The “Other” LouisianaSweet Tea and Crawfish
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Big Bass & Crappieby Robert Painter In Northwest Louisiana you can have it all so don’t even think about having to make a choice. Throw in excellent golf, fine resorts and even some Choctaw-Apache tamales and it all adds up to an outstanding and very different vacation.
 I have to admit, I was surprised. I didn’t expect to be standing on a bluff overlooking a lake in Louisiana. Even though I went to kindergarten in Louisiana many, many years ago and even though I have driven through Louisiana scores of times I guess I always thought of the whole state as being kind of flat.
 A walk through the beautiful Hodges Gardens will change that notion in a hurry. How could you have a waterfall if everything was flat? This state park has over 700 acres with rose gardens, many imported as well as native plants, a few sculptures, and a wonderful picnic area. The park appears to be easily accessible for handicapped. Another surprise – large pieces of petrified logs. I see them all the time in Utah and Arizona, but didn’t expect them here.
 Plan at least a couple of hours in the Gardens. A leisurely stroll will provide you with lots of photo possibilities, including bluebirds in the trees, ducks in the water, lilies in the ponds, butterflies among the flowers, waterfalls from the bluffs and, if you’re lucky, a squirrel will strike a pose for you for your parting shot. And, if you have time, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it beneath the trees.
 If you’re a fisherman you’ll soon discover that you couldn’t have made a better choice. Of course, that’s probably why you thought of coming here in the first place, but if you didn’t already know let me fill you in. Here at Toledo Bend Lake is where you want to be for Bass and Crappie. If you don’t know much about fishing I’ll just tell you that a “Lunker” is a Bass that weighs 10 pounds or more. And, believe me, that’s a Big Fish! Well, from June of ’07 to June of ’08, fifty-four of these giants were hauled in from Toledo Bend. The record for the largest bass here is 15.33 pounds. During my visit there was a fishing tournament taking place, but the lake is so large that even with all the fishing events going on there were still plenty of quiet fishing holes available. I caught a nice sized Crappie and have the photo to prove it.
 You could easily spend a week exploring Toledo Bend Lake and discovering your own favorite fishing spots. And, if you’re not interested in pulling the fish out yourself you can be sure there are plenty of great places to get your fill of fine tasting, southern cooked seafood. So, just sit back in your boat, enjoy the scenery and think about dinner without ever baiting a hook or casting into that perfect spot beside that old tree stump.
 I guess now that you’re thinking about it I should go ahead and tell you about a place called Fisherman’s Galley. When we pulled into the almost full parking lot I couldn’t help but wonder if there would be an empty table. Luckily, my little group walked in just ahead of about a dozen more of the tournament fishermen who walked in. Think about it – if a seafood place is full of fishermen does that give you a clue? Well, you’re right. The food was delicious and plentiful. I mean these guys have been working all day – at least that’s what they tell their wives they’re doing when they go to these tournaments. There is some big money involved, so I guess it’s fair to call it “work.” What would you call cruising around a beautiful lake and searching for “lunkers” all day? Well, if you’re not competing, you can use my word for it – FUN!
But, back to the food. Perfect hush puppies, fast and friendly service, quick refills on beverages, excellent fish dinners and just the atmosphere you might expect in a neighborhood restaurant. What more could you want? Directions maybe? I’ll just tell you it’s on Highway 6 – ask when you get to the area.  If you’re looking for something to do while your spouse is out fishing there are plenty of other choices. You can’t go wrong with a visit to the little town of Fisher. It’s on the National Registry of Historical Places and was a company owned sawmill town. The company store is open with 17,000 square feet of antiques and miscellaneous “stuff,” including an interesting small collection of Elvis memorabilia (not for sale.) The painted sign on the front reads 1900 Louisiana Long Leaf Lumber Company General Merchandise.
 There are a few other buildings as well, including a church, a post office and an auditorium of sorts. I couldn’t get inside, but peering through the dusty windows took me back about 50 years or so to some of the small town meeting places I recall from the 50’s and 60’s, with the wood burning stove and the wooden seats with iron side supports.
