Shreveport, LA: Return to Caddo Lake

“Return to Caddo Lake” sounds like a slasher horror film, and this strange, mystical, lake-slash-bayou is possibly haunted and the setting of many a Hollywood film. In 12 years of RV’ing, there are only a handful of places to which we’ve returned (last time: 2020), but Caddo Lake is one of them!

It’s big — 26,000-acres big, the largest natural lake in Texas. Half in Louisiana and half in Texas, it’s the largest bald cypress forest in the world, with the bases of these up-to-400-year-old trees growing right up out of the water.

It’s old — formed in the 1700’s, most likely by the “Great Raft,” a 100-mile log jam on the Red River, causing flooding of the existing low-lying swampland. Moss grows like hippie hair, dangling down from branches and adding to the spooky, ancient feel.

It’s historic — having been used by steamboats to a number of ports on the lake. Jefferson in particular was the largest inland port in the United States for a time, with steamships coming to an end here with the eventual removal of the Great Raft.

It’s wild — with critters including frogs, turtles, owls, birds, bobcats, otters, eagles, beavers and more. The “more” you don’t really want to encounter are most notably alligators and water moccasin snakes, which nest in the trees and supposedly fall on your head with no warning. Great.

While we didn’t see any gators on our Caddo Lake adventure (not for lack of trying, I realllly wanted to), Philip was viciously attacked at the campground! Not really. But the KOA did provide an “amputated” fake hand and foot for use in photo ops.

It’s great fishing — with many fisherman bagging trophy-sized fish like largemouth bass. Rustic “fish camps” support those who troll these waters for bass, crappie, catfish, and sunfish, and some of them also have RV camping.

It’s threatened — the fragile ecosystem was compromised by the discovery of oil under the lake in the early 20th century. Subsequent oil derricks drilled here, as well as pollution from an Army ammunitions plant on the shores of Caddo in the mid-20th century, threatened its existence as a thriving wetland wildlife refuge. Interestingly, rocker Don Henley of band The Eagles was one of its most ardent advocates for preservation.

It’s STILL threatened — now by a Velcro-like aquatic plant known as Salvinia. Accidentally introduced by boaters, this noxious weed doubles in size every 2-4 days, killing life below the surface, laying siege to the entire lake and evident everywhere you go. It’s green muck is visible all over the surface of the lake.

It’s legendary — being the subject of conspiracies, myths, and mysteries. The Travel Channel did a 2006 documentary about Caddo Lake’s “Texas Bigfoot,” with hundreds of purported sightings; and Hollywood movies filmed here include “Gator Bait” (and the inevitable “Gator Bait II”), Soggy Bottom USA, The Man From Dead Man’s Pond, and The Ghost of Cypress Swamp, and an appearance in the opening credits of HBO’s vampire series, True Blood. In the name of research, we watched this 2024 movie “Caddo Lake” on a rainy Sunday afternoon in the RV, and found it passably entertaining (6/10 stars).

It’s haunted (maybe) — as the location of the spooky cabin known as Dick and Charlie’s Tea Room. Funky and creepy, this rotting cabin built around 1900 sits on stilts and isn’t really a tearoom, although it’s original usage remains a mystery. Legend dictates that the Tea Room had a past as a Prohibition-era speakeasy, with people crossing the water from the dry county to enjoy drinks and dancing here; or possibly as a brothel being used to house saloon ladies.

While likely untrue, today it is known as a haunted place with frequent ghost sightings. Truth be told, the “tea house” was more likely just an ordinary overnight fishing cabin, but it’s still being used in movies, TV shows, and music videos today. Named for the guy who bought it in the 70’s (Dick Morrell) and his best friend (Charlie Harris), it sports a hand-painted sign nailed to a tree, stipulating the “House Rules”: 1. There ain’t any 2. There never was none 3. There ain’t gonna be none.

It’s easy to visit — being most accessible near the Texas towns of Karnack, Uncertain, and Marshall. “Swamp Tours” are available from locals and small operations, and many people take their private boats out for fishing. That being said, inexperienced captains should NOT plan on boating here — it’s extremely shallow in many locations, with underwater obstacles like rebar from prior drilling industry that can rip your boat to shreds if you don’t know what you’re doing. RV Camping in the tall trees is available at Caddo Lake State Park.

We had our own “private vessel” and captain in Philip’s longest-time friend, John Sauls, who lives in Shreveport and frequents Caddo Lake for its excellent fishing, who graciously took us out on the water on his bass boat, and entertained us here for two straight days.

John and Philip go back 50+ years, but lost contact for 40 of those years, after parting ways under a freeway overpass in 1976, with Philip and his harmonica hitchhiking west and John heading north. That’s John in the middle and Philip eating the sandwich on the right.

They may have aged just a bit since 1976, but these two handsome fellas have a connection that has transcended the years!

John and his wife Michele are greatly involved in Common Ground Community, a non-profit that supports and enriches a community center in the low-income Cedar Grove neighborhood of Shreveport.

We got a behind-the-scenes tour of the campus, a repurposed church building that offers support services like hot meals, a food pantry, high school and GED classes, afterschool and summer programs, tutoring, and more. The people that makes this place go ’round are angels on earth.

Renovated gymnasium where neighborhood children can play … AFTER their homework is done

John took us to an awesome dinner at Shreveport’s Superior Steakhouse, and we requested an additional stop at the divey Herby K’s. It’s famous for the “Shrimp Buster,” an open-faced fried shrimp sandwich on toasted French bread with a sweet’n’tangy sauce. If you haven’t visited Herby K’s — in operation since 1936 — have you really even been to Shreveport?