Caution...Alligators Present!

Pictures L to R: Danger sign; Allie

1 June 2009

David and I went for a walk around the campground after it started to cool down some. We walked toward this beautiful lake—the water was smooth as glass, and you could see the trees and grasses reflecting on it. As we approached the area where boats could be launched, we noticed a sign:

DANGER
Caution
Alligators present

No kidding! Even so, earlier in the day we had seen some children playing on the banks of the lake. Anyway, we began walking along the lake's edge, and started talking about this. Why, I wondered, would anyone swim, or water ski in a lake that was known to have alligators? Just then, we noticed a “log” in the water, floating out of the reeds. Turns out, it wasn’t a log, but our first “wild” alligator sighting—the first for us other than at the zoo that is. We watched this gator, about 5 feet long—maybe 6, swim along the shore about 20 feet away. He would stop periodically and sink a little so that just his eyes were showing, and then he would start swimming along again. We also saw what looked like another kind of animal in the water—I think they were snakes, based on the S shape path they were making across the water. David thinks that maybe they were just water bugs...it doesn't matter who is right, because we're not going swimming! NO, HENRY...neither are you!