 My first couple of nights were at the Wildwood Resort and I had a chance to speak with the owner there while waiting for dinner. Randy is a congenial guy and you get the idea that many people in this part of Louisiana are like that – friendly and easy to talk to. The conversation was good and the food to be served was equal to the conversation. A giant bowl of crawfish, tricks about how to eat them, some very good steaks, jambalaya and plenty of sweet tea. What more could you want?
Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you, because you probably won’t be this lucky on your visit, but our host on this trip came up with what may be the best cake I have ever eaten. I typically prefer pie over cake, but this cake was perfect. I’m not even crazy about the name of it – I would never intentionally choose a Mandarin Orange Cake. Especially if there was a carrot cake, or some rich chocolate treat or maybe a Baked Alaska waiting. But, that would be my mistake. Anyway, Linda Curtis-Sparks is now at the very pinnacle of my list of cake bakers. I like to bake, mostly pies and an occasional cake, but, even though she gave me the recipe, I know I can never match it. I guess I’ll just have to go back to Louisiana and beg for another one!  Oops, got a bit sidetracked there thinking about that cake. The Wildwood Resort is located at the edge of Toledo Bend Reservoir in a beautiful wooded setting. You can walk from the main lodge down to the waterfront docks. There are lodges, cabins and suites for up to 140 – 200 guests. They have a conference center, pavilion, stocked fishing ponds, aviaries, and swimming pools. Sorry, I can’t guarantee the cake, but you’ll love all the rest.
 Another big surprise for me was an invitation to a tamale making demonstration. I’m from New Mexico. Why would I want to go watch someone in Louisiana make tamales? I guess this would be a good place to go into a long discourse about travel and how it makes one open one’s mind to other cultures and new discoveries. But, I’ll skip all that and confess that I need to always remember that it also applies to me. A charming young Choctaw-Apache woman at the Cypress Bend Golf Resort put on this demo and even allowed the observers to make some of their own tamales. Showing us how to work with the Masa she rolled the ingredients into perfect little tamales. I took my first somewhat skeptical bite and suddenly became a believer. It was delicious. I know. I go out of my way to a grocery store about 12 miles from my home to buy fresh tamales from vendors who walk around the grocery store parking lot selling homemade tamales out of coolers. These were just as good and they were served to me at my table by the person who made them just moments before. Luckily, she made enough that I took a half-dozen with me for my plane ride home the next day.
 But, I still had another half day in Louisiana and the Cypress Bend Golf Resort was where I planned to enjoy it. I have to admit that I’m not much of a golfer. I drove a cart around the beautiful course there. A little research later told me that this is one of the finest 18-hole championship courses in the South. Lots of nice rolling hills and some spectacularly scenic holes along the waterfront made me think maybe I should hit a few balls. I didn’t want to hold up the “real” golfers so I decided to hit a bucket of balls on the driving range. I actually did pretty well - at least better than I expected since I hadn’t played in a long time. I can only imagine how many balls I would have lost had I played the course. Ten holes are along the waterfront with some of the shots across hidden coves and inlets.
I needed some exercise and discovered some hiking trails that I could explore. My trail wandered through some woods, up a small incline and opened up on the top of a beautiful bluff overlooking the water.  The guest rooms at Cypress Bend leave nothing to be desired. There are 17 suites, 96 guest rooms, and 11,000 square feet of meeting space. There is a full service Spa and Salon and even heated indoor/outdoor swimming pool. Combine that with the excellent Cypress Dining Room and the Sabine Social Room and it all adds up to a terrific place to stay. And, if you like to hear fishermen sing, you can join in the evening Karaoke fest!
Keep on Traveling. When You Go:www.toledobendlakecountry.com: Toledo Bend Lake Country – Sabine Parish Tourist Commission. Ask for the “cake lady” and see what happens. And, request the Visitor’s Guide.  http://www.wildwood-resort.com. Wildwood Resort information.
www.cypressbend.com. Cypress Bend Golf Resort and Conference Center. Story and by Robert Painter (rpainter2006@comcast.net) Photo – Media Credentials Photo | 