ON THE BANKS OF CADDO LAKE:  Uncertain, Texas has some definite ideas about lodging prices so we started from Nacogdoches where rates were reasonable.   You might want to take your camera for this trip.                   

UNCERTAIN AGAIN
Story & Photos by IRA KENNEDY

After dark all towns look pretty much the same from the highway.
But in the morning you really are somewhere else.  That notion fixed itself in some empty corner of my brain as soon as I set foot outside.

The Victorian Inn & Suites is painted like farm fresh eggs sunny side up.  Or maybe I was just dreaming about the breakfast I wasn't going to have.  This was no time to linger.  There were 90 miles of Interstate between us and Uncertain and night falls early this time of year.  So breakfast was a sausage, egg and biscuit thingy, with scalding hot coffee from (don't groan, I didn't) McDonalds.

n the way north we realized this adventure was going to last another night so the motel in Uncertain was back in the running.  And we found it right off but way early in the day.  The luggage barely had time to settle in the back of Nigel the Land Rover so we figured we knew where it was so why rush.  From the looks of things it wasn't going very far anyway.
       Besides Ms. Intrepid wanted to see Caddo Lake, and after years of finagling she was finally there.  We drove all the little roads along the lake, got tangled up and drove parts of them again.  We pulled up to the Bayou Landing Restaurant & Lake Tours for lunch.  It was pretty fancy with a wall of windows looking out on the lake.   But it was closed and wouldn't open until 5p.m. on Fridays and 4p.m. on Saturdays. We were way too early.  I took a few pictures from their pier and we headed on down the road looking for a place to eat.  (I know, we had snacks galore in the ice chest but those were emergency rations.)
       We passed a steamboat tour business,  surrounded by trees, with a really neat cut-out sign of Mark Twain.  The tour left at 11a.m. so we were late for that one.  We were too hungry anyway, and continued our restaurant quest.

       The Shady Glade Cafe (and Resort) had the good sense to be open for lunch on Friday so we gave it a try.  We seated ourselves by a big picture window looking out on their boat dock on Caddo Lake where I took a few pics (pictured above, three vertical pics stitched together).
       Ms. Intrepid ordered their Patty Melt which was served with fresh ground meat on Texas toast with Swiss cheese, mayonnaise and grilled onions & mushrooms ("Yummy," commented Ms. Intrepid. ).  It wasn't quite what she expected, as Patty Melts go, but she gave it two thumbs up.
       Being unadventerous in the food department, I ordered a club sandwich and onion rings.  I'm an onion ring nut and if they're on the menu I'm going there.  Well, the club sandwich held no surprises and was probably a little better than most, but them onion rings were, hands down, the best ever. 
      While I was licking my fingers for the second or third time Ms. Intrepid asked the waitress about lodging in the area.  She said they had one unit available -- a trailer for $90 a night.  Yikes!  They sure value their real estate in these parts. 
       Before we headed out I made for the men's room.   Seems the place was occupied by a very lazy dog.  Now, I've heard of guard-dogs, junk-yard dogs, fire-house dogs, lap-dogs, and our Ben is a hog-dog.  But a Men's-Room-dog?  That was a new one on me.  I figured he'd try to make a break for the outdoors, but no.  He didn't move an eyelash.
       While taking care of business I pondered his purpose.   The room was immaculate so he wasn't there for a similar purpose and just acting polite, me being a guest and all. Maybe he was trained to make sure everyone flushed?   No. I tested that -- temporarily.  Washing up afterwards? No.  Nothing.   This was the most useless dog I've ever come across -- which I admire. 
       Now here's the truly perplexing part. The door was closed when I went in, and it closed on the way out.  So.  How does he get out when nature calls?  Is he a Knob-Turning-dog?  Can he walk on two legs?  I was stumped and stayed that way till we came upon Poverty Point trailer park and the entrance to Caddo Lake State Park directly across the street.  With picture-taking to occupy my thoughts I let the sleeping dog lie.

      PAGE 1: DESTINATION UNCERTAIN  /   PAGE 2: UNCERTAIN AGAIN
PAGE 3: CADDO LAKE  /  PAGE 4: JEFFERSON & LONE STAR
PAGE 5: DAVY CROCKETT NAT. FOREST  /  THE MAP /  3-D PHOTOS

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