another three a.m. alarm wakes us, time to pack up and hit the road, this time five and a half hours north-east of austin to caddo lake on the texas louisiana border. we've fallen into the habit of setting out on our weekend trips at an early hour, sometimes out of necessity but more often than not just to add to the sense of adventure. something about driving on empty texas roads in the dark of night still feels so liberating to me, open sky and open roads. not to mention that waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon seems to make the hours fly by. we arrived in karnack and found our campsite before the morning fog had even burned off. surrounded by towering pines and spooky bald cypress trees we grabbed a canoe to set out and explore the waters.
launching from the banks we paddled through a swamp filled with massive bald cypress trees, branches hanging low with spanish moss, the sight was so foreign i felt like i was on another planet.
continuing through the thick lily pads the swamp spills out into an expansive channel lined with old stilted fishing shacks. even in their state of disrepair it seemed as though they were still used by the fishermen living in the area.
after some more paddling and a laughable attempt at fishing from a canoe with two dogs itching to get out and explore themselves, we headed back to get set up for the night.
even after hours on the road the thought of kicking back and simply enjoying the beautiful scenery just does not mesh with the wanderlust we have. we both constantly need to be doing, which is what drives us to venture out in the first place but tends to be a hinderance once we actually get to our destination. so we've been trying new things to keep ourselves occupied once we settle down at our campsite for the night.
as the sun went down and the cold blew in we stacked on the layers and quickly retired to our tent and a mountain of blankets. even after all our preparation the thirty six degree night time low was still unbearable. as much as we try to fight, i see the purchase of some actual cold weather gear in our future. layers upon layers of sweaters, hats, gloves and blankets couldn't save us from the frigid night. after waking up it took us a good half hour of walking along the edge of the fog filled swamp before we began to thaw. 
taylor up ahead exploring on her own, i had the camera slung on my back while i tried to navigate the stump laden water line only to look up and see a blue heron fly through the fog and trees. quickly grabbing my camera i was able to fire off one shot as the giant bird flew by. no time to compose or set focus, and still the shot ended up being my favorite from the weekend, it conveys the eeriness of caddo lake perfectly.
