten most of my stash-pak of biscuits.  Wood duck pairs
squeal and whistle, and do fast, low flybys, riding the freshening gusts
of wind to their pleasure as they dodge between the tall cypress whose
long dreadlocks of spanish moss wave in the breeze.  Later today around
noon we will make a bee-line course back across the middle of the lake. 
Open water, wind at our backs, and a light chop will make for a fun run
back to the landing.  Wanna practice your low brace ?  ...run up on a
stump !

* * *
  Bread Pudding:   Recent campfire bragging has brought to a "serious"
confrontation the issue of  what ingredients make the "best bread
pudding" recipe.  Within the next several weeks Eye will compete in a
cock'a'mamie bread pudding cook-off competition, and Eye do not even like
bread pudding !!   Anyone out there have a sure-fire, can't miss,
absolutely delicious recipe for bread pudding they can share with me ?   
Help...

...adieu  ...Peyton (Louisiana)
 
  

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