By Tom Douglas

Our group of 14 paddlers met up where Interstate 10 crosses over the Trinity River near the community of Wallisville. (There is a GPS track showing the location of the put-in and several other points of interest at the end of this story.)

Following a brief orientation, we were soon underway, heading up the Trinity to where the Lake Pass flows into the Trinity from the east. A little ways up into Lake Pass, we stopped by a small triangle-shaped lake that was created when land was excavated to elevate the roadway for Interstate 10. Farther along Lake Pass, we marveled at the many cypress knees that line the banks, and later, the rows of majestic cypresses that reminded us of the soaring stone columns along the main isle of a gothic cathedral.

From there, we continued up to where a small cut leads into Lake Miller. Seeing that the south wind was gentle enough to allow us to paddle Lake Miller, we cut across its north end to the entrance of Mud Lake Bayou. Thanks to the advance scouting information we had gotten from Natalie Wiest, Joe Coker, and Tom Douglas, we knew that today’s water depth wouldn't allow us to paddle Mud Lake Bayou unless we wanted to do a bit of a muddy slog.

 Heading down the lake's east shore, we admired large banks of lizard’s tail plants and several pickerel weed plants that were in bloom.

Near the lake's southeast corner, we ducked back into a small channel that leads to a marshy lake and a ridge of high ground that made for a shady lunch spot.

 Because it was a warm day, we had mostly been taking advantage of the shade along the bayous and the edges of the lakes, but now we elected to venture out into the open sun on Lake Miller to have a look at the masses of floating lotus plants and their gorgeous blossoms.

 Returning to the Lake Pass, we paddled another half mile or so up to Lake Charlotte. Part way across the lake's south end, we paused at Sand Point to admire the view and to observe a couple of swimming alligators. Farther along, we turned to the south, through another small cut that leads into Mud Lake. Part way down the cut we noticed another alligator, but it submerged and didn't show much interest in us. But then, as Kent Walters passed by, the gator must have liked the looks of his kayak paddle’s blade, which is gray with a fish scale pattern – so it took a bite at it.  Now, Kent has a new conversation piece.

The experience had been varied and interesting, but it was time to head back through Lake Charlotte, Lake Pass, and the Trinity River to take out right on schedule at the Interstate 10 bridge.

Finally, here is a “can you find all 4 of these things in this picture?” riddle to solve.  Here are the four items: (1) Paddler, (2) Cypress Tree, (3) Alligator in the Water, (4) Rangia Clam Midden.

By hovering the cursor over an image, it is possible to view the photo title and the name of the photographer. 

Photos by Joe Coker, Kent Walters, and Tom Douglas. Be sure to check out the photo albums posted by Joe Coker and Kent Walters. Map by Tom Douglas (Garmin BaseCamp Version 4.7.4).