Gators!

April 17, 2010

We’re down in Naples, Florida visiting the Running Man’s parents and man, this place is crawling with alligators.

Oh, and Naples is very pretty too.

But nearly every body of water has some beady little eyes looking at you, and granted they remove them when they get really big, but still…

The first several times we visited I had recurring nightmares of these creepy reptiles making off with one or both of the adorables.

Every day we take a walk along this berm…

It’s an elevated walkway with water on both sides that leads to the beach.

And every 50 yards or so, we encounter this…

Gators!

This one is about 3 feet long.

These are new babies we met as newborns in December when we visited. Sadly there were 13 when they were born, now we could only find 3.

And here’s Mama. She’s about 9 feet long and whoa baby, I hold the adorables on my hip when we see her. I’m using my telephoto here, so we’re about 25-30 feet away.

But if she moves, I’m outta there.

This little guy was only about 5 feet away, but he’s much smaller than he looks here.

And I’m sure I’ll have nightmares tonight about how close we actually were.

But then we reach this elevated walkway and revel in its *safety*. Man I love it when we get here.

Mostly because it leads to this:

Ahhh. Gorgeous.

And the adorables immediately set out to do this:

If only we could be airlifted back to the condo…

A happy birthday to my dad and sister today, who coincidentally share the same birthday!

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Category: Family Trippin'
Tags: alligators, Naples |

10 Comments »

Bob Schofield
on April 17, 2010 8:42 am
If this is Pelican Bay, we were just there and it is very cool. Our day on the beach was very windy and rough. There is a great gator viewing spot not to far out 41 towards Miami that is pretty cool also. Worth the drive. While you are in the area, don’t miss Smallwood’s store in Chokoloskee, south of Everglades City. There is a trilogy called “The Killing of Mister Watson” that is a fun read with a lot of history of the area. This is one of my favorite areas of the country.
Sarah
on April 17, 2010 9:14 am
Have a great visit! I wish we were at the beach! My parents live in SC so we get to visit gators each year too!
Susan Knipper Watson
on April 17, 2010 6:13 pm
Pelican Bay? Loved that vacation!
Whitney Trujillo
on April 17, 2010 6:14 pm
Wow. Gators. I’m impressed with your courage to get that close! And THANKS!!
Heidi Farmer
on April 17, 2010 6:15 pm
It is Pelican Bay! Frankly, I didn’t realize anyone would have heard of it!
Dad
on April 18, 2010 1:40 am
Thank you so much for the birthday wish!
Marla
on April 18, 2010 9:24 am
Too many gators for my comfort!! I guess you’d get used to them! That is a neat area.
bill
on April 18, 2010 9:44 am
The pathway past the gators looks serene enough – until those critters come into view. I think I’ll stick to the beach!
Michelle
on April 19, 2010 2:49 pm
Pelican Bay? Loved that vacation!
Jeff
on April 24, 2010 8:56 pm
The pathway past the gators looks serene enough – until those critters come into view. I think I’ll stick to the beach!