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Florida Alligator Stalking Vacations
Alligators
were the furthest thing from our minds as my wife Ana and I traveled
along the coast of northern Florida. We had paid $23 to camp in our
conversion van at a beautiful state park on the beach the night before.
In the morning we saw a dolphin swimming near shore.
Then we
heard we could camp for free at the isolated campgrounds which dotted
the Apalachicola National Forest. Our frugality sent us into alligator
country.
We spent two nights in the dark woods next to the dark
waters of a slow river. Our only company was an old guy who seemed to
be living there, and a nice couple with their two-year-old daughter.
Lester was from England, Kari from Texas, and Indya was born in
Guatamala. They met in India, of course. |
Our little group
circled the fire at night, trading stories, and occasionally sneaking
down to the water with flashlights to look for the eyes of alligators.
We heard splashes in the night, but saw nothing.
Lake Talquin
When
the old guy told us camping was free at Wiliams Landing, on Lake
Talquin, we all moved up there for a week. The hot showers convinced
us. We continued trading stories around the fire each night, but now we
saw all kinds of wildlife. Armadillos walked through camp, giant grey
herons fished just offshore from the van, and there were racoons, owls,
squirrels, ducks, and turtles. Then was also the "monster."
March
is a great time to get out in the woods in Florida, so I was poking
around near a corner of the lake, when I heard the splash. There were
no fish that big, I knew, and we had already seen two small alligators
sunning themselves the day before. This one had to be a giant. Ana and
I returned the next morning, and again heard the splash. It was under
the water before we could see it.
In the coming days, we visited
the monster each morning once the sun was high enough for him to come
out and soak up the heat. We caught enough glimpses to know he was at
least ten feet long. Kari and Lester made a "Crocodile Hunter" movie of
us stalking it.
In time, it no longer panicked, but just slowly
lowered itself into the water, as if getting ready to hunt us properly.
We stopped trying to get so close to it. Our gang went to view
alligators safely after that, from the tour boat at Wakulla Springs. |
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