Polly Lyn and I left later yesterday about 11am for the tour meeting spot, which I somehow thought was where the boat would be. Bosco was walked early, and we have a person next door who walks him during the day, so he sleeps the day away, as we leave the radio on for him. We were early, picked up the tickets then were told we had to wait for the bus to take us to the boat, so we walked around the waterfront for 1/2 hour before we boarded the bus. 
The ride was a 1/2 hr to the Bayou to get to another meeting area, which you checked into, and were given colour coded bracelets with a number on them, #17 was our ride. We then looked around the waiting room which had a live Albino Alligator on the rock beside a small pond. Didn't look like a place I would want to be, and I'm sure he didn't want to be there neither. There were some big, about 3 ft long turtles in ponds too. This is a money making holding place for the group till the boats were back from the previous rides, and we got something small to eat, then out to the covered patio, as the sun was just beating down on you now. After a short while we were then led somehow to another holding pen closer to the water, till the captians of all the boats came out to call our number, and we then loaded up about 25-30 on each boat the kind of trip we payed for. Some people had smaller boats that had 8 or less, but we took this as was told was best trip.
Got the rules of the water from the captain, and off we went. I ended up sitting in the 2nd seat from front with a group that were on a bachelorette weekend, and came here from California, were the stoked to have fun, but a little scared too.
Polly and Lyn were behind me, also stoked to have fun, not sure what we would see. What a treat, we first went quite slow as there were houses on the shore, but that didn't last too long and we had to have the ear muffs on as the engine is loud. As we approach warp speed the captain is very careful as he gets to a corner as all boats left about the same time, so don't want to smack into one of our own.  |
| Cypress tree roots sticking out of the water |
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| One of the tour captain's jumps in to feed the Alligator |
Was a beautiful ride, but we all were looking for an alligator, but never saw one till he stopped and then we saw a small one, about 5 feet long. The captain now stops the boat, and off goes the engine, and he puts his had in the water and flicks the water toward the Alligator, the gator comes directly to the boat, fast, yep he has been fed by the captian or others before. The captain then produces a wiener and wiggles it back and forth till the gator comes close then he teases it with the wiener, and holds it up so we can see more of the gator. Then he does something none of expect, he reaches into the water and lifts the alligator up out of the water so we can get a good look, Wooo.. you hear the whole boat exclaim. Now that was cool to see. He did this about 3-4 times, and the we were off for more to see., that was cool. We then went down a smaller waterway where he said they called it ? like you never come back from here, and we saw much closer all the limbs of the trees, and the Spanish Moss was hanging everywhere, so beautiful, if you could forget about the snakes...
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| Feeding him a wiener |
After awhile we got to a dead end, and he then turned off the motor again and showed us a tree called Cypress, that was logged here for years, and explained how the bumps we see around the base were the roots, and that the swamp was just right for these trees to grow here. He also said the cuts in the swamp where the water is were not there before, that they were dug by hand many years ago when they logged this area, as the water was the only way the loggers had to get the logs out. Wow I was surprised, and so were the girls I was sitting beside, we learned something today. Hmm by had is what got me, just can't imagine digging in this swamp, wow would be many people give up parts of there body, or there lives here was my thought. Didn't seem so blissful after I made that connection, always thought this was natural, not man made. We had time to get a few nice pictures, then off again to another spot where we saw a few more boats, 2 tied up to some pipes and valves that extended above the water, and one just floating. Then as we slow down we see someone in the water, and as we get where the captain turns the engine off we see the guy in the water is enticing an alligator toward him, Wholly crap, it is a BIG GATOR, wow as the gator gets close to him he pulls out a wiener and same as before, wiggles it back and forth to entice him. The alligator approaches slowly, and he holds his head up high as he feeds him the wiener, Wooooo you hear from all on board, we all can't believe what we are seeing. After we get over the first shock, and we watch as the guy in the water continue to almost play with the gator people start asking questions of our captain.
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| Captain that was in the water pointing to another gator coming for food |
How big is he, 13 feet we are told. Do you do this too, Yep was his answer. Why do you use marshmallows sometimes? Because they float, and they see them well. Then after we have seen about all, and the gator is full I ask what the tin and steel thing is over there, and he says that it and the pipes are a natural gas well that was drilled in the 60s, wow you hear from the young girl beside me, she was surprised as was I that it was here and also was still producing. Next the captain asked if anyone wanted to hold an Alligator, and yes was the sound from many, so he held up a 2 year old gator, and was small but went around to any who wanted to hold it. Sure was cool, even if small to hold one.
Wow what a good tour that was, and back we go to the dock, all happy with our tour today.
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