Guided Canoe Paddle B.A. Steinhagen...

Years ago I noticed, after reading several books by a writer I liked that all of a sudden the latest book seemed a lot like the other books and as singer songwriter Randy Newman said, "just not as good." I understand that now because as I write this blog I see that I do the same things over and over and come back to the same themes. This past weekend I participated in a guided canoe paddle on B. A. Steinhagen Lake out of Martin Dies Jr. State Park. It's one of my most frequent and favorite paddling places. 

The guided paddle was free. The guide was a volunteer and my entrance to the park was kind of free as I had bought a yearly pass and here comes one of my reoccurring themes. This is something the government, which works better than you might think, provides for you. Most people don't even know what the government does for them (I'm not talking about (birds aren't real) because it's out there operating, maintaining parks, clean water, protecting wildlife and other such boring tasks. Occasionally there might be a branch of government or a political party that makes these tasks harder for the professionals in ways that seem like pure spite but I think they do a pretty good job despite which ever way the winds may blow.  

I know you probably watched Netflix, shopped on Amazon, or went to Walmart and listened to autotuned country music in one of the corporate restaurants on the south loop and called it fine dining all the while thinking these things are freedom and America is lovely but they tracked all those things and billionaires got your money and are figuring out how to sell you more stuff. 

They may track my park pass purchase but so far the only evidence of that is email inbox invitations to paddle in other nice places. 

Here in this photo you see our guide, Mark Stevenson, as he provides some education on history, nature and as with the group that turned their boat over some guidance on how not to drown parked at the mouth of the creek looking down the Neches River toward the forks where it joins the Angelina River above the lake.           

  

Here's how our caravan set out from the Walnut Slough Day Use Area where canoes and kayaks are available for rental if you don't have your own. That's called eagle point up ahead there because you can look across towards an eagles nest from here. 

Great swampy south east Texas scenery. Actually I had not been over here since January when we caught a pretty good mess of bream and small bass and this time last year we were catching good bream but as the guide pointed out the warm winter and recent warmer than normal temps has lead to a vegetation bloom on the lake that while not doubt the fish are there it makes it harder to present a bait to them without a glob of weeds of some type hung on it. It's global warming folks. This is how it's going to be.  

You might can barely spot the eagle nest in this photo. It's in a pine tree. They estimate it to be about 9' in diameter. 

After gliding over a couple of miles of hydrilla and through lily pads we entered a little creek that while it was only a few feet deep there was no weed growth. I should have asked but I would say maybe a different soil type, maybe some river current entering here, maybe the shade of the forest, something was inhibiting the weeds from taking over.   

I love this river bottom scenery. I told they guide this is what I came for to see this and learn my way around the lake. He had to make the decision on paddling skill if the group was up to this kind of trip or to try and easier trail. One boat did turn over on the winding slough and while not deep they did struggle to right the boat. All total it was a three hour paddle and fairly strenuous as some parts were against the wind. I was the only boat with one paddler so I was usually bringing up the rear as the slowest.  

Saw a couple of small gators, hog wallows on the banks and here's something that would probably cause the most trouble, a wasp nest overhanging the water. No worries if you are home watching Netflix. 

Someone asked me how I know about these things. Well while you on Amazon helping those rich guys get richer I'm helping myself do the same thing, over and over.