January 9, 2016. Going on a Gator Hunt.

January 9, 2016.  Going on a Gator Hunt.  Angie has been playing with Google Earth and that prompted me to look up Gulf State Park.  The first photo above shows the general layout of the campground.  Our campsite is across the lake from the green tree.  However, it shows you only a small part of the park.  What you see is probably about a 1000 acres of the 6000 which make up the park. 

Barb, from Barron, WI, (second photo) told us earlier in the week that one of her friends had happened upon a brummating alligator along one of the bike trails.  You will remember that "brummation" is akin to hibernation, except the reptile just slows its metabolism in cold weather, it doesn't go to sleep.  On a warm winter day, they move about.  I don't know if they eat during brummation.   But, if they are like me, when they find food, they eat it.  So, Annie and I decided to go on a gator hunt.  Well, to be accurate, I decided to go on a gator and Annie accompanied me so she could call the EMTs when I got eaten. 

Off we went on the recumbents in search of gators.  Annie insisted that I take the lead so by the time the gator got to her, he would be full.  We scoured the countryside, looking in every slough and pool of water all over the park.  The closest we came to a gator were the two signs warning us not to feed them - "A fed gator is a dead gator".

So we returned to T-Harvey to watch the Chiefs win their first playoff game in more than two decades.  At halftime, we played pretzel tic-tac-toe.  I was squares and Annie was "O".  Can any of my brilliant grandchildren guess who won? 

Tomorrow is another day.  There is still a gator out there, waiting to be found.  I sure hope I am wrong about them eating during brummation.